Of course, it’s easy to forget that the next generation is already here with CryEngine 3. Crysis 3, at least on the PC, is a technical marvel. Now one company has taken CyEngine 3 and crafted one of the prettiest tech demos you’ll ever see.

From Enodo, a firm that designs “virtual realities for real life business applications,” comes this real-time demo that simulates multiple environments from the African plains to a busy urban center. Check it out:

Regardless of the engine, the future of next-gen games looks bright, and very pretty. Let’s just hope game designers start to use a bit more color in their games from now on though. Unreal Engine has already proven that it can do browns, but a little blue or green never hurt anyone.

The beta includes two different team-based multiplayer modes – Hunter and Crash-Site. Hunter mode sees two players don a nanosuit and team up to hunt down the other players using stealth tactics. Players killed by the hunters become hunters themselves, similar to the “zombie” modes seen in other shooters. Crash-Site sees players working in teams to attack and defend control points on a map. Both modes support up to 12 players on consoles and 16 on the PC.

Both modes are introduced in a new trailer for the beta test that was released today. The beta lasts for two weeks, ending on February 12, just one week before the launch of Crysis 3 in the U.S.

The letter is fairly sad, and the latter half is highly personal and flattering toward the people who worked at THQ. The main point of the memo, however, is to inform THQ employees of whether or not they still have a job. Overall, the outcome of the bidding could have been worse, though some beloved game franchises have ended up in odd places.

Fans of the Company of Heroes series can breathe a sigh of relief, as Relic Entertainment appears to be going to Sega. With Company of Heroes 2 so far along in its development, it’s almost certain that Sega will be able to get the strategy game into shape for a release sometime this year.

Fans of the Darksiders series have not been as lucky. Vigil Games, the developer of Darksiders and Darksiders II has not been sold, and remains a part of the THQ bankruptcy case. This could very well mean that the studio will be closing.

Developer Crytek has agreed to purchase the Homefront series, something that should excite shooter fans, and Take 2 is looking to buy Evolve, a game about which nothing is known.

One of the more odd sales is of the studio Volition and the Metro series to Koch Media. Volition is the developer of perhaps the hottest property THQ had to sell, the Saints Row series. Though Koch’s subsidiary Deep Silver is a relatively small niche publisher, it has recently been trying to break out with the Dead Island games.

Ubisoft was also a part of the bidding, and has nabbed THQ’s Montreal studio and the upcoming South Park: The Stick of Truth RPG. This is pretty great news for those employees and South Park fans alike. The Montreal employees will likely be folded into Ubisoft’s Montreal studio in some way, and the publisher is unlikely to let a hyped game like The Stick of Truth fall through the cracks.

Unfortunately, the employees of THQ properties that were not part of the sale are being laid off. From the memo:

If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end. A small number of our headquarters staff will continue to be employed by THQ beyond January 25 to assist with the transition. THQ has sufficient resources to pay these employees for work going forward, and we will be contacting these employees immediately to ensure their continued employment during this transition period. We are requesting the ability to offer certain severance pay to minimize disruption for employees of non-included entities as they determine the next steps in their careers.

A sad day for the gaming industry, which has seen so many sad days of layoffs in the past year. Though the THQ logo has now been relegated to nostalgia status, a few of the publisher’s coveted titles, at least, seem to have found a decent home.

The test will include two team-based modes (Hunter mode and Crash-Site mode) and two different maps. The beta will last for two weeks, leading right up to the week before the launch of Crysis 3 on February 19.

“With Crysis 3 we are delivering the deepest, most robust Crysis multiplayer experience yet,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek. “We have listened closely to our fans and have evolved the multiplayer in Crysis 3 by adding a host of new gameplay features including the unique Hunter mode, deadly new weapons like the Predator bow, deeper loadout and unlock options, enhanced upgrade systems and more social features like the “New York Feed.” Top it all off with the ultimate weapon in the Nanosuit and you have a multiplayer experience that is unlike anything else out there.”

The “New York Feed” Yerli mentions is an in-game social feed that lists the achievements and milestones of gamers and those on their friends list. It also offers “dynamic challenges to complete,” according to Crytek.

Accompanying the announcement is a new Crysis 3 trailer showcasing the game’s trademark Nanosuit. The Nanosuit itself will, evidently, be playing a large part in the game’s story as well as its gameplay.

In the latest trailer, players get a taste of the alien enemies that they will encounter in Crysis 3. It’s assumed that the squid-like aliens from the first two games will make a return, but Crysis 3 features a new type of alien that looks to be far more aggressive and deadly.

The tall grass and the almost dinosaur-like aliens are giving me a serious Jurassic Park vibe. It will pretty amazing if Crytek is able to replicate the fear of being hunted by a velociraptor. That being said, the trailer casts off any semblance of subtlety near the end when the player busts out a gun and goes to town on anything and everything.

As always, the game’s visuals look phenomenal and the bow is shaping up to be a nice addition to the arsenal in Crysis 3. The next episode is named “Cause and Effect,” and one can only guess what’s going to happen.

The Web series is called “The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3″ and will presumably have seven episodes showing off the multifaceted gameplay that the games are known for. The first episode is called “Hell of a Town” and sets up the story in Crysis 3 where Prophet is tasked with infiltrating a future New York City that’s now host to multiple exotic environments.

The gameplay looks pretty similar to the first two titles in the Crysis franchise, especially Crysis 2. There doesn’t seem to be any major changes to gameplay beyond what appears to be a minor change to the stealth system. The cloaking power doesn’t turn off if the player fires an automatic weapon. It also appears that there may be a kill cam in place this time around, but that could be a feature only seen in the trailer to add dramatic effect.

Beyond gameplay, the visuals look stunning as usual. Crysis 2 didn’t start out looking that great on the PC, but a few patches and mods later fixed it right up. It seems that Crytek took early criticism of Crysis 2 to heart, and are crafting a PC game that will push the limits of even the most powerful systems. As for console gamers, Crytek said that it has tapped every bit of the power available to them so everybody should be in for a visual treat.

Crysis 3 will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on February 19.

“When EA and Crytek approached me about being involved in creating The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3 video series, I liked the idea of creating emotional stories using only computer generated images,” said Hughes. “The challenge of producing something intensely human without ever seeing a human on screen was incredibly compelling, and the technology of the CryENGINE that Crytek developed enabled me to do that and venture into a completely unique medium of storytelling.”

Though Hughes created scripts, storyboards, and shot plans for each video in the series, EA and Crytek are emphasizing that the episodes will showcase the weapons, enemies, and gameplay of Crysis 3. Still, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and Dishonored: The Tales From Dunwall both proved that tie-in videos for video games can be good – as long as talented people are hired on to perform quality work. One week from today, gamers will find out whether The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3 is a quality tie-in or a slipshod marketing machinima.

It’s a given from the series’ history that Crysis 3 will sport impressive graphics. But as games such as Minecraft have shown, graphics aren’t necessarily more important than gameplay. Today, Gamespot released a nearly seven-minute long look at a segment of the Crysis 3 single player campaign.

The footage is narrated by Mike Reed, a producer for Crysis 3. Reed isn’t averse to a few spoilers, and reveals a few secrets about the game, including bits about why alien-jail domes exist and how alien DNA can infect nano-suits. He also speaks about the bow mechanics that allow the player to change the draw weight of the weapon and the fact that the game includes explosive, electro, and airburst (proximity) tipped arrows.

Hunter Mode is the subject of of the latest trailer, though the focus is on the pre-order bonuses players can get that will give them an advantage in the multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, Crytek and EA are giving pre-orderers a leg up on those who simply purchase the game. It’s not just extra maps for pre-orderers, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is giving out – it’s equipment designed to give pre-orderers an advantage.

Pre-orderers will have the Predator Bow skin for their bow immediately unlocked, which allows players to fire while cloaked. They also get immediate access to the Recon Arrow, which gives players “advanced optical recognition.” The Hunter Nanosuit Module will be unlocked at launch for them, allowing their suit to make no noise while moving and muffling their footsteps. Pre-orderers will also begin their multiplayer journey at level 5, obviously giving them a head start on the competition who didn’t pre-order. These things won’t be much of an advantage in the long run (or even after a single week), but they’re sure to frustrate at least a few players when the game launches.

So, if you plan on playing plenty of Crysis 3 multiplayer, you’re going to want to remember to pre-order the game. Of course, Crysis 3 is one of those titles currently scheduled for “February 2013,” which is basically a placeholder timeframe to let investors know the game won’t be out for the holidays. Expect a “delay” announcement when development on the game nears completion.

Once gamers get over the visuals, though, they are going to actually want to play the game. Crytek released a short teaser trailer featuring some quick-cuts of gameplay footage, but aside from an interactive gameplay trailer, info on the gameplay, especially the multiplayer, has been sparse. Even the pre-order bonuses were outlined before much was known about the game.

Today, Crytek released a walkthrough trailer in which Crytek Producer Mike Read shows players the new multiplayer experience in Crysis 3. The highlights include Hunter mode, Crash-Site mode, and the fact that the game will support up to 12 simultaneous players on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, and up to 16 players on PC.