The Grand Daddy of all FPSs has arrived!! No amount of praise can be enough for this masterpiece.....
User Rating: 9.5 | Unreal Tournament (Best of Infogrames) PC
Down the line of all the so called “must-play” games comes along a title every now and then, which holds a class of its own. It’s these titles which are classic Game of the Year material, a gem amongst the rocks, which combine the best of their genre, add in their own spices, and voila! A recipe for success!! Yeah, I know I’ve sort of revealed the conclusion at the beginning of this review, but frankly speaking, I’d rather go and have another one-on-one than write up this review (something that’s quite an irony!!!) Anyway…….. Unreal Tournament comes across as another mindless shoot-everything-that-moves FPS, but it’s got much more than that. It can be easily mistaken as a Quake III rip-off, but couldn’t disagree more. We’ll come to that in a moment, but for those of you who’re still in the dark ages, UT is a gladiatorial combat themed game, which puts you in an “arena” with equally bloodthirsty opponents, and lets you fight your way to dominance. A crappy storyline does exist behind this entire theme, something about such combats being legalized and you being the one who’s supposed to dethrone the champion, but that’s not worth mentioning anyway…….. The theme of the game has been well implemented through 6 modes – Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Domination, Capture the Flag, Assault and Last Man Standing. While the basic gameplay in each mode remains the same (i.e., kicking your opponents’ a$$), there are subtle modifications for each style which make gameplay that much more enjoyable. While Deathmatch is a free-for-all mindless slugfest in which the person with the maximum kills (frags) wins, Domination throws in a new twist by forcing you to control certain strategic points on the map. The greater no. of “control points” you have, the greater are the increments in your score. Capture the Flag needs no introduction. It is something which plenty of games have implemented with reasonable success. The mode involves capturing the enemy flag from their base and returning it safely to your own base, all the while defending your own flag, obviously!! The Last Man Standing mode is a variant of the deathmatch mode, in which players are required to survive rather than score frags in order to win. You are given a certain no. of “lives” and you have to ensure that you don’t run out of them! The icing on the cake is, of course, the Assault mode. This mode throws you in a huge map, requiring your team to complete certain objectives in a particular order, all the while dealing with the opposing team, which, obviously, guards these objectives. Objectives vary from throwing switches, opening gates, destroying turrets etc., and must be completed within a time limit. If you manage to complete the objectives, you need to defend them in your turn, for the same amount of time your team took while assaulting the base……. whew!!! Plenty of fireworks, I can assure you!!! Coming to the maps, they are absolutely spectacular! The creativity of these guys really shows in these breathtaking arenas. Maps are both open and closed, and both kinds have been rendered to utmost detail. They are complete with strategically placed weapons and power-ups, convenient spawn points, sniper points, secret areas and of course, absolute eye candy! The weapons have been superbly modeled as well. There are in all 10 weapons, ranging from the accurate bursts of the Shock Rife to the raw power of the Rocket Launcher and the absolute dominance of the Redeemer. Each weapon offers two firing modes, and all of them have their uses. With powerups like Mega Health and Double Damage, each match has the potential to turn head over heels in an instant. The sound department lives up to the expectations as well. Effects for all the entire game, including gunshots, groans, taunts et al have been accurately presented. The sound in such a fast paced game is of utmost importance, as you need to know who’s creeping up behind you, ready to blow you away!! The game offers full support for the EAX standard, which satisfies the best in the business. As far as the background score is concerned, it is generally fast paced rock/metal in most cases, and blends well with the gameplay. The game features a Single Player mode, in which you create a player and move him through the stages in the tournament, unlocking further game modes as you move along. There’s a Practice Mode, which pits you against AI controlled bots in any arena and Game mode you choose. However, the real fun comes when you take the game online and pit yourself with players of equal, if not greater intelligence. The game supports a max. of 16 simultaneous connections. And owing to the immense popularity of the game, you’ll find someone online even at the oddest hours. There are a plethora of servers to choose from. Latency rates are generally low, and fragging your best friend was never so much fun. Tired of beating up the dumb computer?? Pit yourself against the pros waiting to slaughter you online!! It’s really difficult to point out flaws in such a damn perfect game. Personally, apart from the horrible opening sequence, and the crappy storyline, there’s nothing much you can crib about. Full marks to Epic for making their stand in a genre so dominated by the Dooms and the Quakes, and for coming forward with a game to stand the test of time. An awesome singleplayer, an even better multiplayer, great graphics, great sound and voiceovers………. What more could you ask for??? If you haven’t played this gem, you should be ashamed of calling yourself a gamer! In a Nutshell :- Pluses Awesome gameplay Great graphics and sound Superb Multiplayer Possibly too addictive!! Minuses Crappy storyline Just too addictive
