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UT3, Stranglehold sell more than a million worldwide
It's silver lining time. Midway Games, which misplaced nearly $100 million in 2007, has announced that despite leaking money like a rusty sieve, two of its most prominent releases last year, Unreal Tournament 3 and Stranglehold, each managed to sell through more than a million units globally. The announcement was made by company CEO David Zucker during a recent conference call, and while sales were not broken down across platform or region, the executive did note that "European PC sales of Unreal Tournament 3 are outpacing North America." Still, we'd encourage Midway not to call out the cheerleaders just yet. There is still that nagging issue of all that missing money.
New games this week: Unreal Tournament III edition
After a few slow weeks, it's once again a very good time to be a PS3 owner. Not only do you have a (timed) exclusive (on consoles) with Unreal Tournament III, but you finally get to wallow in the maelstrom of pleasure that is The Orange Box. Your enemies in 360 town are having to make due with NCAA March Madness 2008 and Madden NFL Football 08 Espanol. On Wii: Super Swing Golf Season 2 and the usual parade of sadness. Also, PC is getting last week's featured game (go figure) Universe at War: Earth Assault. See the full list after the jump.%Gallery-4830%
Rein: Work on 360's Unreal Tournament III just on hold
We had a spot of confusion yesterday when Epic's Mark Rein was quoted in one piece as saying work hadn't started on the Unreal Tournament III 360 version. Meanwhile, another site was reporting that they'd already played it on 360. Now, Rein has explained to us that it's not that work on the 360 version hasn't started yet, it's just that it's on hold."What I probably should have said was 'start working on it again.' We had the game up and running on all three platforms up until last spring. In fact Official Xbox Magazine came out and played the game for a great cover story they did on it. We stopped working on the 360 version so we could concentrate our efforts on shipping the various PC and PS3 versions. Once we get those out of the way, and take some time to enjoy the holidays with our friends and families, we'll start working on the 360 version again. There's still a decent bit of work to do. For example we have simple LAN play but no Xbox Live implementation yet and we need to work with Microsoft to figure out how to accommodate mods on their platform."So take heart, 360 owners. While it may still be a while until you get your hands on the game, the wait won't be quite as excruciating as you thought.
Rein: No work [for now] on 360's Unreal Tournament III, Us: Oh, OK [Updated]
You think it's easy sitting around all day blogging about video games? Not so, sir. Take today for example. First we see this interview with Mark Rein, wherein he says that work on Unreal Tournament III's 360 version won't even begin until next year. "Wow, that's interesting," we think, and we start dashing out a post for you to enjoy.But then we get a tip from a reader leading us to Australian site Gameplayer, which previewed the game. Specifically, he told us to check out Page 3, wherein the site says it previewed the game ... on the 360. "So what should I do?" you wonder. Well, the answer is obvious: Email Mark Rein for clarification, of course. But shouldn't you have a post up about it while you wait to hear back so no one is in the dark? Yes, of course you should. So, there you have it.[Via X3F][Update: We just got the following note from Mark Rein: "What I probably should have said was 'start working on it again'. We had the game up and running on all three platforms up until last spring. In fact Official Xbox Magazine came out and played the game for a great cover story they did on it. We stopped working on the 360 version so we could concentrate our efforts on shipping the various PC and PS3 versions. Once we get those out of the way, and take some time to enjoy the holidays with our friends and families, we'll start working on the 360 version again. There's still a decent bit of work to do. For example we have simple LAN play but no Xbox Live implementation yet and we need to work with Microsoft to figure out how to accommodate mods on their platform."]
Epic not starting on 360 UTIII until 2008
So just what were all those trailers then, hmmm? In a recent interview with Riottt.com, Epic bigwig Mark Rein admitted that work on the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III had not yet begun. When asked about whether or not we'd ever see the 360 version, Rein responded that it was definitely on the way, and reiterated that finding a way to incorporate user created mods was causing the hold up. "So our job, when we finish the PS3 version, and we??ve taken a little break," said Rein, "is to sit down with Microsoft and to figure out how we can do Mods on their system." Rein was then asked when the 360 version might be ready and responded, "We won??t even start working on it until early next year." Ouch. Here's hoping the game actually releases in 2008 as planned.
Epic dedicated to user mods for 360 UTIII
In a response concerning his earlier comments about Blu-Ray capacity, Epic's Mark Rein has once again commented on bringing user created content to Unreal Tournament III for Xbox 360. First, he noted that praising Blu-Ray's capacity was in no way meant as a slight to the 360's DVD format, adding that any extra content could easily be made available for download. Speaking about user created mods, Rein noted, "When it comes to user created mods on the 360 - we will work with Microsoft to find a way to support them." He added that Epic doesn't know what the solution is at this time, and that it will have to wait until after the PS3 and PC versions ships (as well as Gears of War for PC). After that (and some much deserved R&R), Rein promises that Epic will tackle the user created content problem and "figure it out."[Via 1UP]
MS softens stance on user created content for 360 [update 1]
Coming from Gamefest 2007, it looks like Microsoft might be changing its tone on user created content. Longtime followers of the Xbox 360 will know that user created content has long been sought after by Microsoft, though it is somewhat hindered by the fact that all downloadable content has to be cleared by Microsoft before it can be distributed via Xbox Live Marketplace. At Gamefest, it was revealed that developers can circumvent this restriction by using what is called Xbox Live Server Platform (XLSP). Using XLSP, publishers can provide content directly from their own servers instead of Marketplace. Of course, such publishers would be solely responsible for all content delivered by these means. Also, use of XLSP by any publisher must be approved by Microsoft. During a panel at Gamefest, someone even asked if it would be possible to create a PC level editor that built levels playable on an Xbox 360. In response, Microsoft Software Design Engineer Zsolt Mathe said, "Even though nobody has done that, I would highly recommend that."Given Epic's recent lamentations concerning user generated content for Unreal Tournament III on the Xbox 360, perhaps XLSP is the answer.[Via BeyondUnreal. Thanks, Dave]Update: 1UP incorrectly states that XLSP stands for Xbox Live Silver Platform. DXL540 informs us that it is in fact Xbox Live Server Platform, which makes a bit more sense. Furthermore, DXL540 sends us an SEC filing from Activision detailing what's possible with XLSP.
Mark Rein on Halo 3, 360 UTIII mods
Remember the CVG interview in which Epic VP Mark Rein stated that Microsoft's E3 showing hurt Halo 3? Now the first part of the interview has been published in its entirety, giving a further look at Rein's opinions. One of the more interesting tidbits, after his spiel about the Halo 3 showing, he goes on to admit that Halo 3 will break all of the sales records set by Gears of War. According to Rein, "We've had a nice nine, ten months of being the record holder, and now we're going to get our ass kicked. In a good way." Good form, old man, good form. Rein goes on to discuss the various versions of Unreal Tournament III and Gears of War PC and the fate of its exclusive content (hint).Also worth nothing, in the second part of the interview, which has yet to be published, Rein admits that the reason for the delay of the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III is that Epic has yet to sort out how user created mods will work on 360. Rein notes that in the "worst case scenario" Epic will submit user created mods to Microsoft for certification and offer them as downloadable content. Rein adds that, "hopefully between now and whenever it is we ship on Xbox 360, we figure out a user-managed way to do it." Our fingers are crossed.Read -- Mark Rein interview, part 1Read -- Epic struggles with UTIII mods on 360
Fragtacular UT3 Weapons Video
GameVideos has a nice video showcasing the weapons from Unreal Tournament 3. All of the guns in the game are being completely revamped from there previous incarnations. Featured arsenal in the video includes the flak cannon, rocket launcher, shock rifle, and link gun/plasma rifle. So have a look at some fragtastic firefights, complete with a couple Multikills and a killing spree. Graphics are looking tight and the pace is as fast as one would expect from an Unreal title. Are you up for some oldschool arcade shooter deathmatch?[Via QJ.net]
Unreal Tournament III Trailer on Marketplace
Major Nelson has let us know that there is an Unreal Tournament III trailer available on Marketplace. Although it is not available in Mexico or Asia. Perhaps it's a bit of payback for releasing Crackdown early. Still, the game features the Unreal 3 Engine, and is going to easily be on par with Gears of War in terms of visual fidelity. The trailer comes in two flavors, 720p or 480p and weigh in at 66 MB and 33 MB, respectively. So hop on Live, download the trailer and tell us what you think.
New GOW content in months, PC version "inevitable"
Speaking with TeamXbox, Mark Rein revealed that new content will be arriving for Gears of War within "the next couple months," citing the Dreaded Xbox Live Certification Process® as a primary reason it has taken so long. Rein notes that the content is "not months away...it's maybe a month? When it's done." It is unclear, however, whether he is speaking of the actual creation of the content or the certification process. The upshot, obviously, is that new Gears content is coming, and that it will have "a fun little surprise."Also mentioned in the interview is the inevitability of a PC version of Gears of War. Rein notes that Epic's biggest challenge will be to recreate a game that was designed exclusively for the Xbox 360 so that it will run on a wide range of PCs. Finally, Rein speaks about the upcoming Unreal Tournament 3, discussing his excitement about bringing user created mods to the console space. Hit the "read" link for the whole interview.Now, any wild speculations about what the "fun little surprise" might be in the new GOW content? We'll have none of that reasonable speculation either. We're only interested in wild speculation, thank you very much.
New UT3 screens are eye popping
Our friends at Xboxygen scored some new shots of Unreal Tournament 3, the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series. The shots mostly showcase the game's gloriously rendered vehicles. Most notable of the new vehicles is the vicious tripod pictured above. The giant mechanical beasts appear to be terrorizing the Japanese countryside (something that almost never happens). Another interesting shot shows two players on hoverboards hooked onto a third vehicle, Back to the Future style. Put simply, the game looks great. Click the "read" link for more pretty pictures (perfect for wallpaper).
Mark Rein: User created mods in 360 UTIII
Speaking to Game Informer, Epic's Mark Rein believes that user created content will be featured in the 360 version of Unreal Tournament III. In fact, Rein admits that user created content is the reason the 360 version of UTIII took so long to confirm. According to Rein, Epic was unsure that Microsoft would allow such content to pass through the dreaded certification process (Whatever happened to VelocityGirl?). Whatever the issue was, Rein is now confident that mods should be coming our way. As noted by Joystiq, we're not really sure how such mods would be created. It's possible that mods could be made through a 360 specific level editor, though we have to question how detailed such a thing could be. Another solution would be for Epic to distribute the most popular PC content over Xbox Live. Could Live Anywhere have anything to do with this?[Via Joystiq]
Watch UTIII, new vehicle info
It was revealed last week that Unreal Tournament 2007, under the new moniker, Unreal Tournament III, is indeed headed to the Xbox 360. Most of us were expecting it, but it's still nice to hear. Many of you probably saw the trailer, but we thought it would be best to post it here now that it is available on GameTrailers. We know how our readers just hate to click links that direct them away from us, so we're proud to offer the trailer embedded neatly into this post. If, however, you are feeling adventurous, you can click this link to download the trailer in high definition. If you stream it to your Xbox 360, you can pretend like you're actually playing it! Not that we ever do that. Because we're much to cool to play pretend anymore, even with our Halo action figures. If UTIII in high def goodness isn't enough for you, some new vehicle info has been revealed as well. IGN had a chance to play the game and try out some of the new Necrid vehicles. The Viper is a speed vehicle that has the ability to jump and self-destruct. The Nemesis is a tank with three different modes of operation, each offering different speeds and firing capabilities. Finally, the Dark Walker is a huge walking tripod that rains death and destruction upon enemy vehicles. UTIII is expected in the second half of 2007.
