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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.)
New Unreal Tournament 3 details emerge
Over at the Beyond Unreal forums, Doc Shock translated a German gaming magazine's interview with Jeff Morris about Unreal Tournament 3. From the translation and follow up by TeamXbox we learn that Unreal Tournament 3 will include a co-op option for the campaign, similar to how Gears of War works. They are also implementing voice commands where you'll be able to give a bot simple instructions to carry out, like navigating a vehicle or protecting a base. Morris also confirms that there will be 12 weapons, 15 vehicles, and 30 plus maps to enjoy. And as always, we'll be playing Unreal Tournament 3 on our Xbox 360s "when it's done" ... because that's how Epic rolls.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Epic wants 40 UT3 maps, ponders platform-exclusive content
Speaking with CVG, Unreal Tournament 3 producer Jeff Morris detailed Epic's goal to ship its forthcoming shooter with 30 to 40 multiplayer maps. "[That's] substantially more than other games in the genre," observed Morris; indeed, but not necessarily enough to make UT3 a genre standout. The franchise has yet to take hold on console platforms.Perhaps, as Morris suggests, Epic would boost UT3's console presence by offering exclusive content for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 through post-release updates. While certainly a bonus, offering platform-exclusive content is becoming standard practice. Where UT3 could really shine is through user mod support. If epic could coerce Sony and particularly Microsoft into opening their consoles up to user-created content it would put UT3 into a unique class of console FPS unto itself.
PS3 Unreal Tournament 3 not delayed
An erroneous Midway fact sheet has stirred up confusion over Unreal Tournament 3's release, listing the shooter's arrival on Xbox 360 and PC as Q4 2007, and on PlayStation 3 as 2008. CVG has since confirmed with Midway that UT3 is tentatively scheduled for Q4 2007 on all platforms, quickly deading rumor of a PS3 delay. Last week, in an interview with Game Informer, Rein called UT3 the developer's "showcase title" and "poster child for PS3," concluding "we just want to focus on UT3 on PS3 to start." Today Rein chimed in on the Epic forums about UT3's release date:"Epic (who makes this decision, NOT Midway) have absolutely NOT decided whether the SKUs for this product will be released simultaneously or in staggered order and we have absolutely NOT decided (because we don't know yet) when any of them will be released. If our publisher [distributed] information contrary to this they did so in error."See also: Unreal Tournament 2007 renamed, confirmed for 360 Epic aims for Unreal Tournament user mods on PS3, 360
Today's hottest game video: UT3
Unreal Tournament 2007 3, in trailer form, earns our nod for today's video. We have our own, internal Joystiq tiffs about the UT-versus-Quake debate (this writer likes UT), and we're looking forward to this release to compare against the aging Quake 4. This trailer, also available in HD, makes the UT3 wait seem even longer. Must ... play ... soon.See the video after the break.
Epic aims for Unreal Tournament user mods on PS3, 360
Speaking to Game Informer, Epic's Mark Rein sounded confident that user-created content would be distributed to Unreal Tournament 3 console players via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Rein explained that the reason for delaying confirmation of UT3 on 360 was tied to this issue, as Epic was unsure that Microsoft's strict certification process would allow for user mods on the console. Rein admitted that "it's still a bit of an open issue," but added that "we've had some pretty clear indications that we'll be able to [bring mods to Xbox 360]."It's unclear how mods would be created and distributed for console use. On Xbox 360, given potential leverage earned by Gears of War's success, perhaps Epic could smuggle mods through XNA. More likely, Epic would convert select user-created mods for the PC version and distribute them via Xbox Live Marketplace (as a courtesy, we would hope). On PS3, there seem to be more "open" possibilities, but the process could be equally simplified.[Via 1UP]
Unreal Tournament 2007 renamed, confirmed for 360
Ludicrous gibs news now, with Midway announcing that Unreal Tournament 2007 will be arriving on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 (Gasp!) in the second half of 2007. The furious first-person fragger will also see its name changed to Unreal Tournament 3, no doubt in reference to Unreal Engine 3 powering the lusciously rendered proceedings. Of course, this requires you to erase one of the previous titles from your memory, lest Unreal Tournament 3 becomes the fourth game in the series. Epic Games promises to tweak online modes to best suit each platform and will include a substantial single-player component to match the multiplayer mayhem. In addition, owners of the PC version will be able to design their own levels and game modes, thanks to the accompanying Unreal Engine Toolset. Best get upgrading then, creative types![Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]See also: Square Enix licenses Unreal Engine 3
Virtual reality student project aims to cure acrophobia
The Last Boss's Tom Fronczak (a semester away from a degree in game design) profiles a VR studio at the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Virtual Reality Center, which he and a small team of classmates will use to develop an acrophobia (fear of heights) sim to be used during habitual therapy sessions. Tom's group will be using Unreal Engine (1) to design a level, ideally representing an unfinished skyscraper. Players Patients will slowly ascend the floors of the building, eventually emerging into the open air, where they'll have to navigate up scaffolding to reach the top, grab the flag, and sprint back to base. Development time has be limited to ten weeks.Tom will continue to update The Last Boss readers on the status of his project during the coming weeks, and notes he's eager for feedback. Our advice: Don't look down!
Money guy says next MoH uses Unreal engine
For those unable to decipher perplexing acronyms, the game in question would be Medal of Honor: Airborne, EA's next and next-gen entry in the extremely popular kill the nazis genre. By ways of CNN's Game Over column, analyst P.J. McNealy has asserted that 2007's Medal of Honor would be the first game to benefit from EA's adoption of Unreal Engine 3, with an unannounced title, Dead Space, to follow after. The latter game is likely not based on the office block that developed Rise of the Imperfects.The rest of the column ponders the fate of RenderWare, the widely used middleware engine that EA obtained along with their purchase of Criterion just over two years ago. Apart from the obvious benefit of having Burnout in the stable, EA initially stated that they intended to use an updated version of the engine for next-gen products, none of which have so far managed to materialize (Burnout Revenge for the Xbox 360 was mostly a port, after all). While it's conceivable that RenderWare has since been surpassed by Epic's technology, Mark Rein gives a far more reasonable explanation (yes, really) in an interview with FiringSquad.He suggests that "it comes down to smart resource management" and that EA is merely picking the best engine for the job. Unreal Engine 3 would presumably save them time and money for specific games and could be used in conjunction with their in-house tools. Apparently, you can never have too many engines at your disposal. Perhaps a good question to ask would be: how important is the graphics engine to you? Are you more likely to play a game knowing that it uses Source or Unreal, or is the visual end result the only thing that matters (besides that gameplay thing)?Read - EA's Engine Acquisition examinedRead - Mark Rein on EA's adoption of Unreal
Rein reckons PS3 "in a better place" for launch than 360
In an interview with Eurogamer, Epic's Mark Rein makes an interesting observation in stark contrast to the doom and gloom murmurings (and memes) that have recently surrounded the impending PS3 launch. Rein notes that developers were just receiving final developments kits when E3 rolled around, whereas the Xbox 360 units were not yet available during the expo a year before. "So Sony's actually maybe in a better place vis-a-vis Microsoft in relation to launch."Coupled with news of 10,000 development kits being shipped off to eager programmers, it would appear that the PS3 is indeed in a good place for developers. Of course, that only amplifies the importance of having companies like Epic use the tools and the time given them to craft excellent experiences. After all, the best place for the PS3 to be in would be someone's living room, and the only way it's going to get there initially is with the aid of some killer launch titles. Where are they?In Mark Rein's house, apparently. "I know we're getting some great results with it back at our house, so I would expect other developers will be as well." Once Sony announces the PS3's full launch lineup, we'll be in a better position to see how pronounced the development kit advantage really is.
Midway announces Unreal Anthology
The impossibly gorgeous Unreal Tournament 2007 won't be out for quite a while yet, a fact which appears powerless to stop Midway from making a few bucks from the franchise they previously snatched away from Atari. Dubbed Unreal Anthology, their neat little package will contain the original Nali slaughterfest, Unreal, its Return to Na Pali expansion pack, Unreal II: The Awakening, Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition and Unreal Tournament 2004: Editor's Choice Edition. Come this August, you'll be able to waltz into a store and pick up three great first-person shooters (and one alarmingly average one) for the satisfying sum of $29.99. You may also want to peruse the rest of the PC section and discover all the other titles you've missed in the years that you've been trapped in cryogenic suspension (yes, Half-Life has a sequel now).
PS3 Games: Not 1080p
We'll have to wait until Sony's conference later today and the rest of E3 to get more details about their upcoming console but from the Pre-E3 announcements we're already getting a few tidbits. Sony has been touting their ability to output 1080p via dual HDMI ports while some have claimed most games won't be able to use that resolution. Checking out Sega's announcement that Virtua Fighter 5 will be a Playstation 3 exclusive and Epic's interview regarding Unreal Tournament 2007 reveals one common thread, that both are targeting 720p. Obviously these will be early titles in the systems lifespan so we may see later games kick it up to 1920x1080 and with few having HDTVs that display or accept a 1080p signal this is of limited importance. Still one has to wonder if Sony will even call these games high definition, since the only True HD is 1080p at least according to Phil Harrison.Check for more live E3 coverage from Joystiq.
Unreal Tournament 2007 coming to Xbox 360
Not sure if this wasn't planned all along, but the above image from the May 2006 issue of GamePro magazine clearly says Unreal Tournament 3 will be coming to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. During Epic's press preview at GDC, Mark Rein said that UT2007 was being developed on both the PC and PS3 platforms; however, Gears of War is obviously being developed on the Xbox 360. Since the Unreal Engine 3 middleware is built for both systems, there is no technical reason the games couldn't be cross ported. GoW is still a 360 exclusive ... for now.[Thanks, Mike]
Epic shows off Unreal Engine 3 at GDC
Epic Games, creators of the gib-tastic pixel-pr0n Unreal Tournament series were showing off the latest version of the tech behind their games at GDC: Unreal Engine 3. So, we all know it's pretty. How pretty? Super duper pretty. It'll make you give up religion and find faith in fragfests, it's so pretty. Beyond it being pretty, what else was there to show off? Epic showed off Kismet, an advanced scripting system that allowed them to create gameplay elements in a graphical UI that strongly resembled a flowchart. It's this middleware system that they claim will prevent the budgets of next-gen projects using their engine from jumping 200-300%, instead citing a more reasonable 50%.The ability to simplify many of the core game design elements will theoretically result in increased creativity; it'll be amazing to see what the mod community turns out using these tools. They showed off the system running on both a high end Dell Renegade and a PS3 dev kit, both of which elicited many oohs and aahs, despite the fact the PS3 version wasn't running on all of the system's SPUs and contained some textures from Unreal Tournament 2004. For a more in-depth look at the demonstrations, check out Gamespot and GamesIndustry.biz.Read - Epic shows off Unreal tools [Gamespot]Read - Getting Unreal with Epic's Mark Rein [GamesIndustry.biz]
Unreal Tournament 2004 goes universal
Ryan Gordon, who converted Unreal Tournament 2004, has written the universal update for UT 04 that you can download here (it's a 199MB bitrottent file). According to MacSoft general manager Al Schilling, UT 04 is twice as fast on an Intel Mac that it was on its older G5 siblings.Now go get it. w00t!Update: Post edited for accuracy. I don't play Unreal in any of its incarnations, so forgive my ignorance.
