Crysis: Aliens in action

Here's a reason to start saving for that DirectX 10-capable, Vista-boosted power PC - yet more hair-raising action from Crysis, the paradise island-set shooter that will no doubt demand a wallet-pillaging upgrade when it's finally launched, hopefully sometime later this year. Hit the Movies tab and look for "Crysis - trailer 01-31-07" to see the footage, before weeping softly over your paltry single-core rig.

And, if you're wondering why we can't seem to mention Crysis without stressing the need for a new PC set-up, this latest movie ought to open your eyes to the crushing reality of developer Crytek's techno-ambition. Rock-falls, destructible buildings, intricately designed alien fighter mechs and an environment that reacts to your every move - these effects don't come without heavy requirements, and if your PC is more than a year old it's going to struggle to achieve all of the above.

But we're not about to complain too loudly. Crysis is one of the most stunning games we've seen, and Crytek has consistently pointed out that PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware just isn't powerful enough to do the game full justice. So PC is the real future of videogaming? Well, who'd have thunk it?

January 31, 2007