Earlier this week, we hyped the release of the Crusade epic Assassin’s Creed. If it weren’t for this little game above, Assassin’s Creed could have been the release of the year. While we have been patiently awaiting the AC release for nearly 18 months, we’ve been waiting for this one far longer… Ladies and gents, the game of the year has been released today: Crysis by Crytek/EA. If you own an up-to-date PC, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. If you’re already aware of this game, go ahead and follow this buy link below. If not, stick around after the “read more”, we’ll walk you through just why this game is so lustworthy…

Buy for $49.99 (pc).

A lone screenshot for Crysis made its way to Digg nearly two years ago. Before nearly anyone had heard the name, the screenshot made its own impression. Compared to any game on the market or due out soon, this screenshot was the most vivid thing we had seen. This promise alone– the ultimate in next generation graphics, was enough to get our blood boiling. The images were stunning, nearly indiscernable from the real thing.

Shortly after the graphic buzz had come and gone, Crytek shared a little more about their upcoming FPS brainchild. Crysis takes place in the not-too-distant future on the Korean Peninsula. You are Jake Dunn, a U.S. Delta Force operative armed with the latest in weaponry and, most importantly, a high technology “nano suit” with some amazing capabilities. As the game progresses, you begin to learn that your enemy is not just an army of Korean thugs, but something a little more extra-terrestrial…

The Nano Suit steals the show in this game. Jake’s Nano Suit is a full body armor set that can dramatically increase Jake’s speed, strength, armor, and stealth– albeit one at a time. Jack can also use some of this nano-tech beyond just movement. Jack can locate enemies in the field and plot them on his own personal HUD radar. Don’t expect Crysis to help you and show you where your enemies are, but if you spot one, you can plot that enemy on your radar grid where they will remain until they are, uh, equalized… Let’s check out Jack in his full Nano Suit glory, tearing through an enemy encampment.

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We’ll let that gameplay vid speak for itself. Beyond your Korean enemies, you’ll find your battles get harder and harder. It seems that there is much greater evil in North Korea than just dying communism… Enter a species of aliens that poses a much tougher fight. Wait until you’re about 1:30 into this next video…

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In short, this game could just be the best release of the year. We’ve been waiting patiently for today for quite some time. Sorry, PS3 and X360 fans, this one is PC only. For those of you lucky enough to have a PC that’ll run this one…

…Buy for $49.99.