Unreal Tournament 2004 adds two game modes, Onslaught and Assault; a fleet of air, land, and space vehicles; new weapons for your armory; over 95 arenas and battlefields; an expanded single-player tournament; voice-over IP that allows you to say whatever you want during a match; and last, but not least, the return of the Skaarj race.

Picking and choosing from the sports side came mostly in the form of adding such elements as salaries, trades, and advanced stat tracking to the single-player tournament, which uses some of the multi-player modes to bring a change of pace to the experience. “One minute you’re attacking a Skaarj mothership in a space fighter, the next you’re on foot battling next to a tank,” says Bleszinski. “Suddenly, what was thought of as a multi-player only game has a rich and varied single-player mode.”

Onslaught. Taking fire near the other team's base.

New Wrinkles

The most significant additions, the vehicles and stand-alone turrets, are found in the new game modes. Now you can hop in a lightweight Manta hovercraft and blow away opponents or even stomp them by bringing it down on their heads. Or you can climb into the massive five-man Leviathan and use its four turrets and rear-mounted rocket pack to subdue your enemies. There are even two starcraft — the human and Skaarj fighters — that let you take the tournament into outer space.

“Vehicles are another new and interesting way for players to not only interact with each other but also with the world,” says Bleszinski. “We knew that many games with vehicles often have problems with balancing: a player on foot is no match for one in a tank or a buggy.

“The sports theme works both for Unreal Tournament and against it. Yes, this is a bloodsport, and there is a tournament, but it’s not the WWE. We must pick and choose what we take from the sports side very carefully.”

- Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer

“This is where the new weaponry comes in,” he continues. “The Anti Vehicle Rocket Launcher can take out the toughest vehicle in mere seconds. The Spider Mines chase after people as well as vehicles. And sticky grenades allow sneaky gamers to set up any number of devious traps.”

Bombing Run. No shoe contracts for top scorers. Yet.

The Unreal Touché

Onslaught mode, where you’ll find all of the vehicles (some of them show up on select Assault maps too), might have never appeared in UT2K4 if not for Dave Hagewood, of developer Psyonix, who approached the Epic Games team with the idea. “Even back then,” says Bleszinski, “the vehicles were fun to drive around in, but they didn’t quite have that ‘Unreal spin’ on them. We worked quite a bit to evolve the mode into what it is today: strategic yet chaotic vehicular mayhem that feels right in the Unreal universe.”

Bleszinski also promises that UT2K4’s updated “rag doll physics” will produce some spectacular results during any game mode. “We bumped up the ‘weight’ of the characters so they fall with more of a thud,” he says. “When you destroy a vehicle, it ejects the rag doll body of the driver and you can watch him go flying. It’s rather gratifying.”

Call the Shots

Voice-over IP also adds to the satisfaction found in the UT2K4 experience. Put on a headset and you can verbally communicate with your teammates (“Cover me.”), instead of fumbling for a key that issues a predetermined message when pressed (If you own an iSight camera, you can use it as your microphone). The game gives you the option of allowing everyone, just your teammates or even just those players near yours, to hear what you’re saying.

“One minute you’re attacking a Skaarj mothership in a space fighter, the next you’re on foot battling next to a tank. Suddenly, what was thought of as a multi-player only game has a rich and varied single-player mode.”

- Bleszinski

The More Things Change

“I’m looking forward to interacting with other players in this manner in the full game, from gathering feedback to yelling at my teammates to hop in my Hellbender,” says Bleszinski. “Judging by the demo servers I’ve been on, people are utilizing voice-over IP to formulate cool strategies.”

Bombing Run. It’s just as important to play a solid defensive game.

The game’s “Instant Action” option allows you to configure a multi-player game to your liking and play with and against bots that sport one of eight skill levels, from Novice to Godlike.

Words to Frag By

This makes two new UT games in two years. Many sports games, such as the NASCAR series, also see annual updates, but we must remember Bleszinski’s desire to pick and choose what works best for the Unreal Tournament universe.

Capture the Flag. A Blue Team escort back to home base.

“Our mantra has always been ‘We shall do an annual update if it makes sense,” says Bleszinski. “Do we feel that what we’re putting together is fun, compelling, and a significant improvement? If we conclude that the answer is ‘Yes,’ then we consider doing an update.”

So maybe we’ll see all Unreal Tournament fans back here same time next year.

If you liked this game, check out:

• Doom 3
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Red Faction
• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy