LiquidSnake is Godlike! (on occassion...)
Written: Mar 19 '02 (Updated Mar 19 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything!! The weapons, the bots, the "spree" system, most of the maps...
Cons: Some of the maps are not the best, and taunts can get annoying
The Bottom Line: My final recommendation is that if you have not yet played Unreal Tournament, but like FPS games, you're missing out!! I hope to kill-erm, see you on a server!
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| LiquidSnake's Full Review: Unreal Tournament for Windows |
Unreal Tournament is a First-Person Shooter like Doom, Quake or Half-Life. The little story that goes with the game is that in the future, Deathmatch is a popular form of televised entertainment, with a corporation in control of the profits from it. The idea is that you control a competitor in the sporting circuit of murder and mayhem, trying to unseat the current champion and become rich, famous and powerful.
There are several modes of play, including standard Deathmatch and Capture The Flag. Another mode is Domination, which puts you on a team of players trying to control certain points on a game map and reach a specific score before the opposing team. My personal favorite is Assault Mode, which is a team-based game type where you have to, say, escape from a castle, or reach the control car of a speeding train. There are other maps with different objectives, but you get the idea. This is one of the most imaginative game types I have ever played in a FPS, and is fun & exciting.
A nice feature of the game is that it keeps track of how many frags you have earned in a row without dying yourself. There are titles for each spree, from "Killing Spree" (the first level, or 5 frags without dying) to "Godlike" (the 5th level, or 25 frags without dying). You have to be really good to get to "Godlike", and I can do it on occasion. Not every time I play, perhaps, but close.
Like other games of this type, there are several different weapons, including the awesome Translocator. The Primary Fire function is used to shoot the location disc, and the Secondary Fire function is to "Translocate" to wherever the disc is. This is indispensable while playing on one of the maps that has a boundary that is not walled off, so you can fall to your death. You can put your disc in a safe place in case you fall. Also, you can leave your disc near a major health/armor pickup, and so on. And, if you see an enemy's disc, you can shoot it-which means that if they try to translocate, they will die. This is one way to "telefrag" your opponents.
Also included is the Shock Rifle, whose Primary Fire mode shoots a bolt of force instantly, and whose Secondary Fire function is to fire a large ball of force that moves considerably slower, but will do splash damage, or damage to the area surrounding the impact, instead of just being absorbed by a wall/floor/enemy. A cool fact about the Shock Rifle is the ability to shoot the Force Ball with a Primary Fire blast, creating a larger area of splash damage. If you hit an opponent (or they hit you) with this combination attack, an instant kill is usually assured.
The other main weapon that is unique is the Redeemer, which is a small tactical nuclear missile. The Primary Fire shoots the missile in a straight line, while the Secondary Fire puts you in control of it, so you can guide it to a target (hopefully VERY far away from your position, since it has a large area of effect). You can get more than four enemies with a good shot from the Redeemer. However, for play-balance, the missiles the Redeemer fires are slow-moving, and can be shot down by an opponent, which can certainly ruin your spree if you are on one.
One of my personal favorite weapons is the Sniper Rifle, which is an extremely powerful rifle with Primary Fire, and whose scope zooms in up to 8X on Secondary Fire mode. If you are successful with a Head Shot with this weapon, it is an instant kill that decapitates your opponent. The Ripper (a weapon that shoots metal discs that ricochet off walls/floors/ceilings on Primary Fire, or makes the discs explode on Secondary Fire)can also achieve Head Shots on Primary Fire mode, but it is more difficult, especially when moving. Rounding out the weapons are the Flak Cannon (Primary Fire=metal shrapnel that does substantial damage in close quarters. Secondary Fire=grenade of shrapnel that can be lobbed from the gun in a nice arc, but is more damaging although it fires much more slowly); the Minigun (Primary Fire=rapid-fire burst of bullets that is pretty accurate. Secondary Fire=faster firing rate, but less accurate. Both modes must spin up and spin down, so it is advisable to lay on the trigger before you get an enemy in your sights); the Pulse Gun (Primary Fire=rapid-firing energy pulses. Secondary Fire=continuous beam of energy, but much more limited range); the Enforcer (the main starter weapon. Primary Fire=rather accurate, moderately fast bullets. Secondary Fire=Gangsta-Style sideways firing which is faster, but less accurate. You can also capture a second Enforcer from a fallen enemy or comrade for more firepower, but faster ammo drain); the Impact Hammer (a Melee Weapon whose Secondary Fire function can be used to Impact Jump, which is similar to Rocket Jumping in the Quake series or Gauss Jumping in Half-Life. The Primary Fire is a rapid discharge of energy that can be used by a skilled player to deflect shots, or can be used to damage an enemy a little bit. The Secondary Fire charges up the weapon, and when released, either does substantial damage to an enemy, or tosses the player away from a floor or wall. Also, in a Team Game such as Capture The Flag, the Impact Hammer can be used to propel your teammate forward while they are running with the flag.); and another Melee Weapon option, the Chainsaw. The Primary Fire=charging forward with the saw in front of you, doing a decent amount of damage. The Secondary Fire is a slow swipe with the saw, which is the final option for achieving a Head Shot. Finally, there is the ubiquitous Rocket Launcher, whose Primary Fire can load up to 6 rockets which fire upon release of the fire button, and will heat-seek if you can keep an enemy in your sights for a few seconds. The Secondary Fire mode releases the rockets as grenades, without propelling them. The grenades will detonate after a couple of seconds, and will bounce off walls/floors/etc.
The main selling point of this game, other than the fabulous Assault Mode that is not available anywhere else, is the bot AI, or Artificial Intelligence. The bots are the computer-controlled characters, in this case, your allies and opponents. In other games, such as Quake III:Arena they are not nearly as smart or as configurable. But in Unreal Tournament during Practice mode (but not in Tournament mode) you can set how good your opponents are at strafing (moving to one side while still aiming at you, making them harder to hit), aiming, camping (staying in one spot and waiting for you or another opponent to come into their sights), what their favorite weapon is, if any, their overall combat behavior (from Berzerk to Avoidant) and if they jump a lot when they run around the map (most good players do this while playing, making them harder to hit). This level of customization is unsurpassed in any game like this that I have ever played, making it seem like you are playing against people with different playing styles, like you are online even if you are not. This is great for people who do not have a 'net connection, or have a slow one, or want to practice before they go online against people, or do not want to be taunted with curse words if they win.
While an excellent game, Unreal Tournament is not a perfect one. Some of the maps are not balanced very well, which makes it rather difficult to win if you do not start in one of the ideal locations. Also, there are some crash-to-desktop and startup bugs that I have encountered, but the game does come with a Safe Mode option (that becomes available when it has not been shut down properly) to enable easier trouble shooting. Overall though, compared to other FPS titles that have bots (like Quake III), Unreal Tournament is certainly my favorite. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes this type of game, and to newer players who are just learning to enjoy a 3-D action environment.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
LiquidSnake
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Member: Marius
Location: Portland, OR
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 9 members
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