Getting Out of Hell Soon

Out of Hell, a true dinosaur of an Unreal Tournament 2004 zombie mod – from times before Left 4 Dead or Killing Floor, or even Zombie Panic or Brainbread for that matter – is one of those interesting projects that simply refuse to wither and go away. After all, most hobby mods such as these rise and fall over the course of mere months, but not Out of Hell: This particular game has been in the making, without a public release (sans one antiquated preview demo), for more than six years!

There is, however, a perfectly understandable explanation for the lengthy development arc: The mod is the work of one single man, Long “Chicken+Ribs Combo” Nguyen, with additional music from Justin Lassen. It’s very refreshing to still see one-man army -style modding: Where today’s game engines may already be too complex and unmanageable, UT2k4 is still workable enough for one single man.

More information, screenshots and a new preview trailer after the jump!

The official blurb off the game’s website:

Out of Hell is a single-player total conversion for Unreal Tournament 2004. It is a horror themed first-person adventure that takes place within the industrial town of Grinwood which has been overrun by a sea of blood-thirsty zombies. Players assume the role of Donovan Ling, a young police officer and possibly the last remaining human alive.

We’ve been following the project for years, and the developer, Nguyen, has had the very dangerous tendency of constantly promising ultimately unattainable, unrealistic release dates. For instance, in a 2003 interview, Nguyen estimates a release in October 2003! In a fine 2007 story available at The Escapist, he explains this tendency:

…I began to develop better techniques for doing things and my art improved, I couldn’t help but go back and overhaul what I had done previously, a habit that eventually attributed to the delays.

All things said, it really, really is looking like the project is right about done. It also looks like it’s benefited immensely from its long development process. The most tangible sign of looming release includes this new beautiful, atmospheric trailer for the mod:

In addition to the game’s official website and the Escapist feature, there’s also a ModDB feature on the game for those interested. We’ll keep you posted!

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