Three years have
passed since Unreal Tournament and Quake III Arena went head to head in
the battle for online multiplayer fragfest champion. Here we are on the
brink of another Christmas buying season, and Unreal Tournament 2003
stands alone. There isnt much competition for this game, so its good
that the package is so complete. UT2003 mixes up some new gameplay
modes, a new lineup of weapons, and some of the prettiest graphics weve
seen to create a worthy successor to the online multiplayer fragfest
throne.In
fact, UT2003 does contain a single-player mode. You can climb the
Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Double Domination and
Bombing Run ladders with your team of robots, lizard ladies, and freaky
goth dudes to get in shape for the online challenge. This single-player
mode is about as shallow as it gets, similar to playing a game like
Tekken or Virtua Fighter alone, but it does give you a chance to get
into the game without being wiped on the wall every five seconds. The
reality of online multiplayer is a tough challenge, so investing the
evening it will take you to walk through the single-player ladders is
worth it.
But the real fun starts when you open up the online server browser.
UT2003 does everything it can to make the online experience simple and
convenient. You can browse servers using their filtering system,
allowing you to wade through the hundreds and hundreds of options a bit
more easily. The game modes featured in the ladder tournaments are
available online, ranging from free-for-all Deathmatches to challenges
like Bombing Run that require some significant teamwork. The basic
modes, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag, are just what
you would expect.
The two
new modes of play are Double Domination and Bombing Run. Double
Domination requires your team to secure two points (creatively labeled
points A and B) for 10 seconds , which are usually located at opposite
ends of the arenas. Obviously, a bit of teamwork can make the Double
Domination challenge a lot of fun, but the group effort is really
required in Bombing Run, which is destined to become a major feature in
videogame competitions.
Bombing Run is your basic field game where your job is to put a ball
through a goal. A lot of folks compare this to American football,
probably mainly due to the violent nature of UT in general, but its no
more like football than it is like basketball or hockey. The ball starts
out at a central location. At the beginning of the match, and after each
goal, you begin in your teams base. Defensive players stay to guard the
goal while offensive players run to the center of the arena to scoop up
the ball. Once you get the ball, your weapon automatically switches to
the Ball Gun. You cannot use your weapons or translocator when you have
the ball, which requires you to rely on your teammates for any and all
protection. At any time you can pass the ball to one of your teammates
(but be careful that pass can be intercepted, too). You score points
for getting the ball through the opposing teams goal. This game is
incredibly fun and difficult, and probably the shining star in the new
modes UT2003 presents.
UT2003
also includes a new Adrenaline aspect in all the gameplay modes. You can
pick up Adrenaline pills and you get Adrenaline boosts when you perform
tasks that help you and your team in the game. For example, you get 5
Adrenaline points for killing a basic opponent in a Deathmatch. You get
over 30 Adrenaline points for capturing a flag or scoring in Bombing
Run. The number of points you get depends on the game type and action
you perform. Once you have 100 Adrenaline points, you can perform a
special move using a WASD button combo. These are undocumented (except
for Speed) in the game, but here are some combos:
Speed Up: Forward, Forward, Forward, Forward (W,W,W,W)
Booster (restores health): Back, Back, Back, Back (S,S,S,S)
Invisibility: Right, Right, Left, Left (D,D,A,A)
Beserk (increased firing rate): Forward, Forward, Back, Back (W,W,S,S)
In addition to Adrenaline, new combat moves have been included. You
can perform a dodge/leap by double-tapping any of the four direction
buttons (WASD). You can double-jump by jumping again at the apex of your
jump. The wall jump is another new technique: jump near a wall, and just
as you touch it double-tap the direction button away from the wall. Your
character will push off the wall. These moves can be combined for some
insane maneuvering, especially if the low gravity modifier is turned on.
Weapons
in this outing of UT include the Assault Rifle, Flak Cannon, Lightning
Gun, Minigun, Rocket Launcher, Shieldgun, Shock Rifle, Ion Painter,
Redeemer, Biorifle, and Link Gun. The Assault Rifle is the default
weapon, and using it is a lot like cutting a steak with a butter knife
it can get the job done, but it takes way too much effort. Much better
to stick with the classics Flak Cannon, Rocket Launcher, Minigun and
Shock Rifle. The Shieldgun is what you use when you have nothing else.
It provides a decent melee attack by charging up and discharging when
you run into another player. It can also be effective as a shield
generator, but in UT2003 the best defense is really a good offense. The
Shock Rifle, Flak Cannon, Minigun and Redeemer should be familiar to
folks who have played UT before, although the Redeemers nuclear blast
and the energy balls from the Shock Rifle have never looked so
beautiful. The Lightning Gun is a sniper weapon deadly, but with a
slow firing rate.
The Ion Painter is a new super weapon that allows you to tag a target
for vaporization. You must hold steady with an innocuous laser-sight
until lock-on is achieved, and then you must run, run away. A satellite
orbiting the level will come into range and beam down a huge ion ray to
incinerate the target and anything else within fifty meters. This is a
hugely satisfying way to dispose of an enemy. The Link Gun is similar in
that it has a secondary function that allows you to shoot a steady beam
of energy. The primary firing mode is a rapid-fire laser. The secondary
mode fires a beam of energy. You can shoot enemies with this beam or you
can point it at a teammate who is also equipped with the link gun. When
you connect your beams this way, the final laser beam is twice as
powerful. Of course, you can get your whole team in on the linking,
allowing you to shoot a hugely powerful beam that can mow down all
comers. This is a tricky team tactic, but it seems like it could make
the difference in games like Bombing Run and Capture the Flag if teams
get good at making that happen.
There are
over 50 maps available in UT2003, and with the robust UT Editor there
are unlimited possibilities. Dozens and dozens of character skins are
also available from the outset, although it will not be long before
dozens more are available from modders and editors online. Each of the
included maps are really well done. Ranging from indoor to outdoor,
small to gigantic, burning pits of hell to snowy wastelands, these maps
are a lot of fun to play. The ambiance in these environments is at a
level never before seen in multiplayer FPS titles, due in no small part
to the insanely good graphics of UT2003.
UT2003 is designed to make your GeForce 4 card beg for mercy. It will
make your 2.8Ghz machine with 256 MB of RAM plead for a break. These
graphics are designed for the long-term. Water moves as you run through
it, and churns in reaction to the amount of traffic it experiences.
Shadows from foliage cast across the landscape and players, gently
swaying in the breeze. There is generally not a chance to slow down and
admire the pretty visuals in an actual game, so take the opportunity to
spectate when you can. The mist rising from waterfalls is gorgeous; the
steam from pipes lining the walls of compounds, or the rotating shadows
ventilation fans, makes you feel like you are playing in a place that
really exists. These little graphical tweaks will not only make the
flood of games that will use the Unreal Warfare engine in the coming
years really beautiful, but they also make UT2003 that much more of an
involving experience.
UT2003
takes the idea of a cybersport to a new level. The game features an
incredible statistics tracking system. In the Network menu simply click
the box to track stats, enter your username and password (you just make
these up when you first enable statistics), and then play on stats
enabled servers. Stats are recorded in real-time (or close to it if the
servers are heavily burdened) and an in-depth ranking system tracks
every match and every UT2003 player. You can view a complete record of
each match youve participated in, lists of players who have fragged
you, players you have fragged, and statistics such as your number of
head shots and weapon usage. These statistics just make UT2003 even more
addictive.
So while Unreal Tournament 2003 doesnt break a whole lot of new
ground, it is a significant enough upgrade to warrant serious
inspection. It is obvious that Epic and Digital Extremes think of UT2003
as a sporting game, and the popularity of LAN bashes and network gaming
tournaments supports this view. In that sense, Unreal Tournament 2003
cant be topped. UT2003 offers enough to appeal to more than the
hardcore UT or online FPS fans, so whether youve been fragging your
best friends for years or if youve never had your computer
automatically curse at you, get this game now.