I never really "got" the original Unreal. Oh, I played enough Unreal Tournament to make my fingers bleed, and I've put in quite a few hours both with Unreal Tournament 2003 and the most current version today, Unreal Tournament 2004. When I finally had a chance to pick up a copy of the original game for $4, I jumped at it, but by then the graphics were so dated and the game so simplistic that I didn't find it fun.
So when Unreal II: The Awakening (U2) was released I kept a good eye on it, figuring this might be a good jumping off point for me to get into the single-player series. When the reviews came in luke warm, however, I shelved that thought and moved on to other games. But then one day I found a copy of U2 at my local Electronic Boutique for a mere $12, and I have to say it was worth it in the final analysis for all the reasons that follow.
By now, more than two years after its release, one would expect U2 to look pretty dated. And in some respects it does: the dynamic lighting is nothing compared to games like Far Cry or DOOM 3, there are no fancy shaders, the modeling looks more than a bit angular compared to today's games, and even the texture resolution leaves a bit to be desired in certain places. But even still the game looks more than good enough to provide fun play. Some of the visuals are still, well, "unreal" enough that they made my jaw drop, though it was more from the sheer beauty of the environments than impressive technology.
And speaking of things dropping, what review would be complete without mention of the incredible Aida? The developers obviously set out to create the sexiest, most anatomically impossible, digital babe ever, and I'd have to say they succeeded. Indeed, Aida is a "living" work of art. I'm sure in the real world she'd send my blood pressure into uncomfortable territory, but inside a video game she's easy on the eyes—and that's this year's understatement award winner.
Better still, because the game was designed for an older generation of hardware, I can run U2 at an impressive 1600 x 1200 x 32 bpp with 4x anti-aliasing and 8x anisotropic filtering and still enjoy butter smooth framerates in every situation. It runs like a champ, which is more than I can say for some of the more recent, prettier games. In short, I don't have any complaints about the visuals. Even two years later they hold up well and make the game a visual feast for the eyes.
The audio, on the other hand, is a bit rougher around the edges. For starters, all of the vocal performances, with the possible exception of that odd, little, alien pilot, were a bit bland. Seriously, if there was supposed to be much emotion or drama in there, I didn't hear it. It's almost as if the voice actors were told their characters cared about nothing. Only a few lines stood out as memorable, and that's a shame given the degree to which the game tries to make them matter to the player.
Worse, the weapon sound effects were a mixed bag. Some of them were pretty substantial—the shotgun in particular had a very satisfying retort, as well as a reload sound that gave it a certain "heft"—but several were quite forgettable. I realize most of the weapons have been done to death in other games, but that's no reason to provide merely decent sound effects. With the exception of the shotgun, I never found the weapon sounds all that gripping, unlike other games in the franchise I've played.
The music too, while surely more of the pounding techno-stuff that infuses the other games in the series, is also pretty bland. Or at least nothing stood out to me during my trip through the game until the very end. There was no music cue that struck me as setting a mood at all, not until the very sadly appropriate violin strains before the credits began to roll. No, the developers could have achieved the same result simply by asking the user to set his MP3 player to shuffle through his techno-pop collection.
So on the whole the audio is merely good. It does what it's supposed to do, I suppose, but it doesn't do it well. And it doesn't really stand out for sucking the player into the experience in the very meaningful way that audio can. Still, this isn't a deal breaker. It's just the observation of this gamer's jaded ears.
What can I say? The menu system is as straightforward as it is functional. All the keys can be remapped quite easily, though the default setup is nice as it is. The HUD elements are functional yet not all that obtrusive. And even the interface mechanisms for controlling squad mates, setting up defensive turrets and fences, and so forth are all very well done. If you've played other FPS games, then you'll have no trouble getting right into U2. It's very simple.
My only negative comment is that the quick load key is disabled during the player's death animation. So, should the player be killed, he either has to wait until he's given the option to quick load, or he can hit escape and navigate through the menus. Me, I would prefer not to be forced to watch my failure in slow motion, but this isn't that big a deal. It's a minor issue to say the least.
In terms of its game mechanics, U2 tries to be something more than just another FPS game. It tries to include some role-playing elements, some conversation (though barely interactive), and some deployable objects for use in strategically important places. I commend the developers for trying such an interesting mix of things.
The deployable objects in particular give the player some interesting tactical options. Rocket turrets, machine gun turrets, and powered fences are all available for use, so it's possible to force the enemy into choke points where turrets will rip them up. For better or worse, though, these things are only available in certain missions. I welcomed the chance to use them, as I thought it was one of the more interesting aspects of the game.
Recognition is also deserved for the attempt to integrate persistent elements in the game. The player is always in one of two environments: on a mission or aboard his ship. The former is the meat of the game and is essentially similar to every other FPS game. But the latter, the sequences aboard the player's ship, are both fresh and interesting. It's possible while on board to check out the crew quarters, talk to the pilot, talk to Aida, and so forth.
I particularly liked how the artifacts collected to date would be available for viewing, as well as how the protagonist keeps pictures of his various missions in his quarters. Those are really nice touches that make the ship come alive. It really helps the player feel like part of something larger than himself, a respect in which most other FPS game fail rather miserably.
The conversations are also not only useful (e.g., for learning about the game's weapons, receiving briefing materials, etc.) but provide bits of background detail about the characters as well. Listening to the characters provides a window into their motivations. It also gives the player an emotional connection to them, which is exploited admirably at the game's conclusion I must say.
The rest of the mechanics are the standard FPS stuff. Walking, running, shooting, etc. all work as one expects. The only interesting addition to the typical fare is the ability to "mantle"; i.e., to pull one's self up to a ledge or the top of a crate if it's within reach. I noticed this was inconsistently implemented, insofar as it's impossible to climb onto some crates later in the game, but it's still a nice touch. Overall, the game mechanics deliver.
Oh, except for one problem: U2 has the worst, and I mean worst, ladder mechanics ever. It is simply impossible to climb down a ladder in any safe way. If you back up toward the ladder, your avatar will literally move forward and backward unceasingly but never get on the ladder. If you face forward and move toward the ladder, you'll fall. The only saving grace to the whole mess is that all the really long drops in the game are such that it's possible to grab the ladder once you've begun falling. Thank God for small favors, for the ladder mechanics in U2 are abominable.
The story has been done more times than I can count. As I've said in other reviews, I'm getting really tired of now extinct, yet wildly advanced, ancient races. It seems like I can't find a single game that takes me to another world without the galaxy being virtually littered with crap from radically advanced, long dead species. Sadly, U2 is no different. There are a series of essentially indestructible artifacts, you see, and if the bad guys get them we're probably in trouble.
Worse, the story plays the completely predictable betrayal card as well. In short, not only would it be a bad thing if the bad guys got hold of said artifacts, well, they're not real safe in the hands of the "good guys" either as it turns out. In the end, maybe we're not really so different from the "bad guys" after all, eh? Maybe things aren't as black and white as they seem sometimes, right? Good Lord, give me a rest from this tripe already.
Still, there are some worthwhile bits of back story from the characters involved. And if one takes the time to listen to them, I can guarantee that the price of the obvious betrayal will be painful. It was to me, at least; but then I'm a sucker for somber endings with fallen heroes. As commonplace as the story is, it does help propel the action forward, which is all that really counts with a game like this. A deep plot it isn't, but it's enough.
The game's content is surely it's greatest strength. For starters, U2 features quite a number of very different environments. The player will trudge through desert, thick jungle, snow and ice, inside a marine starship, inside some freakishly alien territory, and pretty much everything in between, all of which are stunningly beautiful and well conceived. Truly, the environments of U2 never get old. The game takes the player to a delightfully diverse set of locales.
The weapons are also many and varied. Along the way the player will pick up his basic energy pistol, an assault rifle, a tremendously flexible grenade launcher, a rocket launcher, an alien shock lance, a really solid-feeling shotgun, Aida's magnum pistol, a sniper rifle, a "spider gun", a laser rifle of sorts, and what is unquestionably the coolest flamethrower I have ever seen or used in a video game. Oh, and did I mention the freaky little orb thing that can be used to torment an opponent or act as a personal point-defense turret?
All of the weapons are not only useful in their primary fire mode but also have equally cool alternate fire modes. The arsenal of U2 is a true pleasure to use because of its broad diversity. It took me a while to get used to the weapon selection system—much like the original Half-Life and Half-Life 2 the weapons are arranged into categories—but once I got it I was able to access the desired implement of destruction with ease. The weapons may not have the best sounds, but they're a lot of fun to use nevertheless.
The game's artificial intelligence (AI), however, is a more mixed bag. On the few occasions one gets to order troops around, they behave somewhat schizophrenically. On the one hand they'll take orders and follow them pretty intelligently. Yet on the other hand they don't seem to have a clue about how dodging fire or using cover might help keep them alive. The result is that one's troops become little more than fodder. I guess I should be thankful that all the game's enemies are just as dumb, or arguably dumber.
I should also point out that the game confronts the player with a wide variety of tasks. U2 isn't all run and gun by a long shot. Sometimes you're forced to hold an area for a set period of time. At one particularly memorable point, you're forced to protect a truly irritating researcher until he can help you both escape. Elsewhere you're tasked with providing cover for a lowly engineer who needs to repair a generator for you. Sniping all the Skaarj trying to kill him is both challenging and fun. It's these sorts of different modes of play that should make the game both refreshing and exciting.
Yet the game's content is also ultimately its greatest weakness for a couple of reasons. First, the game is very short. I took a pretty leisurely trip through it, and I finished it in a mere eight hours of play. I pity those who paid a full $50 for U2; it wouldn't even come close to being worth it. In my case, having paid a mere $12 for it, I don't feel so bad, but there just isn't much to this game.
More troubling than mere length, though, is the game's pacing. I realize the developers were trying to build big, detailed, sprawling environments, but they ended up slowing down the game's pace to a veritable crawl in spots. Most FPS games either confront the player with maximal carnage, or they take more of a stealthy approach where the player has to remain unseen. The key to both approaches is the same: they let the player ride the wave of an adrenaline rush. In contrast, U2 just feels slow.
There are a couple of hot spots to be sure, usually where one is trying to hold out against a superior force from within a more or less well fortified position. But much of the game amounts to killing a couple of enemies, running a few hundred yards, duking it out with another couple of enemies, running another hundred yards, etc. The game just doesn't deliver the adrenaline rush that has made other games in the genre so memorable. The recent Star Wars: Republic Commando is a perfect example; it too is a short game, but it's a boatload of intense fun at virtually every moment. In contrast, U2 falls a bit flat.
Overall, there is a lot to like about U2 as a game, but there are also a few warts. The biggest downer, to me at least, was the way the game didn't keep my interest level high throughout all of it. I started it on a high note, but then my interest waned, peaking occasionally at the acquisition of each new weapon. It was only at the very end of the game that it pumped up my adrenaline again. In short, it starts strong, wanders for a while, and then has a big, painful, interesting finish. But there isn't very much of it, and what is there doesn't flow at a quick enough pace for my taste.
Given that the game shipped with no multi-player component, there is little to say. The developers are to be commended for releasing the XMP add-on, and particularly so interesting and complex an add-on, but it seems to have arrived too late to snag the community's interest. Or perhaps people just don't much care for its brand of play. Whatever the case, at the time of this writing there are a whopping eight servers on-line, only three of which are populated, for a grand total of twelve players. That's not a whole lot of action any way you slice it.
In truth, I rather like the game mode. It's like some kind of freakish cross between Tribes 2, Battlefield 1942, and Unreal Tournament. Deployment points, generators, and so forth can all be "hacked" and thus captured. Energy fuels various systems, so it's important to hold onto energy sources like generators. Deployment points give the team places to spawn, so it's important to hold onto the good ones. And as if that weren't enough, there are three classes (ranger, tech, and heavy gunner) to play and a number of nifty vehicles to use. In short, it's a surisingly deep game mode that seems to have gone nowhere. What a pity.
Overall, I have to say I liked U2. It was too short, and it was too slow in its pacing at a number of points, but there was an awful lot of variety between start and finish. I got to hang out with the hottest digital babe I've ever seen, do a whole lot of damage with a bunch of great weapons, tromp all over more than a half-dozen wildly different and fascinating worlds, and wield the ultimate weapon while running for my life at the very end. It was hard to lose the "friends" I had brought together along the way, but it was a fun trip nevertheless. I can recommend this to anyone looking for a good, cheap FPS game. It's not great, and it falls a bit flat compared to more exciting games, but U2 is easily worth the $5 for which I see it selling on EBay.
04/25/2005