UNREAL II $36.99 on 2/5/03

[2hotP3s]

Hastings has it on sale for $39.99.

Am I the only one here to answer geoffkin's question?

It might be good for pricematching...
Enjoy the game and judge for yourself...
-2hot


Edit: I thought it was $35 earlier... sorry for the confusion.

 

[Aiden]

Graphics were great i thought. gameplay was very weak,and yes like the others who played it for the most part,i didnt get the box ,somehow it got misplaced.

im not a big fps person,but there are many other fps games,that are better then unreal2 that are currently on the market.

 

[loudog40]

In response to all the b!tching about gameplay of Unreal2.... the thoughts of Chris Hargrove, a member of the U2 dev team, in response to two harsh reviews by two of the larger gaming sites:

==================================================================
Okay, this is just ridiculous.

It seems that both Gamespy and IGN had some kind of strange notion that this game was going to be something other than an FPS, as both reviews seemed to dock the game points for not "raising the bar" in every single gameplay area (even though they basically admit we did so in the graphics department, and some of the gameplay features too), or something to that effect.

What I'm reading from these reviews seems to fall along the lines of "the graphics are great, the story is nice, voice acting is good and all that, and it's a lot of fun at the beginning and the end but kinda slow in the middle, and underneath it all it's really just more of the same (and we're gonna deduct points for it)", in other words, yes, it is a shooter, and you spend a lot of time simply going around and shooting things... Well, guess what guys, we know.

I have no problem with people reviewing the game and expressing their opinion, positive or negative... but c'mon guys, if you don't like the simple act of running around and shooting things, why would you want to play the game in the first place? "Little replay value" implies that if the plot isn't brand spankin' new to you, the game wouldn't be that fun to play again. But in the same reviews, we're told how satisfying the weapons are, which means the actual act of shooting isn't a problem. Hence I wonder, have these reviewers lost sight of what this genre actually is? The GameSpy reviewer even said he hates boss battles.... uhh, hello?

I mean, it's a sad day when we get compared to such incredible titles as Halo, Half-Life, etc... only at the end to have reviewers recommend that people wait until the game is in the bargain bin. Am I the only person that sees something incredibly wrong with this picture? I've played Halo in multiplayer for a couple hours at most, but I've beaten the single-player game at least 3 or 4 times all the way through, even when the plot was no longer new, simply because the raw act of shooting down your enemies (and getting some kind of story progression to boot) is fun. You can take this entire sentence and replace "Halo" with "Half-Life" and it's the same result. There is replay value in single-player shooters, if you actually like the core gameplay mechanic, i.e. giving the player weapons, and baddies to use them on (There is a reason that the game provides a DVD-style missions menu, so you can pick your favorite missions to play whenever you like).

Let me just say this right now: Unreal II is a First Person Shooter. The view is first-person, and you Shoot Things. There is a lot of other stuff to the game too, and I think it turned out to be a pretty darn polished product... but none of that will matter if you don't like shooting.

I'm finding it amazing that I'm even having to explain stuff like this. It's as if we did something wrong in the game by understanding what this genre actually is...

- Chris

(Disclaimer: The above is a PERSONAL opinion/rebuttal, and has no affiliation with the official stances of Legend, Epic, Infogrames, etc.)
==================================================================

I happen to agree with him.

 

[Rhett]

Originally posted by: loudog40
In response to all the b!tching about gameplay of Unreal2.... the thoughts of Chris Hargrove, a member of the U2 dev team, in response to two harsh reviews by two of the larger gaming sites:

==================================================================
Okay, this is just ridiculous.

It seems that both Gamespy and IGN had some kind of strange notion that this game was going to be something other than an FPS, as both reviews seemed to dock the game points for not "raising the bar" in every single gameplay area (even though they basically admit we did so in the graphics department, and some of the gameplay features too), or something to that effect.

What I'm reading from these reviews seems to fall along the lines of "the graphics are great, the story is nice, voice acting is good and all that, and it's a lot of fun at the beginning and the end but kinda slow in the middle, and underneath it all it's really just more of the same (and we're gonna deduct points for it)", in other words, yes, it is a shooter, and you spend a lot of time simply going around and shooting things... Well, guess what guys, we know.

I have no problem with people reviewing the game and expressing their opinion, positive or negative... but c'mon guys, if you don't like the simple act of running around and shooting things, why would you want to play the game in the first place? "Little replay value" implies that if the plot isn't brand spankin' new to you, the game wouldn't be that fun to play again. But in the same reviews, we're told how satisfying the weapons are, which means the actual act of shooting isn't a problem. Hence I wonder, have these reviewers lost sight of what this genre actually is? The GameSpy reviewer even said he hates boss battles.... uhh, hello?

I mean, it's a sad day when we get compared to such incredible titles as Halo, Half-Life, etc... only at the end to have reviewers recommend that people wait until the game is in the bargain bin. Am I the only person that sees something incredibly wrong with this picture? I've played Halo in multiplayer for a couple hours at most, but I've beaten the single-player game at least 3 or 4 times all the way through, even when the plot was no longer new, simply because the raw act of shooting down your enemies (and getting some kind of story progression to boot) is fun. You can take this entire sentence and replace "Halo" with "Half-Life" and it's the same result. There is replay value in single-player shooters, if you actually like the core gameplay mechanic, i.e. giving the player weapons, and baddies to use them on (There is a reason that the game provides a DVD-style missions menu, so you can pick your favorite missions to play whenever you like).

Let me just say this right now: Unreal II is a First Person Shooter. The view is first-person, and you Shoot Things. There is a lot of other stuff to the game too, and I think it turned out to be a pretty darn polished product... but none of that will matter if you don't like shooting.

I'm finding it amazing that I'm even having to explain stuff like this. It's as if we did something wrong in the game by understanding what this genre actually is...

- Chris

(Disclaimer: The above is a PERSONAL opinion/rebuttal, and has no affiliation with the official stances of Legend, Epic, Infogrames, etc.)
==================================================================

I happen to agree with him.

Amen

 

[jm0ris0n]

Amen

Amen!! = So be it!

 

[gimpyd00]

I tried this game out. I should point out that the warez version that's running around is final, it's the same thing you'll buy. After having played it for all of twenty minutes, I got into an enemy encounter, got annoyed and uninstalled. I did not like this game. It's slow, tedious, and not fun. If you enjoy it, more power to you but if I laid down $50 or even $36.99, I would feel cheated being handed this. The graphics are okay, the texture art really needs some work. The voice acting is okay, but the dialogue is basically worthless. The movement is terrible. Again, all of this is my opinion but I can't possibly see comparing this game to halo or half-life except to say that it's a joke in comparison to those titles.

-gimp

 

[DVDdude]

I downloaded the final leaked version last week and finished it today.

To those wondering how people can be playing it long before it is released : (many people that work in "cd duplication plants" often take a copy from work and post it on the net days or weeks before the product arrives in stores. It happens.)

I played it on my AMD xp 2000+ system with a geforce 3 card. Most levels ran at a decent framerate with all the details cranked up. (The later levels started to slow down quite a bit - guess i need a geforce 4 card).

The good :

The graphics are pretty good (it's not doom 3 or even unreal tournament 2003, but still pretty good).
Aida is HOT.

The bad :

It crashed early on when I had the soundblaster EAX settings checked. (Just uncheck this option and it should run fine).
The game seems short (even with 22 or 23 "missions").
The game was WAY TOO EASY in my opinion. Far too many powerups and weapons - not enough enemies - dumb AI.
The weapons seemed generic - (except maybe for the final weapon in the game). These weapons and other things feel like a rip off of the stuff in Aliens vs. Predator 2.

 

[link26]

let me just add my 2 cents.

I too finished playing the final store warez version of this game. (hey, no demo out....... what can i do? )

the graphics are so so. They are clean, I'll say that. But they actually look dated! Whoever was using the Photoshop/gfx program could use some brushing up on his skills. Unreal2's gfx do not compare to the graphics of Doom3 (I have played the leaked alpha demo). So people should not compare these two games. Doom3 obviously blows unreal2 away.

technologically, this game demonstrates NOTHING new. Your hands never leave the gun. There is no interaction between you and the environment.
Having seen great games lately, I expected a lot from Unreal2. The game NPC's still move like robots. I wish their motions would be more fluid. I know it's possible, because Splinter Cell succeeds in this aspect.

Also, the npc faces could use some work. the faces are not clean at all. They could be more realistic.

Most people expected unreal2 to be something ground breaking, especially since the game was hyped so much. that is why lots of people are disappointed, because it turned out to be just another shooter.

I won't comment on gameplay. Everyone's opinion differs in this aspect.

Overall, I think Epic games did not do the best job they were capable of..........

I hope this has been informative to those considering purchasing this game.

 

[fyleow]

I dunno I thought the graphics were awesome. I DID check some screenshots from Gamespot and it looked like crap though. I have 4X AA and 4X Anisiotropic filtering enabled and everything on high setting and I think it looks better than UT2003 or at least the same level. The gameplay and story is a little weak, I prefered Halo (though different system type). I think if they added a coop mode and doubled the difficulty the game would seriously rock.

With 4X AA and 4X Anisio I get about mid 20s FPS for the lowest point and as high as 100s though, so yes it is a resource hogger. But I have not reformatted since installing a new video card so that might explain the bad performance

 

[Snoop]

the graphics are so so. They are clean, I'll say that. But they actually look dated! Whoever was using the Photoshop/gfx program could use some brushing up on his skills. Unreal2's gfx do not compare to the graphics of Doom3 (I have played the leaked alpha demo). So people should not compare these two games. Doom3 obviously blows unreal2 away.

How do we compare U2 to a game most likely over a year maybe 2, away?
Also, I am curious, what games in your opinion have better graphics right now than U2 (besides UT2K3, which some of you fu@ktards dont realize is the same freaking engine)? 'Odviously' there should be many, since in your opinion they need to brush up on their photoshop skills. lol

 

[bigpow]

Originally posted by: Karsten
P4 2.4; Nvidia 6400 here.

If you say the Graphics are bad or on par with Tribes2 you are on Crack! It's as simple as that... or you are blind... that could explain it too!

There is not a game I have EVER played that has nicer Graphics then this game! ENOUGH SAID!!!

Waa... Sure dude, because you're using the latest Nvidia 6400!
The rest of us here, we only have 4600 or 9700s...

 

[yomamma]

If you stole something why would you brag about it? Do you also lift from Department stores?

When you do steal something from Sears do you find a "Hot Refrigerator Deals" Board and brag about it?

I don't get this mentality of stealing from the very companies that you want to make good entertainment for you.

AND THEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRODUCT THAT YOU STOLE!

Kids these days...

Bill :disgust:

 

[SykoFreak]

Originally posted by: yomamma
If you stole something why would you brag about it? Do you also lift from Department stores?

When you do steal something from Sears do you find a "Hot Refrigerator Deals" Board and brag about it?

I don't get this mentality of stealing from the very companies that you want to make good entertainment for you.

AND THEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRODUCT THAT YOU STOLE!

Kids these days...

Bill :disgust:

I agree. For example:

Originally posted by: gimpyd00
I would feel cheated being handed this.
-gimp

No amount of words can sum up the sheer lack of sense this statement contains.

 

[elkinm]

Just wondering were some of you got the lwaked builds. How many CDs is it, multiple like UT2K3 or maybe just one. I would realy like to try it out before buying it as generaly software cannot be returned after openning. I don't need the full game just some sence of the gameplay and I don't even need the latest and greatest as I don't have the juce to run with all eye candy on. If anybody knows of a way I get something of the sorts of a leaked demo or build that I can try out, please help me.

Thanks
elkinm

 

[MrC4]

I downloaded the final leaked version last week and finished it today.

Why do so few of us have a problem with this?

 

[tbates757]

Originally posted by: MrC4

I downloaded the final leaked version last week and finished it today.

Why do so few of us have a problem with this?

Some of these warez kiddies think they are "l33t" and need to brag about it on Anandtech. It's pretty sad, really. I have played the final version, and I must say the graphics are amazing at 1024 resolution and above. I thought the gameplay storyline was pretty good, I mean it's a first person shooter and people are expecting the storyline of, say, Neverwinter Nights or Morrowind? A few people are crapping it, but I would say it's worth getting. Best graphics to date in my opinion, whoever said that UT2K3 looks better than Unreal 2 is definately smoking something other than tabacco.

 

[Kaervak]

Originally posted by: elkinm
Just wondering were some of you got the lwaked builds. How many CDs is it, multiple like UT2K3 or maybe just one. I would realy like to try it out before buying it as generaly software cannot be returned after openning. I don't need the full game just some sence of the gameplay and I don't even need the latest and greatest as I don't have the juce to run with all eye candy on. If anybody knows of a way I get something of the sorts of a leaked demo or build that I can try out, please help me.

Thanks
elkinm

It's two CD's. Around two gigs fully installed. I downloaded the leaked version and I'm amazed with the game. The weaponry is amazing. I WILL be buying it. All of my software is legit, and I intend to keep it that way.

 

[loudog40]

Originally posted by: tbates757
Some of these warez kiddies think they are "l33t" and need to brag about it on Anandtech. It's pretty sad, really.

Agreed. Also, it seems that these kiddies feel knowlegable by criticizing the game. It becomes harder to second guess someone's opinion if it's a negative one. When someone claims that U2 has sub par graphics or gameplay, they can always account it for their higher and more "1337" standards with regards to the issue. To argue that something is good requires an actual argument, something that these fools lack.

Hmm... I hope that made sense..

 

[gimpyd00]

Originally posted by: SykoFreak

Originally posted by: yomamma
If you stole something why would you brag about it? Do you also lift from Department stores?

When you do steal something from Sears do you find a "Hot Refrigerator Deals" Board and brag about it?

I don't get this mentality of stealing from the very companies that you want to make good entertainment for you.

AND THEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRODUCT THAT YOU STOLE!

Kids these days...

Bill :disgust:

I agree. For example:

Originally posted by: gimpyd00
I would feel cheated being handed this.
-gimp

No amount of words can sum up the sheer lack of sense this statement contains.

I'm a gamer. If I don't buy games, who will? In the case of games like this, if it's good, I'll buy it. I bought two copies of half-life and have a large library of games. I will buy games that I pirate if I like them. What I meant by that statement is, if I plunked down $50 and was handed a copy of this game, I would feel completely ripped off. The game is not worth it. I didn't finish it, I uninstalled it in 20 minutes and have no intent to continue with it.

 

[cyberizer9]

Originally posted by: gimpyd00

Originally posted by: SykoFreak

Originally posted by: yomamma
If you stole something why would you brag about it? Do you also lift from Department stores?

When you do steal something from Sears do you find a "Hot Refrigerator Deals" Board and brag about it?

I don't get this mentality of stealing from the very companies that you want to make good entertainment for you.

AND THEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRODUCT THAT YOU STOLE!

Kids these days...

Bill :disgust:

I agree. For example:

Originally posted by: gimpyd00
I would feel cheated being handed this.
-gimp

No amount of words can sum up the sheer lack of sense this statement contains.

I'm a gamer. If I don't buy games, who will? In the case of games like this, if it's good, I'll buy it. I bought two copies of half-life and have a large library of games. I will buy games that I pirate if I like them. What I meant by that statement is, if I plunked down $50 and was handed a copy of this game, I would feel completely ripped off. The game is not worth it. I didn't finish it, I uninstalled it in 20 minutes and have no intent to continue with it.

I guess what you are implying is you watch the movie before paying for it? Or you go to the theatre watch the first half an hour for free and then if you like it, you pay for it? Software is like most of the entertainment you buy. Sometimes you get engtertained sometimes you don't, you ought to pay for it, nonetheless.

 

[gimpyd00]

I understand your point of view but I don't agree with it. Having paid for this game would've just meant that some publisher would have more money to waste; if the game tanks, maybe they'll stop rushing out games before they get polished. Maybe the game wasn't rushed and Legend, the developer, just did a poor job. Regardless, supporting crap just breeds more crap.

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: cyberizer9

Originally posted by: gimpyd00

Originally posted by: SykoFreak

Originally posted by: yomamma
If you stole something why would you brag about it? Do you also lift from Department stores?

When you do steal something from Sears do you find a "Hot Refrigerator Deals" Board and brag about it?

I don't get this mentality of stealing from the very companies that you want to make good entertainment for you.

AND THEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRODUCT THAT YOU STOLE!

Kids these days...

Bill :disgust:

I agree. For example:

Originally posted by: gimpyd00
I would feel cheated being handed this.
-gimp

No amount of words can sum up the sheer lack of sense this statement contains.

I'm a gamer. If I don't buy games, who will? In the case of games like this, if it's good, I'll buy it. I bought two copies of half-life and have a large library of games. I will buy games that I pirate if I like them. What I meant by that statement is, if I plunked down $50 and was handed a copy of this game, I would feel completely ripped off. The game is not worth it. I didn't finish it, I uninstalled it in 20 minutes and have no intent to continue with it.

I guess what you are implying is you watch the movie before paying for it? Or you go to the theatre watch the first half an hour for free and then if you like it, you pay for it? Software is like most of the entertainment you buy. Sometimes you get engtertained sometimes you don't, you ought to pay for it, nonetheless.

What ever happend to the shareware concept??? 50 bucks is a lot of cash to dish out for a "GAME" .... When they start charging 50 bucks for a ticket @ the movies then maybe we should have the option of walk out of the theator if we don't like it.

What about BlockBuster? Take the Movie... Have 50 guests come over. Watch it for half an hour and figure out you all HATE it... Return it to BB all for 3 bucks. Or what ever they are charging to rent a movie... That's less then .5 cents to watch the movie... But what if 5 people really liked it for that half hour? Maybe they might actually buy it?

I've been ripped too many times to figure out if I am going to like it. So, this is what I do. If I can't get a shareware copy, I buy it. Try it. If I hate it. I then take a pic. And sell it for almost full cost on e-bay. Tho, this doesn't work so good if you don't buy the game when it first comes out. Since, like movies. No one is gonna give you top price after 90% found out that the game blows in the first two weeks after it was released.

Good Luck!

 

[yomamma]

You people are rationalizing your decision after you have made it. Nevertheless, let us go with the movie analogy...

Moves cost $8 for two hours (three for LOTR)

Games cost $50 for many more hours. The value is equivalent or better with games.

Books, at $7 for paperbacks, represent the best value in terms of time entertained per dollar spent.

Now all movies, games and books are a gamble. To reduce your risk wait a week or so after they come out and read reviews of those you trust (some, like Rolling Stone for example, are complete whores). You can ask your friends that have taken the plunge.

If I am interested in buying a game but am not sure if I will enjoy it I will get it from a place that I can return it. Babbage?s I think does that now, perhaps it?s SW Etc but there are stores that will let you return a game in a few days. Trespasser stunk so fiercely I returned it as soon as the store opened the next day.

Using stores with rational return policies will do two things. It will prompt other stores to implement similar policies, and a high return ratio will be seen by the industry as impetus to do better.

Rampant theft just reinforces to an industry that their customers are scum.

It costs more to be an early adopter and it should. Many (the braggarts? esp.) want the geek points awarded to early adaptors but don't want to pay the price. Sorry but in my book you get a net minus geek points for being a thief.

The only lesson that you are teaching by theft is for someone to get out of the business because it is not profitable, to introduce draconian licensing schemes ala MS XP or to create crippleware like Eminem?s latest CD.

I have some friends that should have a peg leg and a parrot on their shoulder they got so much warez crap, (most has never even been fired up!)

Is this the geek rendition of kleptomania?

Anyway, if you play a game to completion or even a couple of hours then IMHO you need to pay the person that is trying to make a livelihood entertaining you.

Hey. Not only is it legal, it?s the right thing to do.

<End of rant. I have to write a book that I hope will not be pirated>

Bill

 

[knightmare68]

Before you write your book, you do know they can be read for free from the local library.

 

[yomamma]

Originally posted by: knightmare68
Before you write your book, you do know they can be read for free from the local library.

You do know that the library actually buys the books before they let you read them?

Bill