Unreal Tournament 2007

[NightStorm]

There isn't a great deal that can be said about Unreal Tournament 2007 that can relay the same sense of cool as the screens that surround this text, but we'll see what we can do. Epic Games recently ran us through some of the newest features of the game in an unpolished early form, and suffice to say there's a lot more than pretty graphics in store for the remarkable and long-running series.

The first glimpses of the game we were shown were of a new level set in a dimly kit Liandri robotics factory. As machines assembled automatons in the background, the corridors and larger halls of the arena exhibited the familiar industrial future look that fans will come to know so well. Interestingly, we learned that the dev team has had to actually go back through levels like this one and apply a technique they have humorously dubbed "grungification". the initial level designs looked so clean and sparkly with the next-generation graphical effects applied that the artists were forced to go back in and add dirt and damage and other tweaks just to make the levels feel real. (We've always thought that process was just called texturing, but we won't tell the guys at Epic if you won't).

The return of the popular Onslaught mode from unreal Tournament 2004 meant that we got to see several vehicle designs in action. The Paladin will serve as a ground vehicle best utilized as an escort, since a shield can be deployed in a small area about the hulking unit. The new SPMA can still fire a bird's eye camera into the air for long distance artillery strikes, but now you can aim with the mouse for precision hits. The new Cicada indicates the intent for an increased focus on air combat, and includes a cool missile locking technique that lets you hit your target even when facing the opposite direction. Finally, one need only look to the lower right to check out the obvious assets of the new Hellbender vehicle.

After the vehicle showcase, we finally got a look at some of the insanely high polygon character models that will be running around within the world. The crimson-armoured team we've seen the most of so far are called the Twin Souls, while series mainstay Lauren will lead another team called the Iron Guard, decked out in yellow regalia. Epic indicates that these models are 1,500 times more detailed than the characters in unreal 2004 if you go by strict poly count, which rounds out the in-game models at somewhere between 5 and 6 million polygons.

What about PS3 and Xbox 360? The PS3 version is definitely on the way. We've yet to hear a formal announcement for Microsoft's next-gen platform, but we certainly won't be surprised when we finally do. There's no reliable word on a release date for any of the systems yet, or if console versions will coincide with the PC iteration. We'll keep you updated as the months pass. Don't worry. You'll need the time to upgrade your PC.

Credit Game Informer Magazine: Issue 157 May 2006

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