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NewsPlay Crysis Warhead Multiplayer For Free Next Weekend

Posted 10/03/08 at 05:49:29 PM by Nathan Grayson

Crysis Warhead, despite releasing less than a year after Crysis, has received a few more oodles of critical acclaim than its predecessor. And, as a nice bonus, it also run admirably on rigs that aren't chock-full of wallet-devouring tech and don't display disturbing signs of sentience. Thus, it makes perfect sense that Crytek has decided to jab a toothpick through the multiplayer half of its latest opus and pass out some free samples.

Starting October 6th, a few quick clicks at www.mycrysis.com will provide you with an activation code for the weekend's festivities. Once signed-up, you'll have full access to Crysis Wars from 11:00 AM PDT on October 10th to 11:59 PM PDT on October 12th. To be clear, this isn't just a demo. It's the entire, 21-map multiplayer portion of the game.

“We have been extremely pleased with the reception we have received from gamers and press for Crysis Warhead,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “Crysis Wars is definitely a big reason for this success and something we are dedicated to, not only as a part of future Crysis titles, but in terms of releasing new modes and continued support for our growing community.”

Great idea on Crytek's part. So, those of you who pirate games for "demo purposes," will temporary full access to a game put an end to your swashbuckling ways?

Comments: 10
TAGS: gaming, Software, news, EA, Crytek, free stuff, Do want

NewsPrice, Specs of EA's Affordable Crysis Warhead PC Revealed

Posted 09/09/08 at 07:00:03 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Games like Crysis prove to be an acid test for game hardware because of their insatiable hunger for computer resources. Although these hi-fi games are a visual treat, they are at times blamed for hastening the demise of PC gaming by making it an expensive hobby.

But Crytek, EA, Nvidia and UltraPC have joined hands to build a Crysis Warhead-ready PC – capable of running the upcoming game in high spec at a smooth 30 frames per second, which will help them debunk the notion that one needs to spend thousands of bucks on a gaming PC.

The Warhead PC will feature an Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 @2.66GHz, Nvidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB graphics card, G31 mATX, 2GB memory and 250GB hard drive. The price of the machine has been revealed to be a very reasonable $699. All said, the aesthetics are bland and might not appeal to eclectic gamers.

Interested parties can sign-up for updates, and subsequently, pounce on the rig when it appears along with the game on September 16th, 2008.

Comments: 17
TAGS: nvidia, EA, Crytek, gaming rig, rigs, cheap, cysis, warhead, ultrapc, affordable

NewsGaming Roundup 9/8/08: Hey Denton, Look!

Posted 09/08/08 at 09:48:24 PM by Nathan Grayson

"With great power, there must also come great responsibility"
-- Uncle Ben, Spider-Man

"With great power and great responsibility, there must also come walls of text."
-- Far too many videogames

It's atrocious, too. Last night, I was forced to read my way through the opening of a game released only a week ago. The game's gloriously rendered prison cell bars would likely have even the rottenest of holding cells in jealous fits, yet mere moments after I moved beyond those gnarled steel beams, I was assailed by a text tutorial of such ridiculous length that it would've benefitted from a rabbit-ear feature.

"This is next-gen?" I wondered aloud.

We can polish graphics to such a sheen that even the most mundane objects wrap their tendrils securely around our eyes and never let go, yet integrating a tutorial with actual gameplay is an insurmountable task? The very thought is absurd, and doesn't exactly get me pumped to play the rest of the game. After all, if gameplay matters so little that the designers couldn't even be bothered to, you know, teach me through interactivity -- a little quirk that I hear makes games sorta cool -- then why should I expect anything better from the rest of their game? It's like popping a Porsche chassis over a Flintstones car; take the thing for a spin and your next stop will be the used-car dealership.

So, which ripe-smelling, antiquated videogame "features" do you think should be given the boot? Are there any that you'd actually like to see stick around?

Today's Roundup is all about the future -- no artifacts from 1993 here. Inside, you'll find only the latest news concerning Deus Ex 3, F.E.A.R. 2 (Yep, that's the name, now), and two separate plans to "save" PC gaming.

Catch it all after the break.

Comments: 8
TAGS: gaming, Software, news, blizzard, Stardock, EA, Crytek, Warner Bros

NewsGaming Roundup 8/19/08: For the PC Gaming Alliance!

Posted 08/19/08 at 09:52:57 PM by Nathan Grayson

With the Internet's collective knowledge at our fingertips, we generally know what we're in for when we purchase a game; even when reviews steer us wrong, exhaustively in-depth 75-page forum threads usually give us at least something to go on. But at some point or another, we've all found our more rational sides obscured, and due to a low, low price tag that just screams "Buy me," a movie license that would make a totally rad game, or what have you, we've retched up an all-too-clear "This game sucks."

So, what's the worst game you've ever played? What factor intoxicated your poor brain into giving the game a shot? Was it a friend's recommendation? A movie/comic book/TV show license? A kindhearted, but woefully uninformed birthday gift?

Well take some solace in the fact that today's Roundup won't steer you wrong. Between quantifiable proof that digital distribution is the future, Crysis' surprising success, and one man's dirge for console gaming, the Roundup tells it like it is. See it all after the break.

Comments: 10
TAGS: gaming, Software, news, Valve, Crytek, Epic, Silicon Knights

NewsGaming Round-Up 6/27/08: E3 Exciting and Irrelevant, Valve Says PC Gaming is the Future

Posted 06/27/08 at 08:07:10 PM by Nathan Grayson

Today, I had an epiphany: E3 is going to be a snooze-fest. Blizzard is making their big announcement tomorrow, most every PC game at the show will just be a high-res console port, and apparently Half-Life 2 Episode 3 won't even have a presence. Soon after, however, I stumbled over a piece that lightly patted me on the shoulder and assuaged all of my fears. Jump past the break for said piece and its bionic arm -- plus more!

Comments: 0
TAGS: gaming, microsoft, Software, news, Valve, roundup, Crytek, 3D Realms

NewsCrytek CEO Bemoans Software Piracy, Claims 20:1 Ratio

Posted 06/27/08 at 03:31:27 PM by Paul Lilly

In a recent interview, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli blasted the PC industry as "the most intensely pirated market ever." By his own estimation, Yerli believes the sales-to-piracy ratio could be as high as 1 to 20, or in other words, for every videogame legitmately sold, 20 more are illegally downloaded or copied.

Yerli also critiqued certain aspects of Crysis. Click through the jump to see what he had to say, and what to expect differently from Crysis Warhead.

Comments: 7
TAGS: gaming, Software, piracy, Crysis, Crytek

NewsThe Elder Scrolls: Crysis

Posted 04/15/08 at 03:27:42 PM by David Murphy

UPDATE: Crytek tells a Crysis modder to stop showing off his CryEngine 2 port of Oblivion, but we've found mirrors to this awesome graphical accomplishment!