Publisher
Atari

Developer
Tantalus
Legend Entertainment

Released: February 10, 2004
Genre: FPS
Players: 1 / 12
ESRB: Mature

7
7
7
7
7.3

Supported Features:

Unreal 2: The Awakening was one of those games that found its way back onto my hard drive, not so much because of its longevity in the gameplay department - after all, it was a linear and rather short adventure - but more to the fact that I had never been entirely pleased with how it had performed on my previous system. I had just finished the PC version for my second time – a much better experience on a high-end rig I might add – when the Xbox version arrived for review.

Long ago Epic decided to split their Unreal franchise down the middle and keep their story-based games and multiplayer-based games separate. Those looking for massive frag-fests, have found solace in the Unreal Tournament series while adventure gamers looking for story and action have had Unreal and now Unreal 2: The Awakening.

While there are some inherent problems to playing a FPS game on the console, the designers have managed to sidestep most of the serious pitfalls and release a playable port of the original with some excellent multiplayer modes tossed in so your Xbox Live subscription doesn’t get jealous.

The game design offers a few new features without trying to reinvent the genre. You are introduced to the controls, interface, weapons, and some tactical training in the mission simulator before you return to your ship in orbit and begin your first mission. Missions are the typical run and gun variety with some interesting objectives tossed in from time to time. One of the more pleasant surprises was where after crash landing on a planet you had to setup a defense perimeter of automated turrets and laser fences. This added level of strategy combined with blazing firefights really added to the experience.

Your ship serves as an interactive hub between missions where you can walk around and talk to your crew for some interesting background story. You can get your holographic mission briefings, check out new and modified weapons, and chat with your new alien pilot before climbing into your dropship and heading planetside. There are some interesting side-stories and even a small adventure that takes place on your ship.

This interactive hub combined with beautiful cutscenes and lots of interactive dialogue where you get to pick the flow of the conversation gives Unreal 2 an almost adventure-like feel to it, but once you land on that first planet the game is unmistakably action from the first shot to the final obligatory boss-fight.

As I’ve stated so many times in the past, FPS games are just not suited to gamepad control. Sure you can get them to work well enough but there is just no substitute for the accuracy of a mouse and keyboard combo. Normally the designers address this problem by either slowing down the enemy movement or giving you a target-snap or auto-lock option, but not this time. While you do have the ability to adjust the sensitivity it is nearly impossible to find something that will work reliably throughout the entire game. Some of these critters move awfully fast and you will waste a lot of precious ammo before you finally kill some of them.

Speaking of ammo, the weapons in Unreal 2 are excellent. Many of your Unreal favorites are back along with some new toys. All weapons have primary and secondary functions and one of my favorites has to be the grenade launcher with three types of grenades and the ability to detonate on contact or bounce them off the wall or ceiling for a time-delay blast. Some other great weapons include the flamethrower with some of the best fire and flame effects seen on the Xbox to date, and the alien weapon that explodes sending a bunch of spidery creatures swarming over your target.

While PC gamers were limited to the campaign, the Xbox version features XMP, the new multiplayer component that ends up outshining the single-player portion of this console port. Making great use of Xbox Live, Unreal 2 offers several multiplayer modes for individual and team-based games including vehicles and base management.

There are unique units (or solider classes) and each has special abilities and weapons that are pleasantly diverse but exquisitely balanced, so you need a thoughtful combination of soldiers and the skilled gamers who know how to play them. Even the gameplay is nicely tweaked to appeal to hardcore strategists or the casual deathmatch commando.

The only downside to the online component is a sheer lack of content, although with support for Xbox downloadable material it shouldn’t be long before we see some expansion packs to enhance the four paltry maps that come with the game. The only thing that isn’t likely to change is the strict player limitations, 12 for system link and 8 for Xbox Live. Unreal 2 has such a strong multiplayer component that it simply begs for large-scale multiplayer battles and four-on-four could disappoint the more serious gamer.

Weapons are thoughtfully original, both in their design and their clever animations for both fire modes. The resulting fire effects, blasts, and explosions will satisfy the violent cravings in all FPS gamers.

The levels are massive, often with scenery that will have you staring in awe, especially in some of the later levels. The outdoor levels come to life with plenty of subtle environmental animations and effects including bad weather, and some truly stunning futuristic special effects in some of the alien levels. The indoor levels are equally as detailed but are often quite dark, most likely to enhance the special effects or add some extra tension to the gameplay.

The textures are flawless and stand-up to the lower resolution of the Xbox, and while the lighting isn’t the best I’ve seen on the Xbox, it gets the job done. Toss in some progressive scan support for HDTV owners and you have a very pretty game...as long as you are standing still.

Yes, there is a slight problem in the performance category that begins with the unreliable framerate and carries over into more serious issues like clipping, disappointing character animation, and some poor use of game-engine graphics for cutscenes. This might have slipped by unnoticed last year but we have all seen much better quality on the Xbox and specifically in this genre.

The sound effects are excellent, both for the futuristic weapons and the crazy aliens you will encounter. There is plenty of ambient level noise; water, wind, weather, and the constant radio chatter is not only immersive but downright critical in knowing what is going on and where you should be going.

The voice acting is acceptable. Perhaps I am being overly critical since the cutscenes where most of the dialogue takes place are simply average and the lip-synching is rather poor. Each of the diverse characters manages to pull off their own unique personalities with my favorite being the alien pilot, Dalton, that speaks in a very slow, insect-like voice.

The XMP modes are outstanding and the gameplay is fast and furious, but no less challenging or problematic when you take the twitchy controls into consideration. I’m sure there is a whole breed of console gamer out there that has no problem with these controls, so this is definitely the game for you. Be warned that the online content is pretty slim right now, and you’ll be at the mercy of the designers for future content.