Unreal Tournament 2004

Unreal Tournament 2004

Developer(s) Epic Games
Digital Extremes
Psyonix
Streamline Studios
Publisher(s) Atari, Inc.
Distributor(s) MacSoft
Midway Games
Producer(s) Jeff Morris
Designer(s) Cliff Bleszinski
Programmer(s) Steve Polge
Composer(s) Kevin Riepl
Starsky Partridge
Will Nevins
Series Unreal
Engine Unreal Engine 2.5
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux
Release date(s)
  • NA March 16, 2004
  • EU March 19, 2004
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution CD-ROM

Unreal Tournament 2004, also known as UT2004 and UT2K4, is a futuristic first-person shooter computer game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. It is part of the Unreal series of games, particularly the subseries started by the original Unreal Tournament, and is a sequel/expansion to 2002's Unreal Tournament 2003.

The game features most of the content of its predecessor, replacing it on store shelves. Unreal Tournament 2004 boxes sold in the United States include a $10 mail-in rebate requiring that a short form be completed and sent to the publisher along with a copy of the manual cover for Unreal Tournament 2003. Versions sold in the United Kingdom had a similar offer, but required sending in the play CD for Unreal Tournament 2003 instead.

Among significant changes to gameplay mechanics and visual presentation, one of the major additions introduced by Unreal Tournament 2004 is the inclusion of vehicles and the Onslaught game type, allowing for large-scale battles.[1]

Its sequel, Unreal Tournament 3, was released on November 19, 2007.[2]

Gameplay

Unreal Tournament 2004 is a first-person shooter representing a fast-paced extreme sport of the future. Designed primarily for multiplayer gameplay, UT2004's gameplay mechanics offer multiple ways of movement including double-jumping, dodge-jumping, wall-dodging and shield-jumping, which allow the player to create several attack strategies.[3] UT2004 also features an extensive array of weapons, all of which come with a secondary fire. Some of them were designed specifically for use in vehicle-based gametypes, and typically appear only in those gametypes, such as the Anti-Vehicle Rocket Launcher (AVRiL) and the Grenade Launcher. More than 100 maps are included in the game for all new and existing gametypes.[4]

Gametypes

The available gametypes are:[5]

Vehicles

There are many vehicles available in Unreal Tournament 2004. Most of them make an appearance in the Onslaught game type, while a few feature in Assault. The full set consist of aircraft types and vehicles. There are also two spacecraft which only officially feature in one Assault map, and different types of gun turrets which players can take control of.

Development

Screenshot of the Onslaught map ONS-Dria, made by Epic Games.

UT2004 was built with Unreal Engine 2.5 and the content of its predecessor, UT2003.

The game was developed by multiple studios, with Epic Games leading the project. Lead programmer Steve Polge described the role of each company involved:[6]

Epic Games
Enhancements to the Unreal Tournament 2003 game types, the new UI, Voice over IP and bot voice command support, engine enhancements and optimizations. They also made an improved single player game, and improved community and demo recording support, in addition to thirty-one new playable characters. A Sniper Rifle similar to the one included in the original Unreal Tournament was added. They created one Onslaught map, and developed AI support for Onslaught. 16 new DM maps, 5 new CTF Maps, 2 new Double Domination maps and 1 new Bombing Run map were added. The Assault gametype design and implementation were also reintroduced from the original Unreal Tournament.
Digital Extremes
3 new DM maps, 6 new CTF maps, 2 new Bombing Run maps, and 3 new Double Domination maps, 2 new playable characters, the new HUD design; new weapon models for the Assault Rifle, Shock Rifle, and Link Gun.
Psyonix
The Onslaught gametype design and implementation, with 6 new vehicles, 4 new weapons (Grenade Launcher, Spider Mine Layer, Anti-Vehicular Rocket Launcher (AVRiL), and the Phoenix Target Painter), and the Energy Turret. They also created seven Onslaught maps, and collaborated with Streamline Studios on the popular map ONS-Torlan. Finally, they made the new model for the Translocator, a portable teleporter.
Streamline Studios
The single player introduction movie and ONS-Torlan in collaboration with Psyonix. Streamline Studios created the Assault map AS-Confexia as a test for ONS-Torlan, which they released for free.

Release history

On February 11, 2004, a playable demo was released for multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux on x86-32 (February 13, 2004) and Linux on x86-64 (February 15, 2004). An updated demo version, including all the bug fixes from official patches and some original content, was released on September 23, 2004.

Unreal Tournament 2004 was released on March 16, 2004 for the PC (Linux x86-32/x86-64 and Windows), the Mac OS X version (DVD only) followed on March 31, 2004. The version for Windows x86-64 was released as a downloadable patch on October 1, 2005. At release consumers could purchase the game on CD, or a limited-time special edition DVD version that came with a Logitech microphone-headset and a second DVD filled with video-tutorials on how to use the included UnrealEd. A single DVD version with neither microphone nor tutorials was also released in Europe. The CD version of the game came on six discs. On April 13, 2004, Unreal Tournament 2004 was re-released as a special edition DVD.

In summer 2004, Epic and Atari, in collaboration, released an XP Levels downloadable map pack, which included two new Onslaught maps, ONS-Ascendancy and ONS-Aridoom.[7] The pack is free for download and use on any system capable of running the game.

On September 21, 2004, Atari released in stores the "Editor's Choice Edition" of Unreal Tournament 2004 which adds 3 vehicles, 4 Onslaught maps, and 6 character skins to the original game, and also contains several mods developed by the community as selected by Epic Games. This extension (excluding mods) was released as a Bonus Pack by Atari on September 23, 2004, and is available for free download.

In December 2005, the Mega Bonus Pack was released online by Epic Games, which included several new maps, along with the latest patch and the Editor's Choice Edition content.

In November 2006, Unreal Anthology was released which bundles Unreal Gold, Unreal II: The Awakening, Unreal Tournament (Game of the Year edition), and Unreal Tournament 2004. On March 17, 2008 the game was released standalone and as part of the Unreal Deal Pack on Valve's digital distribution service Steam, followed later in the year by the "Editor's Choice Edition"[8] on GOG.com

Music
Unreal Tournament 2004 Main theme
31 second sample from the Menu theme of Unreal Tournament 2004, written by Kevin Riepl.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The soundtrack for Unreal Tournament 2004 was composed by Kevin Riepl, Starsky Partridge and Will Nevins.[9] It contains grand orchestral scores, hard rock and minimalistic electronic songs. The game also includes almost all tracks from Unreal Tournament 2003.

Modification

Unreal Tournament 2004 includes extensive modification support which allows users to easily create maps, models, game modes as well as various other additions to the game. The game features a flexible modification system which seamlessly blends custom content with the original, as well as allowing for easy tweaking of the game with the "mutator" system.

In 2004, Epic Games held the "Make Something Unreal Contest", which rewarded the creators of the best submitted modifications with prizes in cash, computer hardware, and, ultimately, a license for commercial use of Unreal Engine 2 and 3.[10] Red Orchestra, a total conversion modification based on the Eastern Front of World War II and focused on realism-oriented gameplay, was the winner of the contest and is currently available as a retail title on Steam.[11][12]

Alien Swarm was the winner of Phase 4 of the Make Something Unreal Contest for best non-FPS modification. In 2010, the game was released as a standalone game for free, based on the Source engine instead of the Unreal engine.

Killing Floor was originally a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, first released in 2005.[13] Retail release followed on May 14, 2009. Its sequel, Killing Floor 2, was announced on May 8, 2014.[14]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings94% (50 reviews)[15]
Metacritic93/100 (48 reviews)[16]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comA+[17]
Eurogamer9/10[4]
Game Revolution[18]
GameSpot9.4/10[19]
GameSpy[20]
GamesRadar[21]
IGN9.4/10[22]
Awards
PublicationAward
IGNBest of 2004 (Best Multiplayer Game)[23]
GameSpyGame of the Year 2004 (Best Multiplayer Game)[24]

Upon release, Unreal Tournament 2004 was met with widespread critical acclaim. Several critics praised the unique, fast-paced, fun and challenging nature of the game as its main selling points, while fans touted the post-release support and extensive modding capabilities.

Unreal Tournament 2004 also received awards for Multiplayer Game of the Year from IGN, Computer Gaming World and GameSpy, and an award for Best Value of 2004 from Computer Games Magazine.

The game holds a score of 94% on GameRankings and a score of 93/100 on Metacritic.[25]

In March 2014, GamesRadar ranked Unreal Tournament 2004 as the 70th best game on their "Top 100 Best Video Games of All Time" list.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Unreal Tournament UT2004 official website - Features section". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  2. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 3 official website". Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  3. ↑ Radcliffe, Doug (6 April 2004). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Walkthrough". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fahey, Rob (29 March 2004). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  5. ↑ Adams, David (11 March 2004). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
  6. ↑ Polge, Steve (24 March 2004). "Developer contributions to UT2004". Epic Games Forums. Epic Games. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Unreal Tournament UT2004 official website - XP Levels mappack". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  8. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 2004 ECE". Retrieved 2008-03-21.
  9. ↑ "Mirsoft - World of Game Music". Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  10. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 2004 official website - Make Something Unreal contest". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  11. ↑ Winegarner, Beth (24 January 2005). "Unreal mods take top honors". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-09-14.
  12. ↑ "Steam powered.com - Red Orchestra store page". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  13. ↑ Shannon, Daniel (26 May 2009). "Killing Floor Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  14. ↑ O'Connor, Alice (8 May 2014). "Loadsa Muties: Killing Floor 2 Announced With More Gore". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 2004". GameRankings. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  16. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 2004". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  17. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 2004". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  18. ↑ Sanders, Shawn (5 June 2004). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review". Game Revolution. Net Revolution Inc. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  19. ↑ Parker, Sam (2004-03-16). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  20. ↑ Accardo, Sal (11 March 2004). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review, the popular multiplayer franchise makes a stellar comeback with a game that has a little something for everyone". GameSpy. Glu Mobile. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  21. ↑ Edge_ (15 February 2006). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review". GamesRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  22. ↑ Adams, David (2004-03-11). "Unreal Tournament 2004 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  23. ↑ "IGN PC Best of 2004 Awards". IGN. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  24. ↑ "Unreal Tournament 2004 Best Multiplayer Award". GameSpy. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  25. ↑ "Metacritic.com - UT2004 page". Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  26. ↑ "GamesRadar - Top 100". Retrieved 2014-07-11.

External links