Crysis Warhead review (PC)

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Those of you who haven’t heard of Crysis (where have you been?) may like to know that visually, it was a stunning masterpiece akin to fighting a war on Hawaii, with aliens. Unfortunately it was the aliens that spoilt the game for many people. They darted about at ridiculous speeds and were very frustrating.

I am sorry to say that, yes, the aliens are back in Warhead (more about them later), the story of which runs parallel to the main story of Crysis with you in the role of Psycho this time around. It seems the Koreans are trying their best to smuggle something off the island and it’s your job to find out what it is and stop them.

It’s a simple and straightforward premise but this time the character of Psycho is surprisingly deep and emotional, making the journey all the more fulfilling and we find out a little of his history in the process. Crytek have obviously spent more time trying to get the player emotionally connected to the game world this time around and they have done a very good job. The art direction of the in game cut scenes is so much more polished and really shows off what the graphics engine can do.

Optimized?

Crytek promised us a much more optimized experience this time around that would run better on all machines and enable more people with less than bleeding edge technology to have a playable experience. It’s true that the game seems to run better than its predecessor but I feel the optimizing is more to do with renaming a few of the options on the menu screens to make things a little clearer.

Once into the game you are shown a very action packed and adrenalin filled sequence of events leading up to your taking over of the character. And it doesn’t stop there. The first section is designed to get people who have not played it before into the game and allow them to gape at the splendour of the Cryengine2 in all its glory. Explosions abound and aircraft buzz by overhead as you begin your mission with a bit of a bump. Things aren’t going well from the start and this carries on throughout the game, keeping you on your toes, wondering what to expect next.

Refined

The game play is more refined this time around but I can’t help feeling that the soldiers are even more difficult to kill than before, unless of course you get in a good head shot which is not always easy when they are ducking for cover. My theory is that this may have been implemented to make up for a slightly less vicious A.I. this time around, and the solders seem less concerned with all out killing and call out frequently warning of a grenade that they rarely throw. Overall though, it balances out well for a good FPS experience.

The aliens, you may be glad to know, are a little easier to deal with this time around. They still jump about but it’s a little more structured looking and it makes fighting them less frustrating than the trudge of running around in circles blasting away, hoping to end their miserable existence.

Something else that has a bit of an overhaul is the vehicle handling. The cars, trucks and boats have a more solid feel to them and are much more fun to drive about in. The out of vehicle camera has also become the default camera view of choice and during one of the driving sections in particular it allows you to really appreciate the great physics this game has to offer. Blowing up stuff is rarely so much fun. (I don’t care that red barrels of fuel are conveniently left lying around!)

Pacing

The pace of the game has been broken up between the normal first person shooting, driving and an on the rails section on board a train that I found very enjoyable with a fantastic and very poignant ending. The whole feel of the game has been slightly refined and is more enjoyable for it.

The sound is as good as, if not better than Crysis. On the whole the voice acting is of a high standard with only a few lines of dialogue delivered with a less than enthusiastic flare, alas, the majority of those lines come from Psycho and detract from an otherwise sterling performance.

The visual quality of Warhead is obviously on par with Crysis which is to say, stunning. A few graphical changes have been thrown into the mix to add some variety, the underground sections being the most noticeable, with the wonderfully animated water running down the cave walls.

Paradise

It’s not all perfect in paradise though and the game seems to have a few glaring issues. The first and foremost was that whenever I got shot, especially when I was using my sights, the bottom half of my screen went white and would stay that way until I stopped looking down the barrel of my gun. The other problem I had was that of falling through the maps. It happened at least twice and really ruined the moment.

Warhead was great fun and even the ending is better, and certainly less annoying than that of Crysis, but I did find it slightly too easy. I would heartily recommend anyone to buy it. Crysis Warhead can be picked up for around £18, is action packed and comes with a bonus disc containing Crysis Wars, an online blast-fest over 21 maps that I found to be highly enjoyable even if I did keep getting my virtual ass handed to me.

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