
Yes indeed, it's the semi-expansion pack to the original Crysis. I was sort of surprised and almost disgusted that this game doesn't have a topic (maybe I just overlooked the topic) so I decided to do what I rarely do and make a topic about it.
Background InformationCrysis Warhead is a standalone expansion to the original Crysis. Warhead takes place on the other side of the island and you play as Sergeant Michael "Psycho" Sykes. The game uses an optimized version of CryEngine 2 that provides a smoother gameplay experience and enhanced special effects. It introduces many improvements over the original with new weapons and vehicles as well as a retooled multiplayer with a new gameplay mode. The box includes two discs, one for the single player and one for the multiplayer (named Crysis Wars). This time around, they did not create silly limitations between DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 mode and so you can run at the highest setting in both modes without tweaks. That only applies to the single player though because Crysis Wars has the highest settings greyed out for me but they say they're going to come out with a patch to change that. I'm not sure if that'll mean they'll have day/night and tree-breaking physics or whatever in DirectX 9 multiplayer but the visuals will be upgraded at least.
DRMYes, I know this is a pretty heavy topic for both gamers and developers. Crysis Warhead uses SecuROM and limits the installations to five machines with each machine allowed to have an unlimited number of reinstallations. Crysis Wars does not have an activation limit. Personally, I don't see how I could use up all of those activations and the fact that you don't need the DVD in the drive to play makes up for the DRM. Plus the $30 price tag seems reasonable enough and they'll probably come out with a patch that removes the DRM sooner or later anyway. However, I do understand that some feel strongly against this and make no exceptions so I guess it depends on what you believe and what you think of the situation.
The GameI'll start off talking about the single player. The single player is definitely shorter than the original game. I've heard estimations of five hours but I didn't keep track of it myself. As far as optimizations go, this game felt much smoother than the original however I have seen people saying that the game runs the same or even worse than the original so it seems mixed. Mostly though, the problem can be traced to DirectX 10 mode so try adding "-dx9" to the end of your shortcut and see how that runs. Many report that doing that adds more frames per second. The game does look better, especially the lighting effects. Enough about the performance, the single player itself is much more action packed than the original. They also say that the AI has been improved but I haven't really noticed (in fact the aliens sometimes do very stupid things). Missions that have a focus on vehicles allow you to exit the vehicle at any time so you're not forced to use it, which is a nice touch. Cutscenes are more detailed and are many times shown in a third person perspective (unlike the first game where all cutscene were in first person) which is an improvement. The battles are more varied and you'll see groups of enemies together that you wouldn't have seen in the original. I have encountered a few crashes, mostly in single player, I hope this gets fixed with the first patch.
As for the multiplayer, it's quite fun. Crysis Wars has three modes, Instant Action (deathmatch), Team Instant Action (new to Warhead), and Power Struggle. I've been playing in DirectX 9 mode so I haven't been able to experience the advanced physics in multiplayer but the suit modes and excellent level structure provide enough substance to have loads of fun with. Mostly I've been playing with Team Instant Action as I've had the most fun with it. Power Struggle is more complicated and tactical. Basically you have two teams and everyone starts off with a pistol. You gain points by killing enemies and capturing buildings. With those points, you can buy more powerful weapons and other miscellaneous items. This mode is all about control as the name suggests. You need to capture buildings which will improve your technology so that you can eventually have the technology to get the nuke. At that point, you'll be able to nuke your opponent's base and win the match. Matches take a long time and some servers even have rules against using the nuke before a certain amount of time has passed. I didn't have as much fun with this mode but it's worth a try.
ConclusionCrysis Warhead brings with it a lot of improvements but it seems to have some kinks which need to be patched. The DRM might be seen as a problem but it works fine for me. For $30 I'd say it's worth it.