Customer Reviews

Unreal Tournament 2004

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.
- DVD install!

Cons:

- Huge 6 CD install if you do not get the DVD version.
- Learning curve is high for 1st person shooter.
- Character movement is bit too fast.
- You need the internet to experience UT2004 fully.

This game is incredible. It is the game that keeps on giving. Containing all the maps and gameplay styles found in UT2k3, 2k4 adds more maps and more gamplay styles, most notably: onslaught. Onslaught is worth the price tag alone and the DVD version is practically essential. The single DVD replaces the 6 CDs and the headache associated with installing from that many discs.

Already now there is a Community Bonus Pack free for download that adds tons more levels and the newly released Jailbreak mod that adds an entire new gameplay style to the game. Red Orchestra--a WWII mod--has also been recently released. All of this compensates for any doubts you may have about the pricetag on this game.

Oh, and one more thing...VEHICLES!

I am not a big gamer. Nor am I a teenager. I am an older guy. My last video system was the original Nintendo. So moving from the blocky Super Mario Brothers graphics to this is 'unreal.'

I cannot imagine a finer, more entertaining, visually lush first person shooter game than this. There is nothing complex about UT 2004, but mastering the action is far from simple. And it's a great adrenaline-rushing game distraction if you only have 15 minutes.

I have a new Dell 3MG with 1 GIG RAM and a 128 video card. The graphics are impeccably stunning and fast. I have logged an embarrassing number of hours and I still look forward everyday to my Unreal time... and I am just playing alone. I haven't entered the online rooms in fear of some kid opening a big jar of whoop-ass on me, but be on the lookout for me. The old guy will make his appearance someday soon.

This is a superb, extremely rewarding game.

Wow. It's all here -- the huge, detailed maps, the improved graphics, the balanced gameplay (3 rockets instead of six, no more transwhoring), the land and air vehicles... and so much more.

If you didn't get into Counterstrike or Far Cry because they was too slow-paced, then THIS is the game for you. Nothing but non-stop action.

I can't believe people bought this game thinking there was going to be some kind of intricate plot setup with RPG-style twists and turns, and then wrote online complaints about it. These losers don't understand that people don't buy this game for its story (or lack thereof); they buy it because of the non-stop-freakin'-action. Show me another online game that's as fast-paced and as much fun online as this one. Halo is close, but it still is a bit slower compared to UT2004, and its graphics don't even compare.

Someone complained that there is no 'strategy' involved in the game. If that's the case, then newcomers to this should be on par with experienced players if they just shoot all over the place, right? No? Oh well, chalk that one up to being uninformed. If this troll would have bothered to play online against a good team in Onslaught or Assault mode, he would have seen that there actually is method to all the chaos. Maybe warfare is too confusing; go back to Yu-Gi-Oh.

Other than Halo, no other game even comes close to UT2004 in terms of sheer replay value and excitement, not to mention fun. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed.

I've never been big on first-person shooter (FPS) games, although I've played a few, like Star Wars: Battlefront 2, that I've found entertaining. So, getting this game was taking a chance, since I'm partial to real-time strategy games and roleplaying games. Overall, I must say that I've really had a good time with UT 2004. It hasn't made me more of a fan of the FPS genre, but I am definitely looking forward to UT 2007.

Gameplay: The controls are the typical mouse, WASD keys, and hotkeys associated with FPS games, so anyone familiar with the FPS genre ought to be able to jump right in. You have a number of options for your in-game character, including race, gender, name, etc. You can also choose your AI teammates and the number on each team. Additionally, there are ten game modes, including deathmatch, capture the flag (CTF), domination (requires you to hold two points), assault (objective based), bombing run (a deadly version of soccer), and onslaught (securing nodes and destroying the enemy base). There's fun to be had with each mode, but I suspect that most people will find the greatest replayabiity in the onsault, assault, CTF, and team deathmatch modes. The maps are large enough for some strategic thinking (especially on assault and onslaught), and the game comes with about 100 maps--with many more that can be downloaded from the internet.

AI opponents ("bots") are very good in this game. They have strong attack scripts, good pathfinding, will follow orders, and generally work well as teams. I detected some of the typical AI cheating found in FPS games (i.e., extra health, amazing accuracy, accelerated movement) toward the end of the tournament and in some of the tougher matches, but generally the AI here is just plain challenging and well programmed. Although many will buy this game for the multiplayer side, the single-player content (which is all that I play) is quite strong. The game does not have a compelling story to tell, but the tournament mode lasted me 25-30 hours on "experienced" difficulty level. I don't feel a need to replay the tournament anytime soon, but there are a lot of individual maps and modes that are greatly replayable.

A few things that add a lot to the game are the variety of weapons available and the vehicles. Overall, none of the weapons are very overpowered, though some are better and more versatile than others. Some weapons are best suited for one situation, while others can be useful in some fashion under a number of conditions. A second element that adds variety to the game is the vehicles. I can't overemphasize how fun these can be. Not only do they break up the monotony of having to sprint on foot across the map, but they also add a new strategic and tactical layer to a game. Vehicles can be game winners, but they are not invincible. Some can carry multiple passengers, who can man various weapons or simply go along for the ride. However, to maintain balance, characters on foot have a few very strong anti-vehicle weapons, and many objectives cannot be completed by vehicles. Still, there's nothing like decapitating a fleeing opponent with the blades of a Scorpion buggy or hearing the thundering cannon of a Goliath tank.

The gameplay is frantic, exciting, and straightforward enough to appeal to a range of gamers. You never feel lost on the maps, since there is a good in-game mini-map and the objectives are always clear. Also, you never get the sense that you are babysitting your computer allies, since they act as intelligently--more so on many occasions--as the average human player. The game's flaws are mostly minor, but worth mentioning. First, there are a few rather frustrating missions in the tournament that the average player will have to repeat several times (at least on experienced difficulty and higher). And there is no way to adjust the difficulty level of the tournament once it starts. Also, the game-save system is automatic; the game saves after every match, win or loss. Thus, you can find yourself broke if you lose enough matches, and you'll have to play a series of qualifying matches to earn enough money to continue the tournament. It's a system that gets old quick and really adds a layer of repetition to the game that serves little purpose. Finally, some people will be put off by the amount of acrobatics that the game includes. On some of the more advanced levels and difficulty settings, AI opponents are hopping, flipping, and cartwheeling in ways that make them nearly impossible to hit, though they will seem to hit you just fine. I think that the game plays just a tad bit too fast and requires too much jumping around. But you'll get used to it.

Graphics: Great-looking game. The maps are very impressive in detail and size. Be sure to take a lot of screenshots! The models are all rendered well, from the characters to the vehicles. Weapon fire and particle effects look good, as does the natural environment, especially skies. Have no doubt about it, this is a very violent game. Dying animations are graphic, and people tend to end up in pieces or as skeletal remains. Overall, the art direction is rock solid.

Sound: Although decent, the audio is not as good as the visuals. Weapons such as miniguns and tank cannon sound like they should, along with footsteps, flowing water, and other ambiant effects. In-game AI characters tend to use the same list of taunts such as "Ownage!" or "You suck!" or "You be dead!"--along with a few choice obscenities--but none of the characters really stand out with individual personalities. The music is the typical techno fare found in many video games, nothing special.

Documentation/Stability: The manual that comes with the game is informative and makes up for a rather bland in-game tutorial. The game was pretty stable on my computer, though I experienced one freeze and one crash during the tournament. Overall, the game seemed well polished and optimized.

Replayability: Given the number of maps that come with the game, the developer's Bonus Pack that can be downloaded for free from the internet, the large number of player-made maps available, and the editor tools that you can use to make your own maps, this game has had a long shelf life. If you get tired of playing against the AI, you can go online and play against a human opponent. For me, about half of the 10 gameplay modes are not appealing after a few rounds, but the other 5 (especially assault, onslaught, and CTF) are always good fun.

If you are a fan of FPS games, UT 2004 seems to be a must-buy (I'd be surprised if you don't already have it!). From what I have read, it is the best of the Unreal series and still has an active online community. For those of us who only have a passing interest in FPS games, this is a good one to blow some time with.

So you played Unreal, Unreal Tournament, and even bought Unreal Tournament 2k3. Now there is another one and it doesn't fail.

Unreal Tournament seems to be one of those first person shooter (fps) games that you can always go back to. This one is no different. The maps, the community and not to mention the extras you get with the DVD version is amazing.

You got the great graphics, the amazing weapons, of course the almost perfect multiplayer and this time around a more then decent solo experience. Though the solo-player game is still limited, with a ridiculous story it really is just there for training. Which it does well, at least as well as any AI can do in training you for real human players.

If you are a fan of fps games, or a fan of the Unreal Tournament franchise this is an easy choice; get it! If you're looking for a solo-player game, your going to be very upset Unreal Tournament has always been a multiplayer game. With that in mind, whether you have friends that play or not you'll be up and shooting in no time with its intuitive control system and addictive game play.

If you don't have a DVD-rom drive pick up the CD version and get into the fray as fast as you can.

-Dan

And yes, that's a good thing.

The first time I saw this game I literally scoffed at it when I saw the June 2004 release date. I have to say though, that this is truly a mind-blowing game. I have never before seen in my life so many widely varying weapons, game types, characters, and maps, of which there are probably 200 (no, seriously).

All but a few of the couple hundred maps are unique, gorgeous, well designed, and awe inspiring, with giant horned skulls vomiting lava and everything! Several of the maps have low gravity too.

Weapons are amazing, and the _only_ dinky one is the one that you start with. The rest of them are sickeningly overpowered, Including a hand-held nuke! They number ~21 in all, and you can even choose custom targeting reticules for each one.

Characters, like everything in this game, are here in spades. I'm not sure how many there are, but most of them are very cool. In addition to normal squad commands there are key combos for dozens of taunts. A very nice touch, I think.

Single player is sort of a biography of a neo-gladiator with you as the main character. You bet on matches, fight them (duh), heal your team, and buy new teammates. But don't worry, all that is kept at a healthy minimum, with plenty time left for gut-blasting glory.

All vehicles have two views, one in 3rd person, and the other 1st, where you can see the steering wheel and everything! The cool thing is that it's all very well balanced; everything has its own strengths and weaknesses.

The best part is Assault mode. Basically, its a reenactment of historic (Their past, our future) battles, with real people as the combatants. Not just battles, though. Recover nuclear missiles, hop in your starfighter and relive the destruction of the Skaarj mother ship 'Star Wars style', be on "Junkyard Wars" but with guns, quell a robot uprising, blow up rival company's research facilities, and kill rebels, all of which you see from both sides. Who doesn't like being a homicidal robot committing mutiny?

THis is one of my favorite games of all time. I wish they continue to improve the fast gaming speed.

Action packed, great graphics and the music has no equal! The background music sets the tone for each level of the game. I love this game!

I bought this game way back in 2005, and when I got it I didn't realize that there was a whole second disk. (I bought the 2 disk DVD Edition by the way)

For months, I just shelved this second disk while I happily blew away my buddies in deahtmatch and the like. then my curiosity got the better of me and i slipped the second disk into the drive.

I've always been the type of guy that liked making additional content for game i really love to play. since the days of Doom 1 and 2, well into Quake 1 and 2 and even a little Half-Life Modding, I just seemed to be really comfortable with this sort of thing.

suddenly A whole new world of creative inspiration washed over me and now I was deep into the modding scene. Making additional 3D contents, Textures and maps for my imagination to play in. I even spent years teaching my self the fine points of 3D modeling and saving up all my spare change just to buy maya to feed my complete addiction.

I have now since moved on the Unreal Development Kit which is a free use version of Epic's Unreal Engine 3, and much of what I learned from the Bonus disk still loosely applies to this, just in a different way most of the time. but I will forever count the years spent modding Unreal Tournament 2004 as some of my fondest memories.

You really can't go wrong with this. it's a great game. Better then the much newer Unreal Tournament 3 if you ask my opinion.