Join the Journey. Become the Hero.

[Update: Minutes following the publishing of this article, Crytek dropped an official teaser trailer confirming ongoing development of Crysis 4. You can check out the preview below.]

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m_ESB6bCck

[Original Article:]

Crysis fans have been ?sent into a blood-pumping tizzy this morn?ing after a Chinese social media website seemingly jumped the gun on what appears to be an official announcement of a brand new sequel.

A mysterious new image popped up on social media service BiliBili earlier this morning, alongside text which �when translated �read: "Crysis 4 project is confirmed, opening a new nano battlefield! Follow @Crytek, we will continue to update you with the latest ??news". The post was removed shortly thereafter.

The supposed sequel will be the first new release in the sci-fi shooter series in almost a decade, following on from Crysis 3, which launched on PC and consoles to critical and fan acclaim back in 2013. In recent years, the original Crysis trilogy was remastered, bringing its hi-tech and hi-octane action to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and even Nintendo Switch back in the summer of 2020.

No doubt we can expect an official statement from Cry?tek soon. Better start getting that rig in gear.

The post Crysis 4 officially announced?? following social media leak appeared first on Destructoid.

It's all just a smudge to these mince pies

This week sees the long-awaited launch of Crysis Remastered, bringing the notoriously res?ource-heavy shooter out of 2007 and screaming onto the high platforms of 2020. Developer Crytek has released a new 8K trailer to show of the remaster GPU-melting myriad of visual effects.

The super-shiny video compares the new release with the 2007 orig?inal, (which still looks pretty damn good), while spotlighting the real-time reflections, global illumination, ray-tracing effects, depth-of-field improvements and *checks notes* "rippling caustics".

Obviously, everything looks suitably stunning, and players with an 8K display and the required hardware specs will be able to experience Crysis Remastered in all of its dazzling glory. Hopefully this modern-day remaster will give all of those who were left facing low-res textures back in 2007 the opportunity to see what all of the fu??ss was about.

Crysis Remastered is available now on Nintendo Switch and laun??ches September 18 on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

The post You’ll appreciate this 8K Crysis Remastered trailer if your eyes are better than mine appeared first on Destructoid.

'Designed to demand every last bit of your hardware with unlimited settings'

Just a little while ago, we did indeed learn if your PC can run Crysis, as Crytek provided the actual minimum and recommended specs. But can your PC actually run Crysis? We'll find out soon enough.

It seems as if the company is embracing the pop culture phrase directly into the game, as evidenced by a tweet over the weekend. "Exclusively on PC," the game will sport a "Can it Run Crysis?" graphics setting, which will "demand every last bit of your hardware with unlimited settings." Yes, this will end we??ll for everyone involved.

Crytek also provided a screenshot, which you can view and heckle below. Given that this is a remaster and not a remake, I'd say they did a decent job of bringing out the colors and deta??il of the island; to the point where it excels upon concepts the original was never able to achieve. Of course if you're a fan of the dour, less saturated look of the 2007 version, you might not be a fan.

Today's post is dedicated to our PC community!

We want to show you, for the very first time, an in-game screenshot using the new "Can it Run Crysis?" Graphic mode, which is designed to demand every last bit of your hardware with unlimited settings - exclusively on PC! pic.twitter.com/kVHEf63oWe

— Crysis (@Crysis) September 6, 2020

The post ‘Can it Run Crysis?’ is a real setting exclusive to the PC version of the Crysis remaster appeared first on Destructoid.

Almost certainly

We post PC specs all the time, but rarely are we afforded the opportunity ??to post the PC specs for the most infamous PC game of all-time. It's a special day.

Crytek has published the Crysis Remastered PC requirements on its Epic Games Store page. They doesn't live up to the legacy of the original. Crysis Remastered ??;is here to make friends, not melt your rig. It's a trade-off that most people a??re probably willing to make.

Without further ado, here are Crysis Remastered's minimum and recommended specs on PC:

Minimum specs:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 / AMD Ryzen 3
• RAM: 8GB
• HDD: 20GB
• DirectX: DX11
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4GB VRAM) / AMD Radeon 470 (4GB VRAM)

Recommended specs:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Core i5-7600k or higher / AMD Ryzen 5 or higher
• RAM: 12GB
• HDD: 20GB
• DirectX: DX11
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (8GB VRAM) / AMD Radeon Vega 56 (8GB VRAM)

Crysis Remastered [Epic Games Store]

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Uncloaking September 18

Seventy-five percent of the Crysis Remastered platforms have not yet launched. Following a catastrophic gameplay reveal leak, Crytek pushed back the most performance-intensive platforms in hopes that some changes would keep it from getting shredded to bits. Switch launched though, and it's surprisingly good!

PC, PS4, and Xbox One need another month. Crytek has announced that Crysis Remastered is c?oming on September 18. It'll be pr??iced at $30.

Aside from the release date, Crytek slid in some more info about the remaster. Somewhere along the line, Epic secured Crysis Remastered as an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC. Crytek, no stranger to being in dire financial straits, probably leapt at the opportunity for Crysis Remastered's development to be automatically profitable.

As for technical capabilities, Crysis Remastered is said to have "high-resolution textures up to 8K, HDR support, temporal anti-aliasing, screen space directional occlusion, global illumination, state-of-the-art depth fields, new light settings, motion blur, parallax occlusion mapping, screen space reflections and shadows, new particle effects, and more." Also, PS4 Pro and Xbox One X players will get console ray tracing. P?C supports Nvidia DLSS technology and ray tracing on RTX cards.

It all sounds beefy enough that, yes, your PC will probably have trouble running Crysis if you cran??k up the settings just to struggle for the sake of nostalgia.

The post Maybe your PC can run Crysis Remastered… but Steam can’t appeared first on Destructoid.

'The wait is almost over'

Crysis Remastered is launching on four platforms, but was delayed on three. The on?e that released timely? Switch!? That's the exact opposite of how this usually works.

It paid off. The Switch version of Crysis Remastered is technically competent, which is an achievement for a game that's infamously technically frustrating. It mostly hits a c?onsistent 30 frames per second in portable mode. It gets the job done on the least powerf??ul of the machines.

The other three platforms aren't far behind. PC?, PS4, and Xbox One are ??coming soon but Crytek stopped short of actually providing a release date.

Raptor Team, prepare for landing!

The wait is almost over, and we promise it will be worth it!
Please stand-by for further intel.

Download your briefing wallpaper with our brand new remastered 8K Nanosuit - //t.co/C61STjqNKE#StayTuned pic.twitter.com/kd7JwRUmvs

— Crysis (@Crysis) August 14, 2020

Crysis Remastered was delayed following backlash surrounding the reveal trailer. It simply didn't look up to snuff. That's not a problem Switch had to deal with, as it max?es out at an upscaled 900p resolution. Everyone expects PC, PS4, and Xbox One to look much prettier, though. Soon enough we'll find out if it was worth the wait.

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Suit up

What can be said about Crysis that hasn't been repeated ad nauseam since 2007?

A decent amou??nt, actually, if the game is runn?ing on a portable.

Crysis Remastered (PC, PS4, Switch [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Crytek (original) / Saber Interactive (remaster)
Publisher: Crytek
Released: July 23, 2020 (Switch) / TBA (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
MSRP: $29.99

Yes, Crysis Remastered is out, but curiously o?nly on the Nintendo Switch (for now).

After blowback concerning the game's most recent trailer, Crytek put every other version on ice, but opted to release the Switch edition to the world. Yet, it shouldn't be any surprise that Crysis Remastered actually runs competently on Switch given who worked on it. Saber Interactive was co-lead on the port job, and they've done a wonderful job adapting games like The Witcher 3 to the "small screen." Most of the problems from this remaster actually s?tem from the original release, not the Switch itself. Let's st?art with the Switch-centric stuff.

Upon booting it up, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a very stable 30 frames-per-second framework. While it's not "look at how amazing Crysis looks on my new rig" impressive, the fact that it runs well even in portable mode is a feat. While ??things can dip when there's a lot happening on-screen, the game is heavily predicated on intimate firefights, so it held up consistently.?? Another thing to keep in mind is that the Switch port preserves the ray-tracing spirit of the other editions, with well-crafted light and shadow work.

At first glance the Switch port isn't a showstopper, but the devil is in the det?ails: Crytek and Saber could be ushering in a new era of Switch visuals. Portable mode really is one of my favorite ways to play the game, but be warned that the gyro/motion controls are a bit fiddlier. I found that gyro aiming was much more precise with the use of a Pro Controller while the Switch was docked. Thankfully, all of this is optional.

Again, it works, But the truth is, when removed from the technical prowess conversation entirely, Crysis was never that impressive. While the level design of many missions is interesting in that it takes a semi-open world approach, exploring those sandboxes is rarely fun in practice. T??he joys of the Nanosuit (which is 2020 tech, by the way, according to the in-game lor??e) are unique at first glance, especially if you hadn't played that many first-person shooters, but the honeymoon period quickly wanes.

Your main tools are a Predator-like stealth toggle and superhuman sprinting/jumping capabilities, as you weave in and out of a mostly nonsensical narrative involving North Koreans and Matrix-like robot aliens: back when The Matrix was still pretty hip and Alien vs. Predator was looking like a promising film franchise. It takes itself just a little too seriously to really take advantage of the latter �/span> and doesn't have anyt??hing that interesting to say about geopolitics or basically anything else.

Crysis has plenty of pointed moments though (mostly when it isn't afraid to get linear, in a positive way) that help cement itself as a memorable modern FPS. Gunplay is tight and well done, as is the feeling of jumping up on a tall building and laying down fire from above. When it comes to moment-to-moment fights, Crysis feels worth playing from start to finish. It's when those moments are temporarily paused ??that it falters again.

The teams also haven't pushed this remaster far enough, but that's not a Switch problem. Sadly the AI hasn't really been upgraded, allowing it to be gamed often. A "semi-destructible environment" just doesn't cut it as a selling point either; especially since Red Faction helped pioneer the concept in 2001. The icing on the feel-bad cake is that the Ascension mission is still missing in action on the S?witch version: a holdover from the PS3 and Xbox 360 re-releases.

It feels really weird for a new take on Crysis to be releasing so close to the next generation, behind the curve. For those of you who are curious about this series and want to jump in, you could do a whole lot worse on the Nintendo Switch. If you want to play Crysis? in the most shiny way p??ossible and own another platform, it's best to wait.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Crysis Remastered (Switch) appeared first on Destructoid.

Still waiting on the other versions

In an odd twist of fate, we're still rolling with just the Switch version of Crysis Remastered, while every other edition is lying in wait. We don't even have a date for?? those yet, but the Switch is getting patches already.

As of this week, patch 1.3.0 is live, which fixes a few major issues with the Switch port, namely gyro controls. While some folks have reported that their gyro controls are more fiddly than others (Pro Controller is the best gyro aiming experience I've had thus far), we should have a middle-ground now, as everyone can adjust the gyro aim sensitivity. Or, you can opt for inverted gyro aim cont??rols.

Another huge bug has been fixed, which has been the ire of the Crysis Remastered Switch community since launch. Hilariously and annoyingly, if your username contained a special character, your game could crash. Since a lot of folks didn't want to change their name for one game, they either opted to create a new profile just for Crysis or wait until a fix. Their day has come.

Crysis [Twitter]

Crysis Remastered Patch 1.3.0

• Players can now adjust gyro aim sensitivity.
• Players can now invert gyro aim controls
• Fixed a bug that resulted in a crash if player's username contained special characters

The post Crysis Remastered on Switch just opened up gyro control options and fixed a?? nast?y bug appeared first on Destructoid.

Y u cry, sis?

In today's contest you can win Crysis Remastered for Switch!

I've never had a high-end PC, so Crysis was always something of a myth to me. Funny how far we've come, eh? Our handheld consoles can now play something that was highly known for its tec?hnical side!

Crysis Remastered seems to be a good fit for Switch, so if you're keen on che??cking it out, we've got copies to gi?ve away!

As? usual, aliens have invaded a South Korean island chain. So it's up to Suit McPowersuit to use his nanosuit to power up his speed, strength, and stamina to take out enemies both domestic and alien, alike. This classic shooter revolutionized visuals and specs upon its original release, so its no small miracle that it's competently gracing the Switch console.

So, win it! Enter by commenting below telling me a nonviolent use for the nanosuit. Like, yeah, of course you'd have to kill a bunch of aliens and stuff if you had one, but how's about a use that isn't centered around splattering alien goo everywhere? It'd be nice to just relax f??or a while, ya know?

We have three Switch NA keys to give out -- we'll randomly draw winners this Friday. Make sure to comment using a Dtoid account with your current address, and if you don't have an account, create one here. Now. Go go go!

Crysis Remastered is available now for Nintendo Switch.

The post Contest: Win Crysis Remastered for Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and frames

Crytek has released a new trailer for its upcoming actioner Crysis Remastered, focusing on the technical features working under-the-hood of the Nintendo Switch edition to provide players with the most immersive experienc?e the platform can handle.

The two-minute video - featuring gameplay footage captured dir??ectly from the Switch - specificall??y highlights aesthetic elements such as dynamic lighting, depth-of-field, destructible environments, bending vegetation, gyroscopic aiming, voxel-based G.I., and special effects in regards to explosions and other ballistic chaos.

Oh, and there's also a bi?g ol' shark. Someone call Robert Shaw.

Crysis Remastered, which caused more than a stir when?? it was first l??eaked, was ultimately met with criticism from some of its fanbase once they actually saw the title in action. After the remaster was trounced for its visual appearance, Crytek decided to delay the release of the PS4, PC, and Xbox One editions of the sci-fi shooter, with only the Switch platform retaining its original release date of July 23.

Crysis Remastered launches on Nintendo Switch July 23, and is currently in development for PS4, PC, and X?box One.

Crysis Remastered for Switch "Tech Featur??es" trailer [Gematsu]

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Out on July 23 for $30

As we so recently learned, Crytek's Crysis Remastered project is coming to Switch, and only Swit??ch, in the near future.

Although the previous PC, PS4 and Xbox One platforms are still in play the publisher deferred those editions to a later date, with the Switch port launching on July 23 for $30. So what does it look like? Well, we're finally able to get a glimpse at the Switch edition in the video below, thanks to a tweet from the official Crysis account.

The video showcases the "improved destructible environments and vegetation bending features," and boasts that gameplay was "captured directly from Nintendo Switch." I'm de??finitely going to need some hands-on accounts for this one, folks.

Check out this sneak-peek of Crysis Remastered’s improved destructible environment and vegetation bending features, captured on Nintendo Switch!

Pre-order NOW //t.co/pogQxlUQy4, learn //t.co/qzaKzn6YAJ pic.twitter.com/M7phHWvlnE

— Crysis (@Crysis) July 13, 2020

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Everything else is TBD

The very recent Crysis snafu just took another confusing turn. On July 1, blowback from a leaked gameplay trailer caused Crytek to indefinitely delay the game. It was so underwhelming that even the official trailer was delayed. Now it seems as though one of the four platforms wasn't actuall?y delayed at all.

Crytek has just announced that the Switch version of Crysis Remastered will launch on?? July 23, which was the original release date:

Crysis Fans,

Y?ou may have seen our last update about the Crysis Remastered release, and we have good news for you:

We can confirm that Crysis will still? be coming to Nintendo Switch on Jul?y 23rd!

Watch this space for further updates.//t.co/2JnfyC7jRE pic.twitter.com/W6W3DDypgv

— Crysis (@Crysis) July 10, 2020

However, PC, PS4, and Xbox One are still unaccounted for, MIA on that humid jungle island. Crytek messaged the delay as an opportunity to "get Crysis Remastered up to that PC- and console-breaking standard" that the game has a reputation for. Why is Switch of all platforms the one that's ready to go on-time? Is it because it was never going to reach t?hat standard anyway?

Anyway, Crysis Remastered is?? out on Switch on July 23. It'll probably look similar to that trailer that never officially premiered. As for the other versions, they'll probably look better at some undisclosed future date.

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July 23

[Update: Ask for?? leaks and you shall receive delays. Or something like that.

Just this morning Crytek has announced that Crysis Remastered has been delayed. We ?didn't even get the reveal yet officially, but the below information makes it clear that it was originally set for a July 23 release. Now, the trailer premiere is even getting a delay as the team needs a few weeks for "polish." Crytek surprisingly openly admits that the backlash for the underwhelming trailer was a reason for the delay, noting that it needs extra time to get the game up to the "PC-console-breaking standard" the series is known for. Good luck!]

It's been a great summer for people trawling Xbox.com, a??s they've uncovered a veritable treasure trove of "E3" leaks thus far.

As one of a string of leaks, Crysis Remastered info has been revealed ahead of the Wednesday morning official stream. Plain as day, you can head to the Xbox listing for Crysis Remastered now, ??which showcases several? details about the new re-release.

Most notably, it's arriving very soon on July 23, clocking in at 7.01GB. Although Crytek is listed as the sole devel?oper, Saber Inter??active is actually the studio handling the port job, as evidenced in the gameplay trailer that's perfectly visible at the top of the listing itself.

It seems like 4K Ultra HD and HDR10 is supported on Xbox One, and the description doesn't stray from confirming that this is a straight remaster with no additional mechanical bells and whistles. Even a new coat of paint isn't going to suddenly elevate the original Crysis, but at least we know what to expect.

Crysis Remastered [Xbox.com]

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Welcome (back) to the Jungle

Maybe it's just that I have the attention span of a goldfish, but the Crysis remaster completely fell off my Nanosuit's radar. It was announced in mid-April and then radio silence. That's kind of ??unusual fo?r a game that's due to release within a month or two.

The cloaking device will be deactivated on Wednesday, as Crytek gives us an updated look at island life. The first Crysis Remastered gameplay trailer is coming July 1 at 9am Pacific. Will it be hot? In my experience, it's not so much the heat ?as it is the gosh darn humidity.

But it might be the heat! Crysis Remastered is slated for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. If the remas?ter approaches the original's level of performance notoriety, Switches will melt and people will die.

We'll find out sometime soon because Crysis Remastered is currently scheduled to release this summer, and t?here's only about two months of the season left. We'll find out what it all looks like even sooner. Set your alarm clock for Wednesday morning. Your Nanosuit has all those nifty gadgets, it's gotta have an alarm clock tucked away somewhere.

The post Our? first look at Crys??is Remastered comes Wednesday morning appeared first on Destructoid.

Mid-morning Crysis

[Update: Crytek has released an official teaser trailer for Crysis Remastered, coming this summer on P??S4, PC, Xb??ox One, and Nintendo Switch. Saber Interactive is co-developing.

The remaster will have "high-quality textures and improved art assets, an HD texture pack, temporal anti-aliasing, SSDO, SVOGI, state-of-the-art d?epth fields, new light settings, motion blur, and parallax occlusion mapping, and particle effects will also be added where applicable," according to Crytek. "Further additions?? such as volumetric fog and shafts of light, software-based ray tracing, and screen space reflections provide the game with a major visual upgrade."]

It looks like the recent murmurs were true, as splash art for Crysis Remastered has appeared buried within the official Crysis website. The remaster of the 2007 sci-fi shooter, which is in development for PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, was originally leaked by Twitter user @RobotBrush, who dis?covered the image via the website's cookie policy page.

Text found within the metadata reads as follows: "From the makers of Far Cry, Hunt: Showdown and CRYENGINE, Crysis offers first-person shooter fans the best-looking, evolved, and innovative gameplay, enabling players to adapt in real time to survive... Crysis Remastered brings new graphic features, high-quality textures, and the CRYENGINE's native hardware- and API-agnostic ray tracing solution for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and – for the very first time – Nin??tendo Switch."

No doubt an official announcement is o?n the horizon, so stay tuned.

The post (Update) Crysis Re?mastered is coming to PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

System reboot?

"Receiving Data." Those two words are all it took to inj?ect hope and possibility into a dead and forgotten-about video game series.

This morning, the Crysis Twitter account broke its silence that? had stretched on for nearly four years. With t?his ominous tease of a tweet, it became clear that EA has some sort of plans for the Nanosuit-clad super soldiers:

RECEIVING DATA

— Crysis (@Crysis) April 13, 2020

There are three realistic routes this could go. This could be the start of marketing a new Crysis game, which would almost assuredly be on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X at this point. Second, it could be a remastering of some or all of the original trilogy. Crysis 3 launched in early 2013, before current-gen consoles hit the market. The whole franchise is a prime candidate for the remaster treatment. Or, it could be a ??full-on series reboot.

Your guess is as good as anyone else's because "Receiving Data" is all the intel we have right now. Personally, I'm on-board for a remaster of the original if and only if it takes an SLI-??configured multi-RTX 2080 Ti setup to ??run well.

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Three more for the big long list

The Xbox One can run Crysis. It's a long-running meme in video games to ask if something can run Crysis, a game that was infamously resource-intensive when it released 11 years ago. Now, Xbox One has the opportunity to run Crysis --&n??bsp;albeit by emulating the Xbox 360 version.

All three Crysis titles (Crysis, Crysis 2, and Crysis 3) are now available on Xbox One as par??t of the backward compatibility program. Three games' worth of nanosuits and cloaking should tide you over for a while.

However, this isn't all of the Crysis games. There was apparently a spin-off called Crysis Warhead that released a year after the first Crysis, and it's only on PC. It's described as a "side-plot parallel to that of the original game." It's the Opposing Force and Blue Shift to the original Half-Life. This is my roundabout way of getting to say that I remember Opposing Force as nothing short of excellent.

@majornelson [Twitter]

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Most of them, actually

Crytek has been in a bit of trouble as of late. For the last six months, employees of the company have not been receiving wages on a regular basis. You can find multiple sources online corroborating that statement, but what was the reason? Some people believe that the company's insistence to focus on free-to-play titles was its downfall, but I'd guess it has something to do with neglecting its dormant IPs (TimeSplitters!!!!).

Whatever the cause, it looks like Crytek ?is now enacting a worst case scenario. While not directly commenting on unpaid wages, the company did issue a statement that confirms it will be closing most of its studios. While the language used in the press release is incredibly vague, the company did state it will be shifting focus to its main ??studios in Frankfurt and Kiev and that the CryEngine will remain a "core pillar" of the company's strategy moving forward.

I'm mostly surprised to find that Crytek had an additional five studios from the two I mentioned above. I didn't realize how big the company had grown, but it employed around 700 people throughout Europe. For an indie studio, that is insanely large, so maybe the expansion is what led to this collapse. Moving forward, I'd like to think that Crytek would focus on producing another Crysis game and possibly look at either making a TimeSplitters 4 ??or creating some form of an HD Collection for the original trilogy.

You can read the full statement?? from Crytek below:

"Crytek today? outlined a series of changes to its future business plans that will see the company refocus on its core strengths of ?developing innovative games and game-development technology. As part of the changes, Crytek will concentrate on development in its Frankfurt? and Kiev studios and?? continue to develop and work on premium IPs. CRYENGINE will remain a core pillar of Crytek’s overall strategy, with enterprise licensees and indie developers alike continuing to be served by regular engine updates. All other development studios will not remain within Crytek and management has put plans into action to secure jobs and to ensure a smooth transition and stable future.

Crytek Co-Founder and Managing Director, Avni Yerli, said: “Undergoing such transitions is far from easy, and we’d like to sincerely thank ??each and every staff member – past and present – for their hard work and commitment to Crytek. These changes are part of the essential steps we are taking to ensure Crytek is a healthy and sustainable business moving forward that can continue to attract and nurture our industry’s top talent. The reasons for this have been communicated internally along the way. Our focus now lies entirely on the core strengths that have always defined Crytek – world-class developers, state-of-the-art technology and innovative game development, and we believe that going through this challenging process will make us a more agile, viable, and attractive studio, primed for future success.”

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I don't know if they are worth buying, though

I honestly had no clue that a lot of more recent EA titles were available at GOG.com. I've kind of sworn off of the publisher ever since it created Origin, but hav??ing its titles in a DRM-free manner could persuade me to pick up some older "classics."

Then again, Crysis, Crysis: Warhead, and Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault aren't really worth much. I still have my DVD for the "Director's Edition" of Pacific Assault, a game which nearly killed the Medal of Honor franchise. That wouldn't happen until Warfighter came out, but you can now witn?ess the beginning of the downfa??ll without being tied to a crummy client.

Along with the addition of these games comes a sale on some other EA titles. Dragon Age: Origins, Mirror's Edge, and Sim City 3000: Unlimited highlight a pretty decent selection of EA games. I have a lot of fond memories of Sim City, even if I prefer 4. That series got better with each successiv??e version.

If you really don't have an issue with Origin, it is worth mentioning that Crysis, Dragon Age: Origins, and Dead Space are available through Origin Access on PC. You could probably? plow through them in a mo?nth, which would definitely save you money instead of opting for individual purchases.

Three More EA Gam??es Drop DRM on PC for GOG Release [GameSpot]

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Nice, nice

Before BioWare became a Hollywood action studio somewhere after Mass Effect 2, it was a true old school RPG factory. Players had choices (here's an accurate depiction of a lot of modern RPGs), outcomes for decisions weren't always obvious, and even in some of the more action oriented games like KOTOR, it always felt like you were playing a role. That couldn't be more true of Jade Empire, a game that I'll use any excuse I can to gush o?ver.

It will join the Origin Access program on PC this summer, accompanied by Crysis, Crysis 2, Crysis 3, Crysis 4: Crytek in Crisis, Mini Metro, Plants vs. Zombies, and SimCity 2000. To be frank, besides Jade, I'm most interested ?in the latter ?-- I spent many many days tending to my Arcologies.

Just to clarify things a bit because I know it's confusing -- EA Access is on Xbox One, and Origin Access is on PC.

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Cry-sis

I was thinking about crying recently (that is, about the physical act ??of crying, not planning on having a cry) and about how I'm a big baby whom cries a bunch with respec??t to creative media, or when an animal dies, or even in baseball, contrary to what Tom Hanks might lead you to believe.

It's a bit less common playing games, though, probably because the medium skews toward flat "fun" and Mario Party will only make me cry after the gravity of murdering my best friend in blackout rage hits me ful?l force.

The PlayStation Vita gem recently receiving new life with a PlayStation 4 port, Tearaway, was the last thing off the top of my head, but even that only went as far as choked up and watery eyes, whereas that Studio Ghibli documentary, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, got me real wet. Maybe there's been so??mething in the two years since, but I cannot remember.

So when's the last time a video game made your upper head holes squirt ou?t the good salty drink?

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I need to rewatch The Descent

We're in the second half of Se??ptember and? that means fresh Games with Gold.

With an Xbox Live Gold membership, you can nab Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (Xbox One) and Crysis 3 (Xbox 360) at no e??xtra cost. I doubt I ever would've paid ??for the remaster, so that works.

If you missed downloading The Deer God, actually, you didn't -- it's still free to claim with your subscription for the rest of the month (though Battlestations Pacific has left the promo).

The post Tomb Raider and Crysis 3 are in Games with Gold appeared first on Destructoid.

September lineup announced

The September lineup for Games with Gold should please folks who prefer bows over guns. On Xbox One, there's Tomb Raider, and on Xbox 360, there's Crysis 3. The former is good!

With an Xbox Live Gold account, you'll be?? able to d??ownload the following titles at no extra cost:

• The Deer God (Xbox One, September 1 - 30)
• Tomb Raider: DE (Xbox One, September 16 - October 15)
• Battlestations Pacific (Xbox 360, September 1 - 15)
• Crysis 3 (Xbox 360, September 16 - 30)

Battlestations is one of those games I'd never buy bu??t would probably enjoy. Should na?b that.

Xbox Live Games with Gold for September 2015 [Major Nelson]

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Tactical battles and chest-high walls

Crysis Analogue Edition - The Board Game. Huh. Okay. I have been pleasantly surprised in the past with ?video game shooters turned into tactical board games, but I'm still a bit skeptical about this one. I mean, Crysis's biggest claim to fame is its system requirements, which doesn't exactl??y translate to the plastic and car??dboard world.

The second thing people think about with Crysis is probably the Nanosuit??, and that does make it into the game. I was particularly curious about how the cloaking would work in a competitive board game, since it would be hard to keep track of position without revealing that to opponents. It's handled in an unusual way, where the player can play action cards face down before revealing them all at once and popping back on the map.

Crysis Analogue Edition - The Board Game is designed to accommodate two to eight players in either team deathmatch or "Capture the Relay," Crysis's version of a neutral capture mode. It is currently up on Kickstarter, seeking €85,000 as its base funding goal.

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*Shakes fist at GameSpy*

Electronic Arts said last month that it was working to find a solution to the GameSpy Technology shutdown on May 31, 2014 that will mean the end ??of online functionality, including multiplayer, for a number of titles that rely on the service.

"Unfortunately, due to technical challenges and concern?s about the player experience, we do not have a solution at this time," the company wrote in an update. "Online services for EA games on the G??ameSpy platform will be closed down at the end of June."

A full list of games going offline on June 30 is viewable here and also included below.

"We know some of these games are still fan favorites, including Battlefield 2, Battlefield 1942, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Command & Conquer games. We are still investigating community-supported options to preserve online functionality for these titles, such as multiplayer. Si?gnificant technical hurdles?? remain, and at this time we don't have anything to announce."

Not all hope is lost, as we've seen third-parties help other games which will be impacted by the shutdown, like Halo: Combat Evolved. Shame. Real shame. Some of these games are really good and even though their res?pective player bases ar??e surely dwindling, it's sad to see them go.

Update on EA Titles Hosted on GameSpy [EA]

June 30th, 2014 -- Online Services Shutdown

• Battlefield 1942 for PC and Mac (including The Road to Rome and Secret Weapons of WW2 expansions)
• Battlefield 2 for PC (including Special Forces expansion)
• Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for PlayStation 2
• Battlefield 2142 for PC and Mac (including Northern Strike expansion)
• Battlefield Vietnam for PC
• Bejeweled (r) 2 for the Wii
• Bulletstorm for PlayStation 3
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars for PC and Mac (including Kane's Wrath expansion)
• Command & Conquer: Generals for PC and Mac (including Zero Hour expansion)
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for PC and Mac
• Crysis 2 for PC
• Crysis for PC
• Crysis Wars for PC
• Dracula - Undead Awakening for the Wii
• Dragon Sakura for Nintendo DS
• EA Sports 06 for PC
• F1 2002 for PC
• FIFA Soccer 08 (KOR) for the Wii
• FIFA Soccer 08 for Nintendo DS
• FIFA Soccer 09 for Nintendo DS
• FIFA Soccer 10 for Nintendo DS
• FIFA Street 3 for Nintendo DS
• Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers for PlayStation 2
• Global Operations for PC
• GREEN DAY: ROCK BAND for the Wii
• James Bond: Nightfire for PC
• Madden NFL 08 for Nintendo DS
• Madden NFL 09 for Nintendo DS
• Master of Orion III for PC
• Medal of Honor: Allied Assault for PC and Mac (including Breakthrough and Spearhead expansions)
• MySims Party for Wii
• MySims Racing for Nintendo DS
• MySims SkyHeroes for the Wii and DS
• NASCAR Sim Racing for PC
• NASCAR Thunder 2003 for PC
• NASCAR Thunder 2004 for PC
• Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 for PC
• Need for Speed: ProStreet for Nintendo DS
• Need for Speed: Undercover for Nintendo DS
• Neverwinter Nights 2 for PC and Mac
• Neverwinter Nights for PC, Mac and Linux (including Hordes of the Underdark and Shadows of Undrentide expansions)
• SimCity Creator for Wii
• Skate It for Nintendo DS
• Sneezies for the Wii
• Spore Creatures for Nintendo DS
• Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS
• Star Wars: Battlefront for PC and PlayStation 2
• Star Wars: Battlefront II for PC and PlayStation 2
• THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND for the Wii
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for Nintendo DS

The post These are the EA games going offline on June 30 appeared first on Destructoid.

Fiddling around with that tablet PC gaming thing

Your old buddy Jim Sterling has borrowed a Razer Edge with which to do all sorts of videogame things. You can watch me have a bit of a play on Skyrim, Crysis, Castle Crashers, and Darksiders II if you want. I try to make it interesting.?? A bit.

A more thorough write-u?p on the Edge will be coming in the future, but for ??now, watch me do playing about for a bit or something. If you want. You don't really have to.

The post Playing Skyrim, Darksiders and The Crysis on? a Razer Edge appeared first on Destructoid.

'Ultimate Game Sale'

Day three of Xbox Live's "Ultimate Game Sale" has a few surprises. Or maybe that's just me still learnin?g to accept that console deals are finally coming ?around. Today only, you can grab the following discounted games:

• The Witcher 2 ($9.99)
• Forza Horizon ($14.99)
• Left 4 Dead 2 ($9.99)
• The Orange Box ($4.99)
• Crysis 3 ($19.99)

These Games on Demand offers are available on top of this week's existing deals, like Bulletstorm for $4.99 and Prey for $2.99??. You should totally play those two, b?y the way. Great prices.

Xbox Live "Ultimate Game Sale" Day 3 [Major Nelson]

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Four new maps, new weapons, and two new modes

Crysis 3 is getting some downloadable content in the form of The Lost Island. This pack will include four new maps, plus new weapons, and two new modes called Frenzy and Possession. Want to kno??w more all about these new features? Yeah, I do too but the press release didn't elaborate.

Instead, we just know the new content will be out on June 4 for th??e Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,?? and PC for $14.99.

Don't get me wrong, Crysis 3 was enjoyable as was the multiplaye??r mode. But, uh, are people really still playing the multiplayer?? here?

The post Crysis 3’s multiplayer expansion heads to The Lost Island appeared first on Destructoid.

Well, that's unfortunately backwards

Electronic Arts held an investors' call today, and one of the talking points was the performance of some of its big??gest properties. Unfortunately, some of the information that was divulged was sort of disheartening.

EA appears pleased by the performance of SimCity, stating that sales were "solid," as it had recently surpassed 1.6 million sold. EA also commented that SimCity was a key driver of direct download ??growth -- a segment that is up 65% from last year.

However, EA is less thrilled by the sales of Crysis 3 and Dead Space 3. These titles "came in below forecast," but no numbers were given. I??t's too bad tha?t the games that actually work are on the hook for underperforming, while the wildly broken one is praised.

The post EA: SimCity sales ‘solid,’ Crysis and Dead Space were not appeared first on Destructoid.

Visuals important to the studio famous for visuals

It should hardly surprise anyone that Crytek places heavy emphasis on graphics, given its games? are designed to be visual showcases. CEO Cevat Yerli, however, seems to believe they are the most important thing, ?valuing them at 60% of the overall game experience.

"People say that graphics don’t matter, but play Crysis and tell me they don’t matter," he boasted to Xbox 360 Magazine. "It??’s always been about graphic?s driving gameplay.

"In Crysis 3 it's the grass and the vegetation, the way the physics runs the grass interact and sways the?m in the wind. You can read when an AI enemy is running towards you just by observing the way the grass blades. Graphics, whether it’s lighting or shadows, puts you in a different emotional context and drives the immer?sion." 

Immersion is, to Yerli, the number one thing that gets a player invested, and draws them into the world. Since graphics dri?ve immersion, the logic therefore is that graphics are the most crucial element.

"The better the graphics, the better the physics, the better the sound design, the bett??er the technical assets and production values are -- paired with the?? art direction, making things look spectacular and stylistic is 60% of the game."

It all depends on what kind of game you're making, I'd say. Sure, immersive, realistic graphics work for some titles, but I dare say nobody felt that Super Meat Boy or Antichamber exactly suffered for their less extravagant approach. In any case, making visuals more important than actual good gameplay seems to be a somewhat superficial idea, especially since I doubt many people who play Crysis really watch grass moving to detect enemies -- not when the game has an option to tag and highlight enemies. The game itself is contradicting what Yerli says -- which doesn't help my impression of him as someone?? easily wowed by pretty pictures. 

One would be insincere to claim they don't appreciate swanky graphics, but I think most of us would prefer good games if we had to choose one or the other. If visuals were all that mattered, the PSOne, PS2, and Wii wouldn't have dominated their respective generations. Crysis would be the hottest selling FPS instead of Call of Duty with its perpetually reused engine.

I don't think gamers are as obs??essed with graphics as "AAA" developers ar??e, really.

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