Crysis And BF 2142: Northern Strike Beta Plans

Easy now, eaaasy, don't rush yourselves! If it's the Crysis beta you were getting ready to storm, you may stay calm for a while, because these "beta plans" ar more like "preparations for beta plans". From what Crytek's CEO Cevat Yerli said in an interview that will be published in full on CVG later this week, their shooter's multiplayer component "is progressing great" ("greater" than in Far Cry, we hope) and the devs have "some surprises here and there for our beloved fans".

Ze Germans promissed that they would announce their plans for the Crysis public beta "soon" - meaning that the plans themselves will be set into motion afterwards; the beta registrations, later still; and the actual opening of the beta phase... who knows! There's no use to hurry anyway, since Windows Vista has just been released, and I wouldn't be surprised if the new operating system's installation will be a requirement for getting in the beta (at least for marketing, if not technical reasons). The game's final version should however support DirectX 9 (i.e. Windows XP) as well. Although most of today's graphic cards would bow down in shame anyway, with all the crazy effects employed by Crysis.

But let's move on to Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike, because this beta looks a lot more tangible. From what EA announced a few days ago, we take it that the booster pack's multiplayer beta phase [registration process] has already begun, as fans can now sign-up on the Combat Testing website.

Unlike most of their beta programs, this one will feature Ranked Servers, and stats won't be wiped. If you feel like giving it a try, check the above link. The release of BF 2142: Northern Strike is scheduled for March 2007.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)