Unreal Tournament

"This game is a total HEAD SHOT!"

This game is extraordinary. Today, it has such a small price, you can pick it up for about ten bucks at the most, and has some of the best graphics, one of the biggest fan bases, and still has countless servers set up online. Many online first-shooters have been based on the programming of this game and it's one of my favorite games of all time. I'm going to put the categories for this review into: Story/Offline Gameplay, Online Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, and Replay Value.

Story/Offline Gaming

Here's the story, this won't have any spoilers since this is basically whats in the opening sequence. In the year 2291, in an attempt to control violence between deep-space miners, the New Earth Government legalized no-holds-barred fighting. Liandri Mining Corporation working with the NEG established a series of leagues and bloody public exhibitions. The fights popularity grew with every tourney. Soon Liandri found out that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise. The professional league was formed. A kabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space, selected to fight in a grand tournament. Now it is 2341, fifty years have passed since the founding of Deathmatch. Prophets from the tournament number in the hundreds of billions. You have been selected to fight in the Professional League by the Liandri Rules Board. Your strength and brutality are legendary. The time has come to prove you are the best. To crush your enemies. To win the tournament. In the game, you play in a Tournament that goes along with the story line and you learn how all the levels come to be and how all of your opponets came to meet you. You follow a story, and each match gets harder and harder. There are six types of matches. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, Domination, Assault, and Capture the Flag. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Last Man Standing and Capture the Flag are pretty self-explanatory. In Assault, you have to complete certain objectives as a team, and after you complete those objectives, you must defend against the other team so they do not complete the objectives faster than you. In Domination, the object of the match is to control certain points for an extended period of time.

Online Gaming

There are hundreds of online game servers. There is a built-in server finder where you can automatically log on to a dedicated server. LAN parties are also popular. This game is about 10x fun as the offline gaming. You can chat and talk and everyone has personalities and there isn't just the same AI. You can always play with your friends to determine who's the best out of all of you. Unlike in the Tournament mode, you can download skins, and new levels, and use those, which are a lot more fun because there are thousands of skins out there. There is also more pride in defeating a human opponent. When I blow up Ffantasymaster with a rocket, and then shoot his remaining body pieces away with my pistol, there's a certain sense of pride in me.

Graphics

The good thing about this game is that it doesn't take much to run it. You can either play it with your hardware, which is handy if you have something like a GE Force 4, or you can use Direct X software rendering, which enhances obsolete video cards. The maps are just amazing. Some maps will take away your breath with the sheer size of it, trying to memorize it, or the little details, like computer screen and windows and doors. The space fights are awesome, space spins around you, which gives to the effect so much, it might make you nauseous. Each weapon has it's own type of graphic, so when someone is shooting behind you, or past you, you know exactly what they're trying to shoot you with.

Sound

The soundtrack on this game is great. The music ranges from rock, to pulsing war-type music, to even techno music. One of the best things about this game are the Voice Commands. You can command your AI teammates or your regular teammates to do things like Attack, Defend, Freelance, Etc. There are also taunts, which are used to piss people off. Some of the classics are ''Die *****'', ''I just slaughtered that guy!'', ''Anyone else want some?'' The sounds of your friends dying are to relish for. Each weapon has a different sound, so you'll know whether to fight or to run. The sound and graphics combined make it feel like you're right there shooting someone with a nuclear missile.

Replay Value

The tournament replay value is good, because you can make the difficulty higher and make your skills go up. The online gaming replay value is unfathomable. If you get tired of one mode, you can goto another, and make new friends, then you'll want to go back to the other one so you do and you dominate. This is a prime game to play on the PC if you're looking for a cheap, and well-played game.

Unreal Tournament boasts all the aspects of a rated 10 game, good gameplay, for both offline and online gaming. Stimulating graphics and sound, and a all the great lil details that people just love to talk about. This ranks high on my online FPS games, and it should on yours. Happy Fragging!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/01/03, Updated 06/01/03