The release of Unreal Tournament 2004 represented a remarkable moment in PC gaming history. Not only was the game a joy to play, building on the multiplayer shooter mechanics that had originated in 1999’s Unreal Tournament, but it was also able to be modded, and some of those mods would become standalone games themselves, launching the careers of their devs.
Released an astonishing 20 years ago, Unreal Tournament 2004 was one of the outstanding first-person shooters of its time. This third iteration in the franchise brought a bounty of fantastical levels and deliriously lethal contraptions to the shooter scene, returning Unreal Tournament to the podium to rival interlopers such as Halo. It provided a counterpoint to a flood of military shooters while bringing the franchise “up to date” in the words of Epic Games’ founder Tim Sweeney. Its fluidity of movement, good looks and bombastic gunplay cemented its status: IGN and Gamespot scored it 9.4, PC Zone 94%, and PC Gamer 92%. Edge called it a “triumph”.
Two decades later, Epic’s last game before partnering with Microsoft ahead of its unannounced second Xbox console is an artefact of unfashionable, but not obsolete, FPS gaming from the early 2000s. Its themes were scattershot and weird, yoking anthropomorphic reptiles with cosmic ancient Egyptians. Yet in surprising ways it shares DNA with the game that would supersede it at Epic Games: Gears of War.
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av PC Gamer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av PC Gamer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Whale of a tale – Harold Halibut's big undersea adventure – Special Report
Inside the 14-year journey to hand-craft Harold Halibut’s big undersea adventure
SUNDOWNER
Wipe out a cult with one bullet in CHILDREN OF THE SUN
KENWAY AHEAD
Smooth sailing and pearly whites in ASSASSIN'S CREED IV BLACK FLAG
COUNTER INTUITIVE
PICK & POKE your way through this gorgeous tabletop roguelite
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Whatever happened to MULTI-GPU setups?
MICROPHONES
A good microphone can be the difference between a professional sounding triumph, or a crackly, tinny disaster
BORING PLATFORMER
In a good way! The superb drilling of PEPPER GRINDER is sublimely chaotic
MEIER'S BASTARDISATION
MILLENNIA attempts a spirited but messy coup to Civ's throne
LOOSE MORALS
BROKEN ROADS: a cerebral narrative adventure
CROWN WARS: THE BLACK PRINCE
Tactical medieval combat with a gory edge