Finally, the single-player demo of Crysis is now available for download. It is a huge 1.77GB download from 3D Downloads, 4players.de, ActionTrip, AusGamers, ComputerGames.ro, eXp.de, FileFront, Fragland, FileShack, FanGaming, FilePlanet, Gameguru Mania, Gamer’s Hell, Internode Games Network, OnlineWelten and PixelRage

This NVIDIA page offers beta 169.01 drivers for the Crysis demo. It is recommended

to apply the driver before playing the demo, as it has been optimized specifically for that game.

The official minimum and recommended system requirements for Crysis have been released by EA and Crytek, and they’re not looking good for most of us gamers. Here it is:

Minimum System Requirements
OS - Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor - 2.8 GHz or faster (XP) or 3.2 GHz or faster* (Vista)
Memory - 1.0 GB RAM (XP) or 1.5 GB RAM (Vista)
Video Card -256 MB**
Hard Drive - 12GB
Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible

* Supported Processors: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (3.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, Intel Core 2.0 GHz (2.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, AMD Athlon 2800+ (3200+ for Vista) or faster.

** Supported chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT or greater; ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Radeon X800 Pro for Vista) or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Integrated chipsets are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.

Recommended System Requirements
OS - Windows XP / Vista
Processor - Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.2GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Memory - 2.0 GB RAM
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS/640 or similar

The game will hit stores on November 16.

Those looking forward to someday playing Crysis on their PS3 and Xbox 360 may still have hope: Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli told Game Informer in an interview that development of a console version of the game depends entirely on the success of the PC version, which is scheduled for release on November 16.

“What happens next we haven’t decided yet, because first we want to see how the game is received, publicly and critically, ratings wise, et cetera. We believe it will be received at least as strong as Far Cry. I hope personally a 5% average increase,” Yerli said. “That would give us an argument to, ‘OK, let’s see how we can bring Crysis to consoles.’ The engine right now is running on consoles so there’s no reason why we couldn’t.”

Apparently, none of the current consoles are powerful enough to run Crysis. “You cannot get Crysis as it is on PC on any console,” he said. “What you would have to do is compromise the design and the level design–in order of the PS3 and Xbox 360 regards you have to fulfill the memory constraints.”

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli is very opinionated and open about his thoughts. During an interview with Game Informer - where he talked about a number of topics including Far Cry 2 and Crysis DX10 - he states how the Halo series does not appeal and that “console shooters are at the level of PC shooters 5-6 years ago.” Check it out:

GI: So you’re not excited for Halo 3?

Yerli: No. [But] I don’t want to talk badly about it. The trailer looked great. I know there are millions of people who love it. I tried to play Halo 1; I tried to play Halo 2. (laughs) I really didn’t get it & it didn’t get me. [...] It’s not that it isn’t possible [to make a good shooter on a console], but console shooters are at the level of PC shooters 5-6 years ago. The gameplay has to be more sophisticated - more thinking [than] shooting.

The engine behind Crysis is being used to power an upcoming action-strategy MMO, as Seoul-based Reloaded Studios announced that they have licensed CryENGINE 2 from German developer Crytek.

“When we saw the stunning concept visuals and exciting game design ideas they shared with us we immediately knew that what they have planned will be a true next-generation MMORPG, and become the kind of game which will set the visual and game play standards against which future MMO?s will be judged,” said Crytek director Faruk Yerli in the announcement.

Though no information is known about the project, it is the first title for the studio, which was formed last month. It was founded with industry vets from Korean MMO-publisher Webzen along with the creators of MMORPG MU Online.

Those looking to face some sweet Crysis won’t have to wait till November 16, as a single-player demo for the upcoming shooter will be released on September 25. The demo will consist of the entire first level from the game’s single-player campaign. Apparently, the demo will have a “huge surprise” from Crytek, though it wasn’t elaborated.

Along with news of the demo, they released a new trailer highlighting the usefulness of the game’s nanosuit. Check it out below, or download from EA FTP, ActionTrip, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront and Gamer’s Hell.

EA sent out word that the Special Edition of Crysis is now available for pre-order across stores in North America and Europe. The 3-disc set contains behind-the-scenes looks and interviews with the developers behind the game at Crytek. It also contains art from the game.

Additionally, the steekbook box will contain a “making of” featurette, a unique in-game vehicle, “meet the developers” vignette, the initial Crysis video that started it all, a 32-page concept art book and the official soundtrack.

XL Games today announced that they have licensed CryEngine 2 for use in their newest MMORPG. Powering the upcoming Crysis shooter, the engine is capable of rendering dense tropical jungles and offers advanced physics. The engine has also been licensed by other developers for use in their titles.

“We are very excited to be working with the Crytek team again” says Vice President and Technical Director Patrick Doane. “We previously had a lot of success using their ground breaking CryENGINE 1 technology while at NCSoft for AION, and after seeing what it could do in the early previews of Crysis, we just knew we wanted to continue to work with their great new tools and engine”.

No information on the game itself was mentioned though.

EA and Crytek have sent out word that Crysis will be hitting stores in North America and Europe simultaneously on November 16 exclusively for the PC.

“Crytek is constantly striving to push the boundaries of both game design and technology, while maintaining quality at the highest bar,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “We’re thankful to our fans for their support and patience, and we’re excited to bring them Crysis this year. It’s going to be worth the wait.”

One of the first ever games to make full use of DirectX10 graphics, Crysis offers full open-ended gameplay. Players are outfitted with a Nanosuit and an arsenal of fully customizable weapons, and more. The game will feature multiplayer modes such as Instant Action mode (deathmatch) and PowerStruggle - a unique team-based strategic mode for up to 32 players, where opposing sides battle for control of advanced weaponry and vehicles to overcome their enemies.

Two new screenshots were sent out to celebrate the release date. Check them out:

A countdown trailer for the game, showing off gameplay footage and more, was also released.

MindArk has announced that they’ve licensed CryENGINE 2 that is powering Crysis, for use in Entropia Universe, its MMOG that uses real cash economy. The transition to this new engine is expected to be finished by mid-2008 and will be available to all its partners.

Creator MindArk PE AB’s CEO Jan Welter Timkrans explains, “The upgrade of Entropia Universe will be built around the spectacular features supplied by CryENGINE 2, offering a complete and immersive experience to Entropia participants. It will create synergies between the proven and safe Real Cash Economy backbone, the Entropia storyline with colonists fighting to establish a new world, and the very life-like visuals supplied from CryENGINE 2.” He continues, “When we saw what the engine was capable of, we immediately understood that it would be perfect for Entropia, as both MindArk and Crytek are pioneers in their respective fields.”

As a Christmas present, CryTek released three new screenshots from the highly anticipated shooter. These shots, staying true to the season, showcase the cold environments in the game and show the aliens for the first time. Enjoy.

This post on the InCrysis forums offers word that the Crytek game has been delayed yet again. Crysis, as per the post, will ship a “little later than planned”, with the additional time taken to “meet our [developer] high quality threshold.”

The rest of the post goes on to state that they are working on getting the game to run on a variety of computer configurations, starting from entry-level PCs to hardcore machines.

Through a job posting on their site, Crytek, best known for Far Cry (PC) and working on Crysis, revealed that it is looking to branch out to console development, especially the PS3, as they are looking for a “PS3 Console Programmer”.

Although the listing doesn’t specifically mention any project, the responsibility of the programmer would be to “work on various aspects of porting to PS3″ and “cross platform code development,” leading one to speculate that the studio just might be bringing Crysis over to the next-gen console. However, nothing is set in stone yet, and Crysis is currently a PC exclusive.

An admin on the Crysis Online forums took the time to post the minimum and recommended requirements needed to play the upcoming highly anticipated shooter from the makers of Far Cry.

Minimum Requirements

CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
Graphics: Nvidia 6600/X800GTO (SM 2.0)
RAM: 768Mb/1Gb on Windows Vista
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 256k+
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX9.0c with Windows XP

Recommended Requirements

CPU: Dual-core CPU (Athlon X2/Pentium D)
Graphics: Nvidia 7800GTX/ATI X1800XT (SM 3.0) or DX10 equivalent
RAM: 1.5Gb
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 512k+ (128k+ upstream)
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX10 with Windows Vista

And high-res screens from Crysis, the upcoming sci-fi shooter from Crytek: