Mark Rein has commented that if all Unreal Engine 3 games look the same then its most likely because the respective art directors share the same visions. Rein also joked "Do you think Bioshock looks like Gears of War?" speaking during a panel discussion at GCDC.

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Asked why they looked a bit similar during a panel discussion about engines at GCDC, Rein was a jolly sort of irate: "Do you think BioShock looks like Gears of War? Really? Have you seen Undertow?"

"The answer to that is that if two games look similar to one another in this day and age...it's probably intentional. It's probably two art directors who like one another's work and go for the same effect."

Fellow panellist Doug Binks, from Crytek, backed Rein up but still supported the original point. "I do think there are technological features from engines that define a certain amount of the look," he said, "but you can play around with that using tools."