Electronic Arts has announced today that Crysis Warhead, the not-sequel to last year's PC first-person shooter Crysis, will be hitting North American shelves on September 16.

By pre-ordering the game from the EA Store, gamers can save $5 off of the regular retail price, or $10 when purchasing both Warhead and the original Crysis. If you don't care about $5 or $10, send it to me so I can buy candy. I like candy. 

Crysis Warhead a follows a parallel story to the original title, and puts gamers in the s**t-kicking boots of Sergeant Michael "Psycho" Sykes, a s**t kicking super-soldier that doesn't take s**t, but instead just kicks it. The game feature a slew of new multiplayer modes, 21 new maps, and has been optimized to run smoother on a rider range of PC rigs.

Oh, and for you whiny Europeans? Crysis Warhead hits retail September 12, three full days before we get it in North America. Wait, is Rock Band out in Europe yet?

EA AND CRYTEK SET DEPLOYMENT DATE FOR CRYSIS WARHEAD

Find out if you are ‘Psycho’ Enough this September

Redwood City, Calif. – August 13, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Crytek GmbH announced today that Crysis Warhead®, the pulse-racing new installment of the Crysis® universe, will ship to retail stores in North America on September 16th and in Europe on September 12th.  Beginning today, gamers can pre-order Crysis Warhead at the EA Store (www.eastore.com/crysiswarhead) for only $24.95; $5 less than the full retail price, or receive $10 off when purchasing both Crysis Warhead and Crysis. Crysis Warhead recently recognized by IGN PC as being the Best First Person Shooter and showcasing the Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008.

“We think Crysis Warhead is going to offer a tremendous experience to a wide range of gamers,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek.  “Fans of Crysis are going to enjoy more of the open-ended gameplay, cutting-edge visuals and huge, epic battles from the first game, while also finally finding out what kind of havoc Psycho was wreaking on the other side of the island. 

At the same time, we designed Warhead to be more accessible for gamers new to the Crysis franchise.  It is a game with a story that can stand on its own, it has been optimized to run better on a wider range of PCs, and we are introducing Crysis Wars®, a tailor-made experience for multiplayer gamers within the Crysis universe – all at a great value.”

Crysis Wars features three multiplayer modes, including TeamInstantAction, a new match type that mixes fast-paced action in a team-based environment, in addition to the insanely frenetic gameplay style of InstantAction and the hardcore team-based PowerStruggle, both of which return from Crysis.  The game will include 21 maps, six new maps for TeamInstantAction and InstantAction, and one for PowerStruggle and Crytek will also have a support team dedicated to meeting the needs of the Crysis Wars community.

A brand new trailer for Crysis Warhead will premiere exclusively on “GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley” this Friday, August 15th on Spike TV (check your local listings) and will be available online at www.GameTrailers.com immediately following the show.