Slashdot Mirror
UT 2K7 Slated for PS3 Launch
Gamespot is reporting that the next iteration in the Unreal Tournament series, UT 2007, has been announced as a PlayStation 3 launch title. From the article: "The game on display appeared to be Unreal Tournament 2007, the flashy-looking, Unreal Engine 3-based successor to the popular PC shooter Unreal Tournament 2004. However, neither Sony nor Epic would confirm when--or even if--UT 2007 would arrive on the PS3. Seven months later, the two companies have broken their silence. The January 2006 issue of PlayStation Magazine proudly proclaims that, yes, UT 2007 is coming to the PlayStation 3. Inside, the magazine also reveals that the game will be a launch title for the PlayStation 3, which is tentatively slated for a spring 2006 launch."
Rumour has it that the gameplay in UT2k7 will be pretty good too. They're keeping a lot of the UT2k4 vehicles and weapons but makign some nice changes - for example, the unpopular and useless Scorpion is getting it's weapon replaced with a rocket launcher and a kamekaze attack. Also, the biorifle, grenade launcher, and mine launcher are being rolled into a single variable-load launcher weapon.
There have been some comments about the game being "easier" and action being "more in-your-face like old UT" that suggest that the game will be returning to the slower, more manageable pace of UT99.
So all in all, I expect it to kick ass in every way. I find it odd though that they're releasing actual UT on the console, rather than the consolified fighting-game style Unreal Championship titles (which are supposedly really good, but completely different from the PC counterparts).
Right now we are looking at least four confirmed PS3 launch titles:
Lair
Warhawk
UT 2007
Medal of Honor: Airbone
And Sony will surely be announcing more in the next month or two for the March launch.
Microsoft and the 360 have pretty much flunked out of the console race and really aren't relevant any more unless you are part of the niche hardcore Xbox and Dreamcast demo(probably around two to five million console owners).
Nintendo and the Rev look like they have a good chance of being cheap and fun enough to have a huge number of PS3 owners adding a Rev in addition.
We are looking at a two horse console race this next console cycle.
PS3: 120 million
Nintendo: 25-40 million
Microsoft: 8-12 million
Virtually every PS1/PS2 owner will be buying PS3 + natural market growth + a decent chunk of former Xbox owners
Nintendo looks to be the default 'second console' for the PS3 demo + natural market growth + a potentially very large influx of new people to the market
Microsoft is pretty much trying to salvage as much of their core Xbox as possible. They have lost the pc gamer crowd which was a fairly large segment of their user-base. And they have lost most of the 'teh most powerful console' demo to the PS3. Leaving pretty much the Sony hating/Halo/Dreamcast demo left.
The fact that a pc developer was able to get their engine up and running on the PS3 in about a month supports what most developers have been saying about the PS3 being the easiest to develop for. I am hearing that Sony is really going to have a huge amount of stuff to show at CES and the Sony show a month later leading up to the March launch. Unless a planet killing comet hits or something of that scale, we are looking at the most dominant console launch ever.