Unreal Tournament 2003

If you are a fan of FPS games like Quake, Counterstrike, and the original Unreal Tournament, UT2003 is definitely the game for you.

Though demanding in terms of hardware (my high-speed laptop still runs it with occasional lag), UT2003 is by all means the first great first-person shooter of the new millennium. Not much has changed since the original Unreal Tournament, but additional elements have been added to further improve gameplay and open up more strategic battlefield options.

Take, for example, the newest addition called Adredaline. It is available in the form of capsules scattered around the levels, but you can also gain it by killing enemies or accomplishing map objectives. It is measured in a meter and once that meter hits 100, you may perform special Adredaline moves that boost your combat performance in one way or another.

The weapons have also been modified somewhat, which is to be expected. The old "Pulse Rifle" is now revamped to the new "Link Gun" which may be used in team situations, linking energy beams with your comrades to increase the firepower of their own Link Guns. The "Impact Hammer" of Unreal Tournament is now the "Shield Gun", featuring a secondary defensive shield that helps to deflect enemy fire. There's more, but I won't elaborate too much. Suffice it to say that some old favourites such as the "Shock Rifle" and the "Flak Cannon" still remain, relatively unchanged.

UT2003 features beautiful streamlined graphics and lovingly detailed levels, balanced for a fine gameplay experience. The music scores are another major highlight, perfectly setting the scene and being the overall best of all game soundtracks I have ever heard. There are plenty of bots and skins to choose from, all with their own data sheets and personalities.

The single-player mode, while quite dull, heats up at the end when you (and two other CPU-controlled bot teammates) face off against the three veterans from the first Unreal Tournament: Malcolm, Brock, and Lauren. Make it through the semi-final against them and you'll enter the tournament finals, a one-on-one showdown versus Malcolm alone in one of the game's toughest levels. Also, once you win the game, you get to use the bot skins of the three old-timers in future games with friends (or foes).

New game types have also been added, the old Domination style of gameplay being replaced with a new Double Domination format in which your team must seize two control points on the level and maintain hold over them for ten seconds against the enemy. There's also the new Bombing Run gameplay, basically described as "football with guns". I'll not elaborate on that one.....Anyway, the old Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes still remain, along with the all-time favourite Capture the Flag mode.

There is a lot about Unreal Tournament 2003 which defines it as the best FPS ever made. Too much for me to put in severe detail here. For all you FPS fans out there who don't own UT2003 yet, I highly recommend this. It beats all other FPS games ever made so far, above all the enduring but fading Counterstrike.

My rating for UT2003: 10/10 a true triumph for EpicGames.

Wonderful realism, great physics, however I do not find this game as entertaining as Unreal Tournament 1. Unreal Tournament 1 had something that Unreal Tournament 2003 does not. However, this does not stop Unreal Tournament '03 from being an adrenaline pumping action blood fest. I recommend it. 9/10

Unreal Tournament 2003, the long awaited sequel to Unreal Tournament, provides some excellent graphics, including fully detailed players and worlds. Unfortunately, like many sequels, the game play itself isn't quite as fun as the original game. Let me go over all the differences:

The Weapons: All the weapons are improved in this game, but that doesn't mean for the better. I like the old sniper rifle in Unreal Tournament, and in 2003 you get a "lightning gun" that acts as a sniper. It just isn't as fun to use.

The Players and Creatures: The aliens have definitely gotten a face lift, but I'm not sure if I like them better. The graphics detailing them are great, but the figures themselves look (and even walk) more like dogs on two feet. They look more like animals than aliens, but I don't mind it much. If it were a different game I'd love it, but seeing this is a sequel, it's harder to convince.

The Worlds: Much bigger and better detailed, though that doesn't always mean more fun.

The Games: Capture the flag, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Domination, a few small things, and a game that can only be described as "Football With Guns". They are improved, but I can't help but find that it's not quite as fun as it used to be...

The Story: This game has some cut-scenes, one of which they show a crowd of people cheering for their favorite killers in the arena. This game is playing more on the whole wrestling franchise, and I think it may carry a warning behind its charm...

So that's all I have to say... There's more to the game, but I won't spoil it for you.

If you were a fan of the original, or a fan of Unreal (which I wasn't necessarily) you may find the improved levels, character detail and such too different from the original games, but if you are a regular gamer, not having played too much of the predecessors, you'll love UT2003.

4/5 Stars (5/5 for Unreal Tournament 1)

John "call me crazy"