Amazon is marketing its new 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD tablet despite the fact that it hasn't yet received approval from the Federal Communications Commission. The situation has been described as unusual by attorneys and analysts familiar with the FCC's procedures.

You’d hope Amazon knows exactly what it’s doing, but the fact that it announced its new high-end 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD tablet before receiving approval for sale from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) will strike some as a little odd, and has been described as unusual by attorneys and analysts with knowledge of the FCC’s procedures .

The FCC tests all new wireless communication devices to discover if they interfere with other signals. Once cleared, the product is allowed to go on sale. According to a Reuters report on Thursday, Amazon has yet to get the green light, despite promising to ship the product on November 20.

The report said that a confirmation email from the e-commerce giant in response to a pre-order for the 8.9-inch 4G LTE Kindle Fire HD said: “We will send you an email asking you to confirm your pre-order of Kindle Fire when it is approved for sale by the Federal Communications Commission.”

Speaking to Reuters about the situation, John Jackson, a wireless analyst at CCS Insight, said, “I can’t think of an instance where a device has been offered by a US carrier or an independent retailer that has not had FCC approval yet.”

Charles Golvin, a wireless analyst at Forrester Research, suggests that failure to get FCC approval prior putting the device on the market can probably be put down to Amazon’s lack of experience with wireless products.

It’s not just the selling of the device which is prohibited prior to FCC approval – marketing is also banned, unless a disclaimer is included in the promotional material.

Amazon is, however, clear about the situation with its new high-end tablet, stating on its website, “The 4G device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.”

Mitchell Lazarus of law firm Fletcher told Reuters that in most cases companies with new wireless communication products go through the procedures with the FCC “so they don’t have to make these awkward disclaimers.”

It’s being suggested that approval may be taking a little longer than usual as the 4G wireless modem being used in Amazon’s tablet is of a new type, whereas many gadgets sent to the FCC for approval contain modems used in products previously passed by the FCC, and so go through the process more quickly.

The other Kindle Fires announced by Amazon on Thursday are Wi-Fi only devices and are fit for sale.

If the FCC does find some serious issues with Amazon’s priciest Kindle Fire, the company will have limited time to sort it out before the holiday season kicks off. Failure to have it on the shelves by then would be hugely damaging for the Seatlle-based company as it attempts to increase its share of a market still dominated by Apple with its popular iPad tablet. 

Recently, Mobile Magazine reported that Motorola had plans to bring Jelly Bean to every device possible that was made in 2011 or later. While this was enough to get somewhat excited about, the biggest news was that Motorola promised that if it couldn’t bring Jelly Bean to your 2011-2012 Motorola device it would instead give you an $100 credit towards a new Motorola device.

Not a whole lot of details about the program were announced at first, and it seemed likely that the program wouldn’t start to roll out for quite a while. That being said, Motorola now has a website that has gone live with the deal.
Wait, but how do you know if your phone will eventually get Jelly Bean or not? For the moment, no official list on which devices will and won’t get Android 4.1 exists. Instead, the site allows you to sign up for information about how to update your device or how to claim the rebate if your device isn’t getting the upgrade.

The master list of device upgrades will likely surface sometime this year, though. Keep in mind that this ‘rebate’ isn’t a cash offer. Instead you can either get a gift card, carrier credit or possibly a cash equivalent of Motorola’s choice- though this would likely be a dollar amount that is less than $100.

To be perfectly honest, I think this is a brilliant move on Motorola and Google’s part. It shows a clear commitment to bringing the best that Android has to offer to all of Motorola’s offerings going forward.
What do you think?

Who's making Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified? Not Infinity Ward, makers of Modern Warfare, and not Treyarch, makers of Black Ops.

Activision wants everyone, from the lowliest nerd to the highest spending shareholder in the company, to know that it is the publisher behind Call of Duty. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the best-selling video game of all time? That was us! We’re all Call of Duty, all the time, us Activision folk. Unless you’re talking about Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified for PlayStation Vita. That might not be us.

That seemed to be the message at least when the first PS Vita version of the popular shooter series made its debut during Sony’s press conference at Gamescom in August. Activision was very quiet about the game, especially after the tepid response the first trailer received from press and fans. In fact, Activision wasn’t even clear on who is making it.

Not Treyarch and not Infinity Ward, says CVG. Neither of the studios responsible for Call of Duty’s annual HD console releases has worked on the Vita game. John Rafacz of Treyarch said his said hasn’t “been involved with the Vita version.” Rough!

Who is making the game? Nihilistic, an independent studio in California. Call of Duty obsessed Vita owners might want to dial back their excitement for the game even more considering Nihilistic’s most recent output. Its last game was Resistance: Burning Skies for PS Vita, a shooter built to showcase the handheld’s horsepower and capabilities as a platform for FPS games. It was instead a ramshackle series of boring levels and tacked on touch screen features.

Activision hasn’t totally separated itself from Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified. “Activision is the publisher, but we also have a partnership with Sony to bundle Declassified with the PlayStation Vita.” Translation: We’re sort of publishing, but Sony’s publishing it more than us!

The concern here is not just the poor quality of Declassified based on footage of the game. Yes, the footage is especially rough since the game is due out in just over a month. The real problem is the amount of money that Sony no doubt spent to get Activision to commit the brand to Vita at all. Activision has been reticent to publish on either Sony or Nintendo’s handhelds in recent years, recognizing that the devoted portable gaming market is contracting on a nearly daily basis. If Sony spent big to get Activision to just loan out the Call of Duty name, it’s not getting very much for its money.

Welcome to Digital Blend, your one-stop-shop for coverage and recommendations of all things relating to mobile gaming, digital marketplaces, and indie titles (for the week ending September 9).

Welcome back to Digital Blend, our weekly look at the world of downloadable video gaming that exists at the fringes of the mainstream. That means we look at the hottest new mobile game releases, downloadable content drops on consoles and PCs, indie darlings that deserve your love and attention, and the best gaming values under $20.

Keep your comments and feedback coming. We want to hear from you! Did you try something you read about here and enjoy it? Is there a particular game you think we’ve overlooked or news you want to share? Any questions you are dying to ask? Let us know! Your thoughts, feedback, suggestions and (constructive!) criticism are welcome, either in the comments section below or directed at yours truly on Twitter, @geminibros.

Making headlines…

* Kickstarter knows where its audience is. The crowd-funding website has officially declared 2012 the “Year of the Game,” with seven of the website’s 11 million-plus earners relating in some way to video games. The figure also means that games account for the most money pledged out of any other category on the site, amounting to a total of roughly $50 million in crowd-sourced dollars. Kickstarter launched in 2009; in the time between then and the start of 2012, video game projects ranked as the eighth most funded category on the site. The numbers  this year catapult games up to the second most funded position.  For more on how the numbers break down, including the percentage of successfully funded game projects, check out Francis’ full report.

* Techland is prepping what appears to be a bit of a series reboot for Call of Juarez, with Ubisoft announcing a return to the original Wild West setting for the next game in the series, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. Rather than picking up on earlier stories, Gunslinger blends fact and fiction, putting players in the shoes of an Old West bounty hunter in search of real-life outlaws like Billy the Kid and Butch Cassidy. Gunslinger will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms as a downloadable game sometime in early 2013. Check out Anthony’s post to learn more about the game.

* Early adopters of Sony’s PlayStation Vita are getting restless, what with the relatively small launch and post-launch library that’s been coming together since the handheld hit U.S. stores in February 2012. The slow burn has left enterprising programs with plenty of free time to work on circumventing the closed system for the purposes of running homebrew software. Hacker Yifan Lu discovered a Vita exploit that’s allowed him to develop the very first homebrew loader for the handheld, which is itself based on an early loader for Sony’s widely hacked PlayStation Portable. The core mindset behind homebrew development is noble in its aim to open up closed software platforms for homegrown development projects. Unfortunately, homebrew is often synonymous with piracy, which is why Sony is constantly working to shut down the exploits that hackers take advantage of. Lu insists that his goals with the Vita loader are for homebrew development only, but it’s definitely a sticky situation. For more, check out Anthony’s report.

* Rovio struck gold in a huge way with Angry Birds, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that the company’s just-announced new franchise is really more of an outgrowth of its already established universe. Bad Piggies aims to turn to tables on those angry, angry birds, tasking players with building an assortment of vehicles that will carry the future pork products (mmmm… bacon) to the bird eggs that they’d so like to feast upon. Rovio hopes that this dramatic shift away from the “fling birds at structures to knock them down” gameplay of its previous hit will help establish Bad Piggies as a new franchise unto itself, rather than as a sequel.

* Valve definitely has the right idea with Steam Greenlight, a crowd-sourcing initiative that offers Steam users the opportunity to throw their support behind any of the various indie projects that are vying for a highly coveted spot in Valve’s online store. Greenlight is going through some growing pains, however. In the early days of the new service, a number of supposed indie developers posted “projects” that largely amounted to community trolling, offensive stuff like a 9/11 simulator. While a separate dialogue is starting to develop about what is and isn’t okay for Steam in the wake of a planned erotic game’s removal, Valve implemented a $100 posting fee to cut down on the fraudulent projects going up on Greenlight. The company is also looking to streamline how Steam users engage with Greenlight by offering personalized lists based on each person’s interests.

Top buys for the week…

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 — Collection 4: Final Assault :: Xbox 360 :: 1,200 MS Points

Activision’s inaugural year for “Call of Duty Elite” is officially over with the end of Modern Warfare 3‘s DLC content season this week. The new pack, a timed exclusive for Xbox 360, is all about the multiplayer, offering five new locations for players to frag and be fragged in. You’ll run through an abandoned mining town in Gulch, blow up the Jersey Shore in Boardwalk, rampage through New Orleans’ French Quarter in Parish, negotiate an oil rig’s catwalks in Offshore, and creep your way through a rotting ship’s graveyard in Decommission. As usual, this content will eventually come to PlayStation 3 and PC platforms, likely sometime in October.

Mark of the Ninja :: Xbox 360 :: 1,200 MS Points

Klei Entertainment’s Mark of the Ninja is, hands-down, the very best that this week has to offer in downloadable gaming. The 2D side-scrolling stealth game is very nearly perfect, sending players on a series of multi-path missions in full ninja garb. Don’t let the 2D presentation — which is beautiful and hand-drawn, by the way — put you off. You’ll be presented with a wide array of options as you progress through the game, not just in the routes you can follow but also in how your ninja’s skills and gear improve. Wrapping around the whole thing is a well-told story that will have you exploring some thought-provoking themes by the time its final moments play out.

Avengers Initiative :: iOS :: $6.99

There’s always a temptation to rag on movie-licensed video game given the rocky history that exists between the two mediums, but the currently iOS-excluisve Avengers Initiative (it’s headed to Android as well) is one of the rare exceptions. Marvel Entertainment is planning this one as an episodic series, with the now-released first episode focusing entirely on Bruce Banner’s green-skinned alter-ego, the Hulk. The gameplay is essentially a cruder take on Infinity Blade, but the experience is enhanced by sweet visuals, character customization, and the promise of more Marvel action to come.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – Hearthfire DLC :: Xbox 360 :: 400 MS Points

I’m not gonna lie: Skyrim‘s second piece of downloadable content — the final timed-exclusive for Xbox 360 — pretty much amounts to House Armor. You can build a house. Or more than one house. You can upgrade your house(s). You can send your spouse to live in that house, and you can then take your domestic life a step further by adopting a child. There’s 50GS worth of Achievements to be had here, but don’t expect any kind of questline. And bring gold. Houses ain’t cheap, you know? Hearthfire isn’t for everyone, but it’s a neat addition to Bethesda’s vibrant world for those who really want to leave more of a personal mark in it.

Super Hexagon :: iOS :: $0.99

Every week there’s some new time-chomping mobile game that threatens to consume your life with its “just one more go”-friendly setup and destroy your phone with its “blink and you fail” gameplay. This week, that game is Super Hexagon, from VVVVVV creator Terry Cavanagh. The new game is much simpler than the gravity-powered platformer that precedes it. Players simply guide their little, triangle-shaped avatar around the perimeter of an inner hexagon as larger shapes shrink inward. The idea is always to have your triangle positioned so it can pass through the lone open area on the shrinking hex. It’s frankly much easier to grok by watching the thing in motion than reading a text description, so why don’t you go ahead and check out the trailer.

Zen Pinball 2 :: PSN :: FREE

Let’s be clear first: Zen Pinball 2 is technically free to download, but you’ll have to actually buy individual tables or table packs in order to fully enjoy it. Non-pack tables can be played for free, but there’s a time limit dictating how long you can play before you’re kicked back to the main menu. Pricing on tables starts at $2.50, and packs go up as high as $9.99. Any tables you might have owned previously in the original Zen Pinball can be imported, and everything is cross-platform-friendly, meaning you can play on both your PlayStation 3 and your PS Vita.

We speak with Crytek developer and Crysis 3 producer, Mike Read, about the upcoming game, and we look back on the hits and misses of Crysis 2.

With just five months to go until it is released, Crysis 3 has managed to fly somewhat under the radar. Its predecessor was released just last year, and with the cornucopia of other first-person shooters on the market and due out later this year, it is easy for a game like this to get overlooked. At least for the moment.

With a relatively soft release schedule for February of next year (at least so far), you can expect that the interest will heat up and by the time this game is released. It will be white hot. The Crysis series may not have the name recognition that Call of Duty or the Battlefield franchises enjoy, but to those that have experienced the series firsthand, you can be sure the third offering has their attention.  

Crytek is known for its technologically sophisticated games. We recently spoke with them about the engine they are using, the phenomenal CryENGINE 3, and how the future of gaming is constantly changing. The developer has excelled at pushing games and gaming systems to their limits.  The original Crysis still laughs in the face of weaker PCs, and Crysis 2 offered more than a few jaw dropping scenes of beauty and awe. To the gamers out there that appreciate this level of technical excellence, you can be sure that Crysis 3 will have their attention.  

We spoke with Crysis 3 producer Mike Read about what to expect from the upcoming Crysis 3, as well as where Crysis 2 got it right, and where their dreams and the current technology diverged.

What can you tell me about Crysis 3?

Mike Read: Crysis 3 takes place more than 20 years after the events of Crysis 2. The CELL corporation has become a world superpower and now controls the global energy resources. Over all the major cities worldwide, they have built these massive domes which now cover them. Crysis 3 takes place in the dome which we refer to as the Liberty Dome, which is the one that covers New York City. Within this dome is a broken down city that has managed to help flourish an environment which we like to refer to as an Urban Jungle.

In Crysis 3, you’ll be playing as a well-known Crysis character called Prophet, which some might remember from the previous Crysis series. Prophet is on a mission and is being driven by something he doesn’t quite understand: visions of the end of the world and the destruction of mankind. He will stop at nothing to reach his goal and that includes removing anything that stands in his way.

Was it developed as a PC game then ported over, or was it developed simultaneously on consoles as well? 

MR: Crysis 3 is being developed simultaneously on PC, Xbox, and PS3. The development of Crysis 2 put us in a good position and taught us a lot of lessons, so that we are now able to do this reliably and effectively.

Sequels are always expected to be bigger and better than their predecessors. So how will Crysis 3 improve upon Crysis 2?

MR: Of course, but we aren’t out to reinvent the wheel, but rather to build a better one. We took a lot out of what we learned from Crysis 1 and Crysis 2 and incorporated that into what we are going to deliver for Crysis 3 – things like art, design, content, story, AI, etc. There are countless tweaks that have been made to all the systems, but everything will still feel very much like a Crysis game.

Story is probably one of the bigger ones that has changed as well, and we think that fans that really want to immerse themselves in this aspect of the game are in for a treat this time around. You will see a lot more depth and interactions with the characters, which is something we had always caught some flak about in the past, so this time we’ve taken a different focus from its predecessors with the help of Steven Hall who has been at the core of the writing for Crysis 3. The story should help to answer some of those burning questions we get on the Crysis universe as well!

The bow has been highlighted quite a bit so far. What attracted you to featuring a bow?

MR: The bow was something that just fit really well into the “hunter” theme we were focusing on in Crysis 3. We wanted to offer a weapon that provided more tactical depth by offering different ammunition types for different gameplay purposes. We combined this with our bow design and got an immensely powerful and versatile weapon for the player that is so satisfying and rewarding to use, that we simply had to push it further and put it at the center of the gunplay in Crysis 3.

Looking back on Crysis 2, what were you most proud of?

MR: There are so many things that were crowning achievements and hard challenges that made Crysis 2 a great project. I would say the top one was being able to bring the Crysis brand to console players. There were some enormous walls we encountered in doing this, but it’s really paid off for us in the long-term for our tech; both for our internal projects and what we are able to offer CryENGINE licensees.

Were there any things you wish had come out better?

MR: In my opinion, the Nanosuit upgrade system could have used some more attention. It ended up in a bare bones form that was a little too simplistic from what we wanted to achieve in the final delivery of Crysis 2. In Crysis 3, we have put a fairly large focus on that to turn the system into something with more depth. We’ll be moving away from the collection of Nanocatalysts and turning to a new pickup system to unlock these powers. You’ll also be able to create many more combinations than you had been able to do in the previous Crysis games. My favorite part about this is the ability to create customized combinations which can be switched on the fly.

Was there anything you excluded you wished you could have added? Why was it nixed?

MR: The AI responses to Nanosuit tactics is something that never quite made it to a point we were happy with. For instance, having multiple alert levels for CELL members who find themselves in combat versus the Nanosuit and the ways that they respond to it. From feeling safe, alerted, scared, or panicked. These would go a long way to provide the level of immersiveness we want to provide for the player. AI behavior is always one of the most challenging things we do when making a game and for Crysis 3 we are really aiming high to take this to a whole new level. As we get closer to release, we’ll be talking in more detail about this system.

Flipboard announces its partnership with Levi's to kick start its foray into m-commerce. Users can now purchase clothing from within the app.

For years now, reader apps have slugged along with an advertising business model that hasn’t exactly been lucrative. With the debut of Flipboard’s new social shopping catalogue, however, its e-commerce strategy could break ground for the experimentation of new business models among reader apps.

Piggybacking on New York Fashion Week, which is in full bloom for the Spring/Summer 2013 line, Flipboard has announced “The New Levi’s Collection.” Flipboard, in conjunction with Levi’s, will sell the clothing brand’s fall season fashion for both men and women. In other words, the magazine-style reader is now a shopping platform — one where users can easily purchase what they see from within the app’s new Style category, found in the Content Guide.

In magazine fashion, the Style category will be accompanied by images uploaded using Instagram, curated articles by Levi’s staffers, and a behind-the-scenes look of the “insider’s view of life at Levi’s.” Flipboard calls the experience Catalogue 2.0, as it offers a shopping experience that’s completely restricted to Flipboard, a mobile-only application.

Flipboard is not the first magazine-like app to have tackled m-commerce. Publishers were once scrambling to figure out how to offer a compelling tablet-based magazine that consumers would be willing to purchase, despite offering similar content in its print publication. In 2010 Marie Claire and ELLE magazines, both, owned by Hearst, were among the first magazine app in the iTunes App Store with an m-commerce solution that integrated a shopping platform within the reading experience.

There isn’t much to lose for both Flipboard and Levi’s now that the technology platform has already been developed. Flipboard most likely takes a commission for every sale made, similar to a drop shipping solution, and (of course) every purchase request notifies Levi’s to ship out the appropriate product.

This strategy could get the folks at Zite, Pulse, News.me, and other mobile readers thinking about supplementing their revenue with an m-commerce business model, and we couldn’t blame them. M-commerce is one of the fastest growing subsets within e-commerce.

Microsoft might be a distant third in the mobile race, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of fun, addicting games for the Windows Phone. Check out our roundup of Best Windows Phone games.

It’s not often that one can say Microsoft is an underdog. The company is one of the largest in the world and easily the most notable name in personal computing. But when it comes to the mobile phone market, Microsoft has yet to make a noticeable dent. After some tough attempts at breaking in, they may have finally found a nice niche with the Windows Phone. The operating system still isn’t knocking on iOS or Android’s door, but it has picked up dedicated user base. Keeping fans in the fickle phone market can be tough, but Microsoft have kept their users happy. Perhaps a great selection of games for those on the go have helped. Here’s some of our favorite games for Windows Phones.

Angry Birds ($1)

What is a list of great mobile games without Angry Birds? While it might be an obvious choice, it’s that way for a reason. Angry Birds is undoubtably one of the most fun and addictive games that you can house on your handset. Load up some flying feathered friends and send them for a ride as you try to topple the fortresses of pigs that have stolen precious eggs. It’s about as much of a classic as one can get in the young world of mobile games, but none of its original appeal has worn off.

Fruit Ninja ($1)

Every warrior has to start somewhere — you can’t just go out and start breaking boards and cinderblocks on day one. There’s no better way to work your way up to unleashing your inner kung-fu than with Fruit Ninja. The concept is silly and the construct is simple, but don’t be surprised if you fire up this game at the start of a commute and you go a few extra stops just to keep playing. Fruit of all sorts comes flying across the screen and its your job to chop it up as fast as possible, launching juice in all directions. If only making fruit salad was this fun.

Little Acorns ($3)

There are few things more determined than a squirrel that wants to protect its stash of nuts. Little Acorns gives you the chance to help out a furry friend by guiding him through 80 levels in attempts to prepare for winter. Little Acorns channels the gameplay of classic platformer mechanics and the undeniable appeal of an adorable squirrel to create a game experience that is tough to put down. How can you not help the little guy get ready for the oncoming cold? Especially when it’s so fun.

Pool Pro Online 3 ($3)

Pool is a game that has been around for generations, ever since the cavemen used sticks to hit rocks into holes in the ground. While that information is completely unfounded, here’s something that is true: Pool Pro Online 3 is a blast. It takes the familiar game of pocket billiards and really emphasizes the “pocket” part by putting it on your phone. Then it cranks up the competition with online play against friends or strangers. Work your way up the leader boards to prove you’re a true pool shark.

Feed Me Oil ($1)

One occasionally has to wonder just way oil tycoons make so much money for just happening across the strange black liquid. If Feed Me Oil gives any insight into what a oil worker has to deal with on a daily basis, whatever they make isn’t enough. The game presents a weird world where the ground is alive with crazy creatures that crave crude oil. You’ll have to direct the black gold from a broken pipe to the mouths of these odd little characters. Use the tools provided, but mostly use your brain to make it through this quirky puzzler.

iStunt 2 ($3)

Watching extreme sports events can often make one tempted to attempt the action they see on screen. Save yourself the embarrassment of performing a flurry of face plants by getting iStunt 2. The game takes you to the virtual slopes and puts you in control of a snowboarder that is more than capable of pulling off the most insane of in-air moves. With a great physics engine, awesome action, and game bolstering boosts, iStunt 2 has all the excitement of sliding down the slope with none of the dangers of having a piece of plastic strapped to your feet.

Tiki Towers ($3)

Visit any zoo and take a look at the monkeys. They are fascinating creatures for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s because how close their actions mirror our own and sometimes it’s because they fling around inappropriate items. The monkeys in Tiki Towers are a little more sophisticated than that. These primates have built some bamboo-based creations to help them navigate some puzzling and tough terrain in hopes of discovering lost treasure. Play through 45 levels across 5 islands as you help the monkeys achieve their ultimate goal.

Zombies!!! ($5)

The idea of a zombie apocalypse has become a bit marginalized by its overuse in pop culture. One can’t take a trip to the movie theater, flip channels, of walk into a trendy t-shirt shop without seeing something referencing zombies. But don’t let the over-saturation fool you, the threat is out there. Nothing makes it more apparent than Zombies!!!, a game that puts you right in the middle of an undead uprising. Fight through infested territories as you try to survive the onslaught of corpses. It’s a blast and great training for the day the inevitable real life infection spreads.

We speak with Crytek developer and Crysis 3 producer, Mike Read, about the upcoming game, and we look back on the hits and misses of Crysis 2.

With just five months to go until it is released, Crysis 3 has managed to fly somewhat under the radar. Its predecessor was released just last year, and with the cornucopia of other first-person shooters on the market and due out later this year, it is easy for a game like this to get overlooked. At least for the moment.

With a relatively soft release schedule for February of next year (at least so far), you can expect that the interest will heat up and by the time this game is released. It will be white hot. The Crysis series may not have the name recognition that Call of Duty or the Battlefield franchises enjoy, but to those that have experienced the series firsthand, you can be sure the third offering has their attention.  

Crytek is known for its technologically sophisticated games. We recently spoke with them about the engine they are using, the phenomenal CryENGINE 3, and how the future of gaming is constantly changing. The developer has excelled at pushing games and gaming systems to their limits.  The original Crysis still laughs in the face of weaker PCs, and Crysis 2 offered more than a few jaw dropping scenes of beauty and awe. To the gamers out there that appreciate this level of technical excellence, you can be sure that Crysis 3 will have their attention.  

We spoke with Crysis 3 producer Mike Read about what to expect from the upcoming Crysis 3, as well as where Crysis 2 got it right, and where their dreams and the current technology diverged.

What can you tell me about Crysis 3?

Mike Read: Crysis 3 takes place more than 20 years after the events of Crysis 2. The CELL corporation has become a world superpower and now controls the global energy resources. Over all the major cities worldwide, they have built these massive domes which now cover them. Crysis 3 takes place in the dome which we refer to as the Liberty Dome, which is the one that covers New York City. Within this dome is a broken down city that has managed to help flourish an environment which we like to refer to as an Urban Jungle.

In Crysis 3, you’ll be playing as a well-known Crysis character called Prophet, which some might remember from the previous Crysis series. Prophet is on a mission and is being driven by something he doesn’t quite understand: visions of the end of the world and the destruction of mankind. He will stop at nothing to reach his goal and that includes removing anything that stands in his way.

Was it developed as a PC game then ported over, or was it developed simultaneously on consoles as well? 

MR: Crysis 3 is being developed simultaneously on PC, Xbox, and PS3. The development of Crysis 2 put us in a good position and taught us a lot of lessons, so that we are now able to do this reliably and effectively.

Sequels are always expected to be bigger and better than their predecessors. So how will Crysis 3 improve upon Crysis 2?

MR: Of course, but we aren’t out to reinvent the wheel, but rather to build a better one. We took a lot out of what we learned from Crysis 1 and Crysis 2 and incorporated that into what we are going to deliver for Crysis 3 – things like art, design, content, story, AI, etc. There are countless tweaks that have been made to all the systems, but everything will still feel very much like a Crysis game.

Story is probably one of the bigger ones that has changed as well, and we think that fans that really want to immerse themselves in this aspect of the game are in for a treat this time around. You will see a lot more depth and interactions with the characters, which is something we had always caught some flak about in the past, so this time we’ve taken a different focus from its predecessors with the help of Steven Hall who has been at the core of the writing for Crysis 3. The story should help to answer some of those burning questions we get on the Crysis universe as well!

The bow has been highlighted quite a bit so far. What attracted you to featuring a bow?

MR: The bow was something that just fit really well into the “hunter” theme we were focusing on in Crysis 3. We wanted to offer a weapon that provided more tactical depth by offering different ammunition types for different gameplay purposes. We combined this with our bow design and got an immensely powerful and versatile weapon for the player that is so satisfying and rewarding to use, that we simply had to push it further and put it at the center of the gunplay in Crysis 3.

Looking back on Crysis 2, what were you most proud of?

MR: There are so many things that were crowning achievements and hard challenges that made Crysis 2 a great project. I would say the top one was being able to bring the Crysis brand to console players. There were some enormous walls we encountered in doing this, but it’s really paid off for us in the long-term for our tech; both for our internal projects and what we are able to offer CryENGINE licensees.

Were there any things you wish had come out better?

MR: In my opinion, the Nanosuit upgrade system could have used some more attention. It ended up in a bare bones form that was a little too simplistic from what we wanted to achieve in the final delivery of Crysis 2. In Crysis 3, we have put a fairly large focus on that to turn the system into something with more depth. We’ll be moving away from the collection of Nanocatalysts and turning to a new pickup system to unlock these powers. You’ll also be able to create many more combinations than you had been able to do in the previous Crysis games. My favorite part about this is the ability to create customized combinations which can be switched on the fly.

Was there anything you excluded you wished you could have added? Why was it nixed?

MR: The AI responses to Nanosuit tactics is something that never quite made it to a point we were happy with. For instance, having multiple alert levels for CELL members who find themselves in combat versus the Nanosuit and the ways that they respond to it. From feeling safe, alerted, scared, or panicked. These would go a long way to provide the level of immersiveness we want to provide for the player. AI behavior is always one of the most challenging things we do when making a game and for Crysis 3 we are really aiming high to take this to a whole new level. As we get closer to release, we’ll be talking in more detail about this system.