Wanna make your very own game? Well, here’s your chance!

Epic Games has released the Unreal Development Kit. Wondering just what the UDK is? Says Epic:

The Unreal Development Kit is the free version of the award-winning Unreal Engine 3, the software development framework used to create computer and video games, 3D simulations, TV shows, films and more

Anyone can download UDK and work with the same game development tools used to create blockbuster games, architectural walkthroughs and digital movies. UDK ships with the latest version of the Unreal Editor, with its unrivaled content creation toolset and rapid prototyping functionality.

UDK is free for noncommercial and educational use. Licensing terms are available to those who wish to sell UDK-powered games or to create commercial products or services for business use at www.udk.com/licensing.

You can grab your very own copy of the Unreal Development Kit, as well as trailers for the kit and sample games built using the kit, over on FileFront. So, go get your game making on!

Grab it here: http://www.filefront.com/listing/pub2/Unreal-Development-Kit

If you’re not familiar with Stardock’s digital distribution platform, Impulse, this would be a good time to give it a look. After all, they’re offering some great deals, like Call of Duty 4 for just $34.99 and Sins of a Solar Empire with its expansion for just $29.99.

The sale also includes titles like the complete Unreal series, Prototype, Red Faction Guerilla, and more. You can get your copy of Impulse and check out all the deals at ImpulseDriven.com

You can also see the full list of games on sale, along with their prices, after the break.

Here’s the full list of games Impulse has discounted for the weekend:

• Titan Quest – $3.99
• Red Faction Guerilla Pre-Order Bundle (RF1, RF2 and RFG) – $39.99 USD | $49.99 EUR | 34.99 GBP
• Sins of a Solar Empire + Entrenchment Bundle – $29.99
• Call of Duty 4 – $34.99
• Prototype – $44.99
• Street Fighter IV Pre-Order – $35.99
• King’s Bounty – $19.99
• Majesty Gold – $4.99
• Flock – $7.50
• Unreal Gold – $7.49
• Unreal II – $7.49
• Unreal Tournament 2004 – $11.29
• Unreal Tournament GotY – $7.49
• Unreal Tournament III – $22.49
• Unreal Pack – $33.79

GOG.com has added three new classic games to its line-up. First head to the races with FlatOut. This lesser known title has inspired several sequels and a PSP remake in the form of FlatOut: Head On.

As promised Unreal 2: The Awakening and Unreal Tournament 2004 Editor’s Choice Edition have also joined the line-up.

Prices range from $5.99 – $9.99. Details on each game and links to their gamecards from the press release follow the break.

FlatOut – $5.99

Drivers thrown across the track, shattered fences, mangled cars, exploding tire walls, and that’s just the first corner! Use every trick, shortcut and jump as you battle 7 rivals for the championship. FlatOut delivers a thrilling combination of high-octane racing, smash-em-up demolition derby action and death defying stunts propelling the driver through the windshield!

Unreal 2: The Awakening – $9.99

As John Dalton, a Terran Colonial Authority Marshal, you’re humanity’s only hope for salvation. In Unreal 2: The Awakening you have to retrieve seven pieces of an ancient artifact to create a powerful weapon and save the human species. Get caught up in the intense action and gripping plot that reveals through briefings, cut-scenes, in-game dialogues and the missions themselves. Use the included Unreal Editor, design your own game mods and challenge others to enter your personal Unreal universe.

Unreal Tournament 2004 Editor’s Choice Edition – $9.99

The new Tournament brings a totally new kind of multiplayer experience. As the ultimate techno-gladiator of the future, you will take your fate into your hands, battling against up to 32 other players online in action-packed, frag-filled arenas. Ten game modes, huge arsenal of new weaponry, land and air based vehicles and more than 95 maps gives you almost unlimited number of chances to embarrass your online opponents. Unreal Tournament 2004 Editor’s Choice Edition adds a wide selection of the best user-made game modifications hand-picked by the designers at Epic Games.

GOG.com is getting ready to offers gamers an Unreal experience. Under a new agreement with Epic Games, players will soon be able to get DRM free versions of Unreal Gold (including the Return to Napali expansion pack), Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition, Unreal II: The Awakening Special Edition and Unreal Tournament 2004: Editor’s Choice Edition.

“Epic Games redefined the first-person shooter with the Unreal series, and we’re very happy to welcome them to the growing list of companies that share our vision of digital distribution,” said Adam Oldakowski, Managing Director of GOG.com. “We know that a lot of gamers have been waiting for new deals, and we’re sure that the Unreal games will satisfy their lust for alien blood and intense multiplayer action… DRM-free, of course.”

“Epic has partnered with GOG.com to make our time-honored Unreal series more accessible than ever before,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. “GOG.com provides an affordable way to buy our back catalogue of games and get up and running with minimal
effort.”

Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament: GotY Edition are already available with other title soon to follow. Epic Games is a great edition to the GOG.com library. These Unreal titles join classic games from Codemasters, Interplay, Pluto 13 and Strategy First. Now if CD Projekt can just convince Lucas Arts to sign up for a Good Old dose of adventure games. For the full list of available titles visit GOG.com.

Epic Games is a major player in the videogame industry, not only because they produce mega hits like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, but because their game development engine, Unreal Engine, is being adopted by more and more developers. Any acquisition would be a tremendously big deal, which made the news we reported on earlier — that Legendary Pictures was looking to acquire Epic — was so significant.

As you would expect, Epic VP Mark Rein has dismissed the notion, telling Develop it’s simply “just another rumor.” This isn’t the first time Epic has been involved in acquisition rumors; Microsoft was reported to be looking to buy Epic earlier this year for $1 billion. Rein famously asked that people start predictions at $2 billion “because we don’t want anyone thinking that we’re cheap.”

Even with Rein’s dismissal, we’ll be sure to continue watching the situation. The number of implications that an acquisition would have are far too numerous to be counted, so stay tuned for the latest.

There’s an in depth review available of a retail ready model of OCZ Technology’s Neural Impulse Actuator. The NIA is a brain-computer interface that can be used to control computers and play video games; in this case Unreal Tournament 3 and Counter-Strike: Source.

The article compares learning to use the NIA to touch typing. Actually learning how to use it takes only a week or so, but mastering the device can take months. However, once mastered controlling the NIA is as effortless as controlling your own body minus the physical feedback.

Exactly how the special headband picks up and interprets the body’s natural biosignals generated by your brain, facial muscles and eye muscles is fully explained. The article also covers setup and software and configuration.

Of course the fun part of the article is always the saved for the big finish. The reviewer talks about his experience using the NIA to play UT3 and CS:S. Whether you’re fascinated about all the details or just want to skip to the video game control part, checkout the full article on HotHardware

Xbox 360 owners will also get an exclusive video preview of Gears of War 2, included on the Unreal Tournament 3 disc. The exclusive video content will include never-before-seen footage of the game’s multiplayer modes featuring new maps, new modes, new weapons and new gameplay elements. The video is narrated by Cliff Bleszinski, and Gears of War senior producer, Rod Fergusson.

Europe got their copies a few days earlier on July 4th and UT3 has already shipped over one million units for the PC and PS3 thus far, so it will be interesting to see how many sell for the Xbox 360 now that it has been unleashed.

Via: Press Release

Now, much as we all love our various Mac computers here at ChannelFlip, we’re ready to admit that the issue of gaming has long been a thorn in the side of Apple fans.

But the perception that you have to have a high powered Windows PC for gaming on a computer, combined with a lack of publicity for the growing Mac gaming industry, means that a surprising number of people aren’t aware of what you can achieve gaming wise on a Mac.

Some of the games that can be played on the Mac include Unreal Tournament 3, Neverwinter Nights 2, Guitar Hero 3, The Sims 2: Castaway Stories, Fable: The Lost Chapters and World of Warcraft.

via ChannelFlip

The Rules

• This competition is open to all ChannelFlip viewers
• Emails must be received by 11:59 AM BST Friday 4th July 2008 to qualify.
• Multiple entries will be disqualified – please include your forum username in your submission.
• The five winners will be chosen randomly from correct entries
• The Editor’s decision is final.
• Prizes cannot be swapped for a cash alternative.
• Any questions, post them in the comments section below!

As you can see there is nothing in the rules that disqualifies ChannelFlip viewers outside the UK from participating. You just have to be a registered user. To register with ChannelFlip if you’re not already on the list and enter the contest, pop over to ChannelFlip Unreal Tournament 3 competition page.

“While this is really an interesting analysis, the notion of red team versus blue team has been ingrained in the Unreal Tournament series for years. We don’t anticipate any immediate changes to team colors.”

On the other hand though, I wouldn’t be too surprised if more people were vying for the Red team when playing now. I wonder if this applies to Halo as well…

Via News-Leader

Included will be five exclusive maps, split-screen capabilities, two new characters and the all-new Warfare mode and no mod support.

Meanwhile, Europe will be getting their copies a few days earlier on July 4th. Maybe they should celebrate with some fireworks, overcooked hot dogs from the grill, apple-pie, potato salad and invite some sweaty beer swilling neighbors over to piss in their pool.

The full press release is posted after the break.

Thanks for the Heads Up: VG247

3360 Version of Highly Anticipated and Award-Winning Franchise has New Features, Exclusive Content and Gears of War 2 Multiplayer Video.

CHICAGO – June 12, 2008 – Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, and world renowned developer Epic Games, today announced Unreal Tournament 3, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, is scheduled to be available on July 7, 2008, with several new features including split screen, five exclusive maps and two all-new characters, as well as all previously released downloadable content. Unreal Tournament 3, the award-winning first-person-shooter, has already shipped more than 1 million units for the PC and PLAYSTATION®3 systems.

In addition, the game will feature an exclusive video preview of Gears of War 2, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the 4.7-million-unit selling blockbuster third-person action game. The exclusive video content will include never-before-seen footage of the game’s multiplayer modes featuring new maps, new modes, new weapons and new gameplay elements. The video is narrated by design director, Cliff Bleszinski, and producer, Rod Fergusson.

“Unreal Tournament 3 for the Xbox 360 will deliver fans the award-winning gameplay of UT3, complete with exciting exclusive content that will make it a must-have title for the Xbox 360″ said Mona Hamilton, vice president of marketing, Midway Home Entertainment.

“We’re very excited to be shipping Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, Inc. “This is a great title and, with two-player split screen support and some very cool new content, Xbox 360 players should be thrilled with this fantastic version of the game.”

We’ve shown you some of the cool mods that have been designed for Unreal Tournament 3 in the past, like the Samus and Master Chief character models or the complete LEGO makeover. The latest noteworthy mod to catch my eye is a remake of the classic first level of Super Mario Bros, which takes advantage of UT2D.

It’s still very much a work in progress, as the creator will tell you, but it still looks very cool. And, thanks to PS3 mod support, you’ll be able to annihilate fellow UT‘ers on your PS3 in Mario World 1-1. It doesn’t get much better than that. (Unless they figure out a way to merge this with Star Wars and LEGOs, then the mind-blowing would be truly complete.)

via PS3 Fanboy

3D Buzz has issued a challenge for modders to enter its Old School Level Design Contest for Unreal Tournament 3. The real challenge is to create an inventive deathmatch map using only the original content included in Unreal Tournament 3. Yes, that means no custom content… absolutely none.

The move is meant to level the playing field so novice modders will have a fighting chance to compete along side more experienced enthusiasts. The winner will have his or her level reviewed by none other than Epic’s Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski.

Contest Prizes:

Grand Prize Winner:

- $1000 cash prize
- PlayStation 3 game console (or $500 cash
- Autographed copy ofUnreal Tournament 3 signed by the developers
- Video review of your level by the staff of 3D Buzz
- Video review of your level by Epic Design Director Cliff Bleszinski

First and Second Runners-Up:

- PlayStation 3 game console (or $500 cash)
- Autographed copy of Unreal Tournament 3 signed by the developers
- Video review of your level by the staff of 3D Buzz

All challengers should report to the official 3D Buzz Old School Level Design Contest homepage. You can check out 3DBuzz.com for some inspiration. All entries must be in by 11:59:59 PM CST on June 30, 2008 so get a move on.

I find it both appropriate and satisfying that this announcement comes on the heals of my mod article. Viva la PC!

via Press Release

Epic Games has really been dancing around announcing the release date for Unreal Tournament 3. They told us it was coming along nicely and what “exclusive” content 360 owners would be treated to, but they kept avoiding the topic of a release date. Today they took one baby step closer to finally revealing it, as they announced that the game will be released this summer.

As I said with those “exclusive” maps – they amount to being extremely insignificant if the 360 version doesn’t have mod support. (And all signs are pointing to no on that subject, thanks to Microsoft.) But, in fairness, Epic’s hands are tied, after all, so at least they’re trying to provide something of substance that wasn’t delivered in the PC or PS3 versions.

We’ve got a new trailer for the game up on FileFront, but it’s behind an age gate, so click here to check it out.

There’s still no release date attached to Unreal Tournament 3 on Xbox 360, but Epic is already telling people what they’ll find in this version of UT3 that they won’t get elsewhere. Five new exclusive maps that aren’t in either the PC or PS3 versions of the game, two new characters, and support for two play splitscreen play. You’ll also find the free downloadable content Epic released a few weeks ago on the disc right form the get go.

That’s all well and good, but it’s not going to matter much if Microsoft doesn’t allow Epic to enable mods in the 360 version of the game. All the exclusive content in the world doesn’t mean squat when modders can easily recreate both the maps and characters for the PC and PS3 versions of the game.

Epic’s Jeff Morris talked about how UT3 is a twitch shooter, and is just what people need that have tired of the more tactical shooters on the market. While he might have a point about that, it’s still going to leave a lot of people in the dark on a feature that has been a mainstay of this series since its inception.

via Joystiq

We keep hoping that Microsoft will come around and let user created content and mods become a feature of Xbox Live. Or, at least, allow third party games like Unreal Tournament 3 to support them. But if Chris Satchell, group general manager for Microsoft’s XNA initiative, is any indication, Microsoft isn’t exactly on the verge of making that happen. In an interview with Eurogamer, Satchell touched upon the concept of allowing mods onto the 360. He claimed that, aside from IP infringement, security is a huge concern when allowing mods to run rampant.

“I’m a little disturbed when I think about other systems and people using what we call native code – code that goes right down to the metal – and then allowing people to run script mods on top of that without the right security measures. It could be really dangerous.

“We’ve drawn a hard line because we very much care about security, and it seems like some other platforms don’t seem to care quite as much. That kind of worries me for consumers. But all I can control is what we do on our platform, so that’s where I’m going to focus – we’re going to keep you safe because that’s really important to us.”

It was quite clear that Satchell was pointing a finger at Sony and the PS3. When Eurogamer mentioned that, Satchell explained that it’s a problem faced on any platform that allows for people to use native code. He explained, “There’s a lot of people out there that just want to prove they can screw things up.

“I think there’s very mature, sensible hackers who just want to prove how good they are, and they don’t cause harm, and there’s malicious hackers, and any platform that let’s you do that, and doesn’t have the right security measures in place – whether it’s Sony, whether it’s Nintendo, whether it’s Apple, whether it’s anyone – you’re inviting trouble, because sooner or later someone will want to prove they can do it.”

So, that’s apparently Microsoft’s reasoning for not allowing mods. Is that a satisfying answer, though? I imagine most people would say, “Screw security!” immediately upon hearing Satchell’s claims, but they might not be quite as happy if their credit card or Live ID information were somehow stolen. That isn’t to say I think Microsoft should continue their policy. I see this as a challenge that Microsoft has to face — not something they should ignore because of the problems it presents.

Via UT Forums

Responding to a thread regarding a rumored release date for Unreal Tournament in the latest issue of EGM, Mark Rein stated that there’s still no release date for the PlayStation 3 timed exclusive. He did, however, give a vote of confidence for the game’s development, stating, “The game is coming along really nicely.”

Of course, you wouldn’t really expect him to say anything else, would you?

While I’ve voiced my disappointment with Unreal Tournament 3 on these pages before, the recent release of Facing Worlds/Face certainly grabbed my attention. Between that and a LEGO mod I posted about in February, I’ve tempted to buy the game. This of course begs the question if Xbox 360 owners will ever see user generated content in this version of UT3. We can only hope the answer is yes, but I doubt Microsoft is ready to change its ways for one third party game.

Via UT3Mod

There were plenty of people who were up in arms over Devil May Cry 4 and Lost Planet (just to name two) having a mandatory install on PlayStation 3. After all, the same game is on Xbox 360 without any sort of installation, so why should an install – which does improve loading times – be required?

MTV Multiplayer has been seeking an answer to that question, and needless to say, publishers and developers haven’t been particularly forthcoming. However, there is the inherent technical challenge (I won’t call it a problem, as it’s simply something new that is being taken on) with Blu-ray that developers need to find a way around. As Multiplayer puts it, installations are simply a way around this problem.

The issue arises from differences in the reading techniques of DVD and Blu-ray. By nature, the outer and inner parts of a disc move at different speeds while a disc is spinning, regardless of format (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, HD-DVD, etc.). While DVD drives can read data at those differing speeds, Blu-ray reads at one speed. Combine that with the extremely large size of Blu-ray discs, and simply dumping existing DVD data onto a Blu-ray disc will inevitably result in longer load times.

Personally, I would much prefer the option to install. I’m all for decreasing load times, but actually requiring gamers to install seems more like laziness than a necessity.