Unreal II: The Awakening

The Good
It goes without saying that, just as with the original, the graphics are the most standout component of this game. Weapon effects, monster animations, lush landscapes and creepy flora and fauna all come to vivid life with the latest incarnation of the Unreal engine.

The gameplay is enjoyably straightforward with virtually no learning curve. You play as the captain of patrol ship in a Star Trek-esque universe, answering distress calls and fetching artifacts while uncovering an intriguing if trite sci-fi plot.

The supporting cast, including a feisty buxom first mate; a cigar-chomping, jaded weapons expert; and a lovably inept amorphous alien pilot make add immensely to the sense of story and consistency. The away-mission-based structure makes the game feel more open-ended than it actually is, which is good given how linear it actually is.

The arsenal, while outrageous, is eclectic and entertaining, and the bad guys range from humanoid to tremendously scary. Helpfully expendable NPCs littered throughout each level provide hints on how to solve the level in just the nick of time, as well as occasional radio transmissions with your crew.

Movable turrets, portable forcefields, and commandable troops add a level of strategy and a lot of fun to certain portions of the game. I only wish there were more of these moments.

The Bad
The game is very limited in depth and scope. While levels are fully explorable and beautiful to look at, there is little interactivity or ability to stray from the main path.

The difficulty balance is perplexing. Most enemies are appallingly easy, compensated for with sheer quantity. Not since Serious Sam have I been so annoyed by an unwarranted polygonal invasion of my screen. Even optimal systems can get bogged down by the game's massive environments and reptilian hordes.

Although the player encounters a pretty varied arsenal of weapons (each with an alternate fire mode), including an awesome fire-and-forget weapon that unleashes a black hole on your opponents, I found that I ended up using my basic assault rifle for a good 80% of the game.

The story itself is a pretty weak premise, and the characters outside of your crew are pretty forgettable. Even your crew's personalities and back stories are under-developed, despite a valiant attempt in the game's relatively short span.

While certain missions show promise, there is virtually no deviation in gameplay. Almost every level consists of starting outside of a complex; blasting your way through the complex; grabbing a secured item; and backtracking your way back to your ship. The all-too-brief strategic moments are few and far between, and usually end the same regardless of how you approach them.

And, although it's a relatively minor gripe, I found it pretty disappointing that Unreal 2 had pretty much nothing to do with the original other than the title and an overlapping bad guy (the iconic Skaarj).

The Bottom Line
Just like it's forebear, Unreal 2 is a visual treat, worth a playthrough for the eye candy alone. Just don't expect too much depth and you'll be pleasantly surprised. The game had some great ideas, but if you're looking for a game that accomplishes its design goals more thoroughly, check out Elite Force or Red Faction.

The Good
Requisite statement: whoo boy, these are some really nice graphics. All sarcasm aside, they are pretty good, although since the levels themselves are so plain the sharp visuals occasionally fail to impress. One level in particular, set in a laboratory, has this one room, see, that's like, all melted and stuff, and there's this laser, right, and it's like, reflecting off everywhere. And it looks good, and stuff.

The Bad
I think this may be the plainest game I've ever played. It's not outstanding in either direction - not great, not bad, not even really good - it's the digital equivalent of Jell-O. I rushed out and bought "Unreal 2" after having starved myself of FPSes since the mostly excellent "Aliens versus Predator 2." I didn't really know what to expect, since I had not played any incarnation of the "Unreal" franchise before, but I hoped that it would at least be fun in a cliched way.

It's definitely cliched, that's for sure. Normally, I don't slam games for this sin, since most don't aspire to impress with their plots. You know, save the universe, rescue the chick, ad infinitum. However, "Unreal 2" slathers the plot on thick. In between almost every mission, you have to wander in your ship, talking to their teammates and learning about their pasts and why they're so fucked up. They're actually not bad teammates - I especially liked the funky alien pilot. Nevertheless, the story is quite dull, and it's made even more so thanks to the monotonic delivery of the main character. His voice is as flat and boring as the game's weaponry.

Boring plots and linear levels are mostly venial sins for FPSes. Boring weaponry, however, is a truly cardinal crime. "Unreal 2" features some real snorers, starting with the standard issue popgun (lame), then moving on to the standard issue machine gun (oh, it shoots, like, radioactive splinters? Count me in!), complete with the standard issue rocket launcher, grenade launcher, and the now-standard issue flamethrower (which does sport some nifty graphics boy-howdy). We've all seen these weapons countless times before, and they've been done much better. Really, rushing a group of Imps in "Doom" and gutting them with the shotgun still gives me more thrills than coring the enemies in this game with any of its tired weapons. The programmers must have realized just how 1990s their arsenal was, so they attempted to spice it up with "innovations" like the spider gun. Yes, you heard me right, the spider gun. What does the spider gun do, you ask? It shoots a little spray of biomass that produces lots of little lifeforms that swarm onto whoever you aim your cannon at (yeah, it's a little like fucking). What do the little spiders do? They piss off the enemy. I was ecstatic as I watched the bad guy I just shot angrily swat away some spiders before he pulled out his shotgun and corpseified me.

The Bottom Line
A really disappointing don't-bother experience.

The Good
No doubt, Unreal 2 is a cinematic experience then standard 08/15 game, this includes a:

1.) Breathtaking Scenery with beautiful textures and models. 2.) Very suitable music and soundeffects. 3.) Interesting characters, with an amazing voiceacting and witty dialogues (english version). 4.) Great variety of weapons. 5.) For non FPS-Freaks (like me) it has a moderate difficult which makes it less frustrating and more fun to play.

The Bad
It has it flaws, no doubt, I seen follows:

Major weaknesses:

1.) I think for FPS-Freaks this is way to easy, and when there is no challenge, there is bore. 2.) Mainstory is really thin, but even then they managed to put some cliches into it.

Minor weaknesses:

1.) Moving around in the spaceship was pretty useless, in that case cutscenes would have been more than sufficient. 2.) I would like to choose for myself which weapons I take to a mission. 3.) Took sometimes ages to load. 4.) It was short, but on the other hand not too short for me.

The Bottom Line
Unreal 2 is a very eyecandy Singleplayer FPS, for everyone who likes SF and a little action. For me, who usually plays RGP, Strategy or Adventures it was a neat alternation. For its cheap price today its no loss except you are a hardcore FPS Player, then be aware for an easy and short trip.

Footnote: I was surprised to see C64 Graphic Legend Hugh "Last Ninja" Riley worked on that title. Most of artist/musicians/coder of that time are gone or do something completely different the industry.