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Crysis practically hit the store shelves with a challenge – just try and play me. Many computers just couldn't take the steep requirements to run the game smoothly and look beautiful at the same time. Jump forward a year later to find Crysis Warhead, an expansion that doesn't require the original, more user-friendly and easier on your wallet. While not much has changed between the two games, more players have the chance to see some of the finest graphics to hit a computer monitor. If there was ever a formula for PC success, EA found it.

Personality Crysis

The single player campaign takes place in a story that parallels the original Crysis. Instead of following the bland adventures of Nomad, Warhead follows the swearing Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes as he traverses the other side of the island. The original storyline ends with Psycho hauling in one of the aliens onto the carrier. The expansion tries to fill in the holes with lots of explosions, swearing, and more testosterone than the backroom of a MLB clubhouse. With all this manliness being thrown around, the developers seems to have forgotten to put in other things like explanations to events or the ability to shake off that feeling of spending five hours of chasing after a box. Probably the most interesting side plots, a back-story to one of the side characters, is only told through audio and text on a black background. I understand the need to cut corners, but at least throw up a picture of a tape recorder to humor me.

From the car-hopping, barrel-exploding intro of Warhead, you know that the game will do everything in its power to turn the knob up to eleven and then break it off. And for the most part, it does just that. One of my main complaints about the original came from the large areas of pristine wilderness that separated the sections of action like loading screens that you had to hike through. Warhead overcomes this obstacle by giving you less mileage with more bodies on the ground. You may blow through the game in five to six hours but you won't have to wander around too long just to find something to shoot. Besides an incredibly short single-player experience, the driving portions of the game take up a much larger chunk than before. Vehicles handle better this time around, but driving seems like a cheap way to blow through a large area in an already reduced game.

Small tweaks have made their way into Warhead. A couple of new weapons hit the scene like the grenade launcher, but there's nothing there to really get excited about. Aliens now move back out of your range when attacked and have a nifty little shield trick this time around. Enemy AI, however, is still working on the concepts of invisible, cover, grenades, and direction. Even for all the graphical realism in the world, Crysis still has a problem with enemies backing up right into you. Small tweaks are fine, but after a year after the release, the game could handle some bigger improvements.

Economy in Crysis

What's most impressive about Warhead may not be what's in the game but the game itself. Crysis was a bit of an elitist. That is to say, only people with only the newest and fastest computers could possibly reach the graphical heights seen in screenshots. Warhead does something amazing by taking that same engine, polishing it up a little bit, and lets the common man have a turn at the controls. If you look under settings, you'll find enough sliders to fit just about any two-year old system floating around on the market.  On our computers, we ran the game on the highest settings with little lag. Of course there was more popping that a bull in a bubble wrap factory, but it was gorgeous none the less.

The big surprise here is the price – thirty bucks. That's ten bucks cheaper than a discounted version of Crysis, which you won't need to run this title. While the single player campaign pastes together the same tin roof shacks from before, multiplayer serves up a full plate and more. Instant Action and Power Struggle make a return appearance along with a couple of new maps just for the expansion. If that wasn't enough, there’s a Team Instant Action mode (re: Team Deathmatch) that was sorely lacking from the original game. While the single player campaign only allows you a jeep here or a special weapon over there, multiplayer breaks open the bank by allowing you to fly jets, roll around in tanks, or take to foot against enemies who at least understand how to use their weapons.

The only real problem with multiplayer right now is trying to find a full room. With maps that can host up to 32 player matches, you'll only find a handful for you to jump into even during the busy hours. Somehow, the new Crysis doesn't connect with the old Crysis' server. Still, there's nothing like the feeling of flying over a map or taking out your enemies as you hide in plain sight.

Crysis Averted

Umbrellas on the beach are still indestructible while the tables around them go up like fireworks on the Fourth of July with a single shot. I still lose enemies as they fall through the world, and a couple of glitches have made it nearly impossible to get through a level. With that said, someone over at EA should get a raise for this. The PC market has been suffering for some time by forgetting one simple rule - make games that people can play. It doesn't matter how well you design an engine or how lifelike you make the moonlight passing through the trees. If the common man can't play it, the game won't sell. Lower requirements along with a lower price point make this a good buy for anyone needing to feed their shooter need until the next big game hits. The single-player experience still leaves much to be desired, but the multiplayer experience definitely earns that thirty dollar price tag.

Review by: Robert Manuel