Crytek and EA Games’ Crysis Warhead, the parallel story to Crysis, is probably the equivalent to a sequel of a mediocre, special effect-ridden summer action movie. It’s got the looks and something of a plot, but did you really need to see it? Or were you just bored one Saturday afternoon?

Like its predecessor, Crysis, Crysis Warhead is a sandbox (non-linear; open world) first-person shooter (FPS) that takes place at the same time as Crysis in a parallel storyline. Last time, you played as a special ops team member named Nomad. Now you’re his trigger-happy counterpart, Psycho, who gets separated from him early on in the original Crysis game.

Introducing a combination of slightly different types of landscapes, weather conditions, new vehicles, weapons and better artificial intelligence, Warhead is even more action-packed than the original Crysis. Game creators even threw in some nice skins for the old weapons to make them look prettier, which actually works.

With some added fighting sequences that force the player to use specific tools, such as mounted mini-guns and grenade launchers, Warhead tries to add on to its already next-generation game. New vehicles mean new chases; new weapons mean new ways to kill things or make them explode; and new A.I. makes killing enemies a tad bit harder.

Graphics wise, Warhead is on the same level as Crysis. You’ll still need to empty your life savings to build a rig that can handle this beauty on its highest settings and max resolution. But Crytek vamped up the engine to allow lower-end computers to get in on the action. This was a nice touch and worth the buy alone, especially to those who couldn’t run Crysis previously. Even on its lowest settings, graphics enthusiasts will be impressed.

That being said, the updated graphics engine, slightly better A.I. and new weapons are all this game has going for it. The storyline is short and loosely put together. It references the parallel Crysis storyline a few times, but not nearly in the amount it should. There are also these strange, audio-only flashbacks that don’t really fit unless Crytek is planning on making a prequel.

However, it is a fantastic value. For only $29.99 – $20 less than most games today – you get Crysis Warhead and its multiplayer add-on, Crysis Wars. Crysis Wars has a similar rap as Warhead, and it’s a great addition for the price.

So if you’re willing to shell out the $30 for the game, and possibly another $2,000 for a decent gaming rig, go for it. But do you really need it? Or were you just bored? I know I was. Now I’m just broke, slightly less bored, and my soul no longer belongs to me.

mlbellez@syr.edu

Published on October 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm