After getting some printed publicity in numerous magazines, Crysis 2 previews are now finally starting to get published online. GamesRadar has put up their 'first look' article that contains interview bits with executive producer Nathan Camarillo and CryEngine 3 tech talk. The preview was first published in Xbox World 360 UK magazine, released just a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to crysuki for the link!

This news post also contains 18 early work-in-progress screenshots of this CryEngine 3 -powered Crysis sequel. First four are official screens released by Crytek and Electronic Arts.

Nathan Camarillo on Crysis 2

"We decided to pick New York as it’s one of the world’s premier hotspots; it’s a very important place for the entire world. In general, a city offers more opportunities for vertical gameplay than a jungle; the player can jump between different floors, jump on buses, on trucks, in craters, and from one building to another. The player is much more mobile in a city playground, and can change his position more often. They also have a lot more freedom, as they can plan or attack someone from above, and gain an advantage."

"Crysis 2 is a sandbox game. In contrast to the common sandbox, Crysis has borders and a world that extends beyond those borders but – just as importantly – we go into more detail within our play space too."

"I think the freedom of Crysis 2 will surprise console gamers. Crysis is not about ‘go anywhere’; it is about looking at a situation from a great vantage point and then formulating a plan that you proactively initiate to defeat your foes. You have a lot of freedom in what that plan entails, and what weapons and world interactions you use. This is what we’re calling Veni Vidi Vici gameplay: I came, I saw, I conquered, and it should be quite fresh to the console market."

"the challenges [of this generation of consoles] have allowed us to avoid overdesigning features, to keep the focus narrower and tight for a compelling experience on all platforms. In the end this will make for the best experience for the gamer, because we will spend more time per feature, making it more polished, rather than spreading ourselves thinly just because we can. Creative constraints can be refreshing."

...on CryEngine 3

"It’s an all-in-one solution; AI, physics, networking, multiplayer, audio and high-end effects are all included within the engine and built solely for CryEngine 3."

"The big challenge during the development of CryEngine 3 has been scaling the engine whilst maintaining visual quality and performance. This is always challenging; problems occurred, of course, but we’re really proud that our teams have managed to solve them."

You can read the whole two-page article by clicking here.

Early Screenshots Screens also up on our gallery.