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Unreal Tournament

 
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Unreal Tournament
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Game Description

Unreal Tournament offers an experience that is complete and enhanced for online gaming, while maintaining a solid single player mode. Over 30 unique levels, from speeding trains and floating castles to pirate ships await the fan longing for team-based, first person action.

A combination of new and old (from the original game) weapons are ready for wielding and unmerciful gameplay. The Impact Hammer, for example, mushes opponents into a fine paste, while the Redeemer nukes anything foolish enough to stand in its path.

Single player action requires players to guide their team against hardened criminal scum, some of the worst known to mankind, or offers an introduction to multi-player action. Novices at Unreal Tournament have the opportunity to train and learn skills in a non-intimidating environment and increase the skill level commensurate with their progress. With the capability to play up to 15 Bots (AI controlled players) simultaneously, Unreal Tournament practice can simulate the online experience.

The online aspect of Unreal Tournament brings with it the chance to challenge a combination of up to 16 humans or AI controlled Bots in Capture the Flag, Assault, Domination and new variations to Deathmatch. Most importantly, those without Unreal need not fret as Unreal Tournament is a stand-alone title that does not require installation of the original game.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Unreal Tournament is a title influenced by the natural progression of increasing Internet connection speeds, more powerful computers, and the traditional multi-player 'deathmatch'.

Several years ago, mention of a game geared almost solely towards Internet play would have been unheard of. However, with the factors mentioned above, popularity of multi-player and increasing multi-player speeds being the most prominent, a title like Unreal Tournament definately has a place in the gaming world.

Featuring highly advanced graphics, several modes of gameplay, and an unprecedented concentration on multi-player, Unreal Tournament is helping to pave the way for the direction first-person shooters will evolve. Already, the market has Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena, two wildly popular, almost solely multi-player, titles.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Unreal Tournament is a glowing, shining beacon in a sea of multi-player games. Beckoning wayward gamers from abroad, Unreal Tournament promises much more than just an eye candy experience.

Unreal Tournament's visuals are second to none. Using a modified version of the Unreal engine, the game is smoother and slicker than a sheet of ice. While the texture definition is not as precise as with competitor Quake III Arena, the levels are still eye pleasing. The characters, special effects, weapons and game lighting have all been expertly crafted to bring a visual experience that rises above the competition. The sparse selection of player models is about the only gripe I have about the graphics in Unreal Tournament.

While Unreal Tournament is a stunning game for the multi-player enthusiast, concerns were raised when the game was created about its "offline" appeal. For those wishing to play single player, this game most certainly does not disappoint. The difficulty levels of 'bots, computer opponents who simulate the people you play online, can be toggled to meet your current skill level and to help train yourself for bigger and better challenges. Before you play online, I suggest playing with some 'bots to get the feel for how you move, how opponents move and how your weapons work.

I found the control to be easily configurable to tailor my personal first person shooter preferences. One of my favorite control options was the jump to the left or right my character would do when I'd tap the "strafe right" or "strafe left" key twice. Many a time I narrowly avoided a hallway of inbound rockets with this simple, yet effective, maneuver. For control, I used just mouse and keyboard and found it to be quite effective.

What fantastic level design! It is impeccable and superb. The quality (or lack thereof) of levels in a game, especially a first-person shooter, can really either make or break the game. Unreal Tournament's level design keeps your gaming experience a pulse-pounding, on-the-edge-of-your-seat event. "Spawn" areas near some popular camping spots dissuade "campers" and keep you on your toes. Even a recently spawned enemy armed only with the machine gun can be an admirable foe when your back is turned and you're sniping away.

What really has Unreal Tournament out of the gate ahead of competitors is the large myriad of options available for online play. Sure, you can still have that good old "gib-fest" but you aren't limited to it. Different game types in Unreal Tournament include Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Domination and Assault.

Deathmatch is fairly self-explanatory. Either you fight with a team against another team or fight against everyone. The goal? Kill, that's it. However, Unreal Tournament goes beyond the mundane deathmatches of the past. Weapon-specific matches can be set up (flak arena, pulse arena, rocket launcher arena, shock arena, chainsaw melee and sniper arena) and other fantastically inventive options exist in the game.

Options include InstaGib, reminiscent of Golden Gun mode in GoldenEye 007 where every shot kills, JumpMatch, which grants everyone GravBoots that stay on forever, Low Gravity (self-explanatory), No Powerups and Stealth Mode where all players are invisible.

Capture the Flag is just that. Big guns, big bases and big excitement await in this team-based mode. Each team has a flag and the goal is to steal the enemy flag and return it to your base. The catch? Your flag must be in your base to score. This version of Capture the Flag first made its rounds in a Quake mod and has grown by leaps and bounds in Unreal Tournament. Fun, challenging and fast-paced, it's hard to get tired of Capture the Flag.

Domination, unfortunately, does not involve women clad in tight leather outfits wielding whips and chains. Rather, there are symbols throughout the level that you must capture by touching them and then hold. Players of the multi-player game Starsiege Tribes will remember this style. For every second you hold the symbol, you are awarded points. The round ends when a certain amount of points has been reached. Frustration, strategy and teamwork are all elements of Domination.

The final mode is Assault. Quite possibly one of the most addictive gaming modes of Unreal Tournament, teams rally against each other to finish certain goals faster. One team sets out to accomplish preset goals while the other team tries to stall their progress. Once the goals have all been finished, the teams switch roles and the other team tries to accomplish the goals faster than the first team. Assault will make an insomniac out of you. I guarantee it.

For your buck, Unreal Tournament performs better than a shoe-polishing monkey who can sing like Frank Sinatra in German. If you call yourself a fan of the first person shooter genre or multi-player gaming and don't have this title, you should reconsider who you are as a gamer (or pick it up!). Personally, Unreal Tournament ranks highly on my "favorite games of all time" chart.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

I love Unreal Tournament. What more can I say?
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Level design, lighting, characters, weapon effects and special effects are the stuff dreams are made of. Unreal Tournament looks amazing.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Even better than the graphics? The sound! It is incredibly difficult to describe the aural pleasure derived from music, weapon sounds and the game itself. You really have to hear it to understand.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

Online means every game is different. With the choices of modes as well, you'll never play the same game twice.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

Comprehensive instruction manual and helpful website.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide
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Wikipedia: Unreal Tournament
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Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament U.S. PC box cover
Developer(s) Epic Games, Digital Extremes
Publisher(s) GT Interactive
Engine Unreal Engine 1
Version 436
Platform(s) Dreamcast, Linux,
Mac OS, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, Windows
Release date(s) PC

November 30, 1999[1]
PlayStation 2
October 23, 2000[1]
Dreamcast
March 14, 2001[1]
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) ELSPA: 15+
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
Media CD-ROM (2)
System requirements see System requirements
Input methods Keyboard, Mouse

Unreal Tournament is a first-person shooter video game co-developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It was published in 1999 by GT Interactive. Retrospectively, the game has also been referred to as UT99 or UT Classic to differentiate it from its numbered sequels. The game is based on the same technology that powered Unreal, but the design of UT shifted the series' focus to competitive multiplayer action, a trend at the time: id Software's Quake III Arena was released only ten days later.

Contents

Gameplay

Screenshot of Unreal Tournament.
Main article: Unreal (series)

UT was designed as an arena FPS, with head-to-head multiplayer deathmatches being the primary focus of the game. The game's single-player campaign is essentially a series of arena matches played with bots. For team matches, bots are again used to fill the roles of the player's teammates. Even on dedicated multiplayer servers, bots are sometimes used to pad out teams that are short on players.

UT is known and widely praised[2] for its bot A.I., the product of programmer Steve Polge who had earlier risen to fame by designing the Reaper Bot for Quake[3], one of the earliest examples of an effective deathmatch bot. The player can choose a bot skill level (anywhere from "Novice" to "Godlike") or set it to automatically adjust to the player's performance. Bots can be further customized by changing names, appearance, accuracy, weapon preferences, awareness, and so forth.

Game types

  • Deathmatch: A classic every-man-for-himself player vs. player combat. The objective is to out-frag all opposing players.
  • Team Deathmatch: Teams compete together to out-frag the opponent team. Like Capture the Flag and Domination in this version—and unlike subsequent releases—four teams were allowed: Red, Blue, Green and Gold.
  • Capture the Flag: Classic Capture the Flag. Players compete to capture the other team's flag and return it to their base. Competitive teams must use a great deal of teamplay. Both teams must defend the base from incoming attackers and get into the other team's base, take their flag and return to base. This requires that the team protect their flag carrier very well from enemies in order to complete their objective.
  • Domination: Teams compete to control various control points to earn points and win the map. Standard maps contain three control points. Control of these points is initially accomplished through occupation (physically occupying the space), but control of a point continues until a player from another team occupies the space. The more control points one team controls, the faster it gains points.
  • Last Man Standing: Similar to Deathmatch, the objective here is to remain alive longer than your opponents, putting an emphasis on number of deaths rather than kills. Players start with all weapons available, fully loaded, and have a set number of lives. Power-ups, including health and ammunition packs, are unavailable. Once a player runs out of lives they lose and have to wait as spectators until the match ends.
  • Assault: This game type is played with two opposing teams, one assaulting a "base" and the other defending it. The map is set up with a number of objectives which the attacking team must complete (usually in sequence) such as destroying something, entering an area, triggering a button, et cetera. The team who first attacks then defends, and attempts to defend for the entire time they attacked. If they can accomplish this, they win the map. If the team defending first assaults the base faster than the other team, they win the map. If both teams defend for the maximum amount of time the map is a tie.

Reception

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings Mac: 96% (1 review)[4]
PC: 94% (22 reviews)[5]
Dreamcast: 88% (23 reviews)[6]
Playstation 2: 77% (46 reviews)[7]
Metacritic PC: 92/100 (21 reviews)[8]
PS2: 77/100 (23 reviews)[9]
Dreamcast: 90/100 (17 reviews)[10]
Review scores
Publication Score
Eurogamer 10/10[11]
Game Revolution 9.1/10[12]
GameSpot 9.5/10[13]
GameSpy 94/100[14]
IGN 9.6/10[15]
Awards
Computer Gaming World Game of the Year[16]
GameSpy: Game of the Year[16]
Gamespot: Action Game of the Year[16]
CNET: Multiplayer Game of the Year[16]
Macworld: Game Hall of Fame (1999)[17]

Unreal Tournament received wide critical acclaim.[4][5][8] Mainstream press reviews praised the graphics, gameplay, maps and multiplayer capabilities of the game. Computer Shopper concluded "Quake may have spawned the online deathmatch, but Unreal Tournament has taken it to the next level with its amazing graphics and fast-paced action. Online or off, this game rules!"[18] In March 2000, Unreal Tournament was second on a list of best-selling games in Computer Dealer News trade magazine, behind Quake III Arena.[19]

At Game Rankings, the Windows version of Unreal Tournament holds an average review score of 94%.[5] Gamespot praised Unreal Tournament's graphics, noting "As good as the original Unreal looked, Unreal Tournament looks even better. The character models and skins look excellent, and there are quite a few choices to make when designing your character."[13] Gamespot also praised the multiplayer gameplay, weapons and level design: "The first-person shooter genre is fiercely competitive. But Unreal Tournament rises above the rest with its solid multiplayer performance, from its good weapon balance to its great level design."[13] The game was similarly reviewed by GameSpy, who concluded: "Unreal Tournament raises the bar for first person teamplay games. This game is stuffed with content and polished until it gleams."[14]

The Macintosh version of Unreal Tournament was equally praised. Macworld dubbed it the "Best network shooter for the Mac", and gave it the Game Hall of Fame award in 1999.[17] In its review, Macworld editor Christopher Breen stated: "If the violence and hardware requirements don't unsettle you, you'll find Unreal Tournament nothing but unwholesome, bloody fun."[17]

The Playstation 2 and Dreamcast releases did not fare as well as the PC versions. The PS2 version has an average review score of 77% at Game Ratings.[7] GameSpy criticized the graphics of the PS2 version, saying "Graphically, the PS2 version of Unreal Tournament seems uninspired."[20] Its conclusion stated "Sluggish gameplay, somewhat washed out colors and textures".[20] In addition to this, the PS2 version only allowed multiplayer games on 11 maps (7 deathmatch and 4 capture the flag). A novel (but relatively unused feature) is the ability to connect a keyboard and mouse through the PS2's USB ports. Players could then play in a similar manner to the PC version. This also allowed for up to 3 players without the use of a Playstation 2 Multitap.

The Dreamcast version has an average review score of 88%.[6] GameSpy's review said: "Well, believe it or not, there are lots of annoying features that drag the game down".[21] GameSpy cited both slow framerate speeds and low sound quality as problems with the Dreamcast version.[21]

Competition

Unreal Tournament was played at the World Cyber Games in the years of 2001[22] and 2002[23] where the title was contended for in a deathmatch 1 vs 1 environment. This is where UT was played on an international scale, where players from all around the world went head to head to see who would be crowned world champion.[24]

Place WCG 2001[25] WCG 2002[26]
1st Germany GitzZz Germany GitzZz
2nd United States XS|Pain United Kingdom Shaggy
3rd France XaN New Zealand eVeNfLoW

Modification

As Unreal Tournament is a popular game, many fans have taken advantage of the chance to create mods for the game. These range from slight changes on some aspects of gameplay (such as map voting) or to total conversions. One modification ChaosUT became popular enough that it was included with the 'Game of the Year' edition of the game, while Tactical Ops was released as a stand alone retail product.

Another popular mod, released by co-creator Digital Extremes, is "Relics", which adds items to the game which have various effects on the player who obtains them. Relics include Vengeance (when the player holding it dies, a skull appears at the point of death and then explodes in a similar fashion to the Redeemer); Defense (which lessens the damage done by weapons); Speed (which gives the holding player a boost in speed); Redemption (which teleports the holding player to a different area when the player's health meter is at 0); Strength (which boosts the damage done by the player's weapons); and Regeneration (which regularly increases the player's health by 10 points).

As with the original Unreal, the ease with which players can create and release mods to the core game is a key factor contributing to UT's longevity. UT improved upon the mod-friendly nature of its predecessor with support for mutators such as Sniper Arena, Instagib, JumpMatch, Low Gravity and more. Further, UT clans, or gaming teams, and a score of UT dedicated clan and fan community sites continue to sustain Unreal Tournament's popularity years after its initial release.

Cancelled sequel

In 2000 Digital Extremes announced a game with the name Dark Sector which was planned as a spiritual successor to Unreal Tournament and "the next step in the first person action gaming experience by blending the intense action elements of Unreal Tournament with the scope and character evolution of a persistent online universe"[27]. It was to feature an early clan/syndicate support[28], team battles, ladder matches and Space flight gameplay. However, the game (in this form) never would see the light of day as the original plan was scrapped. The title would resurface in 2004 with an entirely new focus and being developed for the seventh generation of video game consoles.

Music

Main article: Unreal Tournament soundtracks
Unreal Tournament theme
The Unreal Tournament theme music written by Alexander Brandon
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The soundtrack for the game was primarily written by Alexander "Siren" Brandon, Michiel "M.C.A." van den Bos, Andrew "Necros" Sega, and Dan "Basehead" Gardopée, the same music artists who wrote the Unreal soundtrack, although only Brandon and Van Den Bos remained credited for it. The game (in contrast to Quake, which used CD audio) employed tracker music, which resulted in a considerably good sound quality with very little size trade-off.

Two additional tracks were contributed: one ("firebr.umx") by Tero "Teque" Kostermaa and Kai-Eerik "Nitro" Komppa, and one ("razor-ub.umx") by Peter "Skaven" Hajba. These, however, remained uncredited for reasons unknown—Hajba's credits are in fact still intact in the instrument data in the file itself, and the original version of Kostermaa's song is available from his website,[1] although there are various differences. Users, such as map makers, may also add custom soundtracks to maps using UnrealED. Game composer Frank Klepacki was impressed by Alexander Brandon's contributions to the soundtrack.[29]

System requirements

Official system requirements
Minimum Recommended
Windows[30]
Operating System Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me and NT4.0 or XP
CPU Intel Pentium 200 MHz Intel Pentium II 266 MHz
Memory 32 MB 64 MB
Hard Drive Space 120 MB of free space 605 MB of free space
Network Internet connection required for online multiplayer
Macintosh[31]
Operating System Mac OS 7.6 or higher
CPU PowerPC 603e 200 MHz or faster
Memory 64 MB
Hard Drive Space 120 MB of free space

References

  1. ^ a b c "Unreal Tournament (1999) (VG) - Release dates". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284592/releaseinfo. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  2. ^ Metacritic page for Unreal Tournament
  3. ^ Unreal Tournament website - UT History
  4. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament Reviews (Mac)". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/576063.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  5. ^ a b c "Unreal Tournament Reviews (PC)". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages4/191945.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  6. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament Reviews (DC)". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/369548.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  7. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament Reviews (PS2)". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/913963.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  8. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament (PC: 1999) Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/unrealtournament. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  9. ^ "Unreal Tournament (PS2: 2000) Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/unrealtournament. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  10. ^ "Unreal Tournament (Dreamcast: 2001) Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/drm/unrealtournament. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  11. ^ "Unreal Tournament PC Review". Eurogamer. 1999-12-04. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=98. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  12. ^ "Unreal Tournament review for the PC". Game Revolution. 1999-12-01. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pc/unreal_tournament. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  13. ^ a b c "PC Unreal Tournament Review". Gamespot. 1999-12-09. http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/unrealtournament/review.html?mode=gsreview. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  14. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament review for the PC". Gamespy. 1999-12-01. http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/reviews/unrealtournament_a.shtm. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  15. ^ "Unreal Tournament Review". IGN. 1999-12-06. http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/160/160821p1.html. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
  16. ^ a b c d "GT Interactive and Epic Games Earn Coveted 'Game of the Year' Honors for 'Unreal Tournament'". Business Wire. February 17, 2000. pp. 1261. 
  17. ^ a b c Breen, Christopher (May 2000). "Unreal Tournament (Software Review)". Macworld: pp. 46. 
  18. ^ Vega, Peter (April 2000). "Unreal Tournament: A Blast That Will Last". Computer Shopper: pp. 139. 
  19. ^ "Off the Shelf Best Selling Titles.". Computer Dealer News: pp. 43. March 10, 2000. 
  20. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament Review (PS2)". PlanetPS2 (GameSpy). IGN. November 22, 2000. http://www.planetps2.com/features/reviews/nov00/unrealtournament/index2.shtml. Retrieved 2008-05-06. 
  21. ^ a b "Unreal Tournament Review (Dreamcast)". PlanetDreamcast (GameSpy). IGN. http://www.planetdreamcast.com/games/reviews/unrealtournament/index2.shtml. Retrieved 2008-05-06. 
  22. ^ WCG Official Website
  23. ^ WCG Official Website
  24. ^ WCG Official Website
  25. ^ http://www.wcg.com/6th/tournament/2001/tm_match_medalist.asp
  26. ^ http://www.wcg.com/6th/tournament/2002/tm_match_medalist.asp
  27. ^ The Darker Sector - www.darkersector.com - We Live, eat, and excrete Dark Sector
  28. ^ neuer Spieler: Die 10 besten Spiele, die es nie gab!
  29. ^ Frank Klepacki (2008-11-08). "Interview of Frank Klepacki". http://www.gameplaylist.org/?p=3. Retrieved 15 June 2009. 
  30. ^ "Game Details for Unreal Tournament (PC)". IGN. http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/010/010821.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 
  31. ^ "Game Details for Unreal Tournament (Mac)". IGN. http://uk.mac.ign.com/objects/013/013664.html. Retrieved 2008-05-05. 

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