Archive notice: This article was originally published on November 23, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The Frankfurt-based game-development studio Crytek released “Crysis” last week, a title many game fans had eagerly awaited for a long time. For Germany’s video-game industry, the release represents a small sensation. For the first time in years, it has produced a title that is also highly successful internationally. A computer game has rarely generated such hype. Its photorealistic graphics, in particular, are said to set new technical standards.
“Technically, Crysis is currently miles ahead of the competition,” an expert from software specialist Softwaredschungel told pressetext. A high average rating across many specialist magazines reflected the game’s quality. Indeed, assessments appearing in magazines and online forums in connection with Crysis were positive. This also applied to internationally renowned gaming portals such as Gamespot and IGN. For Germany’s video-game industry, this was an important success. “Only the ‘Die Siedler’ and ‘Anno’ series can match Crysis internationally,” the computer-game expert said.
For almost a year and a half, isolated screenshots and videos from Crysis had been discussed within the player community. When the official demo was released a few weeks ago, game fans were able to form their own impression of the title’s quality for the first time. It soon became clear that such realistic graphics had never before been seen in a computer game. A tropical island was recreated down to the smallest detail, with palms moving in the wind, waterfalls and sea rendered with high-quality effects, and picturesque sunsets immersing the player in the game’s atmosphere. Another advantage: the entire virtual environment can be explored freely without loading breaks.
Only the enormous hardware requirements had repeatedly drawn criticism in the past. “As soon as the demo version appeared, many gamers quickly realised that Crysis would need a high-end PC to run smoothly at full quality,” the expert said. This would also affect the title’s current sales figures. Given the increasingly strong console market, such high hardware demands inevitably lead many casual gamers to move towards consoles.
Further links:
- Crytek
