Unreal II: The Awakening

Unreal II is a good game if you don't look at it as a follow-up to the original game. Unfortunately, it is, and in that way it is completely disappointing. Unreal II looks better than it's predecessor, but the gameplay is inferior.

The protagonist, John Dalton, moves incredibly slow and thus it's pretty hard to avoid incoming projectiles. He also talks a lot and it's very annoying. The game is full of little jokes which are sometimes funny, but other times Dalton's voice is just so annoying you just want to mute him.

Designwise the outdoor areas look good - They aren't as jaw-dropping as the (pretty basic) outdoor areas in Unreal (1), though. Most of the time you are in pretty generic locations - Think hi-tech labs and all that stuff. There are a few exceptions, for example in one level you'll find yourself in the inside of a living, organic planet.

The game doesn't get overly interesting until the last levels, unfortunately. The final level is easily the best of the bunch. The ending is pretty disappointing, though, but I won't spoil it.

If you like the Unreal series then you should love this. If you've never played the Unreal series then it still deserves at least a look in. Most games have cut scenes and a storyline but Unreal II pulls this off with whole cut scene levels as well as just video and dialogue. There's some attempt at character development and character life background of all things, that will probably have your average first person shooter player itching to get to the action, but that would be a shame. It doesn't have some of the over amped ultra violence of some shooters but that's because the focus is on the atmosphere and storyline. Saying that, the weapons are convincing, and always a test for me, they feel heavy and dangerous.

The model and facial animations also really stand out in this game. I haven't seen any other game made in this period with more convincing animations. Unreal doesn't take itself too seriously either, it's not trying to be 2001: A Space Odyssey, but by the time the credits roll (literally!) and the final movement of the excellent music begins, I really felt like I'd watched some fun Sci Fi B-Movie. No small achievement for a medium that is still regarded as trivial.

DJ Barney

Unreal II is excellent.Not as complete or shocking as the original but still great. It is not related to the original in storyline.It is also a much shorter game.The character control is by all means exceptional, but not as fast as the first Unreal.The weapons are excellent as well.

There is a Multiplayer add-on available called XMP. XMP is one of the most fun multi-player modes in all of FPS. It is a class-based team game.There are 3 classes of character to chose, all with their own unique abilities. There are 3 vehicles with weapons mounted on them.You can run people over of course! There are also fixed turrets to defend with, and the Tech can lay auto-turrets. The weapons and sheer destruction in XMP make it a definite must see for any FPS fan. Bear in mind it is a bit complicated to get running, due to ZERO support by Epic.You will need to research a little to find out what files you need.BeyondUnreal's website has all the info.

I've just finished playing this game, and i must say that this is the far best game i have ever played. The story is good and the animation is awesome. You need a good computer to play it tho.. The end of the game will give u a real adrenalin kick for sure, i was totally hung up with it.. i was suppose to escape from a ship using the escape pods, and there was this countdown to when the ship was gonna explode, and i made it just in time.. This game is much better than the first one.. but its only focusing on the story and single player mode.. theres no multiplaying modes,, so thats a bit of a drag, but hey, it doesnt matter cuz the story would eat u up anyways.. and the guy that you're playing will make u laugh once in a while..

This game Rules 5/5