Customer Reviews

Unreal Tournament 2004

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unreal has always been my favorite of all the 1st person frag fests. This game has everything that was good about about the previous games like the pumped up announcer and varied weapons each with 2 different modes. And it adds on even more incredible features like vehical combat, adrenaline combos, an a really fun basketball type game. It plays great with all features turned on with a Radeon 9800 - the best card available on Macs.

Also, unlike the PC version which is like 6 CD-ROM's, this is a single DVD. It makes for a very convenient install and storage.

It took this game to pull me off of Halo multiplayer! Sure it looks better than Halo (on my setup), but, to my surprise, it looks and plays better than UT2003 as well. Its obvious that all of the original maps were redone for 2k4- especially my old UT fav- Facing Worlds... shweeet (I believe it's called CTF-FaceWorlds Classic)! Really, when I first joined a game with this map I spent the first moments looking around like a tourist in Times Square for the first time- sometimes you guys look too easy to rob! lol Actually, it's not funny, I've seen tourists get mugged for not paying attention.

Anyway. My setup is a single CPU FW800 MDD 1GHz G4/1GB RAM/OS X.3.3/Radeon9000Pro OEM/64MB VRAM (yes, I'm one of the few buyers of this model) and I must admit that this game performs quite admirably on this system. I'm running at 800x600@32bit color/textures and all other options turned on and set to Normal (textures/details, etc.- except for Coronas that, although they look nice, they ultimately obstruct one's view when encountered). Don't underestimate the Normal settings, either, this game is beautiful at these settings! I find this a perfect balance of performance and real time graphical beauty although we all love to play at as high a resolution as possible- I'll readdress this after I get my tax refund because I KNOW I'm going to get an ATi Radeon9800- even though I shouldn't (Amazon should sell these...).

One of the only caveats I have is questioning the option of enabling dynamic net speeds. For awhile I thought my firewall (I use Firewalk X if anyone cares to know) was slowing things down and pressing F1 (which reports scores, info, pings, etc.) would show that I'd a disgustingly high ping- deselecting 'dynamic netspeed' dropped me back down to my regular cable modem pings. I can only imagine that this would only benefit modem users (if it's intended for that so be it- we don't need no steenkin manual!), aka "HPBs" from the QuakeIII days. Another small caveat would be that the game requires the game disc be in the drive- no biggie, we all have to get used to this one.

Although I happily accept the inclusion and heavy utilization of vehicles I kind of wish Epic had borrowed from Bungie as far as their control- but I'm sure its just something we have to accustom ourselves, to- especially as this setup is more useful (again, AFAIK) with using the gun turrets which are on most vehicles.

I also adore the novel idea of getting $10 for buying this if you already own UT2003 (if it's not novel in the game software world please feel free to correct me)- and it's a really good price even if you're just buying into Unreal Tournament, AFAIK.

Well... frag ya L8R!

Mental note: Don't end posts with a cornball remark...

Well there is nothing stopping you now! The best multiplayer out there is Counter-Strike: Source with the HL2 engine but CS is not a blast `em up and is extremely tactical with a `one death and you are out' type gaming experience in small maps. Since HL2 is totally devoid of another multiplayer then what is the next best frag? Answer - UT2004 of course!

UT2004 is multiplayer all the way. Like UT2003 it has a single player/team co-op that spans the course of what is close to 120 + maps. 120 HUGE MAPS! So basically the single player mode is one big frag-a-thon on some fantastic maps of your choice. The bots have all preset AI or configurable ones meaning that having 30 bots chasing after you on GOD mode is quite possible - not that you will win or anything. So the AI is well up there in single player mode which, although has a massive number of maps, lacks one thing - a story.

A story however is not what UT is all about. UT is about fragging and team play - i.e., LAN parties and INTERNET gaming is the main reason to own UT2004. Did you ever want to fight in that huge battle like at the end of Episode II? Well there is a game mode called ONSALUGHT that lets 18 vs. 18 pit it out against each other taking down node points so that they can be king of the other's castle by blasting up the core. It really does play like that battle scenes of EP II with tanks on the ground, 30+ characters to choose from, several aircraft, ground vehicle, all can be piloted by you, with up to 10 weapons of your choice, each with alternative fire buttons. In the vast maps there are a million ways to die and a million strategies to choose from. There are also some nice new movements like double tap quick strafe and double jumping.

What of the graphics? STUNNING! The graphics in the trailer or screenshots do not do the game any justice. Watch the end of Episode II. It is more like that. Run this game on a Radeon 9800 and you will not stop playing multiplayer for the next 12 months... that is until UT2005 comes out. Realistically enough you can actually fight this first person shooter in 3rd person mode!

In short this game is like it says on the box - UNREAL.

Pros:

- Awesome maps.
- Vehicles!
- Outstanding graphics.
- A fast game engine with nice crash physics.
- 100% Blast `em up.
- Internet 32 player Games!
- Onslaught game type.

Cons:

- Huge 6 CD install.
- Learning curve is high for 1st person shooter.
- Character movement is bit too fast.
- You need the internet to experience UT2004 fully.

Oh, how I was hyped for this game. I waited and waited for it. I couldn't wait to rip open the package and pop it in my iMac. And you know what? (Now at this point, I'm sure you're expecting me to say "Well it sucked" or something like that. Not quite.) UT2k4 lives up to the hype!

This game is fast online FPS fun at its finest! Not only do you get all the UT2k3 maps, you get the official bonus maps and 45+ plus new maps as well! Naturally, servers only put a few in rotation, but you'll still find a great variety. Even better, if you enter a server using a new Windows-only official map, you download it automatically. In addition to new maps, you get all those great vehicles in Onslaught mod. If you liked the first two UT games, you'll freak over this one.

UT2k4 runs fairly well on my standard 17-inch iMac. Lag spurts are few and far between and occur mainly on overcrowded onsluaght maps. However, you'll definitely want to upgrade your RAM (or do whatever you need to for making your comp faster) if you're into Assault mode. Most Assault maps are completely unplayable, and the Single Player FMVs are a little jittery when played on "normal" settings.

Yeah... and then there are some negatives. Guess what? Whenever you try to use a microphone (built into iMac or plugged into G4/G5 port) the game freezes. Whoops! Macsoft screwed up big time. Hopefully, they'll release a patch. Hopefully. Until then, you have a keyboard. But what kept me from giving this exhilerating game a solid five stars is the fact that Macsoft neglected to tell first-time UT buyers (like me) that THE UNREAL EDITOR IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE MAC VERSION OF UT2K4!!! Got it? Well, I certainly didn't. I shouldn't have to do research to find out Macsoft didn't even attempt to put it in their port. C'mon Macsoft! At least give us an editing pack or something!

Well, with all of that said, I really enjoyed UT2k4. Long story short: Like FPSs? Have a Mac? Buy this.

Okay the only FPS that can compare to UT 2004 is Halo. Heres how UT 2004 stacks up: Halo takes the single player catagory barely because in halo theres an actual story line UT is more just levels in a tournement(really all its doing is preping you for online play). Halo takes a less powerful computer to run but if u want halo in all its glory u should probabley use a 1ghz processer same for UT 2004. The graphics are pretty much equal. The guns and vehicles are better in UT and there are more guns and vehicles. UT destroys Halo online, UT has better games u can play,more of them,less lag,more players per game. I vote UT over Halo. Also even though UT requires a better sustem i found that UT ran better on my eMac G4 1.25 GHZ 1 mb of RAM 140 GB and a ATI Radeon 9200

This has been one of the most refreshing games I've bought in a long time. It's got amazing detail for a first-person shooter and a good variety of gameplay types.

The best thing I find about UT 2004 is how expandable it is. You can find a great variety of maps, weapons, characters, vehicles, gametypes, practically anything online. Not since the days of Bungie's Marathon series have I seen a game with such a great ability to create new ways of playing (although unfortunately they do not have the editing tools for Mac).

It's also not a huge graphics hog...I run this on an 800MHz G4 w/ 32MB video card and 768MB RAM (which is technically under min. specs) and I get great performance and graphics on all but the biggest, most complex levels. Just make sure you have the hard drive space: it's a 6GB install and any add-ons you install can mount up quickly (I added another 2GB within a few weeks).

All in all, if you're looking for a FPS that is expandable and offers a lot of replay value, this game's for you.

The outline.

WEAPONS(17):Assault Rifle,Minigun,Flak Cannon,Sniper Rifle,Lightning Gun,Ion Painter, Redeemer,Shock Rifle,Shield Gun,Rocket launcher,Mine Layer, AVRiL,Biorifle,Link Gun, Target Painter(calls in air strike), Grenade launcher,Translocator.

Vehicles(9): Goliath(Tank),Hellbender(HumV like thing), Manta, Scorpion(looks like a warthog from Halo), Raptor(Land flight craft),Leviathan(OH MY GOSH! THATS POWERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!), Pheonix(Bomber), Human Starfighter,Skaarj Starfighter.

Turrets(4) Ion Cannon,[Skaarj] Mothership Turret, Link Turret,Minigun Turret.

Main Taunts(4):A** Smack, point, throat cut,Pelvic Thrust.

Other(7): Health, Health Pack, Keg o Health, Shield Pack, Super Shield Pack, Double Damage, Adrenaline.

Combat Modes(10): Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Assault, Onslaught, Invasion, Double Domination, Bombing Run, Last Man Standing, Mutant.

THE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!

Their were to many characters to describe. Unreal Tournament 2004 is one of the best games I've played since Halo. Unlike some other games, this game is set in an arena based setting. The single player has several levels in this order: Qualification, Team Qualification, Ladder, Tournament Finals. If there is any level after that I have never heard of it(I haven't beaten the game yet lol). Weapon wise, the Redeemer and Ion Painter are the best, but they have an extremely large blast radius so keep your distance.


Pros:
1. Large selection of weapons.
2.Hard Levels(Not including the Qualification rounds)
3.Many challenging game modes.

Cons:
1.Game freezes if too many players.
2.AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! No more cons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Xan is a leader, Along with Malcolm, Abbadon, and Gorge.

THIS GAME IS AWESOME!
AND ITS SO BLOODY!
THE GRAPHICS ARE AWESOME!
YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING!!
WORTH ALL THE SPACE IT TAKES UP!
(a couple gigs...not bad)
But overall A++++++

I've always been a big fan of the Unreal series. I've followed every one of the releases up to this very day. In my opinion, Unreal Tournament 2004 (UT2k4) is still the best of the series. It just has so much going for it. Tons of weapons, maps, and gameplay modes. Not to mention the mass of players online as well. It's been about 5 years since the game's release and there are still people playing this game! Easy to pick up, hard to master. One of the few FPS fathers of the previous genre that is still going strong (along with Half Life, Quake, and Doom), I'd recommend this game to anyone in a heartbeat.

This game is fantastic.
It runs wonderfully on my 13inch Macbook with 1Gb ram, and It doesn't need the disk to play!
The action is vivid and intense, and often the maps provoke the most hectic gameplay possible. The single player isn't very fun, but the Multiplayer is great! There is a huge variety of weapons, etc. to use for combat.

I love this game, and I reccomend it to any First Person Shooter fans out there... especially playing on macs.