While the demo of Unreal Tournament III blasted across the Edinburgh Interactive Festival today, Epic’s VP Mark Rein released a plethora of information on the PlayStation 3’s timed release. He explained that the team is still planning on a November release, but they do not have an exact date.
Rein also released details on the Sixaxis functionality and the utilization of tilt sensing to control the Redeemer and Hoverboard during play. This is sure to be a hit with UT3 enthusiasts if implemented well and will add to the skill level needed to master the shooter.
When asked about the cross-platform play (PC versus PS3) he stated, “it’s unlikely…there’s no technical reason you can’t do it, there’s a lot of reasons why it might not make sense and that is the fact that on a PC we can release a patch five minutes after the last patch if we wanted to. PlayStation 3 we have to go through a fairly complex certing process…that’s not to say we’ll never have it, but I don’t believe we’re going to ship with it as a feature.”
This has already been a sensitive subject with the introduction of the FragFx controller and the difference between keyboard and controller play. He added, “The thing is, it’s hard to know if people really want it or not. Do you really want to play against PC players?” and at this point it is hard to tell.
Members of the festival were given a quick run of the demo and some of the comments were very promising. With a smooth frame rate and the employment of the Unreal Engine, the game is sure to be a fan favorite. While it may not suit the hardcore PC, keyboard/mouse user, the controller was touted as being extremely responsive.
Keep a close watch on PSU for more information on the franchise.
Source: Games Digest