Crysis' ultra realistic visuals continue to be the talk of the town. We had seen the screenshots. We had seen video footage. We had sat in on demonstrations. But it wasn't until we pressed our nose against the monitor and got our mitts on the first level of the game that we realized just how damn good this game looks.

The screenshots we've seen so far - that showcase a single moment of the game in action - all look good. But they can't show off the subtle details that make Crysis so easy on the eyes, like the subtle rainbow effects that you'll see when light reflects off droplets of water dribbling down your face mask as you turn your head while swimming. Still images also won't reveal how individual strips of bark fly off in various directions as you mow down several trees with a machine gun.

Above: Seeing individual chunks of metal fly - with shadows adjusting accordingly - as you bash through the roof here is something that still screenshots can't convey

Talk of water droplets and bits of bark may not sound like a big deal, but these sorts of detailed effects were occurring during every fraction of every second as we pushed our way through the first area in the latest build of Crysis, and it makes all the difference in terms of the game's graphics. 

Unfortunately, we weren't able to glean any groundbreaking new information from our brief hands-on time with the game - in terms of your Nanosuit powers or free-form mission objectives - that we haven't already talked about in previous previews.