ut3
Latest
Epic unsure of cross-platform play with Unreal Tournament 3
One of the main reasons why Epic decided to stick Unreal Tournament 3 exclusively on the PS3 until the end of the year (we think Sony meant fiscal year, so really, until the end of March) was because of Sony's willingness to allow modifications of the game via the PC build. They call these "mods" in the crazy land of hardcore gamers, or so we've heard. It's sort of a mystical place -- a place no one has ever truly been here in Consolevania. Even with the promise of having mods on the PS3 version of the game, Epic has not decided to allow cross-platform play yet.Everything isn't dark and gloomy, though. Mark Rein of Epic gives us hope that they will probably consider it in the future: "We're not 100% sure that users want that feature but if we get time we'll play around with it and see how it works. In the mean time we plan to be able to serve the PS3 from PC servers so that should help us gets lots of great servers going." No word on any cross-platform play between the PS3 and 360, let alone the Games for Windows LIVE service. Just the PS3 and PC at this point. Would you guys like cross-platform play, since the PS3 version does, in fact, support keyboards and mice?
Gears of War, UT3 coming to Macs
At this rate, it's becoming difficult not to play Cliffy B's roadie-running extravaganza. During an interview with Game Head's Geoff Keighley, Epic VP Mark Rein revealed that Gears of War is in development for Mac OS X, along with Unreal Tournament 3. This news follows Epic's E3 announcement that Gears is in development for PC, with additional features not seen in the Xbox 360 version.No development details or release dates were mentioned. Given the casual nature of this announcement, however, one can assume that both Gears and UT3 will be ported from the PC to OS X using Cider, rather than being developed natively. No love for PowerPC users; though it might be time to consider that Intel-based Apple you've been eyeing ...[Update: It appears these are coming to the Mac natively, not through the magic of Cider, according to this comment from MacSoft's Ryan Gordon: "And no, neither game is using Cider." Impressive. Thanks for the link, David!][Via X3F]
Gears of War and UT3 coming to the Mac
Back at WWDC one of the most surprising things was the emphasis on gaming. Well apparently Uncle Steve and Co. were serious as Epic has confirmed that the Xbox 360 mega-hit Gears of War as well as the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament 3 are both coming to the Mac. On a video at Gametrailers.com, Epic VP Mark Rein reveals the news. As the resident 360 maven let me assure you that getting Gears on the Mac should make a lot of Mac gamers happy. There's no word on timing, but with announcements like this there's reason to hope that the future of gaming on Intel Macs looks bright.[via MacMinute]
Unreal Tournament 3 to be timed PS3 exclusive
See the awesomeness that is the game trailer above? It's Unreal Tournament 3 and fellow Xbox 360 fanboys we'll have to wait a little longer than our PS3 brothers to play. Sony and Epic Games just announced that UT3 will be a timed exclusive for the PS3 platform which will launch this November. But the wait will be short lived, because the game will be available on the Xbox 360 platform early 2008. Epic is obviously feeling love from everyone this generation and it looks like Sony played the right hand this time. Sorry fanboys, this is one game the PS3 will get before us ... consider it a fluke.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Unreal Tournament 3 to ship with dozens of maps
Over on Beyond Unreal, Death Booger mentions that August's OXM demo disc features a look at a few of the multiplayer maps that'll ship with Unreal Tournament 3. Among the pretty in-game videos are a few details about UT3 including confirmation that the game will ship with three to four dozen multiplayer maps. And, if our math is correct, that works out to be around 36 to 48 multiplayer maps on launch day and on the disc! The maps will of course vary in size, player count, etc., but the shear amount of variety should satisfy any Unreal enthusiast. Here's to hoping the "dozens" remarks holds true when the game ships as that would seriously put Shadowrun's nine maps to shame.
Unreal Tournament 3 to ship with dozens of multiplayer maps
The August edition of the Official Xbox Magazine ships with its usual disc of goodies and this month it includes a mini-documentary of the future frag king, Unreal Tournament 3. We'd link the issue here, but their site is currently under construction. As BeyondUnreal reports, UT3 -- which is decidedly not for wimps -- will be shipping with "three to four dozen multiplayer maps." This is consistent with what they told CVG back in February. Judging from their work on Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, we're willing to bet that a good chunk of these maps -- these "pain sanctuaries," if you will -- are remixed versions of UT classics. Our cup still runneth over as it's good to know that Epic isn't slacking off in a day and age where some folks think it's cool to ship with a map count in the single digits.
UT3 shall be the prettiest of them all
In the latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine Epic discusses everything Unreal Tournament 3 and says that the game will look graphically better than Gears of War. Epic says that the Unreal Engine 3 has been tweaked and improved for use on the 360 since Gears launched and they're taking full advantage of its capabilities. Lead designer Steven Polge's even goes as far as to say that UT3, "it's Gears on crack. Cover is for wimps!". OXM also confirmed the game's vehicle count, talks about the control scheme, and confirmed that UT3 will include four player campaign co-op over Xbox Live. But we're just excited to see how much prettier UT3 can actually get, because Gears already set the bar quite high.[Thanks, DjDatz]
Behold, a lone Unreal Tournament 3 screenshot
Today, we present to you one lonely screenshot from Epic's upcoming game Unreal Tournament 2007 3. And before we go any further, let it be known that we don't want any complaining about the fact that Epic only released one screenshot. It's one screenshot you didn't have yesterday, so this should suffice ... right? Moving on. This game further proves what a graphical powerhouse the Unreal 3 engine really is, because this game looks stunning. Make the jump for the full size screenshot and you'll see what we mean. Everyone at X3F is curious to see if UT3's visuals will equal or surpass what Gears has to offer, though we're on the fence on the issue. What do you think, will UT3 be the cream of the crop when it comes to the best visual spectical on the 360?[Thanks, DjDATZ]
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).
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
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.
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
Unreal Tournament 2007 for 360, new name
Speculated but never officially confirmed, Midway has finally announced that Unreal Tournament 2007 is bound for the Xbox 360, albeit with a new name. Entitled Unreal Tournament III, the game is expected to hit the 360 in the second half of 2007. UT3 (obviously) runs on the Unreal Engine 3 and should delight deathmatch junkies world wide. The game will feature the traditional deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag. A third mode, entitled Warfare, will be available as well (perhaps it will function something like Warzone on GOW?). The game looks to feature an expansive campaign mode, too. IGN has the scoop, as well as the first official trailer. Seriously, we like other consoles. We do. We just can't afford anything else with so many outstanding titles hitting the 360 this year.
