The bit-tech Winter Games Preview 2008

Crysis: Warhead

Released: Q4 2008
Platform: PC Exclusive

It’s difficult to know exactly what Crysis: Warhead is since it’s the length of a full game and won’t function as an expansion pack, but isn’t titled as Crysis 2 and won’t even be telling a new story.

Yeah, you heard that right – Crysis: Warhead won’t have a new story. Instead, it’ll be a retelling of the original story from Crysis, told from the perspective of Psycho instead of Nomad. The moment that Psycho and Nomad are separated is the moment that Warhead begins and it’s from there that players will take over the role of Psycho.

Just because the story is a retelling though doesn’t mean that it will be the same as it was the first time – Psycho is on an entirely different part of the island and will be getting totally different objectives which will complement and round-out the story of the original game rather than reiterating it.


Crysis: Warhead is still mostly an expansion though, no matter how much EA denies it, and the game is going to offer up new multiplayer modes, vehicles and weapons for the most part while still keeping the core of the game the same. That isn’t a bad thing though – Crysis: Warhead is shaping up to be a stunning game by the looks of it.

Why we can’t wait: The new engine tweaks mean that the game might actually be playable on our home computers without needing super-uber hardware to make it look good.
Want to know more? Check out our Hands-on Crysis: Warhead Preview.

STALKER: Clear Sky

Released: Autumn 2008
Platform: PC exclusive

Stalker, and we don’t use the perma-capitals deliberately, is getting a prequel this year under the subtitle of Clear Sky and it looks like many of the issues with the original game are getting ironed in the new release.

Hopefully that’ll hold true for the translation too as, although the first game was good once you got into it, it wasn’t exactly the easiest game in the world to actually just pick up and play. The introduction to the game was hopelessly flawed and there was a bunch of mislabelled and unexplained features in both the story and the gameplay features.


The good news though is that Clear Sky looks to be a step back towards the original, grand aim of the first game. There'll be new factions whom you can ally with, a larger world to explore and a plot which promises to be at least as coherent as it is thrilling.

Not a huge amount is known about Stalker: Clear Sky right now, other than it will be a prequel to the original game and will detail some of the events leading up to the way The Zone was created, as well as more about Strelok’s past, but from what we've seen the game is shaping up to be a veritable treat for PC gamers who want to see how The Zone was supposed to look in original design.

Stalker, while undeniably broken, was also brokenly beautiful. If Clear Sky can stay the same but just offer a slightly more gentle learning curve, better translation and…I don’t know…give players a coherent plot that they can follow without accidentally breaking the game, then Clear Sky will be a sure winner.

Why we can’t wait: Any chance to play with that visceral combat and bleak, oppressive fiction again is A Good Thing.
Want to know more? Check out the official site for the latest info.