Ben-DutkaWithout any doubt, one of the biggest releases of the year is upon us: Unreal Tournament 3 for the PlayStation 3 and PC. This long-awaited shooter is already starting to rake in some high critical acclaim, and we wanted to get some more info from Epic Games regarding both the game and the industry in general. Epic's VP Mark Rein was good enough to answer some of our questions, and not long after, we got the chance to play his game… But first, the interview-
PSXE: As is usually the case with holiday releases, Unreal Tournament 3 will face some pretty stiff competition on the store shelves. What do you think separates UT3 from the rest of the crowd?
Rein: UT3 is a great jump-in-and-play game. If you only have a little bit of time to spare you can jump in and have a really satisfying 10 minute game, and really be the difference between a win and a loss. The weapons and settings are diverse, and the pace is really fast and frantic, so you have a heck of a good time playing no matter how much time you can devote to it. Plus it is a relatively easy game to learn with lots of cool nuances to master if you want to get deeply into it.
PSXE: There are a lot of engines out there, but the UE3 engine is undoubtedly one of the most popular. Why do you think the engine is so popular amongst so many different development teams?
Rein: We have the best tools in the business, our engine can be used for a large variety of games, and our engine has shipped games on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
PSXE: When UT3 comes out, it's bound to get plenty of attention, but if you had full control of an advertising campaign for UT3, what would it be like? You know, what might a slogan be; what would you say to get gamers really, REALLY excited about the game?
I'd just show people the game. There's so much there to get excited about.
PSXE: You guys have got the whole shooter genre locked down with an iron fist; you're masters of your craft. That said, is there another genre that Epic would like to tap into? If so, describe the kind of game you would develop for that genre.
Rein: We love shooters and there are still things we can do to improve at making shooters and so many new things we can explore in that genre.
PSXE: What are your personal, candid, thoughts on the state of the gaming industry right now? Do you like where it's going?
Rein: This is a great industry going through a great time right now. Just look at how many great games we have this fall alone. The industry is just not really getting its arms around the latest consoles and it is only going to get better and better from here on.
Yes, we certainly agree that things are only going to get better, and if Epic wants to do more shooters, we say go for it. Now, without further ado…no more talking, no more debating, let's just take a look at their latest game and see if it can live up to the hype. It's our Unreal Tournament 3 review! You know you've been waiting for it.