Atari announces special edition Unreal Tournament 2004

Atari will be releasing a special addition of its PC shooter Unreal Tournament 2004 this fall. Called the Editor's Choice Edition, the special version will add new maps to the onslaught game mode, in addition to new characters and several of the best user-created mods. The game will retail for $39.99.

The new onslaught maps will include both unseen and previously released battlefields. In addition, there will be three new vehicles available in the onslaught mode, including a two-seat air vehicle called the Cicada, apparently named after the insects that terrorized the Eastern Seaboard earlier this summer. The other two vehicles include a tank called the Paladin and the Self-Propelled Mobile Artillery, a long-range artillery vehicle.

Six new characters will also join the fray. Two MetalGuard mercenaries, two Mecha Skaarj, and two Necris characters will be available to players. Rounding out the offerings will be several of the best entries in Epic's ongoing "Make Something Unreal" mod-creation contest, which is sponsored by Nvidia.

Today's announcement follows yesterday's news that Midway had secured publishing rights to three upcoming Unreal games. Citing differences in plans for the franchise, Atari felt that it was time to move on from the 10-year relationship that it had with Unreal developer Epic. The longtime publisher of the Unreal series said that it would continue to help sell the games that it had released, a statement supported by the Editor's Choice Edition of Unreal Tournament 2004.