Unreal Tournament

"Guns blazing in the darkness of the night. The full meaning of these words have finally struck me."

When you think of the word Unreal, what do you think of? Maybe you’re a person who daydreams, maybe you think of light thoughts, drifiting off into an unreal world of your own. Maybe you think of darker thougts, worlds exploding, armed agents stalking their preys, the flashing muzzels of guns, or maybe, just maybe, a world of total annihilation, a planet of total mercy, and a galaxy of fear and terror, a universe where you can trust no one but yourself.
If you think of the latter, you’re right on the target. Unreal Tournament is just that, a shooter full of action, such thrilling excitement and exhiliration, that you will never know what hitted you, what pulled you into its mesmerizing obsession, that is, until it is too late.

Gaemplay: You unlock different modes and levels as you process through the games. Here’s some brief examples.

Capture the Flag is a mode you unlock rather later in the game, the objective is to weave your way to the opposing team’s territory, grab their flag, and run back to your protected area, all while under heavy gunfire and precise control pressure. One wrong move and you will fall off that cliff that is the obstacle to the flag. It isn’t unlocked later in the game for nothing, Capture the Flag is hard, because in the meanwhile, you will be leaving your own area unprotected and prone to enemy steals of the flage. Getting the flag back to your base isn’t the problem, it’s stealing the flag itself that’s the main objective, since you will be encountering enemies and gunfire along the way.
Domination, unlike Capture the Flag, is a mode that is unlocked earlier. In this mode, you must try to run throughout the level and change all of the checkpoints (or whatever you might call them) to your team’s color. The more checkpoints you have to your favor, the faster your points will increase. First team to the limit mark of points win. In Domination, exploration and knowledge of your area and terrain is very important, you must be able to travel fast, as well as aim while you’re running at top speed.

Of course, what would a shooter be without weapons? You can collect guns and close ranged combat weapons as you run through the level. The guns all vary from the Minigun which fires fast and accurately, to the Rocket Launcher, which fires rockets that explode on contact.. Each of these guns have a Primary Fire button and the Secondary Fire button. Each will serve its own purpose. Primary Fire, for example, might cause a gun to fire disk blades that ricochet off of walls, and the Secondary Fire might cause it to fire disk blades that explode on contact. You must learn to use these weapons according to the situation, as well as both the Primary and the Secondary fire buttons.
The close combat weapons are weapons such as the chainsaw. They, as there names suggest, are best used in close combat. These weapons are best used for sneaking up on enemies, however. Opponents with powerful, long-ranged weapons can easily skewer you while you’re trying to get close enough. Used carefully, however, these weapons can be very powerful, as well asa great asset to your quest for victory.

Now, we’ve discussed modes, we’ve discussed weapons. Now, what about the terrain? Well, the terrain varies from level to level, and might be a wide range such as garages and rooftops varying to sewers and laboratories. In each of these, you must learn to cope with situations as well as the scenery around you. You might stand on a rooftop and snipe at enemies below you, for example, or hide behinds crates and boxes and kill incoming enemies.

Do not underestimate the element of surprise, it can be very useful. Also, take heed of your surroundings, and don’t let your guard down. You can and will be taken from behind by an enemy if you are too busy going on a killing spree to notice, and your enemy will take advantage of that weakness. They will sneak up behind you and let loose with the most powerful gun they have on the opponent that’s been dominating the competition, and end your killing spree, now and forever.

Rating: 9/10

Sound: Humans or cyborgs choking, the sound of bullets being released from a gun, the sound of your footsteps pounding in the seemingly empty corridor. Unreal Tournament has the noises down pat, they are realistic as well as convincing. You can jump halfway to the ceiling because the quiet room seemed to burst into noises as hidden enemy troops spring from hidden places, that is how realistic the sound is. One of the best I’ve ever heard, but then again, I don’t expect any less.

Rating: 10/10

Graphics: Now we get to the main sidepoint of the game, the graphics. Now, the graphics are spectacular, no more, no less. Although the background can use just a bit more detail, it’s still detailed past the point set of any computer game. The graphics can give you the satisfaction of watching your enemy kneel before you, or the horror of whirling around and seeing a cyborg, eyes ruthless, and guns pointed straight at you. Unreal emphasizes on blood, and you’ll see a lot, but whether the majority of it is yours or your enemies is up to you…

Rating: 9/10

Difficulty: I must admit, Unreal Tournament’s a hard game to learn, perhaps a 4-hour learning curve, in order to master it all, including the direct and indirect combat weapons and the Primary and Secondary firing buttons. It’s hard, but then again, this game is primarily designed for gamers who like to challenge themselves and push themselves to the absolute limit.

Replay Value: Well, I estimate it’s going to take you at least a month to unlock all of the modes, and then, and only then, can you enjoy the full, striking power of Unreal Tournament, and then probably another 2 months to go back and repeat the levels, and after you get bored, you’ll probably want to come back occasionally, just to smell the blood-lust.

Unreal Tournament, a game for all fans of Doom or shooters of the computer system. A must in every serious gamer’s library, Unreal Tournament flies past all set expectations. A must have, Unreal Tournament offers every single luxury a game can ever have.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/08/03, Updated 04/08/03