Unreal Tournament 2004 Review

There's truly an impressive variety of vehicles and weapons to use in UT 2004. Most of the weapons come from UT 2003 and the original Unreal Tournament, but there's also several new weapons added to your arsenal. Of course, we're referring to the AVRiL (the Anti-Vehicle Rocket Launcher), an extremely powerful weapon that launches homing missiles which can cause heavy damage to any oncoming enemy vehicle. You better start skidding when you see that 'missile lock' message on your screen! Next off, we found ourselves frequently using the newly included Sniper Rifle. A well-situated and concealed sniper can create a loophole for other teammates, making it easier for them to punch through enemy defense perimeters promptly.

Two other brand new weapons were also slotted in - the Grenade Launcher and Mine Layer, both of which proved to be a commendable addition to combat tactics. Concerning vehicles, I think it would take forever to say how well they were incorporated into the game (not to mention the brilliantly balanced physics). Suffice it to say, there's enough land and air vehicles around to ensure diverse gameplay. There's a space-based Assault map called Mothership, which thrusts you off into orbit and allows you to challenge other players in classic Wing Commander-style dogfights.

The time-honored Unreal technology moved to higher grounds and saw some stunning changes and improvements in Unreal Tournament 2003. At first glance, however, Unreal Tournament 2004 doesn't exactly leave the same impact on the player in terms of graphics - you've seen it all before. Still, that doesn't mean you won't be seeing any new moments. UT 2004 features a solid array of shiny, sweet-looking vehicle models and quite huge and brightly designed outdoor areas. Crisp textures and beautifully modeled characters make UT 2004 a joy to watch and play. The vehicle physics were fine-tuned to perfection to say the least, and haven't faltered once throughout the entire game. Gamers are likely to find themselves admiring what appears to be one of the most technically complete multiplayer titles on the gaming scene. From the moment players join their very first match, they will realize just how much effort went into making such a remarkably well-polished online shooter. A big and sincere round of applause should go to the designers and programming team for that effort. Fair enough, we did experience a few lagging issues during a 32-player Onslaught match, but these were just fleeting moments that pale in comparison to the game's numerous advantages.

Unreal Tournament 2004 (Onslaught mode really) may occasionally appear as kind of a futuristic version of Battlefield 1942. On paper the concept seems similar, and on paper that holds true. However, anyone who even thinks about drawing any direct parallels between the gameplay styles of Battlefield and UT 2004 knows very little about multiplayer gaming. Onslaught mode in UT 2004 has a mind of its own, and we like how that mind operates! Not to mention that UT 2004 goes well beyond Onslaught, as we have pointed out already in the review. The huge assortment of high-tech weaponry and the variety of modes, coupled with the superiority of the Unreal technology, rightfully places UT 2004 amongst high-ranking online action games. We sincerely recommend this game to anyone who's out for some serious MP fun.