I’m sure that there were some frustrating moments throughout the development of the iPad, but at least we can all agree on one thing; there’s alot of potential in the device. That said, the vice president of Epic Games, Mark Rein weighed in on Apple’s newest device and… apparently, he’s “really impressed”.

“The quality of the materials is outstanding. The screen is amazing and the super-sized apps were fantastic,” he told Kotaku. “Everything seems to perform really well on the iPad and I was blown away by the iWork apps – I thought bringing those to iPad was a brilliant move by Apple!”

However, just like most of us, Rein is still on the fence — on rather he should invest in an iPad 1.0. “Apple has done a great job at constantly improving the user experience on Mac and iPhone so I can only imagine where this platform can go in the future,” Rein added, practically guaranteeing at least one iPad 2.0 in his future.

It’s no secret that Epic Games has established a very avid relationship with Microsoft, producing such exclusives as Gears of War and Shadow Complex – both very high sellers for Microsoft’s system, the Xbox 360. However, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Epic would proclaim themselves as the “unofficial engine” of Project Natal, Microsoft’s upcoming motion-sensing device.

When speaking to Official Xbox Magazine UK in an interview, Mark Rein Vice President of Epic Games talked about the many ways that Unreal technology could be implanted with Project Natal, even going as far as to call it the “unofficial engine” of Project Natal.

“We are going to work with Microsoft to make that available to Unreal Engine licensees who want to make Natal games,” Rein said. “So, if you want to make a game on Natal, you want to get a big head start and use the same tech as Microsoft, come talk to me. We are the unofficial engine of Natal, or maybe the official, I don’t know. In other words, we consider ourselves the ‘economic engine of Natal.’ You want to make money with Natal, come talk to us, we’ll help you.”

Let’s do the math. Natal + ideas = Unreal Engine usage. Sounds good to me.

Yes!!! Mark Rein has confirmed to Eurogamer that Epic Games, the developers behind the Gears of War series, does indeed have “something new to announce at [this years] E3″.

“Yes we will have something new to announce at E3,” said Rein, before apologising that he couldn’t say anything more until the event. “And I’m looking forward to seeing the show back to its former glory.”

The developer is currently finishing up work on the Gears of War 2 expansion Dark Corners, which set to release worldwide on 28th of July.

While we are still preparing for the 2008 edition of the Games Convention in Leipzig, which is scheduled for next week. Today, we have learned that the much anticipated video game, Gears of War 2, will not be part of the show. Indeed, Microsoft and Epic Games have simply decided not to present the game on the spot for the simple reason that the game will not be sold in the country. Go figure.  “Microsoft doesn’t show Gears 2 at Leipzig because they don’t sell the game in Germany,” says Mark Rein, President of Epic Games.

Valve Software announced today that there upcoming co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead will would be going on a trip around the world for it’s soon to come out world tour. These series of demonstrations will be held at very high profile events around the world these include Leipzig Games Convention (Germany),Festival du Jeu Video (France) and PC Gamer Showdown (UK), it’s set to make it’s grand debut at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo (PAX).

“The shared experience of Left 4 Dead is unlike that of any other action game,” said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. “That’s what we’ve experienced playing the game, and from showing the game to the press and our partners. It sounds cliché, but in many ways you have to play this one to truly appreciate what we’re attempting. So, to give gamers a chance to sample this new type of experience first hand, we’re taking Left 4 Dead on the road.”

SEGA of America today announced that it has extended its relationship with Epic Games by signing a new Unreal Engine 3 licensing deal for an unannounced, cross-platform game. SEGA entered into its original licensing agreement to develop multiple titles with Unreal Engine 3 in May 2007. Details of the project in development will be released at a later date.

“The great capabilities of Unreal Engine 3 make it possible for our developers to deliver incredible gaming experiences,” said Dave Cobb, Vice President of Development for SEGA of America, Inc. “Unreal Engine 3 provides superior power and flexibility enabling SEGA to bring original and exciting next-generation multi-platform titles.”

“SEGA has cultivated some of the world’s most treasured game franchises, and we are thrilled that they have decided to make more games with Unreal Engine 3,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “Epic is committed to supporting SEGA with exceptional tools and technologies so it may continue to build upon its successes.”

Developers and publishers around the world have licensed Unreal Engine 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since Epic has shipped its internal titles across all supported platforms, the engine’s content pipeline and technical capabilities have achieved unprecedented levels of maturity and accessibility. These advancements, combined with the continual incorporation of top quality middleware libraries via Epic’s prestigious Integrated Partners Program, present Unreal Engine 3 as a superior offering for cross-platform game development.

Through this licensing agreement, SEGA will be able to take advantage of Unreal Engine 3’s latest technological enhancements, including dynamic ambient occlusion, destructible environments, an advanced crowd system and much more.