Crytek releases tech trailer for CryENGINE 3

Game developer Crytek has released a video showing off the technology that is going into upcoming FPS Crysis 3, which was announced earlier this year. The trailer shows the power of the CryENGINE 3 and how well the new game engine can handle the cityscape of New York that has been ruined by foliage.

Using real footage captured from Crysis 3, the trailer shows off some of the more impressive features of the latest version of the CryENGINE. The game build used for the video was production ready and would take advantage of next-gen hardware. Some of the features shown in the video are real time volumetric fog shadows, real time volumetric cloud shadows, pixel accurate displacement mapping, tessellated vegetation, composite 3D lens flares and effects, procedural HDR flares and shapes, third generation global real time illumination, dynamic water volume caustics, real time area lights and unlimited particle effects, among many others.

Crytek’s CryENGINE has always been at the cutting edge of what hardware can handle. When it had released the original Crysis, very few people could actually run the game on their computers.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

Crytek had recently released an “interactive” trailer that showed off some of the gameplay mechanics of Crysis 3, wherein players could either run and gun through the game, or go for a more stealthy aproach.

Crysis 3 takes place in the year 2047, twenty four years after the events of Crysis 2, transporting players back to New York City, except now it has been ravaged by terrible conditions that resemble an “urban rainforest” littered with swamps, trees and rivers. The game world is divided into seven distinct hubs, each of which will have different environmental elements.

Players step into the shoes of Prophet once more as he goes against the diabolically evil Cell Corporation. CEO of Crytek Cevat Yerli had said, “Crysis 3 is a thrilling mix of sandbox gameplay, advanced combat and hi-tech human and alien weaponry that shooter fans will love. Leveraging the latest CryENGINE technology, we’re able to deliver seven unique themes that offer stunning and visually loaded gameplay experiences. We cannot wait until people get their hands on the game.”

Showing off the latest CryENGINE

Crysis 2 had been released last year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC. The PC version of the game was originally a very shoddy port with issues such as the lack of DirectX 11 support, lack of graphics options, and the game not loading. Most of these issues have been fixed now. You can read our review of Crysis 2 here.

Crysis 2 takes place nearly three years after the events of the original Crysis, where New York has been hit by a deadly virus and an alien invasion. Most of the citizens are dead and the few that survived are dying painful contaminated deaths. Players take the role of Alcatraz, a special ops soldier sent in to survey the situation and provide back up to a certain scientist.

Crysis was a game well known for its visuals as well as its open-ended gameplay. As a marine wearing a million dollar Nanosuit on a fictitious island, players could analyze and approach an enemy encounter any way they wanted to - be it with deadly stealth or excessive force. With the move to a more concrete jungle, developer Crytek has sacrificed that beloved open-ended mechanic.