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Mirror's Edge reflects on Unreal Engine 3
click to embiggen Although they have an in-house engine for the Battlefield series (Frostbite), EA DICE has gone with Epic's mega-popular Unreal Engine 3 for the Parkour-inspired Mirror's Edge. According to the development team (via Electronic Arts PR), the reason was that the Mirror's Edge project began early on in Frostbite's development, so they decided to use the more-developed Unreal technology instead.DICE is also developing "a new lighting solution that truly makes Mirror's Edge stand-out visually." If you haven't had a chance to check out the trailer, do so now. Full statement after the break.%Gallery-17126%
More than 5 new EA titles to have Unreal Engine 3 under the hood
Electronic Arts likes what it has seen from Unreal Engine 3, so much so that the company has extended its relationship with Epic, giving EA the rights to incorporate the popular middleware solution into more than five upcoming titles. As to what games this impacts EA won't say, only noting that each of the games are currently in development. The company first inked an agreement with Epic in 2006 to use the technology, which has since made its way into such recent titles as Medal of Honor Airborne and last month's fist-pounding Army of Two, proving once and for all that even great technology doesn't make the game.
NCSoft licenses Unreal Engine 3 for two MMOs
Mo' MMO news now, with Guild Wars publisher NCSoft announcing its licensing of Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for use in two upcoming, still unannounced massively multiplayer titles. The company previously incorporated Unreal technology into Lineage II and giant-mech shooter, Exteel. Much like the rest of us, it seems the folks at NCSoft simply can't resist a well structured rendering pipeline. "Unreal Engine 3 has a well structured rendering pipeline, and its graphical quality is superb thanks to advanced lighting and shadowing systems," said Young-muk Choi, lead programmer for NCsoft's Development Unit. "Tools within the Unreal Editor empower us to instantly produce and optimize our outputs, and we especially love how the engine enables designers to easily prototype concepts without the need for programming." Jay Wilbur, VP of Epic Games, returned the press release back patting by saying, "We expect to be completely wowed by what they do with our latest technology." So do we, Mr. Wilbur. In fact, it'll take a lot to wow the millions who've already been thoroughly WoW'ed.
2K invests heavily in Unreal Engine 3
Despite the issues some developers may be having, Epic keeps finding customers more than happy to stuff the engine maker's mattresses with hundreds of thousands (millions?) of dollars for an Unreal Engine 3 license. Epic's cash deluge continues today with 2K Games' announcement that it's entering into a licensing deal to use UE3 for various unannounced games.2K Games' president stated the company has been happy with UE3 because it "enables games to perform exceptionally well on both console and the PC" and that, with Epic's support, they plan to continue producing "world-class" titles. While there's no word on what these unannounced games may be, 2K is currently on a development bender with Mafia II, Prizefighter, some sort of BioShock follow-up, the mysterious project at 2K Marin, and a few others in production
American McGee announces next 'twisted tale' project after Grimm
We're not sure what it is about American McGee that makes him so fascinated about putting dark spins on Western tales. The former id Software developer and Electronic Arts' consultant found his niche in 2000 with Alice, though since that release he's done little to make us believe that his name slapped on the front of a game's box carries any more weight than the UPC code on the back. His latest project is a morose 24-episode take on the Brothers Grimm in development at McGee's Shanghai studio Spicy Horse, a project that according to a blog post by McGee is halfway completed. Excited, the developer has let the proverbial cat out of the equally proverbial bag by confirming work on another project. While details are light, McGee writes that the game will be built on Epic's UE3 engine, and is a "big publisher, multi-platform, twisted tale project." This of course makes us think that McGee will once again be paying a visit to the children's section of the local library in search of inspiration. Might we suggest Winnie the Pooh, as nothing is quite as frighting as a vicious bear that's rumbly in his tumbly. [via Gamasutra]
Unreal Engine to power Warner Bros's Chadam web cartoon
This freakshow is getting its own internet 'toon: Chadam. That's his name (and he should be recognizable to followers of Utah alt rockers The Used). The show is significant because its being created with Unreal Engine 3, simplifying the likely spinning off into game (and perhaps smoothing out that polygon dome). Producer extraordinaire Jason Hall (founder of Monolith) is on board, taking a break from HDFILMS Inc, and will work closely with Chadam creator Alex Pardee to mold the 3D animation, with the end goal being to land the project on real TV. Warner Bros is the parent conglomerate behind the project and has frequently teamed with Hall, who once led its games division WBIE and dreamt up the concept for Condemned (both the game and movie).Speaking of bugged-out dreams, Chadam will thrust viewers into the "hyper-stylized" world of Vulture, where the box-headed boy enjoys Neo-like status, able to manipulate the physical world with his mind, though apparently lacking in certain imaginative abilities. (Dude, make yourself a new face.) The series will unfold as Chadam attempts to wish away the serial killer Viceroy, discovering the nature of self along the way.
Stranglehold slips again on PC, PS3
Guy with two guns epic Stranglehold is still struggling to get a grip on the PS3 and PC, with both versions facing delays just as the Xbox 360 version sees completion. Inspector Tequila's seething vendetta against neatly stacked grocery stands begins on the Xbox 360 September 5th (September 14th in Europe), with the PC version now following on September 18th in the US and the 21st in Europe. Shacknews reports that the PS3 version of the bullet bonanza is now scheduled for release on September 25th, which translates to an imprecise "October" for Europe.
Stranglehold slips to Sept. 5 on PC and Xbox 360
Midway has confirmed to Joystiq that guy with two guns epic, Stranglehold, has been delayed past its initial August 27th release date on Xbox 360 and PC. John Woo's thoughtful study into the nature of exploding watermelons will now release on September 5th, with the PlayStation 3 version still following on September 17th. If you're clueless about Stranglehold or just have an urge to crush goons beneath suspiciously tethered neon signs, we'd recommend you have a look at the demo currently on the Xbox Live Marketplace.[Thanks, Kyleia and Justin]
Wideload working on XBLA games
With Hail to the Chimp coming along quite nicely, Alex Seropian admits they are working on Xbox Live Arcade "games." Speaking with Gamasutra, Seropian says they have two teams now at Wideload Games. One is working on HttC and the other is on games for "digital distribution." When pressed, he admitted they were for Live Arcade. Wideload Games seems be looking toward the future of digital distribution and learning the ins and outs of XBLA. Hail to the Chimp, despite being a retail product, plays like an arcade game. It's quite obvious how Xbox Marketplace could add to the coffers of Wideload if they sell extra battlegrounds and animals for the game. There's no word yet on what the actual XBLA games they are working on are.Seropian also talks about Hail to the Chimp using the Unreal Engine 3 and his experience with the controversial engine. He says it's a "great toolset, it's a great engine, and you have to be a little careful about what you want to do with it." He says the engine was designed to make Gears of War, so it's been a challenge getting it to work, but that's it's been "really good" for them.
Silicon Knights' lawyer responds to Epic countersuit
GameDaily BIZ has been following the back and forth between Epic and Silicon Knights regarding their dueling lawsuits over the mess that is Too Human and the "inadequacies" of the Unreal Engine 3. Silicon Knights' lawyer has spoken out against Epic's claims that Silicon Nights stole their tech saying SK has now built a "better" engine. The nit-picky part becomes how much of that engine is based of the Unreal Engine 3 tech?Silicon Knights' attorney, Christopher T. Holland, of a law firm with way too many names, says they'll stand their ground. He says the counterclaim has no merit. Epic is asking for $650,000 in their counterclaim while SK wants "millions of dollars more." Holland also points out that the suit will have no effect on Too Human and that the compensation they are seeking is "based on substantial delay and damages that Epic caused." He goes on to say that the game will come out in a "timely fashion." You know, ignoring the whole two year delay.
Mark Rein speaks on Silicon Knights v. Epic suit
Epic's Mark Rein is standing strong in the face of the Silicon Knights suit over the "inadequacies" of the Unreal Engine 3. In a statement sent out today he says they have "done nothing wrong" and that they are committed to fight against Silicon Knights' "unfounded allegations." Epic has now gone and filed a counterclaim in U.S. District Court saying that Silicon Knights "decided to misappropriate Epic's licensed technology" and that SK's lawsuit has no merit.There have been some developers who spoke out regarding development issues with Epic's Unreal Engine 3. Sony even admitted their concerns by sending in their own engineers to get the UE3 working on their "timed exclusive" title Unreal Tournament 3 for PS3. Whatever the issue with the engine, the latest bit in this saga revolves around Silicon Knights allegedly co-opting the UE3 tech as their own. Epic says in their suit, "Indeed, the plain language of the Silicon Knights' Complaint makes clear that Silicon Knights wants to take Epic's Licensed Technology, pay nothing for it, and use it any way it pleases." Epic wants "compensatory and punitive damages, the destruction of infringing goods, including infringing computer code, and attorney's fees and costs." This is only going to get bigger before it gets better.
Stranglehold placed on Xbox 360 and PC Aug. 27
Guy plus two guns news now, with Gamespot conveying the long-awaited release date for Midway's bullet-time bonanza, Stranglehold. The destructive action title, labeled as the interactive sequel to John Woo's classic Hong Kong film, Hard Boiled, starts its commercial shootout on Xbox 360 and PC on August 27th. Slow-mo effects seem to be a little more pronounced in the PlayStation 3 version, however, as it's scheduled to arrive three weeks later on September 17th. One might speculate that Stranglehold is yet another title to be sucked into the increasingly epic Unreal situation, though a three-week delay is certainly preferable to indefinite postponement (and help is on the way!). PS3 owners can take solace in the fact that an HD version of Hard Boiled awaits them on that special edition Blu-ray disc -- well, except for the ones that actually had to click on that IMDB link.
Developers talk about Unreal Engine 3 lawsuit
Following the news of Silicon Knights suing Epic games for "inadequacies" with the Unreal Engine 3, ShackNews went ahead and talked to some developers about the issue. Of course, most of the people who spoke against the engine and its licensor Epic (Gears of War, Unreal Tournament 3) did it anonymously -- except for the Postal developers, 'cause they just treat the world with one giant middle finger up in the air, although they did it so softly here with a simple: "It just wasn't the best relationship for us [with Epic]."The statements pretty much cover the spread from good to bad. The most interesting anonymous source talks about several studios who had various levels of experience with the UE3. The key thing is that the source doesn't believe the problems were "intentionally malicious," but a product of Epic being stretched thin because of their own product development. Interestingly, this is given even more credence by Sony swooping in and lending support to Epic in getting the UE3 working properly with PS3. The question is slowly turning into what did Epic deliver to these developers through their license? How much extra work did these developers have to put into the engine to get it functional? Obviously, Sony felt the need to help out. The Unreal Engine 3 tree is going to continue shaking and we're sure to see more stories fall out very soon. Hopefully, with developers who know what they're talking about and are willing to go on the record.
Phil Harrison pledges support to Epic and their Unreal Engine
Sony engineers are hard at work optimizing the Unreal Engine 3 for the PlayStation 3, reports Phil Harrison proudly. For those of you who don't know, the Unreal Engine 3 is the "big deal" graphics engine for this generation of systems (sans the Wii). News that the system is getting optimized for the PlayStation 3 is pretty handy, letting us know we can expect some excellent titles in the coming years, possibly exclusive due to said optimization.Phil also apologized to Epic indirectly, admitting that Sony did not support them as much as they could have in the beginning, but are taking steps, like those mentioned above, to rectify the situation. With the Unreal Engine 3, optimizing the use of the SPU's is the crucial task. Harrison explains the importance of that aspect: "The benefits that it yields to end developers, whether they're writing exclusive titles or multiplatform titles, is that the performance on PS3 goes up exponentially - and it will make for a much better game experience." Let's just hope that lawsuit between Epic and Silicon Knights ends in a way that won't attack such lofty goals for massive damage.[via Games Industry]
Square Enix's Last Remnant trailer debuts
Square Enix has unveiled its "debut" trailer for The Last Remnant. The trailer is certainly pretty, powered by the Unreal Engine 3, and the gameplay (for better and worse) is eerily reminiscent of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. The text serving as bookends to the one minute, 22 second trailer make a point to highlight that this is an RPG "for the world" that will see simultaneous release in North America and Japan (what about Europe?) on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The actual date of that simultaneous release is unknown. Video embedded after the break.
Fatal Inertia hits Xbox 360 in September, 'delayed indefinitely' for PS3
Though the distinct lack of dynastically-inclined warriors may convince you otherwise, futuristic racer Fatal Inertia is indeed a product of Koei. The first game from the company's Toronto-based studio has now been assigned a release date on half of its originally intended platforms, with the Xbox 360 version arriving on 11 September 2007. The PS3 version, unfortunately, received no such date and has been "delayed indefinitely."The game's unfortunate status, as conveyed to Joystiq by a Koei representative, is as a result of developers awaiting completion of the game engine for the PS3 platform specifically. Fatal Inertia is built using Epic's Unreal 3.0 engine, which debuted on Xbox 360 last year in testosterone vs. chainsaw epic, Gears of War, and was more recently seen on PS3 with Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas. Koei explained that the game had not been canceled outright, but offered that progress on the PS3 engine was "out of our hands." We next talked to Epic's VP Mark Rein, who thought that the Unreal 3.0 engine was incomplete only in the sense that it's constantly being upgraded. "Unreal Engine 3.0 is running quite well on PS3 and people will have the chance to see that when we show Unreal Tournament 3 next week."
Crytek and Epic Games rev their engines
Epic Games has found a wide audience, from Silicon Knights to Square Enix, with its Unreal Engine 3; meanwhile Crytek is looking to find success by licensing out CryEngine 2. Both companies also release games highlighting the engines (Unreal Tournament and Crysis, respectively).Next Generation has an article where both Epic Games' Mark Rein and Crytek's Harald Seeley talk about the competitive field of game engines. According to the opening remarks, the article sees Crytek as one of the more promising competitors to the Gears of War developer. It's an interesting read, but we shouldn't forget one engine that just recently made its first unveiling: id Tech 5. Creator John Carmack promised more information at Min-E3, and we think there's a good chance the House of Doom will add some major heat to all game engines.
New details on Unreal Tournament 3
A feature story in the latest Official Xbox Magazine has revealed some new details about Epic Games' upcoming Unreal Tournament 3 as well as some hype-tacular words by lead designer Steven Polge. Additions to the game include: Four-player co-op and two-player split-screen in the single-player campaign 18 vehicles and five types of turrets Hoverboards Polge also made a few claims sure to be cited in any brouhaha concerning the shooter. Referencing the Great Keyboard & Mouse vs. Controller Debate, the designer claimed that UT3's controls are so good that half of the staff prefer the Xbox 360 version. Also noted were the improvements in Unreal Engine 3, as exemplified by contrasting the game to previous Epic title Gears of War. Polge said that UT3 is "Gears on crack. Cover is for wimps!" You hear that, gamers who bought his company's previous Xbox 360 title? You're a bunch of wimps! (Until Gears of War 2 is announced, of course.)
Capcom dragon punches Unreal Engine 3
We're starting to think that Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the core component of Skynet. As more and more developers sign on to use Unreal Engine 3, its network -- and its intelligence -- grows. Soon, when enough developers latch onto the Gears of War creating powerhouse, our world will be overrun with diabolical machines that wish for nothing but out destruction. The latest victim is Capcom, which has licensed the engine for an unannounced North American project. We'd love to imagine the possibilities of a fully rendered Ken Masters in Unreal glory, but we're pretty sure that Capcom wouldn't hand over any Street Fighter development to the US. Could the project be a sequel to one of Capcom's hot 360 properties like Dead Rising or Lost Planet? Only time will tell. Let's hope they get the game finished before the machines attain sentience.[Via Xbox Addict]See also:Activision uses Unreal Engine 3 in new game
Activision uses Unreal Engine 3 in new game
With the Xbox 360's number one game under their belt -- 3 million copies and counting -- you'd think Epic Games would be satisfied. But no, not Epic. No, Epic has to have a much larger slice of the video game pie (mmm ... video game pie), licensing their Unreal Engine 3 to every company under the sun. The latest victim is Activision, who has licensed the engine for an as yet unannounced project. All that is known at the moment is that the game will be an action title. Said Mark Rein of the deal -- no doubt following peals of maniacal laughter -- "We've admired them for a long time and we're pleased that they've chosen to use Unreal Engine 3 and we're confident they're going to make a great game with it."What could be the game in question? Dare we dream that it might be a good remake of Pitfall?[Via Evil Avatar]
