9 Aug, 2011
As a gamer, it is hard to escape the Unreal Engine. Everywhere you turn, you are bound to see that ubiquitous Unreal Engine logo in a game. It has scored phenomenal successes in the modern console and PC world, while other engines have seen a stark decline in support. But what of the game that gave birth to the engine that carries its namesake? We have not seen another Unreal Tournament game since the disastrous release that was Unreal Tournament 3. Recently, Epic talked about the fact that it has neglected the once flagship franchise for the company and is looking for ways to revive it, but the question that gamers should ask is whether this one proud title even has a place in gaming today.
Now I remember the huge hype that went into the original Unreal. It had been delayed several times before its eventual 1998 release, and while it was a beautiful game, it was also considered ahead of its time graphically as it was a graphics card killer for most cards on the market. It was also saddled with a less than interesting story. While Unreal had decent success with gamers, it found its true calling when a little title called Unreal Tournament was released to the public. Immediately, the game found a huge base of fans in the gaming community, and one of the heated discussions of the time was whether you were a UT fan or a Q3A fan. Unreal Tournament almost became a part-time job for me, as I logged hundreds of hours in the game, downloading custom map packs, skins and what not. It heralded in some of the best multiplayer gaming that I had ever played, and it still holds a special spot in my heart
From there, Epic continued to try the single player aspect of Unreal with Unreal 2, which then was re-released as Unreal 2 UXP, adding multiplayer features. The franchise also took a step back when Unreal Tournament 2003 was released. It took away some of the fun from the series, and tried to turn it into an annual sport-like franchise. Unreal Tournament 2004 went back to basics, but did add new things like vehicles and command point modes that added quite a bit of replay value to the game.
Several years past until Unreal Tournament 3 hit the retail shelves and I picked it up, hoping for a great experience. Instead, I found the same formula that had always been there, but by 2007, the industry had passed up what Epic had been doing with Unreal Tournament. The gameplay felt stale and old, and I could not motivate myself to play it. It also felt rather cheap and graphically ugly. Some would say that Epic was far too focused on the Gears of War franchise at this point, which had blown up on the relatively new Xbox 360. I played for a short period of time, but I soon felt that the $50 I had spent on the title was wasted, and, judging from the disastrous sales numbers, I was not alone in this feeling about the franchise.
Now with Epic starting to pine for a return to the Unreal franchise, I have to wonder if they can actually capture the magic that players like me had for the franchise back in 1999. The idea of straight deathmatch has really gone by the wayside, with gamers switching up for things like co-op play or various team based multiplayer. My gaming tends to move more towards games like Team Fortress 2 or Battlefield Bad Company 2, which have more of a focus on squad based, or team focused, objective based multiplayer games.
I wonder if Unreal would take a step back, and look towards returning to the single player game, but adding a dedicated co-op experience, while adding a squad based component to the game. It might be a risky gamble for Epic to take, as the hardcore faithful may not want to see any changes to the game, but to succeed in today’s gaming market, you cannot live by the game mechanics of 12 years ago. The idea of straight death match is nice for a short period of nostalgia, but not something that you want to revisit for months and months on end like you would years ago when it was all the rage.
I think the idea of returning to the Skaarj, but as a team based shooter – complete with co-op – could be an interesting twist on the Unreal formula and it would give a new look at the franchise for a new generation of gamers. You could even go with a remake, or reimagining of the first game to make it a little easier. Sure, you can still have the classic deathmatch in the game if it must be there, but don’t make it the focus, as it is not the popular part of the game. Even looking at competitor id Software, they are not putting standard deathmatch in RAGE, instead focusing on the racing component for the multiplayer aspect in the game, because it is something different from what you would expect at id Software.
I think that the Unreal franchise can be saved, but not if Epic just wanted to relive the past. They have to step up their game and bring an Unreal title that embraces the new gaming concepts that are out there. It is obvious though that the status quo for Unreal will not work, and if that is the direction that Epic choses to take, it will only end in abject failure.
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