User:Wackymacs/Sandbox2

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[edit] Gameplay

Unreal Tournament is a first-person shooter with artificial intelligence (AI) game bots, a vast range of weapons, and several different game types. It is similar to Quake III Arena and Unreal. Players can choose between both single and multiplayer gameplay. The objective of the single player game is to defeat all opponents in every game arena, ultimately achieving the title of Grand Champion.[1] In the tournament, the player progresses through deathmatches which increment in difficulty. After the player has succeeded in all deathmatch rounds, the domination game mode becomes available. Single player gameplay is split between two game types: the Tournament, and Practice Sessions. The Practice Session is identical to the Tournament, but the player does not progress up a ladder each time they win.[2] The multiplayer mode multiplayer gameplay allows players to play with others online using the Internet. A Local Area Network (LAN) can be used instead of the Internet. [3]

In 2291, the New Earth Government (NEG) made violent fights legal in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners. The NEG and the Liandri Mining Corporation established an enterprise, where violent conflicts are fought out in gladiatorial deathmatches. Only the most violent and skilled warriors are accepted into the battle arena of Unreal Tournament. The gameplay is set in 2341, where leagues of professional warriors fight in a public Tournament. The player takes the role of defeating opponents in the Tournament to eventually win.

Unreal Tournament uses a variety of on-screen indicators, status meters, icons and messages to inform the player during a game. These informational aids comprise the Heads Up Display (HUD).[4] These displays include the message window for conversation between enemies and teammates; the armor level indicates the status of armor being worn; the health level indicates how much health the player has; the armor status icon outlines what armor is being worn on a mini-diagram of the player; the rank/spread indicator displays what position the player holds in the game, and how many places they are behind or ahead of other players; the frag count indicator shows how many kills a player has made; weapon icons represents the weapons being carried; and the ammo indicator shows how much ammunition the active weapon contains.[4]

Unreal Tournament's graphical user interface consists of three pre-made skins: Gold, Ice and Metal. These skins allow players to customize the interface to their own taste. The user interface resembles the Microsoft Windows interface with similar menus and windows.[5]

[edit] Reception

Unreal Tournament received wide critical acclaim from the press.[14][11][15] Mainstream press reviews praised the graphics, gameplay, maps and multiplayer capabilities of the game. Computer Shopper concluded "Quake may have spawned the online deathmatch, but Unreal Tournament has taken it to the next level with its amazing graphics and fast-paced action. Online or off, this game rules!"[20] In March 2000, Unreal Tournament was second on a list of best-selling games in Computer Dealer News trade magazine, behind Quake III Arena.[21]

At Game Rankings, the Windows version of Unreal Tournament holds an average review score of 94%, making it the eighth highest rated Windows game released to date.[15] Gamespot praised Unreal Tournament's graphics, noting "As good as the original Unreal looked, Unreal Tournament looks even better. The character models and skins look excellent, and there are quite a few choices to make when designing your character."[8] Gamespot also praised the multiplayer gameplay, weapons and level design: "The first-person shooter genre is fiercely competitive. But Unreal Tournament rises above the rest with its solid multiplayer performance, from its good weapon balance to its great level design."[8] The game was similarly reviewed by GameSpy, who concluded: "Unreal Tournament raises the bar for first person teamplay games. This game is stuffed with content and polished until it gleams."[9]

The Macintosh version of Unreal Tournament' was equally praised. Macworld dubbed it the "Best network shooter for the Mac", and gave it the Game Hall of Fame award in 1999.[19] In its review, Macworld editor Christopher Breen stated: "If the violence and hardware requirements don't unsettle you, you'll find Unreal Tournament nothing but unwholesome, bloody fun."[19] The console versions did not fair as well.

The Playstation 2 and Dreamcast releases did not fair as well as the PC versions. The PS2 version has an average review score of 77% at Game Ratings.[17] GameSpy criticized the graphics of the PS2 version, saying "Graphically, the PS2 version of Unreal Tournament seems uninspired.".[22] Its conclusion stated "Sluggish gameplay, somewhat washed out colors and textures". [22] The Dreamcast version has an average review score of 88%.[16] GameSpy's review said: "Well, believe it or not, there are lots of annoying features that drag the game down".[23] GameSpy cited both slow framerate speeds and low sound quality as problems with the Dreamcast version.[23]

[edit] Development

Official system requirements
Minimum Recommended
Windows[24]
Operating System Windows 95, 98, 2000 and NT4.0
CPU Intel Pentium 200 MHz Intel Pentium II 266 MHz
Memory 32 MB 64 MB
Hard Drive Space 120 MB of free space 605 MB of free space
Network Internet connection required for online multiplayer
Macintosh[25]
Operating System Mac OS 7.6 or higher
CPU PowerPC 603e 200 MHz or faster
Memory 64 MB
Hard Drive Space 120 MB of free space

[edit] References

  1. ^ Harlick, Bruce; Rick Fish (1999). Unreal Tournament Game of the Year Edition Manual. Midway Games, 4. 
  2. ^ Harlick, Bruce; Rick Fish (1999). Unreal Tournament Game of the Year Edition Manual. Midway Games, 9. 
  3. ^ Harlick, Bruce; Rick Fish (1999). Unreal Tournament Game of the Year Edition Manual. Midway Games, 12. 
  4. ^ a b Harlick, Bruce; Rick Fish (1999). Unreal Tournament Game of the Year Edition Manual. Midway Games, 18-19. 
  5. ^ Unreal Tournament Game Guide - User Interface. Planet Unreal. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
  6. ^ Unreal Tournament PC Review. Eurogamer (1999-12-04). Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  7. ^ Unreal Tournament review for the PC. Game Revolution (1999-12-01). Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  8. ^ a b c PC Unreal Tournament Review. Gamespot (1999-12-09). Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  9. ^ a b Unreal Tournament review for the PC. Gamespy (1999-12-01). Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  10. ^ Unreal Tournament Review. IGN (1999-12-06). Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  11. ^ a b Unreal Tournament (PC: 1999) Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  12. ^ Unreal Tournament (PS2: 2000) Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  13. ^ Unreal Tournament (Dreamcast: 2001) Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  14. ^ a b Unreal Tournament Reviews (Mac). Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  15. ^ a b c Unreal Tournament Reviews (PC). Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  16. ^ a b Unreal Tournament Reviews (DC). Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  17. ^ a b Unreal Tournament Reviews (PS2). Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  18. ^ a b c d "GT Interactive and Epic Games Earn Coveted 'Game of the Year' Honors for 'Unreal Tournament'", Business Wire, Feb 17, 2000, pp. 1261. 
  19. ^ a b c Breen, Christopher (May 2000), “Unreal Tournament (Software Review)”, Macworld: 46 
  20. ^ {Vega, Peter (April 2000), “Unreal Tournament: A Blast That Will Last”, Computer Shopper: 139 
  21. ^ “Off the Shelf Best Selling Titles.”, Computer Dealer News: 43, March 10, 2000 
  22. ^ a b Unreal Tournament Review (PS2). PlanetPS2 (GameSpy). IGN (November 22, 2000). Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  23. ^ a b Unreal Tournament Review (Dreamcast). PlanetDreamcast (GameSpy). IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  24. ^ Game Details for Unreal Tournament (PC). IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
  25. ^ Game Details for Unreal Tournament (Mac). IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.