Epic Announces Final Four Games In iOS Unreal Contest, Roster Of Judges

Epic Games and Train2Game have announced the four finalists in its Make Something Unreal Live competition. Each of the four projects is based on a book in the Fighting Fantasy series, and the games are being developed for iOS using Unreal Engine 3. The winner will be selected by a panel of gaming veterans, including Fighting Fantasy creators and Games Workshop co-creators Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, as well as Peter Molyneux and Cliff Bleszinski in mid-April.

“Fighting Fantasy has in the past been used by school teachers as inspiration for creative writing exercises, but this is the first time the teaching exercise has been to create a fully-featured video game,” said Jackson. “Ian and I are impressed with what we’ve seen of the students’ work so far, and we are looking forward to seeing the final results.”

Here's the complete advisory board for the event, which will take place from April 10-15 at the UK's tech show Gadget Show Live.

• Ian Baverstock, founding partner, Tenshi Ventures, and advisory board member, Game Developers Conference 

• Cliff Bleszinski, design director, Epic Games

• Jon Hare, founder, Tower Studios

• Steve Jackson, co-creator, Fighting Fantasy series and professor of game design, Brunel University (pictured above, left)

• Ian Livingstone OBE, co-creator, Fighting Fantasy series  and life president, Eidos (pictured above, right)

• Professor Carsten Maple, director of business education interaction, TIGA

• Peter Molyneux OBE, founder, 22 Cans

• Dr. Jo Twist, chief executive officer, The UK Interactive Entertainment Association (UKIE)

• Jon Yates, director of product development, City & Guilds

Judges will be providing teams with feedback on their games throughout the show, and attendees can watch as the projects are tweaked. Teams will also provide updates on their games twice a day. On April 15, the winning team will be announced, and they'll score a commercial Unreal Engine 3 iOS development license.

Here are each of the four projects that are in the running, with details straight from each team:

Armies of Death: Rise of Agglax

Studio: Digital Mage

In Armies of Death: Rise of Agglax, players take control of zombie lord Agglax's hordes in this tower offence experience like no other.

This new chapter in the Fighting Fantasy series sees players mastermind Agglax's return to power by pitting zombies, trolls, and dragons against the heroes of Allansia using the souls of the fallen. Summoning more powerful and devastating creatures to leads players to victory, and ultimately, the throne!

Game Features:
• Tower defense is turned on its head as players command waves of enemies to destroy the allied armies of Allansia.
• A lovingly crafted story expands on the epic Armies of Death tale.
• Built for iPhone 3Gs, Rise of Agglax ensures compatibility with a range of iOS devices.
• In-app purchases and Game Center expose infinite possibilities for new levels, new unit, and entirely new campaigns.

The Citadel of Chaos: Dire Consequences

Studio: Derp Studios

The Citadel of Chaos: Dire Consequences is a first-person action game for iOS.  In Dire Consequences, players take on wave after wave of enemies, collecting souls and points for defeating foes. Collected souls can be redeemed to purchase spells, which will help build up defenses as the waves of attackers get progressively stronger. New challenges and more difficult scenarios become available with the completion of each level. 

A story mode will enable players to jump in and experience events which take place after the Citadel of Chaos game book. In addition, downloadable content for Dire Consequences will include extra battle levels to give players more "quick play" access. 

Game Features:
• First-person combat and character progression lets players jump straight into the exciting Citadel of Chaos world.  
• Elemental spells and the use healing powers to prolong the combat experience not only devastate opponents but also add to replayability. 
• Players reap rewards by collecting the souls of defeated opponents, which can be spent to acquire spells, upgrade powers, and reinforce their arsenal.  

Deathtrap Dungeon

Studio: Indigo Jam

Deathtrap Dungeon is a first-person action adventure game set in the incredibly compelling and imaginative Fighting Fantasy world created by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. 

In Deathtrap Dungeon for iOS, players will explore a world filled with fiendish traps, puzzles, and enemies. A simple yet rewarding system of earning keys and finding treasure boxes allows players to earn skill upgrades, health and rare weapons, appealing to the adventurer and treasure hunter in all of us. 

Game Features:
• A sneaking mechanic enables players to interact with the environment and dispatch enemies without confronting them directly. 
• An in-app purchase system lets players easily obtain additional keys to unlock extra health, abilities, and weapons.

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