Still setting benchmarks, years after leaving shop shelves, it is still regarded as one of the most graphically gorgeous games to ever grace a home computer, and on top of that they said it would never run on a console. Apparently, they were wrong. Thanks to the console designed CryEngine3, here it is, 2011 and Crysis is available from Games on Demand on the Xbox Marketplace. The big question that most PC owners had to ask still remains; can it run Crysis?

The forerunner to the 2011 hit, Crysis 2, was a different beast altogether. It was more of a spiritual successor to Far Cry than a different entity altogether. The player assumes the role of Nomad, a Lieutenant in the Special Forces unit; Raptor. These guys are the best of the best, wearing state of the art Nano-suits, capable of invisibility, high speed and unparalleled strength. A routine search and rescue mission on the island of Lingshan goes completely pear shaped when they are attacked mid parachute jump and separated. Not only will they have to contend with half the Korean army, but something ancient and much more dangerous is waiting in the heart of the island.

Crysis comes with the very reasonable price tag of £14.99, and manages to provide enough satisfying stealth and in your face gun fighting to appeal to all camps of FPS fans.

Crysis does what it does by standing on the shoulders of what had been achieved with Far Cry. We’re presented with a relatively open world, set along a strict narrative, and this lends itself well to the many functions of the Nano-suit. Enemy checkpoints can be breached with force, using explosives, blazing guns and the suit’s armour mode. It’s not the most subtle approach, but it’s guaranteed to get the job done in the end. Entire enemy encampments can be almost completely by-passed, leading to a very stealthy style of gameplay, which can mean lethal or non-lethal force from the shadows.

The game lends itself extremely well to choice. It’s not something that we’re too familiar with these days, especially in the FPS market. Even Crysis 2 feels like a corridor shooter compared to the inventive outdoors playground that’s laid bare in Crysis. Players can create an almost unique experience, where the world is their metaphorical oyster. Crytek have done a wonderful job of putting all the tools at the player’s hands; from the wide selection of weapons and on-the-fly weapon modifications (including red lasers, scopes and under-barrel launchers), the decent variety of vehicles and the Nano-suit itself, which never feels like an unstoppable bullet-proof killing machine.

The second half of the game brings about a complete change of pace, and the encounters turn into pitched fire fights, accompanied by some questionable boss fights. Despite this, Crysis still manages to hold its own and produce some exceptionally energetic set-pieces, though mildly lack-lustre in comparison to the freedom experienced early on, they often become pulse-pounding fights for survival in the closing scenes.

Having been given a shiny polish using the new CryEngine3, Crysis has received some rather nice updated lighting effects, and it looks very natural and in some respects it surpasses the original PCs quality. Sunlight will split the trees and reflect in the water, and it’s fair to say that stroll by the beach has never looked so darned pretty in a game before.

Sunlight will split the trees and reflect in the water, and it’s fair to say that stroll by the beach has never looked so darned pretty in a game before.

There has been a huge leap forward with the use of particle effects, to the point where sand, wood and dust leap into the air after a bullet has connected. It’s not only an aesthetic touch, but it can serve to impede your view of the battlefield. The later levels in particular stand out, as the environments shimmer in all their metallic and crystallised glory.

The major graphical failing of Crysis falls on its draw distance and heavy instances of pop-up. More often than not, you’ll be able to approach a base and view it from a good distance, but depending on your scope an enemy soldier may not be visible outside of your binoculars. This can impede the ability to effectively snipe at long distance, but it’s not a deal breaker.

The audio has taken a welcome injection, courtesy of Crysis 2. Every gun sounds like an implement of death, crackling and echoing in the valleys of the island and there is a genuine intensity experienced in a pitched gunfight, as bullets whizz past your head and splinter wood.

Crytek made the decision to exclude the somewhat underplayed multiplayer element of Crysis and according to most of the original fans of the game; apparently we’re better off having never played it. Considering that Crysis 2s multiplayer component didn’t set the world on fire, it would have provided a nice distraction and added a little more value to the overall package.

Crysis is certainly one of those games, you know, those benchmark games that is literally capable of changing the way you play in a pro-active and positive fashion. Crysis comes with the very reasonable price tag of £14.99, and manages to provide enough satisfying stealth and in your face gun fighting to appeal to all camps of FPS fans. So can it run Crysis? Indeed it can, and it does it very well, for a game that would never see the light of day on a console, so go on and treat your machine to this piece of gaming history.

However despite rather average reviews from both critics and gamers a sequel is in fact under development by Crytek, the company behind Crysis and Far Cry.

CEO of Crytek said they intend on bringing”the Homefront world to life in a new and innovative way”.

Danny Bilson, executive VP of Core Games at THQ, spoke about the partnership and the project saying: “Selecting Crytek to take Homefront forward underscores our strategy of working with the industry’s best talent. Homefront’s unique setting and storyline captivated gamers the world over. With Crytek’s industry leading technology and legendary experience in the FPS genre, we’re supremely confident that the next Homefront will deliver that AAA-quality experience that players demand.”

The game is not coming soon however, the game is currently listed for quarter four of 2014, how will Crytek change the critics minds?

Following these removals is Dragon Age II as it’s big DLC “The Legacy” was released this week. Instead of having it available through Steam, Bioware have opted to sell it through their own site, quite possibly the reason it has been removed.

David DeMartini spoke to IGN.com about the removals saying it’s Valve’s “restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to sell downloadable content.” and ”We hope to work out an agreement to keep our games on Steam.”

[Quotes sourced from 1up]

So, as many of you gamers may know (particularly British gamers!), in London through the 1-3^rd of October, the EuroGamer exposition will be held in the earls court exhibition centre.

Many of us from GamerEuphoria will be there, representing us as a site, and having had several discussions with the crew, we all came to our own conclusions about what we’d love to have a go with.

Having had a look at what’s going to be there, I’m personally very hyped for some of the games – one in particular is the second in the series of dead space; Dead Space 2(PS3 & Xbox 360). The first game was absolutely revolutionary for survival horrors, giving the player a sense of being alienated from the rest of the world, and isolation – and when you’re surrounded by space aliens – it really gives the game a fantastic atmosphere.

However, many sequels don’t live up to there predecessors, so will Dead Space 2? – There’s only one way to find out, and soon, we will!

But I’m not the only one who’s interested in what’s going to be there, Andy, from the site says: Crysis 2 – as the original was such a benchmark for PC gaming, I wanna see how the second can get out of the originals shadow.

Personally, I think the original Crysis revolutionized PC gaming, and I’m hoping that the second will be as effective. – Graphically, Crysis was one of the most amazing games ever to be played, graphics being so realistic that the player was really immersed in the game itself, – again though, we can only hope that the second one follows suit, and doesn’t become another disappointing sequel.

Crysis 2 - as the original was such a benchmark for PC gaming, I wanna see how the second can get out of the originals shadow.

Another big release is Castlevania: Lord of shadows, which Sean, a writer for the site is particularly excited about: link says: “I will wank over it”.

I’m being very wary over the new Castlevania, since the last release, on the Nintendo 64, was extremely disappointing and it let down Castlevania fans everywhere. This is a chance for Castlevania to redeem its name which it lost, and perhaps even hold its name up against games like God of War or Bayonetta.

A game which hasn’t received as much publicity as we’d thought it, the new Medal of Honour game, which contains several controversial issues as players actually get to play as the Taliban. Hopefully we’ll get a first hand experience of this and see just how controversial this game really is, and see what the fuss is about. And hopefully, we can see past all the controversy and view the game for what it really is.

Now one game I’m really looking forward to is Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood! – Assassins Creed II was revolutionary, – Allowing players to do parkour, climb up buildings, and jump off of them from amazing heights. With a bizarre storyline, we expect to see more of the same from Brotherhood – but with something never seen in an Assassins Creed game – multiplayer. This is one game I am very eager to play, as I personally believe multiplayer can often ruin a game, but also make it expand into a world wide hit. There’s only one way to find out and that’s to play the game!

One of the biggest, and most recently announced draws for EuroGamer 2010 was announced by Tom Champion mere hours ago: Microsofts own Gears of War 3! Where a fully playable version will be available in the exhibition. Microsoft have a strong standing coming into Earls Court, where they will also be show casing the newly released Halo Reach – as well as Fable III along side Peter Molyneux himself!

A playable version of Gears Of War 3 will be at the Expo - So we'll try to hook you up!

With many other upcoming sequels & brand new releases, there are hundreds of games we’re looking forward to trying out, and hopefully we’ll be able to give each one a thorough run through and be sure to report back here during the Expo dates to check out our content, impressions, videos and even some Developer Interviews!

Also a great big thank you too Tom Champion who was humble enough to provide us with Press Passes for the event.

So, what are you looking forward to at EuroGamer?

The games included within this time frame and therefore the statement include Dead Space 2, Need for Speed, Crysis 2 and several yet to be named titles. This could mean big money for EA but also mean you get that little bit more from your money.

Will all of the EA titles be suited to online play though? As we know, lots of games currently on the market only really work in their single player state with the online either dead or non-existent. Only time will tell…

Dead Space 2 is set to feature a space station full of Necromorphs and a whole new array of weapons to kill them with. Crysis 2, which was well renound for being ridiculously hard to run on your PC, will also be coming to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It will be Crytek’s first console game but if the success of the first Crysis is anything to go by, it should be a good one.

It’s over a year away, but it’s good to see 2 of the biggest games on the future market having some form of dating, not to mention that only ‘before’ March 2011 has been said, that could mean Christmas 2010…