Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Epic Shows Off Impressive Unreal Tech
Epic Games pulled together a massively impressive tech demo for GDC, designed to showcase top-of-the-line Unreal Engine 3 features and give us a glimpse of what the future of games could look like.
The thematic presentation featured a character created specifically for the demo called “The Samaritan.” A gritty, nameless protagonist, his physical presentation was fashioned in a manner to best show off Unreal’s strengths.
The scene unfolds on a rainy night in an urban setting, the streets washed with reflections from neon lights. Somewhere amongst the rooftops the man sauntered over to a padlocked door before casually starting a blow torch – the light organically reflecting off his face – and going to work on the obstruction. Interrupted by the sound of sirens, he witnesses a group of armed guards assault an older woman on the street below.
Peering over the top of the building, the man’s face and body momentarily transform, coated in some sort of rock or metal. Stepping in to halt the attack, he jumps from the building and lands amidst the one-sided brawl. What ensues is brutal as he curb-stomps and blows the brains out of the armed combatants. As the dust settles, he walks casually away, working a still-lit cigarette in his mouth.
A massive armed mech approaches from the opposite end of the street. Not missing a beat, the man flicks the cigarette at the machine before rippling to his armored state once again. We see him take a swing at the giant before the screen fades to black.
Epic released a handful of screens showcasing the finer points of the presentation, some comparative in nature to best show off the features available to Unreal licensees. Check them out below.
Apparently Epic will be releasing the tech demo trailer sometime next week, and we’ll share it when they do. If you think the stills are impressive, wait until you see it in motion.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
