This is one of the best first person shooters with simply amazing multiplayer options. Great value for money
Unreal Tournament 2004 is by far the best game in the UT series. The first UT was good, the second one wasn’t, but the third has all the gameplay aspects in a near perfect balance.
Making a game with great graphics and a brilliant soundtrack is useless unless the game is as enjoyable as it is frustrating. This is where UT 2004 is right on the money because it offers fun gameplay for the First Person Shooter beginner and yet still poses a challenge for seasoned veterans of the genre. The game has a solid single player mode that takes a good length of time to complete (depending on skill and the level of difficulty). You get to pick your own character before you start and give him or her whatever name you feel best expresses yourself and then you play about through a few levels of training that get you acquainted with the game. After you have completed these challenges you get to pick your own team out from a group of potentials with whom you will play the rest of the tournament. These team members all have specific strengths and weaknesses that you will need to balance out with other members to create an evenly skilled overall team. Some even have favourite weapons that they will use if the opportunity arises.
Game Modes
There are a number of game modes available to play during the game and only four of them are covered in any great detail in the single player missions. The rest of them you either have to play in an instant action game against bots or online.
Deathmatch/Team Deathmatch
This game mode is pretty much self-explanatory and has been in the UT series since day one. You basically run around an arena collecting weapons and pickups and generally killing anything that moves, unless they are on your team of course. The winner is the person with the most kills at the end of the match. If you are in the mood for a bit of mindless maiming then you will enjoy playing deathmatches.
Double Domination
This can be one of the more infuriating modes of play due to the fact you need to hold two points in the game world at the same time for a specific period. It requires good offensive and defensive skills and more often than not results in long stalemates as opposing teams switch between the points. If you are playing with bots you will almost always need to give them specific instructions on where to go and what to do.
Assault
That’s right kids the Assault mode is back and its back with a vengeance. Cruelly taken away from gamers in UT 2003 this gamers favourite is back. In this mode there are two teams, one attacking and one defending. The attacking team must attempt to complete a set series of objectives in order to become victorious whilst the other team tries to thwart their efforts. In UT2004 this type of match is vastly improved over the first games’ effort with plenty of new and exciting objectives to complete. Assault matches can often be drawn out for long periods of time if the defending team gets a good foothold on their position and manages to beat back the other team.
Bombing Run
A new mode of play for 2004, bombing run sees two opposing teams battle it out over control of one ball. Each team must attempt to take the ball and throw it, or themselves into the other team’s goal, kind of like a bloody and violent game of football. Throwing yourself into the goal along with the ball results in a higher number of points being scored but sometimes results in death for that player.
Capture the flag
Everyone knows how to play this classic game, you just steal the other team’s flag and take it back to your own; sounds simple huh? Well think again because you need a good head for tactics to make sure you don’t leave your flag open to attack whilst also taking enough players with you to steal the other team’s flag. Dropping the flag at any point means it is open to either another player on your team picking up where you left off or an instantaneous return to the other team’s base by one of it’s members.
Onslaught
This was by far the most anticipated mode of play by the majority of players because it introduced huge outdoor maps and vehicle based combat to UT. You have to take over a series of “nodes” like playing a deadly connect the dots game in order to make a line to the other team’s power core, which you then need to destroy. Your nodes, if connected to one of the opposing colour will be open to attack and subsequent capture by the other team. Some of the vehicles can be a little hard to control at first, particularly the flying and hovering ones because of their high speed. This mode, perhaps more than most, is governed by your skills as a leader because there may be attacks on multiple fronts and the bots usually aren’t smart enough to get there in time. Left to their own devices your team will usually lose the battle so your role in this mode is a very active one. These are some of the longest matches in the game because of the back and forth style of play that goes on so get comfy.
Multiplayer
One of the best features of this game is the ability to jump right into online play with just a few mouseclicks, unlike the long and drawn out process of registering for an account before playing like some other games. Once you are in the game you can usually immediately integrate yourself into your team or start racking up some kills in a deathmatch. The online play can be fun but make sure you have practised before playing, as some members are very skilled, although there are usually games floating around that are just for beginners.
Conclusion
That about sums up the main aspects of this game although there is much more to discover by actually playing it. I would highly recommend this game on all fronts, but not for the replay value of the single player missions. If you enjoy FPS games you will really enjoy playing UT2004.