Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

Added April 30th, 2005 by Serenity Now

Introduction:

Epic Games’ new take on the Unreal franchise is a unique one. They try to combine melee combat with the action of a first-person shooter. I never thought I’d say this but, they blend together flawlessly. Group together a full roster of unusual and distinctive characters, fantastic online multiplayer via Xbox Live, great graphics, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a package. Since this title strays from its roots, will die-hard fans of the Unreal Tournament series find something worthy of a purchase? Keep reading to find out!

Gameplay:

Before you play this game, you must realize that this isn’t Unreal Tournament. This is your first step to fully enjoying the game. At first, I had to adjust myself to playing an Unreal game using an Xbox controller. This was actually pretty easy as the game’s control layout is great. Your key to success is being able to switch effortlessly between melee and weapon combat. When you’re far away from one of your opponents, it’s best to use weapon combat. I like freezing my enemies by holding down both triggers while using the Shock Rifle -- after they can’t move I follow up with a melee attack that will result in an instant kill if pulled off correctly. Doing combo attacks like this are significant in battle. You can switch between third and first-person views while using rifle based combat only. While using melee weapons you can only use the third-person view. No surprise here. I wouldn’t want to use the first-person view while using melee combat anyway.

Honestly, this game doesn’t really have a story. Sure, there are people that don’t want you in the tournament because they know you’re good, but, in reality, that’s not exactly a story. Who said this game needs a story to be good though? Certainly not me, because this game is all about the multiplayer. There’s no getting around it, without multiplayer this game wouldn’t even be worth it at a bargain-bin price. The single-player campaign’s length is around four to five hours. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. ‘’I paid fifty bones for this trash and the single-player can be beaten in a one day rental?!? Screw this, I want my money back!’’ Well, before you beat up the store clerk, you should know that this game’s multiplayer could last you a lifetime. That’s right, with loads of on and offline multiplayer modes, and system link action, this game has some serious replayability.

The online play in Unreal Championship 2 is top-notch. Plain and simple, this is meant to be played online. If you don’t have Xbox Live, I suggest that you don’t get this game. That would be like buying World of Warcraft without a subscription to the online service. So, basically what I’m trying to say is this game isn’t even worth playing without Xbox Live. Sure, there’s system link, but how often are you going to find someone who has another copy of the game, and another Xbox? Not to mention, why would they even want to come over to your house? See what I mean? Good, I’m glad you understand. I encountered some lag while playing online. The lag was minimal and usually didn’t last the entire match. It was like on and off sessions. You probably won’t even notice it because you’ll be having so much fun. All and all, the online play is pretty darn solid.

Graphics:

I’ll say this right now: the graphics in Unreal Championship 2 are the best graphics I have ever seen in a console shooter (stealth shooters not included). This game is a straight up sci-fi shooter. So what does that mean? Amazing special effects of course! You’ll be fully loaded with a great amount of weapons that all look great. The Bio Rifle will shoot out little green blobs of hazardous goo. Ah, how it looks so mushy! I just want to take a big bite of it! Okay, maybe it doesn’t look that good. After you kill someone they will basically disappear leaving behind gore, which will dissipate after a few seconds. Looks a little cheesy (no pun intended) but still looks pretty good. Those familiar with the Unreal Tournament franchise, or any Unreal game for that matter, will recognize this, and will feel right at home.

What really stuck out to me was how good the maps look. I mean, they’re just beautiful. They're not too shabby in size either. The main thing I liked about the maps was how colorful they were. Whether it is purple, red, or deep blue, this game uses all of them to make all of the effects look like no other. When it comes to character models, Unreal Championship 2 does a great job. Faces don’t look jaded, facial hair doesn’t look like paper, and just about everything else is of equal quality. Hands down, Unreal Championship 2 is one of the best looking games on Xbox.

Audio:

The voice acting is good, but good voice acting doesn’t mean everything. It’s all about how the script is written. I’m going to give it to you straight. It’s not very good. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not dreadful, it’s just not good. And like I said before, the voices themselves sound great, it’s just the dialogue in the cut-scenes isn’t well-written. I felt like they were trying to amuse me by telling completely stupid jokes. It’s bearable though.

The music and sound effects are great. Gunfire sounds just like any other sci-fi game except this doesn’t sound like some cheaply produced noise. It has kind of a soft sound to it. You know, easy on the ears. After a long days work, it’s nice to come home to the sound of someone being brutally killed with a Flack Cannon. Good clean fun. It’s not exactly clean though. When you shoot someone gore is easily visible. I don’t know about you, but I like a nice healthy helping of gore in my shooters. Unreal Championship 2 sounds like a sci-fi shooter should; its only downfall is its dialogue.

Controls:

Ah yes, the moment you have all been waiting for. The Unreal Tournament franchise on the PC has always been known for its wonderful control scheme. Well, did this follow over to the Championship series for the Xbox? You bet it did! What might come as a surprise to many is that you can switch between third and first-person views while using a non-melee weapon. I personally prefer the first-person view. When you start out, you’ll be in third-person view with a weapon in your hand. To change this, you simply press the Black button. You can switch to melee combat by pressing B; you can then return to arsenal based combat by pressing Y. You’ll notice that you’ll still be in first-person view. This means that you only have to press the Black button once at the beginning of the game and you’re all set for the rest of the match. Or, if you prefer the third-person view, just don’t do anything.

When using melee weapons, your primary method to attack someone is by pressing the Right Trigger. If you want to perform a more powerful attack press B. When you’re in the air, holding down the Right Trigger then releasing when the time is right will cause you to bolt the direction you’re aiming. If you’re aiming directly at an opponent, they better watch out. An attempt to recreate spacebar jumping was put into play by the usage of the left thumb-stick to jump. However, I noticed that my hand started to hurt after awhile. No worries though, you can still use the A button to jump. The controls are in no way as good as a PC shooter, but hey, if this is the best they can do, I’ll take it.

Replay:

It really all depends on if you have Xbox Live or not. Heck, like I mentioned before, if you don’t have Xbox Live, this game is a better rent than a purchase. However, if you have Xbox Live, you are going to find hours of enjoyment. Sure, the single-player campaign can be beaten in one sitting, but playing online can last you months. With clan support, you could be playing for years (providing Xbox Live is still around).

So, I believe the question is, is this game worth the full fifty? It’s a yes and no question really. If you have Xbox Live, yes, if you don’t, no. Simple as that. But hey, if you don’t have Xbox Live, I suggest you get it. For the people who don’t have Xbox Live there’s always system link play and up to two players via split-screen action though. So it’s not like you’ll have nothing to do after finishing the main campaign. So, with on and offline multiplayer, Unreal Championship 2 has some quality replay value, but it’s still lacking a good single-player mode.

Summary:

Unreal Championship 2 is one of the many shooters available on Xbox. What makes this title so special? Well, let’s see: you can use both third and first-person views; hand-to-hand melee combat; beautiful graphics; and amazing online multiplayer. What more could you ask for? Well, there is just one small thing. A good single-player mode. Even though this game is lacking in that particular aspect, it’s still a fantastic game. It offers a great alternative to Halo 2. Some people describe it as a breath of fresh air. Indeed it is. You’ll come for the single-player (okay, maybe you won’t) but you’ll stay for the online multiplayer. Never have I seen this multitude of quality titles coming out this time of the year. So, if you’re looking for a new game to fill your online fix, Unreal Championship 2 is worthy of a purchase.