Developer: Epic Studios, Inc    Publisher: Midway Amusement Games, LLC
Platforms: Playstation 3, PC    Genre: First Person Shooter (FPS)
Release: 2007    Rating: Pending

For the second year running Epic has succeeded in creating an impressive occular feast using its Unreal Tournament 2007 demos that were privately shown at E3.  Once again they drive the point home that all of the visual splendor known as Unreal Engine 3 is real time by not just showing a video, but having the presenter play the game for us.  For those of us who feel dizzy at the prospect of what kind of PC we will need to play this game you need not worry because everything being shown was running on a current PC with stock parts.

Last years show featured close quarters street battles in a half ruined city, but this year really opened things up to show what expansive and detailed vistas the engine is capable of.  The level opens in a small facility where everybody gathered up their weapons before going outside and being greeted by the stark contrast of a rolling tundra.  One new addition to the game is made readily apparent when the player pulls out a hoverboard and starts traversing the terrain to quickly get into the action.  This looks to be a fantastic addition due to the massive nature of recent Unreal Tournament games.  No more will players have to worry about being too far removed from battle when stranded out in the middle of nowhere without a vehicle.  An added dynamic of the hoverboard is that players can actually use their link gun to "hitch a ride" on passing friendly vehicles and in essence ski along behind.


All of the classic UT weapons have been redesigned once again for a smother and more realistic look.  Realistic, but they are all fantasy magical ray guns and such anyway, what gives?  The explanation given was that while these weapons may be fantasy the developers want them to at least look and function as they should if they were real making them at the very least seem believable.  The vehicles have also seen an added brush of creativity.  No longer does every side pilot the same vehicles, but different races now have equivalent but unique vehicles for each situation.  The new high-tech Axon race for example features the classic futuristic human vehicles that we are already familiar with while the other new race, the sinister Necris, is privy to more alien organic looking vehicles such as sleek hovering tanks and War of the Worlds inspired DarkWalkers.


While the game is looking fantastic, all is not perfect.  A few minor graphical glitches were present here and there, though the most notable was prevalent during a demonstration of the limited environmental destruction that UT2k7 will feature.  During a scene when the player blew up a stone bridge and debris rained down much of the rubble was transparent when viewed at a certain angle.  Though the game is still deep in development and Epic has plenty of time to iron out these bugs.


When all is said and done UT2k7 is truly shaping up to be the game that he have all been expecting it to be.  Much of it is just what we have come to expect from Epic Games, though few things I saw have surpassed my expectations and come release in 2007 I will most definitely be picking up a copy of the latest Tournament for myself.

E3 2006 Trailer

It's Tom Cruise... just fyi.

Lose a beard, gain a sense of humor. Are these screenies in-game footage? Cause I pee'd myself when I saw them.

 

*cough*

Congrats cantrip you now have moderator access to the News sections.

UT2K7 looks awesome, but any word on what the system req. will be? I'd hate to have to replace my 6600GT or buy a fast CPU :(

My 7900 will whipe its ass with it. ;3

Um my new freash built computer has been up and running since mid E3.