Unreal Championship

"Shoot, run, dodge, repeat."

After reading some of the other reviews for this game, I've decided to put in my two cents. Everyone's been really hard on this game, mostly saying that it's crap without Xbox Live!, but it's really not. This is one of the best FPS games out, even surpassing Halo graphically. Onto the review-

Gameplay-9/10.
If you were a fan of Unreal Tournament, this will definitely hold your interest for awhile, if even for single player. If you ever get bored with traditional Deathmatch, experiment with Mutators. Instagib (one hit kills) is very fun, and good for practice aiming. Big head, low gravity, floating cadavers..just experiment with each mode individually, and later mix them all up for a frenzy of a match. I have but one complaint about the gameplay, and that comes from Instagib mode. Sometimes, it gets so hectic, that before you even have a chance to respawn, you're killed. Quite often, I've been fragged before I even got to see ANYTHING.

Graphics-10/10.
I've seen many reviews saying that this game has nothing on Halo graphically. Did I miss something? Granted, very rarely it gets choppy, unlike Halo. But as far as little detail and such goes, Halo can't compare. Each gun is meticulously detailed, as are the maps and characters. There's very little slow-down, very much unlike Unreal Tournament.

Sound-7/10.
Meh. The music won't exactly get stuck in your head. The music is sort of like..slowed down techno, but it fits the game well. The sound effects are pretty good, and save this category from being much lower.

Story-1/10.
Well, it's an arcade shooter. It's built for multiplayer, did you expect much of a story? The tournament is basically a sport, and that's about all the story that you're given.

Replayability-10/10.
While you may not exactly daydream about this game while you're at work or school, (unless you're playing with Xbox Live, but that's something else..)it may be hard to put down at first. Most definitely if you're a fan of Unreal Tournament, you won't want to put it down. Of course, if you're like me, you'll have no motivation to play this for a few days or weeks at a time, but it catches your eye one day and you start playing, and again can't put it down.

Buy or Rent?
If you have Xbox Live!, buy it. If you don't, still buy it. You may eventually get Xbox Live!, or you may eventually get friends. Even still, you could always test yourself against Godlike bots.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/16/03, Updated 03/16/03