Unreal Tournament set a new standard for online action games when it was originally released in 1999.  Now, three years later, a sequel to the game will be released that will merge the great gameplay of the original with the latest graphics technology, and throw in new weapons and game modes to boot.

Unreal Tournament 2003 (UT2003) will certainly look good.  It is being built on the latest Unreal engine - the same one being used in the upcoming Unreal 2.  If you're unsure of just how much more advanced the new graphic engine will be over the original, then all I have to point out is that the new engine will be capable of rendering objects with a one to two hundredfold increase in the number of polygons used for game objects.  In simple terms, expect more realistic graphics and smoother, more life-like animations.  I can personally attest to the great look of the game, having seen it demonstrated at E3 in Los Angeles in May 2002.  In addition to the new graphics engine, the game will boast a completely new physics engine as well.  As a result, expect more realistic weapon characteristics and greater player control.

UT2003 will be taking a lot of what made Unreal Tournament so enjoyable, and adding new features that should make it an even more exciting experience.  One of these enhancements is the introduction of "special moves."  Players will be able to collect adrenaline pills as they move around the maps.  These pills are accumulated and saved for the moment a player spends them to perform a special move.  Special moves can include super high jumps or special attacks, and can vary by race.

Race?  UT2003 will feature five different homeworlds, each with an associated race of fighters.  Each race will have a particular advantage, such as faster speed or extra toughness.  When playing a game of UT2003, it will be from these five races that players will select their in-game persona.  Players can select a race that fits their style of play, and can make the match even better by selecting one of the different characters available for that race.  For example, some characters will have a particular affinity for a certain weapon, giving them a bonus with it.  With five races and over fifty characters available, there is a good chance you'll find a character to suit your taste.

Once in the game, you can expect to find a mix of some weapons from Unreal Tournament, tweaked versions of other weapons, and some entirely new ones.  The development team took a very close look at how players were using the weapons from the original Unreal Tournament.  If players loved the secondary fire characteristics of a weapon, don't be surprised to find that it's now the primary fire mode - and that the weapon has an entirely new secondary fire mode.  The developers also put their imaginations to the test to come up with some incredible new weapons.  One of these is the tag rifle, and it will be the most powerful weapon in the game.  You can use a tag rifle to specify a spot for an orbiting satellite to hit with a high-powered energy weapon.  Anyone in the weapon's blast radius when it hits will be vaporized.

New game modes »