Today, I've decided to start a new feature called This week/Last Decade. The goal is to discuss or give my overview on games or stories that came out 10 years ago this week. On the gaming aspect, I hope I've played the game so I can give my honest opinion, but if not there is a small possibility I might go out and buy the game to try it out...maybe. Anyway, 10 years ago this week, Unreal Tournament was released for the Sega Dreamcast and while I didn't buy during its release period (as I didn't own a Dreamcast at the time), I eventually bought it around 2005.
Jumping right into it, Unreal Tournament for the Dreamcast still plays surprisingly good for a game released in 2001. Having no prior experience with the PC versions,this is the first (and probably the only)Unreal experience I've had.
What I liked most about the game is that the firefights feel intense and focused. With well-designed stages filled with verticality, tight corridors, and power-ups, the battles are always engaging and tense. The weapons also stand the test of time, they're unique and pulverizing your enemies feels satisfying. And speaking enemies, you'll notice there's a weird psuedo-voice chat thing going on, with bots saying things like "You be Dead!", "Burn Baby" I guess it's suppose to give the impression you're playing online with other people, but it would have been better if it didn't sound like one person voiced all the lines.
The gripes I have with the game is mostly with the controls. Being on the Dreamcast, there was no second analog stick, and while face buttons do a serviceable job, nothing replaces the acccuray and response time of an analog stick. Also the game's artwork looks very cheesy and goofy. I can clearly see the Gears of War inspiration here. Graphics haven't held up very well and there is noticeable frame rate issues during matches, but for the most part it's still very playable and the hiccups does not take away from the game.
In a nutshell, if you're curious about picking up this game, by all means go ahead. It's still fun to play and you get taste of how first-person shooters used to be shortly before a post-Halo gaming scape.
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