UNREAL TOURNAMENT Review II - Part 2

One thing that disappointed me (I don't know about the rest of you) about Q3A was the range of weapons, which I found were somewhat lacking in something. They were big, they were meaty (not in the way YOU'RE thinking!) but they weren't really that varied and stayed too faithful to the stereotypical Quake guns....and while this couldn't be helped ('cos let's face it: if you didn't have a BFG, it just wouldn't be Quake, would it?), it would still have been refreshing not to be using the same old guns.

Unreal Tournament's weapons, on the other hand, are the most varied arsenal this side of Turok 2. And some of them are also the most goddamn bizzare guns you'll ever lay eyes on. Where else, my good man, would you find the Bio-Rifle (a gun which propels balls of radioactive "bio-sludge")? Nowhere, that's for sure! And Unreal Tournament's weapons are far more varied than Q3A's guns.....and the welcome "secondry function" gives them an added kick. Although it's a great game, Unreal Tournament does have its' downsides.

Sadly, and I MEAN sadly, is that the framerate suffers GREATLY on some occasions, especially when there's you and 7 or so other players crammed into the screen, firing off rockets and running and jumping around like there's no tomorrow. This rather big niggle can seriously damage your feelings for the game, and although it doesn't spoil the game entirely, it does kick you a big kick in the knackers (metaphorically speaking, of course!).

Unreal Tournament's other minus point is that its' guns, although varied and great fun to use, just don't feel as big or as meaty as those in Q3A. Add to this, the rather lacklustre single player mode, and you'll soon be questioning Unreal Tournament's quality as a videogame. But for those 3 major down pointers, Unreal Tournament has simply LOADS going for it, and it's definately one of the best first person shoot-em-ups you're EVER likely to play, on the Dreamcast or any other console. It's got great graphics, music, sound effects, gameplay and level design...and if you're looking for a worthy companion to the likes of Quake 3 Arena and Outtrigger, go and get yourself some Unreal Tournament.

UNREAL TOURNAMENT Review I - Part 1

As a learned philosopher once said, “I frag, therefore I am.” This pearl of wisdom is as true today as it was in ancient Greece. Unreal Tournament has several game modes. Deathmatch is a straightforward race to reach a set number of frags, Team Deathmatch is the same idea but the players are split into two to four teams, Capture the Flag is a competition to capture the enemy team’s flag whilst defending your own base and flag, and in Domination your team protects a number of bases in the level and the more bases that are your team colour, the faster you reach the target score.

In the one-player game, you work your way through a series of Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Domination levels. The levels get progressively harder, due to the increasing skill of the bots (computer players). Multi-player mode offers split screen slaughter for 2-4 players with the option of adding bots to the game as well. So that’s the game, but what about the weapons? This is what sets Unreal Tournament ahead of the rest. There are no less than 12 different weapons; chainsaw, impact hammer, handgun, bio-sludge cannon, shock rifle, plasma rifle, the ripper, machine guns, flak cannon, rocket launcher, sniper rifle and the Redeemer, an enormous cannon that fires a short-range nuclear missile that you can guide around the level yourself!

When you fire it, the view changes to the missile’s perspective and you can steer it towards your target. Ah yes, there is nothing more satisfying than homing in on your opponent and seeing their face as the missile hits it and then explodes! Well, of course zooming in on someone and getting a Head Shot is also very satisfying, because their head goes flying off as you watch their body slump to the floor. And now that you mention it, firing a volley of rockets and watching someone explode in a shower of fleshy chunks and blood that splatters the floor and walls nearby also puts a big grin on your face!!