Back to Unreality
Unlike previous Xbox shooters such as Halo®: Combat Unleashed, Unreal Championship has no single-player story mode—instead, the single-player game serves to prepare you for the real Championship: online play against other gamers on the XboxLive network. Game types include the traditional Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag (modifiable by a slew of in-game mutators like the wicked "vampire" setting, which pumps up your health every time you inflict damage on a foe). New to UC are the bombing run game, wherein one team must capture and use a bomb hidden somewhere on the map, and double domination, which forces your team to hold a section of the map defined by preset checkpoints. A few more basic, yet ingenious, innovations set Unreal Championship apart from any other console or PC shooter on the market. As you advance through the levels of play, your character's fighting abilities get more deadly. You also gain teammates who improve with each success. Instead of running all over every map looking for the weapons that you want, start each level with your chosen avatar's favorite, whether that's an in-your-face flak cannon or a long-distance shock rifle. You still need to hunt for ammo, but this one elementary change in the shooter template means less gadget-hunting and more focus on combat abilities—and really, isn't that the point? Classic weapons like the bio-gel gun and the assault rifle survive from Unreal Tournament, but others have been replaced. No more apocalyptically powerful Redeemer, for example. But the assault rifle now has a grenade launcher attached—and come on, that's pretty cool. Expect this game to become a favorite of shooter fans, and a must-own for anyone who wants to take full advantage of the multiplayer action promise of Xbox Live. Unreal Championship keeps you fighting 'til the end—and then some. By Ben Barker |
