XGR's First Annual E3 Awards III
Paligap - 15:05 Mon Jun 04, 2001

Page 2 - Best Online Only and Original Idea

XGR@E3 DAY ONE REVIEW

Some may be wondering why I am posting this report after day two of E3. The reason is quite simple- exhaustion. This event is not only taxing on the senses (believe me, some of these booths are just way too over-the-top, which makes you wonder what they are over compensating for but that is an entirely different topic for another article.) but it's definately taxing on the body. But enough of my whining...here are my thoughts on Day One:

(we will be posting all the screenshots and info we get from all of the companies we see at E3 but this is just what has stuck out on the first day!)

BEST GAME SEEN SO FAR: UNREAL 2

Unreal 2 (the working logo they have is one of the better ones I have seen for a game). The demo (when I say demo I mean that it was a working version of the game played by one of the developers, not the non-interactive looped stuff)I saw makes the shots in PC GAMER look like chicken sratch. There is just no other way of saying it - this games looks gorgeous -- from the capabilites of the zooming to the new skins for the skaarj (think one of the warriors on steriods and you will get the picture). Just in case you haven't heard what the story is for Unreal 2, you are a sheriff on the "High Frontier" patroling space in your ship, Atlantis. There are 6 alien races that are feuding and you must figure out why while protecting your people from them. The different tribes will be distinguished by colors, armor, and tattoos. The eyes and head animations are really nice. They follow you no matter where you go or they go which goes along nicely with the faces. Another very nice aspect of Unreal 2 (and they saved it for last in the demo) is the flame thrower. Up to this point the best looking flame thrower I have seen was the one in the preview of Return To Wolfenstein. The flame thrower in Unreal 2 is (searching for an unused adjective) unbelievable. It's so detailed that you can see unignited gas trickling down the front of the nozzile. The flames react like real flames do by hanging in the air and not just shooting out with such force that it's basically a long fire stick.

The multiplayer modes are as follows: Last Man Standing, Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag, Deathmatch, and an expanded strategic multiplayer. In the last type of multiplater you have Technicians that use replicators to produce weapons and gadgets. The goal is to get your enemy's replicator. There is a very dynamic dialogue system that will support a very realistic feature that allows you to interrupt conversation and there will be a realistic response when you try and continue the conversation later on. Target Release Date: Q1 2002

Unreal Championship. This game for the Xbox from Digital Extreme is just insanely cool! Thanks goes out to Meridith from Infogrames for hooking us up with a showing of that and Unreal 2 (which was a close second).The thing that got me the most out of all the cool new features of the title was the particle system. There are a lot of games out there that brag about their particle systems but I am confident that the one that DE has in place for this is incredible. Here's the coolest example: imagine your typical UT level with the modern industrial feel but clean smooth hallways. There is a grate in the middle of the floor slowly letting out some steam. The steam thickens slightly. This, my fellow gamers, is where it gets good...and I mean really good. A fan in the wall to the right slowly starts to churn (picture the big fan that use to be on the Saturday Night Live music set). There is light shining throught the fan into the steam and the shadow in the steam is just amazing. It's all real-time so you see the shadows of the holes in the fan in the steam. But that's not it...oh no. A rocket is then shot through the steam and there is a whole in the smoke where the rocket went through. But that isn't the best part - the smoke trails after the rocket and reacts to the rocket just as it would in real life. There are also other great aspects of this title but it's the particle system that puts it over the edge. You add to that the fact that they have only been working on the game for 4 months and it's mind-boggling what the final product will look like.

Some quick info for UC (that's what Cliffy was calling it):

See screenshots for both here.

Page two including Aquanox, Fighting Legends, and S.W.I.N.E