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Review: Unreal Tournament 2003
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UnrealTournament2003.com (http://www.unrealtournament2003.com)
Unreal Tournament 2003 is the sequel to 1999's multiple 'Game of the Year' award winner. It uses the very latest Unreal Engine technology - where graphics, sound and gameplay are taken beyond the bleeding edge.

Unreal Tournament 2003 is a lightning-fast, no-holds-barred sport of the future, where warriors face off like the Gladiators of ancient Rome to determine the ultimate combatant. Super human reflexes, awesome weapons and the skill to use them effectively are what separate the good from the bad, the living from the dead, the victor from vanquished.This review will show you our personal experiences with this incredible game. We will go into the single player and multi player gameplay types and give you our view on the quality of the graphics and sound, and of course, our conclusion. Game Information
· Game Introduction & Features
· Download links
· System Requirements
· Test Systems Gameplay
· First Run
· Single Player
· Multi Player
· Running a Server Graphics
· In-Game Details
· Screenshots
· Wallpapers Sounds
· In-Game Details
· Realism?
· Whatever Conclusion
· GamePlay
· Graphics
· Sound

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UT2003: Game Information
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With sweaty hands you open up the box and pull out the manual, pfff, throw it away somewhere on your desk and just put in the first CD - We have been waiting long enough for this game. No more delays!

The setup is clean, simple and fast and requires all three cd-roms. Yeah! Three! This is a big game, big graphics, big sound. And the CD's come with a lot of extras. The linux version is included and it holds a version of Maya especially for UT2003. It also comes with upaint and with the latest version of the Unreal Editor; you can create your own levels with an incredible amount of detail.
Yes, it is worth the money! Game Features: Wield multiple weapons, including favorite blasters from the original Unreal Tournament and brand new, awe-inspiring implements of destruction! 6 different races and over 35 characters, 30 maps, class-specific combos, role assignments, teamwork directives, and recharge stations for ammo and health. Feast your eyes on breathtaking graphics, powered by advanced Unreal Engine technology, that go beyond the cutting edge. Never die the same way twice! Sophisticated in-game physics does away with "seen-it-before" animations and effects Power up on adrenaline to unleash Special Moves - a completely novel concept in first-person shooters that adds a new dimension of unpredictability and skill to a favorite genre, and to each battle you dare to wage! Download Official Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo (ftp://ftp1.homelan.com/demos/UT2003/UT2003-Demo.exe) (for Windows) Official Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo & Server (ftp://ftp1.homelan.com/demos/Linux_UT2003/UT2003-Demo-Linux.sh.bin) (for Linux) Official Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo Patch (build 1080) (http://files.progameplayer.com/UT2003-Demo-Patch-1.exe) (for Windows) Official Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo Patch (build 1080) (ftp://ftp2.emulation.fr/emulatio/www.ut2k3.fr/ut2003lnx_demo1080b.sh.bin) (for Linux) Minimum System Requirements Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP (Linux has separate README) Processor: Pentium III or AMD Athlon 733 MHz processor Memory: 128 MByte RAM Hard Disk Space: 3 GByte free HD space Video: 16 MB TNT2-class or other DirectX version 6 compliant video card Sound: Windows compatible sound card. NVIDIA nForce or other motherboards/soundcards containing the Dolby Digital Interactive Content Encoder required for Dolby Digital audio. DirectX: DirectX version 8.1b (on CD) Modem: 33.6K baud (for modem/Internet play) Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported. Recommended System Requirements Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP (Linux has separate README) Processor: Pentium III or AMD Athlon 733 MHz processor Memory: 256 MByte RAM Hard Disk Space: 3 GByte free HD space Video: NVIDIA GeForce2 or ATI Radeon (32-128 MB VRAM recommended) Sound: Sound Blaster Audigy series sound card* DirectX: DirectX version 8.1b (on CD) Modem: 56K baud (for modem/Internet play) Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported. Our Test Systems
floris: (more details @ specs.tk (http://www.specs.tk/) Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1 with DirectX 8.1 Intel Pentium4 2,400 Ghz 533 fsb 512 MB DDR RAM PC2100 Maxtor 80 GB Hard Disk @ 7200 RPM SoundBlaster Live! Asus v7700 Pro Geforce 2 Pro 64 MB DDR 21" EIZO Monitor in 1024x768 @ 32bit Cable Connection (1,5 Mbit (UPC) / LAN 100Mbit) Logitech Comfort Wireless Keyboard Logitech Comfort Wireless Optical WheelMouse Soundworks Speakers (2x) 16x48x DVD/CDROM

mf: Microsoft Windows XP Professional unpatched AMD Athlon XP 2000+ at 1700Mhz 266 FSB 512MB DDR RAM at 333Mhz 80 GB Hard Disk at 7200RPM DMX Xfire 1024 PCI Sound card Pixelview GeForce 2 Pro 64MB DDR 19" LG Monitor in 1280x960 @ 32bpp Cable Connection (128/1532kbit UPC Cable) Qware keyboard Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical Cambridge SoundWorks FPS2000 surround-sound speakers Pioneer DVD-105 16x DVD-ROM player TEAC CD-5325 32x SCSI CD-ROM player

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UT2003: Gameplay
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http://mf.onthanet.com/ut2k3-review/gameplay_thumb.png
Zoom InstaGib in Tokara Forest (http://mf.onthanet.com/ut2k3-review/gameplay.png)

The first run was a bit disappointing. No introduction flick. Most games have a few minutes, high resolution intro movie with details about the game, that make you go 'wow, let's ignore that space bar to skip it, this time'. On the other hand, if you start single player for the first time, you get a nice introduction. But still, this is a three cd release, and I bet there would have been time and space to put in a nice intro.

We have setup a profile, and we are ready to begin the ultimate tournaments.
This is real sport. Real competition. Let battle commence.

Unreal Tournament 2003 can be played alone, against computer-controlled 'bots' or against human opponents via LAN or the Internet.

· Single Player
The single player experience revolves around progress through a tournament ladder where you play alone or as leader of a team of warriors you select to take on the enemy in the various modes of combat. As your team wins, you'll work your way up through the leagues until the challenge to ultimate combat is met and the true Champion determined.

floris:
Before you can play in the single player, you have to setup a personal profile. With that profile you can start off playing the tutorials and go through the qualification rounds. Once completed those, you can participate in the ladder.

In order to unlock another gametype, and there are five, you have to master and complete a tournament. During victories and games you are asked to trade team members, which can help you improve your team.

After mastering the Deathmatch gametype and qualifications, you have to finish the Team Deathmatch gametype. Which will unlock Domination (version 2.0). After getting the other gametypes (Capture The Flag and Bombing Run) you are entering The Tournament Final.

(team)deathmatch and capture the flag are oldies. But (double) Domination 2.0 seems to be a bit improved and I also like Bombing Run a lot, it is new (not according to quake community) and it is a very nice and fresh approach to the way games like UT2003 can be played.

DeathMatch & TeamDeathMatch > You (or you and your team) against the world - You have to kill everybody to survive, each kill is worth a frag point. With enough frag points, you can win the match.

Capture the Flag & (Double) Domination 2.0 > You (or you and your team) have to steal the flag or control an area - The side with the most points wins the match. (And you have to defend your flag or area)

Bombing Run > In the middle of the level is a bomb, get it and throw it through the transporter of the enemy to gain a point. The side with the most points wins the match. You can throw the bomb to other team mates to play more tactical and make the game more interesting.

The gameplay in UT2003 is really nice, intriguing and doesn't get boring. You just keep on loading the game. Single player is a great way to master your skills which you can later test to the limit in Multi Player. Replaying a level or tournament is fun and it will stay fun. Death scenes are different each time, the A.I. is fun to play with and it just looks great. Even on low-end (ish) systems.

If you fail a level or like to replay another level without going through a tournament, you can also select Instant Action from the menu and enjoy hours of gameplay.

mf:
As I'm more the kind of get-to-the point person, the first thing (after setting all details to the max) I did was play a match in Instant Action mode. As I'd played the demo before, the gameplay was familiar, and I had a nice match.
The gameplay is really fast-paced and the bots are simply brilliant. I have to say, the difficulty is cranked up quite a bit, so watch out when setting the bot difficulty! Novice truly isn't as novice as you'd think it'd be, and Adept (the difficulty I'm currently playing) is about twice as hard as Godlike used to be in normal UT. A godlike botmatch in classic UT is quite a relief from the speed and difficulty of Adept UT2003. You'd almost say that the developers want to create a new breed of supergamers that can beat Godlike UT2003 bots with their eyes closed images/smilies/wink.gif.
The gameplay has changed a bit in the direction of Quake 3, and the looks strengthen that association, but there is one big difference, and that's precision. The weapons in Quake 3 are all quite easy to use, as you can almost miss and still make a direct hit. This is absolutely NOT the case in UT2003, in fact I'd say the weapons need more precision than they used to in classic UT (look at the Flak Cannon). This helps refine the gameplay to an extent that it really seems to be a game aimed at the more hardcore gamers that have been around since Quake (or earlier). Then again, it might help newbies in raising their skill to a higher level from the beginning on.
I haven't touched the tournament ladder (yet?), so I can't comment on it.

· Multi Player
The multiplayer section of the game is where the skills you have are tested to the limit. Go up against individuals or teams on your own or as member of an elite squad on LAN or the Internet in Unreal Tournament 2003's various modes of multiplayer game play.

Besides playing on a server, you can also Run a Server. It is now very easy to set up a dedicated server. And with a game like UT2003 I bet you will have no problem finding players to join it in no time.

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UT2003: Graphics and Sound
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UT2003 set at highest detail. (http://mf.onthanet.com/ut2k3-review/scr1.png)

Graphics with screens and a wallpaper pack or whatever
and indepth on the sounds (and annoying announcer?)

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UT2003: Conclusion
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Ending of the game (http://mf.onthanet.com/ut2k3-review/conclusion.png)

A real game for the hardcore gamers out there, it was worth the wait, the graphics and the sound and the gameplay all score a big phat 9, but we can understand that you can get bored quickly after playing it for months, and then get the feeling, no.. the urge to go back to classic UT; and that is our conclusion: 8,5/10



©Copyright 2003 the open forum @ http://www.creations.nl/ - Authors: floris (info@creations.nl) and mf (mf@creations.nl)

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mf and floris