Unreal Tournament

by Atari

Product Features

• Over 50 levels of 3D rendered graphics
• four playing modes including a Four-Player Simultaneous mode
• clear and detailed sound effects

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004YMZS
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: August 28, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,209 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #20 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Action > Shooter

Product Description

Platform: PlayStation2 | Edition: Standard

GameSpot Review

When PC first-person shooters move over to console systems, most die-hard fans of the genre turn up their noses in disgust. Why? Because until lately, console systems really haven't done justice to their PC counterparts in the FPS department. As console hardware becomes more and more powerful, the graphics in these games get pretty close to those in the PC originals, but the control still sticks out like a sore thumb. A console's gamepad simply isn't an acceptable substitute for the first-person shooting controllers of choice, the mouse and keyboard. Unreal Tournament for the PlayStation 2 is one of the first console FPS games on the market to offer the gameplay and control options of the original. While it's really quite an amazing game, the still slightly flawed control and the lack of online play waters down what has been one of the greatest shooters to date on the PC.

Rather than spend development time working on a cohesive single-player scenario that most players will only play through once or twice, Epic Games used that same time to refine the multiplayer game. Consequently, the only single-player mode available serves as training for multiplayer matches by pitting you against computer-controlled bots. On the lowest of the four settings, anyone should be able to defeat the bots with little or no hassle, but once you bump up the difficulty, you'll have an actual challenge on your hands.

The single-player mode will also teach you the basics about each different type of game contained in Unreal Tournament. Of course, deathmatch is the old standard free-for-all battle. Capture the flag, the quintessential FPS team game, is also included. Domination is a different type of team game. Each domination level has three control points, and when you touch a control point, you claim it for your team. The longer you hold a control point, the more points your team scores. So you duke it out to see who can hold the control points the longest. Assault is yet another new team game in which one team plays offense and the other defends a base. Each map has a different set of offensive objectives (push the button at the front of the train, destroy four computers, and so forth). If the offensive team completes its mission, the two teams switch sides, and the new offensive team must complete the same objectives in the same amount of time it took the first team to succeed. You can configure any of these modes with "mutators," which slightly tweak the gameplay. You can disable certain power-ups, play a one-hit kill mode, lower gravity, play at 130 percent of normal game speed, and more.

The selection of weapons in Unreal Tournament is mostly taken from the original Unreal, but the weapons have all been redesigned to look and sound much better. The new weapons include the impact hammer, which is more or less a portable pneumatic piston that you can use as a last resort when the rest of your weapons are empty. The pulse gun fires small energy shots in its primary mode, but the secondary mode spits out a rail of energy that you can sweep around, like Quake's lightning gun. The redeemer is essentially a portable nuclear missile - the primary fire mode shoots it in a straight line, but the secondary mode switches to a really great looking guided-missile view that lets you target foes from across the level. The nice thing about the game's weapons is that they seem really well balanced. There isn't a single weapon that causes you to run away in fear when you see it in your opponent's hands. The weapons may seem a little alien to players used to other first-person shooters, but once you get a feel for how each weapon operates, using them becomes second nature.

While the PC version is heavily centered on online play, Unreal Tournament for the PlayStation 2 offers multiple multiplayer options. Aside from the standard four-player split-screen, you can also use an i.Link cable to connect two PlayStation 2s together for two-player action. When using the Dual Shock 2 controller, the game controls roughly like other console first-person shooters, with one stick used to move and one to aim. When you let off the aim stick in this version, though, your view quickly snaps back into position - it would have been nice if this were a configurable option. Also, some players might not find a suitable control scheme, as the game only lets you choose from a few preset configurations rather than allowing you to configure the controller to your liking. Also, when playing with the controller, you're given the gift of auto-aim. Pushing in your aim joystick causes you to center on the nearest onscreen foe. Beyond that, the game even takes aim for you, allowing you to hit enemies who aren't even close to your targeting reticle. Upping the difficulty setting seems to lessen the effect, but there is no way to disable auto-aim short of using a mouse.

Unreal Tournament is the first US PlayStation 2 game to take advantage of the hardware's USB ports. You can jack in a keyboard and mouse and play the game just like you'd play the PC version. While the keyboard can be configured in several different ways, the mouse support only lets you use two buttons and the mouse wheel, and the only alteration to the mouse's configuration you can make beyond adjusting the sensitivity is setting which button is fire and which is alternate fire.

Unreal Tournament has consistently ambitious level design throughout, even in the PS2-exclusive maps, and the entire game benefits from it. The levels feel less like simple first-person shooter maps and more like actual locations, such as starships, old mining facilities, and temples. The game's music lends some atmosphere to the proceedings, but it occasionally overshadows the crucial sound effects you'll need to hear to keep tabs on what items your opponents are picking up, so it's best when it's turned down quite a bit from its default setting. Graphically, the game has a lot going for it. The textures are nice and sharp, and the models are well animated. There are lots of great weapon effects, such as the burst from the shock rifle or the smoke trail left by a wide spread of rockets, and the frame rate remains pretty solid throughout, even during split-screen games.

Of all the PC first-person shooters on the market today, Unreal Tournament stands out as the most robust. With all its modes and options, it delivers an out of the box experience like no other. This makes the translation to the PlayStation 2 a little easier to deal with. Sure, you won't be able to download Rocket Arena or any of the other amazing mods available for the PC version, but even on its own, UT is one of the most complete packages available.
--Jeff Gerstmann--Copyright © 2000 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Product Description

For the first time ever, one of the biggest PC games in the world has arrived for the PlayStation 2 in the form of Unreal Tournament. Offering players 21 different maps to choose from and 15 specifically created for the PS2 version, Unreal Tournament also boasts four-person simultaneous play via the iLink or a solo machine. An all-new control scheme joins a fresh skeletal animation system and the same thumping music from the PC edition, while a console-friendly interface and five different game modes round out the bottom line. Developer Digital Extremes has even enhanced the AI to be more in tune with the console market's tastes!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow..., December 20, 2000

By 

C. Higgins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unreal Tournament (Video Game)

I played the Quake III arena game online in it's testing phases but haven't played anything like it before or since. Then I saw this game and saw the similarities between the two so I bought it. The games are nearly identical, in play and in design. Unreal's graphics are outstanding, the use of lighting sets the mood for each level and the detail of the weapons fire is really remarkable. Once you fire a shot you can see it's path all the way to the opposite end of the room that you are in. The game play does take some getting used to but you can customize the skill level. This game really deserves it's Mature rating. If you hit your opponent with a rocket, for instance, he explodes into bloody pieces right before your eyes! There is a way to turn this feature off for the faint of heart or for the parents of younger gamers. In my opinion this game is worth the money and gets a "Worth a Buy!" from me.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what you would expect, January 24, 2001

By 

"princebrat79" (Fredericksburg, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unreal Tournament (Video Game)

<b>THIS GAME ROCKS!</b>

So far for the PS2 I have played 2 1st person shooters, time splitters and unreal tournament. UT is so much better! I liked TS because it had good graphics, lots of weapons and decent controls. Unreal has all those things and SO much more!

Unreal Tournament has lots of weapons, you dont get to pick wich ones are avalible in each deathmatch like you can in time splitters, but there is a big variety.

The best part of this game is the A.I., I have never seen it so good! The bots don't just come at you relentlessly, they accually HUNT you. I fired at a bot, and he fired back, so i ducked down a corridor, to wait for him to come after me, so i could gun him down, but instead of him just comming after me, he snuck up behind me and blew my head off!

I have never seen a game with this level of A.I.. The bots want to live, if you are killing them, they run away, and get a medkit, then come back for revenge.

the controls in this game are good, it takes a few mins to learn them, but after 5 mins of gameplay, you are a master.

I rented this game last night, and I just bought it online, this game rocks.

<b>Highly recommended to get the PS2 8MB memory card, you will need it to fully play this game</b>

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game.. I just wish.., November 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Unreal Tournament (Video Game)

I just wish that there was more to the multiplayer. Capture the flag and deathmatch are great, in fact all I ever play on the PC is capture the flag, but it would be great to play assault or maybe domination every now and then. The maps they give for cap the flag multiplayer are all new ones.. which also kinda got me down. I would love to play facing worlds, eternal, or maybe even the last command (which isnt even single player in the game). Dont think im bringing this game down. I bought it, and I love it. Im still trying to unlock all the characters. Its just the multiplayer needs some tweaking.

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