A colourful and atmospheric FPS that stands the test of time.
The AI of some of the enemies made them harder to kill, the colour and textures were far-removed from the bland browns and greys of the Quake engines, and the inclusion of 'passive' Nali whom you could choose to protect (or kill) and a simple inventory system made Unreal more than just another shooter. This was the game that inspired me to get a 3D accelerator card, and it was worth every penny at the time because the game looked beautiful.
Refreshingly, just like Half-Life this game does away with cut scenes and keeps you firmly rooted in first person view. Also just like Half-Life the environments you traverse are all stitched together so there are no jarring swap-outs to completely different environments. The environment simply changes around you as you progress. And there is so much to explore.
The premise of the game is that you are a survivor of a crashed prison ship, and must find a way to get off the planet. While that might seem very simple, you get the opportunity to learn what happened to other crew members and prisoners who managed to escape by reading their journals, as well as picking up the odd Nali journal to find out what has been happening on the planet, and how you might be able to help them.
The large outdoor areas, great special effects such as flailing electric cables, rippling pools of blood, venting steam, green fog, beautiful reflections, etc., all give the game a stunning visual impact. While it may not be as beautiful as recent games, the visuals are still good even today.
Sound and scripted events are used to excellent effect to build atmosphere and tension. Ambient sound really gives you a sense of place, and weapon sounds and other effects are all well done.
If you choose to help the Nali, they will reward you by opening secret areas that would otherwise remain closed to you if you kill them, or allow them to be killed by the Skaarj.
The AI of some of the enemies is good, especially the Skaarj, and there is a good variety of different alien creatures you will encounter. The game also excels in making the environments seem alive with the inclusion of native flora and fauna that is neutral to your presence. Nali rabbits scamper across the grass as strange birds fly in the sky and fish swim in the water. These sorts of things had rarely been included in FPS games of that time.
The weapons are also quite creative, from the devastating flak canon to the ASMD shock-rifle to the biorifle, some of which had secondary fire modes.
Unfortunately Unreal didn't carry through the visual or menacing promise seen in the first half of the game, and the tension gradually faded away as you progressed. The level design also could have been a lot better in parts, though overall it was well done with some secrets that were not obvious on the first play through.
A couple of the creatures in the game looked a bit silly, like the Brutes, but other than that creature design was also very well done.
The inventory items do come into use throughout the game with some nice touches, such as dropping seeds that grow quickly into healing plants that you can use to replenish health, torches and flares to light really dark areas and some other bits of gear you pick up along the way.
At it's heart, though, Unreal is very much a solid shooter, and most of the gameplay will entail taking down the variety of enemies arrayed against you as you seek to find some way to get off the planet and escape. The single player campaign is quite lengthy.
I actually liked the ending of this game.
The inclusion of a decent multiplayer, with good level designs and bots to play offline, were just the icing on the cake - although those elements formed the basis of the excellent Unreal Tournament that arrived a year later.
Design/Graphics - 9 out of 10
Sound - 9 out of 10
Gameplay - 9 out of 10
Replayability - 8 out of 10
Value - 9 out of 10
Overall: 8.8 (rounded up to 9.0)