Unreal Tournament 2003

"Five minuntes remaining!!!"

This game is really something. A pumped up Q3 remix of the original UT, added with some flashy lights and 2002 graphics technology, you get Unreal Tournament 2003.

Right to the point.

Gameplay: 10 - Amazing. Fast-paced, Quake 3 style gameplay, and the attitude to match. You get that certain feel from it that I've only previously felt in Quake 3. A lot faster moving than its predecessor, Unreal Tournament. Definately very fun, a fluent environment where you can storm the place with a heavy duty gun and reign supreme, or maybe use the game's vast environment to your advantage and just pick people off from a distance, pop off their heads one by one proudly.. This all depends on what level you're playing in. The levels are absolutely MASSIVE and WONDERFUL LOOKING, very fun to explore. For those of you that havent played Quake 3, the style is sort of colorful, big and fast, as opposed to dark and creepy.. you UTers know what I mean. Well, it's a bit of both mixed together, I guess.

Online play is slow for most, from what I've heard... but it's been fine for me. But people play differently online, different tactics are involved...(*AHEM* spawn killers) I would rather play against bots.

Story: 2 - The story is set in the future, when aliens take over and new technology is about. Aliens invade blah blah, low and behold a TOURNAMENT is being held. It's not that I don't the story, it just isnt worth explaining totally. Not if you're playing this game for the same reason I am.

Replay Value: 10 - I think this differs for everyone, but like the original UT I never get tired of this game. Different games modes, so when you get bored of random killing, why not throw a little strategy into the air? This is where the game really surprised me, with the different modes. You'll see. When you're tired of things again, play at different game speeds and difficulties, you will see the light. IF YOU ARE STILL TIRED... the game has unique settings you may want to toggle before a match.. mutators and the like. You'll see.

Graphics: 10 - Although you may need a decent PC to run UT2003 properly, I play with medium settings with no problems at all, and the graphics are absolutely fantastic. I don't believe I've ever seen any shooter with such good graphics, except maybe Halo for the Xbox. Sure, Quake 3 had the graphics, but... this is just better, more interesting. Trees do not look fake. Character skins are beautifully textured. Plus, the game is customizable, like I said. You can select the detail of characters, levels, how long scratches stay on walls, and even the grass texturing. The lowest settings probably still look very good. The levels are done well.. Something that really stands out in this game are the character models. Some people may complain, but they look fine to me... and look at that DETAIL.. wow. hey, is he dead?! OH LOOK... HE IS ACTUALLY TUMBLING DOWN THE STAIRS INSTEAD OF LAYING ALL FLAT IN MID AIR!!! Yes, the UT2003 engine allows characters to flop around after death, major realism.

Audio: 7.5 - Hmm... well, nothing bad can be said about the sounds in this game, really. (Yes I know I gave it a 7.5, but 5 is average.. keep reading). Character voices scream and curse at eachother realistically, while weapons make it sound like I am really blowing this guy into four pieces. I have not yet encountered a situation where the sound is out of sync with something in the game. The sound effects are virtually flawless.

The music.. well, I used to space out to the UT music in Face, that was the god music (It's called Foregone Destruction I think). Now in UT2003, you get an entirely different feel from the music. But if you have not played Unreal Tournament, the older one, I think you will find that the music suits the levels perfectly. Actually, it's not even that noticeable. I have to say I expected something different. No problems, I just wish I had it my way.

Wait, did I say nothing bad could be said about the sound? I was completely wrong, There is one thing drops the sound score a full point: THE ANNOUNCER. I fell out of my chair laughing when I heard him count down from 5. It's completely ridiculous.

Controls: 9 - Well, what can I say, it's a shooting game. I see nothing wrong with the controls for the game, except maybe that when trying to input a certain code (not a cheat code, something else I am not going to spoil for you), you fly off the edge of the map because of another feature that sort of shares the keys. Otherwise, the controls are excellent, as long as you have them configured well so you can move around fast.

BUY or RENT? - This is not a very tough decision. I would definitely say this is a BUY, but do NOT run out and buy this game right now!!!! This is very important. You need to make sure that your PC is able to run it, I don't mean look on the box and see, I mean check message boards on what system people recommend.

The box usually says the very minimum, but I would recommend a 1.3+ GHZ, 512+ ram, and at least a geforce 3 graphics card. If you have this.. why are you still here? BUY THIS GAME NOW!!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/02, Updated 10/14/02