User Rating: 9 | Unreal Tournament 2004 (DVD Version) PC
Certain not-to-be-named genres of gaming have been beaten to death so badly, they lose depth and innovation with each iteration that rolls forth from the Black Morass. Every so often a game rejuvinates and encourages another look at an old set of favorites. Unreal Tourney 2k4 is an excellent continuation of the Unreal Tournament series. Tried and true features are back with slight tweaks and suprises, graphics are bold as ever, and mayhem is as severe as I remember any of the series being. There has been a trend among developers, however, to release "safe" games. Lucasarts' Jedi Academy added features onto Jedi Outcast, Neverwinter Nights has eaked out more expansions than Guns n Roses had "Use Your Illusion" albums, and Unreal Tourney 2004 adds on a few gimmicks to Unreal Tourney 2003. You can see this pattern at the movies, too. Familiar superhero flicks, Lord of the Money/Rings, Harry Potter and the Easy Bankroll, and so on. Few devs from the many series we enjoy are branching outside the familiar box. (This behavior may indeed be a saving grace for Half-Life 2 this fall, as it will not be outdone yet outside the horrifying Doom3 project). If you have UT 2003, then 2004 is still a worthy pickup. You will find, though, that the new features are throwbacks to ideas already included in previous versions or in other games. So do not expect a NEW game. Expect to find things that you wish were included in the FIRST UT game. The graphics are gorgeous UT engine, complete with amazing character models, physics engine effects, lighting effects, and beautiful skyboxes. The sound is fully directional, which adds a whole new level to gameplay. The pace is fast and competitive, with great gamemodes to challenge each other in. The AI is painfully good, and scalable for the n00bs. Since this is another take at a game already using the UT engine, already containing the great character models, already fast-paced, already with a physics engine, this feels like an expansion more than a standalone product. If it were standalone, then I'd expect to still enjoy playing some aspect of UT 2003. (All you Battlefield Vietnam players out there load up BF1942 and dogfight over the Coral Sea, and you'll know what I'm talking about.) As an expansion, this is an 8. As a standalone product, this is a 9. Swamination 
