Unreal Engine Can 'Do More' than Zelda on Wii U

Epic vice president Mark Rein has high hopes for the Wii U.


Speaking at last week's Game Developers Conference, Rein told Eurogamer that he believes Nintendo's new console will do quite well.


"I like the Wii U. I think E3 will be a big eye-opener for people," Rein said. "It's a great brand that a lot of parents really trust and they're probably ready to buy their kids an HD Wii that does that much more than just being an HD Wii. I'd love it if they'd done it last year, but I'm excited for them to do it this year. I'd be shocked if it doesn't do well." 

 

Hands-on with Wii U's Zelda HD Demo

Rein also discussed the role of his company's Unreal Engine 3 technology, which will play a big part in some of the Wii U's first titles. Specifically, Rein says that his company's engine could even outperform the Zelda HD demo seen at E3 2011. 


"Do you remember the Zelda demo they had on it? Would you not buy a Wii U just to play that? Of course you would," Rein said. "That's what Nintendo is all about. Their hardware is the software delivery service for their great content. That Zelda demo was gorgeous and we can do even more than that with Unreal Engine 3. I think it will do great." 


Rein also noted that he's had a chance to see Unreal Engine games in action on the Wii U. "I played Batman: Arkham City on the Wii U and they are doing some really cool stuff with the controller," he said. 



Unreal Engine 3's Batman: Arkham City Will Come to Wii U


Even the Wii U tech demos have impressed Rein. "Did you play that Battle Mii game? Two players would play with a Wii Remote and Nunchuk and one would play with the Wii U controller?" he asked. "I would buy a Wii U to play that game in a heartbeat. And I hope people make those kind of games with our technology. I think we've yet to really see what the Wii U can do and I think at E3 this year they're going to shock us." 


When asked about new IPs, Rein concluded by noting that "If I had ten development teams I'd make a game for every single platform and make that the special game for that platform. If you're the special game on that platform you do really, really well. Gears was one of the special ones on Xbox 360. Infinity Blade is a special game on the iPhone and iPad. Shadow Complex was a special game on Xbox Live Arcade. But we don't have 10 development teams so it's just a matter of picking and choosing what we do and doing the best thing we can for the idea that we have." 


For a full look at what Unreal Engine 3 has in store, be sure to check out the a demo of the latest improvements shown during GDC.