Among all of the game engines that are available to be used by game developers (Unreal, Source, Gamebryo, etc) one that hasn't gotten as much attention is the Vicious Engine, created by North Carolina-based Vicious Cycle Software. Today the game developer announced that it has launched the second major version of its Vicious Engine technology.

Vicious Engine 2 will first be used in the upcoming console title Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (due out in 2009) but Vicious Cycle Software is shopping the engine around to early adoptors with the final version available for game developers later in 2008. The new version includes "overhauled lighting and shader technology, advanced audio and AI, and enhanced physics and path finding."