About Unreal Tournament 2004
| Developers | Epic Games Digital Extremes |  |
| Producer | Jeff Morris | |
| Designer | Cliff Bleszinski | |
| Programmers & Composers | Steve Polge Kevin Riepl Starsky Partridge Will Nevins | |
| Release dates | March 15, 2004 (PC) March 31, 2004 (Mac) | |
| Engine version | Unreal Engine 2 | |
| Game builds | 3120-3372 (Epic Games) |
Unreal Tournament 2004 is a multiplayer, first-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes with Cliff Bleszinski as the lead designer and Steve Polge as lead programmer.
“The game is set in a universe where humans long before fought a war with the Skaarj, leaving their galactic empire in shambles. To assist in the rebuilding of the colonies by calming down enraged colonists, the Liandri Corporation came up with the idea of staging a gladiatorial tournament for the miners.”
Unreal Tournament 2004 is a multiplayer first person shooter that combines the kill-or-be-killed experience of gladiatorial combat with cutting-edge technology. Ten game modes – both team-based and “every man for himself” — provide even the most hardcore gamer with palm-sweating challenges through unbelievably detailed indoor arenas and vast outdoor environments. As the ultimate techno-gladiator of the future, players will take their fates into their hands, battling against up to 32 other players online in action-packed, frag-filled arenas.
In development by Epic Games — the masterminds behind the Unreal franchise — in conjunction with Digital Extremes, Unreal Tournament 2004 builds on the success of last year’s smash Unreal Tournament 2003, adding all new maps, characters, play modes, vehicles, weapons and technology. Featuring more than twice the amount of content as its predecessor (Unreal Tournament 2003), Unreal Tournament 2004 challenges gamers to develop lightning-fast reflexes and battlefield strategy.
From the website “Unreal Tournament 2004” UnrealTournament2004.com
Unreal Tournament 2004 was built from its predecessor Unreal Tournament 2003 and used the Unreal Engine 2. Several studios were involved in the development of UT2004 with Epic Games and Steve Polge leading the project. Digital Extremes, Psyonix, and Streamline Studios created may new maps and weapons.
Game Modes
Ten game modes – both team-based and “every man for himself” — provide even the most hardcore gamer with palm-sweating challenges through unbelievably detailed indoor arenas and vast outdoor environments. As the ultimate techno-gladiator of the future, players will take their fates into their hands, battling against up to 32 other players online in action-packed, frag-filled arenas.
- Assault Mode – Assault mode returns! Redesigned for UT2004, this fan-favorite mode sees teams face-off to defend and attack fortified bases, from fast-moving trains, barreling across an arid alien desert to a Skaarj mother ship, poised to attack the human home world.
- Onslaught Mode – Onslaught mode takes team combat to the next level! Opposing teams are pitted against each other to capture and hold strategic points in order to attack and destroy the enemy power core. Taking place in massive outdoor environments, here is where vehicular combat comes into its own. Flying and driving machines take combatants to the frontline and gigantic mobile battle stations serve as a platform from which to launch devastating attacks.
- Vehicles – Rev-up and ride out in an array of land-, air-, and space-based vehicles that play critical roles in a successful combat strategy in Assault and Onslaught. With vehicles ranging from single man fighters to five man behemoths, Unreal Tournament 2004 provides players with plenty of choices when shopping for a mechanized implement of destruction.
- Levels – More than 95 maps will be available immediately, including more than 45 brand new maps for all existing game play modes as well as new modes of play. Vast outdoor environments, deep space combat areas and tightly packed indoor techno-arenas are all waiting for the latest entrants to the Tournament.
- Weapons – The entire smorgasbord of frag-dealing weaponry from Unreal Tournament 2003 returns for the experienced player to wield masterfully against new contestants. Those armaments are joined by three new implements of doom: the Mine layer, which disperses spider-like bombs that chase and harass any enemy that comes within range; the anti vehicle rocket launcher, or AVRiL, which deals out a payload of massive rockets tuned to seek and destroy enemy mechanized units; the Grenade Launcher, which launches timed explosives that will bounce on the ground and stick to enemies and enemy vehicles, only to be triggered by the weapons altfire command; and, the return of the notorious Sniper Rifle from the original Unreal tournament, completely redesigned and upgraded to make heads roll.
- New Characters – Unreal Tournament 2004 introduces 32 new characters on four new teams: The human Thunder Crash, lead by Tournament hero, Malcolm; the Robotic Corrupt, lead by an upgraded Xan Kriegor; the Iron Skull, a team of merciless Skaarj warriors; and the Hellions — wreckless human mercenaries and pirates who delight in the thrill of the kill.
- New Technology – Unreal Tournament not only brings new content for hardcore fans to relish, it also delivers a tremendous technology update over its predecessor, delivering a faster, slicker, deeper experience than ever before.
Reviews
It’s a stunning comeback for the franchise, a fantastic mix of the fresh and the familiar, and enough content to make this the only game you need for the next few months.
gamespy
Eventually I had to venture online, and the first sounds I heard (no lie) were “Oh yeah, you f******, I am the mother-f******’s s***!” It turns out UT 2004 has built-in voice support, and as easy as it is to set up, it’s mercifully easy to turn off.
PC Gamer, June 2004, p.79
The addition of Onslaught, with its powerful vehicles and tactical variety, makes UT2004 into a multiplayer behemoth, offering enough action, depth, and expansion possibilities (just think of the mods here, people), to justify keeping UT2004 on your hard drive for a long, long time. Has Epic provided an alternative to a glut of military-themed shooters? Hell yes they have. That, and then some.
IGN, March 2004
Epic has created the mother of all first-person shooters with this game – over a hundred maps, a selection of diverse and extremely well balanced game modes, built in voice communications, intelligent bots, a great offline play mode, good network code, a superb server browser and a solid graphics engine.
Eurogamer, March 2004