The Uncoordinated Gamer

When I loaded up Crysis Warhead for the first time (which, in a nice change of pace for an EA published game, was aquired through Valve's Steam distribution service) it immediately brought back fond memories of my first experience playing the original Crysis demo and the awe attached to it. Many games have come out since that rival Crysis in the graphics and gameplay department, but in my opinion Crysis set a gold standard for First Person Shooters and still holds it strong to this day.

Crysis Warhead is the first stand alone expansion pack for the 2007 hit Crysis by the German developer Crytek, creator of the breakthrough First Person Shooter, Far Cry. Crytek set a new standard for graphics, physics, interactive environments, and gameplay in the First Person Shoot genre with Crysis and they carry it on with Crysis Warhead. During Warhead, you play as Psycho, a character from the original game and take part in events which are occuring in parallel to the original story line, experiencing the effects of Nomad's (the protagonist from Crysis) actions taking place elsewhere on the island.

Gameplay

Crysis Warhead's gameplay is comprised of the same elements that made Crysis a hit and notched it up with more enemies, a faster pace, and a greater sense of urgency for the player. Overall, the levels are more linear but don't give you the feeling that you're confined at all, still leaving you the option to tackle any situation in the way you wish. To those that did not play Crysis, the introduction to the gameplay elements, suit functions, and weapon customization is rather vague but passable.

Warhead introduces a couple new weapons to the mix, including a new grenade launcher that is notable and rather fun. You'll gain access to rather heavy arsenal relatively early in the game to enable plenty of destruction and mayhem; while nano suit interrupting grenades and EMP grenades for the grenade launcher help battle the new onslaught of nano suit wearing Koreans you'll be matched against. Vehicles are featured considerably during the missions with excursions in them being limited to time periods that keep the pace moving along nicely; for example, a level in which you have a high speed pursuit while on a hovercraft over an ice field is exceptionally well done while being kept short enough to not be tedious.

Warhead also ships with Crysis Wars, a new standalone multiplayer game which uses the same engine as Warhead and is based in the same setting. While I am not covering Crysis Wars in this review, thus far it has been very well received by the gaming community and has even been referenced by many to be on par, gameplay wise, with Counter-strike and other classic multiplayer First Person Shooters. Warhead alone, with it's MSRP of $30 USD is already a steal, and with the addition of Crysis Wars in the package, it truly makes it a game which no gamer should pass up and an overall value which can't be beat.

Story

While Warhead is a standalone game, the story is definitely only on par with one of an expansion pack and is the only element of the game that is a bit lacking compared to the rest of the components. Those new to the series who have not played Crysis will have a hard time catching on to exactly what is happening on the island and what the enemy is (other than the Korean Army) that you're actually fighting. You play as a memorable character from Crysis, Psycho, a nano suit wearing, heavy weapon wielding British special operations soldier. Your mission is happening in parallel to that of Nomad, the protagonist of Crysis, on the opposite side of the island.

During your mission you'll experience a lot of events which correlate to what is happening elsewhere on the island but with very little exposition as to what those other events taking place are. While the knowledge of these events is not necessary to enjoy the story line and fast moving gameplay of Warhead, it certainly helps to immerse you in the overall experience. In the end, I'd highly recommend anyone who wishes to play Warhead to first play Crysis if they have not already, it'll help you enjoy the story and overall gameplay experience considerably more.

Graphics & Audio

The graphics, like those in Crysis, look outstanding and players will be happy to hear that the engine has been optimized to provide a better playing experience on the same or lesser hardware than Crysis; the textures are also a noticable improvement over those in Crysis. On the review rig I was able to run Warhead at higher settings than Crysis and still maintain a better overall frame rate. Audio is well done and on par with that of Crysis, which was excellent. Warhead can definitely be considered one of, if not the best looking and sounding First Person Shooter available on the PC to date.

Uncoordinated Playability

Uncoordinated gamers rejoice, Warhead actually has an easy mode that makes the game accessible for those with less-than-adept reflexes without turning it into a God mode. Additionally, the new grenade launcher, with it's splash damage, makes it much easier to take out targets for individuals who have a hard time tracking them dead-on in your sights on screen. The QuickSave key (F5 is the default) also doesn't cause a noticeable lag in gameplay on the review system when pressed. Overall, despite it's faster paced combat and higher concentration of enemies, I'd rate Crysis Warhead as more accessible to uncoordinated gamers than the original Crysis, as well as most First Person Shooters out on the market today. It provides a truly enjoyable experience while still keeping your adrenaline pumping and constantly watching your back, even on Easy mode.

Grading

Gameplay: A-
Graphics & Audio: A
Fun Factor: A
Story: B
Uncoordinated Playability: B+

Final Grade: A-