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Unreal Tournament
PS2 Preview by Shawn Fogarty


Update: Thursday, July 27, 2000
Some good and bad news for UT, the game will no longer support 4 player split screen, only 2 player. But the game will now support network play utilizing PS2's Ethernet adapter. However, Ethernet won't be available at launch so UT won't support it out of the box. The company plans to release an update in the future to allow play over the internet once the Ethernet adapter is available. Perhaps the most exciting development coming from Epic is their intentions to make the PS2 version of UT compatible with the PC one so PS2 gamers that have the game will be able to play over the internet with those who have the PC game.


Update: Tuesday, June 21, 2000
Great news for Unreal Tournament! Epic Games has implemented USB support for a mouse and a keyboard which will be completely utilized by UT. Most people believe that a mouse and keyboard are the ideal tools for playing 1st person shooters and now the PS2 game will not lose a single step (hopefully). From what I hear, the PS2 control configuration is identical to the PC's and yes that means you can even switch weapons with the wheel on the mouse. Now all we need to do is buy a table to put them on!

Ah....Unreal Tournament. The name is already legendary, the very best of the best that the PC can offer. Sony should be honored that they will be blessed with so much gaming goodness. Sony so desperately wanted to demonstrate the PS2's ability to use its USB ports to network multiple systems together for UT that the game was basically thrown out onto the floor at a very early stage of development. Although the frame rate was poor and the graphics weren't up to PS2 standards yet, the game at least showed people what it's like to connect PS2's together for some good ol' deathmatch mayhem.

The control layout for the time being seems a bit strange. It appears they really want to use BOTH analog sticks for the game for some reason. Personally I think one is all you need, the other one is just added bulk on the controller. Anyway the controls are like this: left analog stick is for movement, right one is for looking, top shoulder buttons are for firing, jumping and ducking. And finally, the 4 main buttons are used to switch weapons and toggle scoreboard and walking speed. I don't think this set up will work well. The N64 controller in my opinion has the best layout for 1st person shooters. I use the "Turok" style: analog stick for looking, C buttons for movement, Z trigger for firing, A and B for switching weapons and R shoulder button for jumping. But anyway, everyone has their own preference and you can be sure UT will let you fully customize controls to your liking. Fortunately there should be no debate concerning the number of maps because Infogrames claims there will be 50 of them! There is one thing that they must make sure they do though. And that is to make sure that most if not all the maps are exactly the same as the maps for the PC version. The maps on the PC are geniously created and there is a perfect map for every type of game for any number of players. Clearly, Infogrames' best chance for success is to keep everything the same and if they can add a few extras then that's great, as long as they get all the PC elements in first.

For those of you who don't know much about UT, let me give you a run-down of the PC version. The PS2 version should be the same so it gives you a really good idea of what to expect on PS2. It has five game modes: deathmatch, assault, domination, capture the flag and team deathmatch.

Deathmatch:
Kill any and everything that moves. There are many deathmatch maps in varying sizes to best suit different numbers of players. This game mode is fast paced, non-stop bloody action at it's best. UT does a superb job balancing weapons because every one is useful and are all very capable of fragging opponents. I'm going to get side tracked just for a few moments to tell you about the weapons. There is, I think nine or ten main weapons in UT not including mutators which may not make it into the PS2 version. They all have a secondary fire mode so it's like having two weapons rolled into one. For example, the lovable rocket launcher's primary fire is the single rocket shot which also has an auto targeting feature and the ability to load up to six rockets for a simultaneous spread of chaos. It's arguably the best weapon in the game. The secondary mode lobs grenades that explode after a few seconds.

Assault:
It's an attacking team against a defending team. Players must complete a number of objectives (simple ones) in order to win the match while the opposing team tries to keep them from completing their mission. This mode really rocks, it's a blast to play and adds great depth to the game as a whole. The assault levels are often designed like real world locations so you get the feeling of a James Bond adventure when you're playing. For example, there is an under water level where you start off in a sub and must swim down to the ocean floor where you'll find an underwater base that you must infiltrate. The key to winning this mode is teamwork and giving your teammates commands so they just don't hide behind your back.

Domination:
Control key areas in a level. The longer your teammate dominates an area the higher their score is. This mode requires use of strategies like effectively giving orders and using the translocator (teleporting device).

Capture The Flag:
Go get the flag and take it back to your base while you run for your life. Most maps are designed like bases so not only do you capture the flag but you have to sneak into the enemies' base first to get it. This is another really fun mode and even better when played as a team.

The last mode is team deathmatch, which is just regular deathmatch except it's the team with the most frags that wins and you have to watch out not to cause any friendly casualties. One of the most impressive aspects of UT for PC is the uncanny realism of the bots. They are so smart. In fact playing single player is basically the same experience as multiplayer because the bots act just like human players. You can also configure them in the following areas: alertness, accuracy, skill level, difficulty, fighting style and even the amount of dodging techniques they use. You can also adjust how much they camp out! If the developers can pack in all those features then I will be impressed.

Even though the game doesn't have an actual single player quest, the replay value of the PC game is very long because surprisingly, there is a lot of stuff to do in single player mode for a game designed mainly for online play. Each game mode has ladder matches that you must progress through to win trophies and ultimately become Grand Champion. Each level, character and team alliances have their own stories that you can read before a match. Lets hope they keep this for the PS2 version. It helps get players into the game to know a bit about their opponents and where they're coming from.

Whether the game will make good use of PS2's online capabilities is still not clear. But the game will definitely have a four player split screen option. But even if the game doesn't turn out to be the multiplayer dream that is hoped, it will still be a great game for single player provided Infogrames puts the effort into making this port as accurate and flawless as possible. That is the only way that the game can be given justice and be worthy to carry the name onto PS2.


Expected Release Date:
Oct. 2000

Developer / Publisher:
Epic / Infogrames

Players:
4





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