 |
|
Gameplay
Sound
 |
|
Graphics
Value
|
|
Reader Reviews
36 reviews. Average Rating: 8.36
• |
|
|
Publisher:  Genre: Action
|
|
Mac OS X: 10.2.8 Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G4 @ 933 MHz RAM: 256 MB Hard Disk: 6000 MB DVD-ROM Graphics: 32 MB VRAM |
|
|
|
Graphics
Since the original Unreal Tournament, the graphics have been really pumped up by better graphics hardware, and some really gorgeous textures and models from the fine folks at Epic Games. Many maps and characters are back from Unreal Tournament 2003, but the new maps in UT2K4 are so polished and visually stunning that I found myself standing around in game to gawk at the environments on more than one occasion.
Truly, spending some time wandering the map in spectator mode before the matches begin is a good idea on two fronts: you can seek out all the nooks, crannies and powerups; and you can marvel at the level of detail put into an environment that players run through at a breakneck pace.
The map count is huge - 95 maps out of the box, with 45 new maps. Every map I have played so far has shown the same high levels of detail. For those who have also missed the old classic maps like Morpheus and November - a little digging around the map list should result in a pleasing retro experience.
The character animations are top notch, and the impressive rag doll frags are back in UT2K4. My personal favorite frag effects are the flaming frags caused by rocket launchers - especially when you score a proximity kill by hitting the floor under the player. Flaming gib flying in all directions is really quite a lovely effect. Even a solid rocket hit on an unshielded body will cause that part of the body to burst into flames as the player runs for cover.
One of the biggest improvements in graphics as it relates to gameplay is brighter default team colors on the characters, which makes team play significantly easier more enjoyable. I found myself blasting away at teammates considerably less than I did in UT2K3.
Of course, what many of you really want to know is what kind of performance numbers you can expect from UT2K4. I can only give you some impressions from my home gaming system, with some general numbers.
On my system (dual 1 GHz PowerLogix upgrade in a Quicksilver box, 1.5 GB RAM, 10.3.3, and a GeForce4 Ti) I saw frame-rates consistently in the mid to high 40s under most maps, jumps into the 60s for some indoor maps, and the occasional drop into the high 20s in rare situations. These frame-rates were not gathered from any standard time demo, but observed over a series of matches in all game modes in real game situations. I played almost exclusively in 1280x1024 at default detail settings, although lower resolutions seemed to show some gains in frame-rate numbers.
So what do those numbers mean? I felt the game was really playable, and never had enough of a slowdown to affect gameplay. Large open spaces with lots of onscreen action got choppy at times, but frags come fast, and large numbers of players tend to get smaller in a hurry.
The only map that proved to be the exception is the Mothership assault map, which dropped my average frame-rate down into the low thirties.
|
