It would have made a terrific ‘Monster Hunt 2.0’ if they played more like Assault matches or had at least used custom maps.
We have a few other lesser game modes as well – Invasion is an interesting oddity that has you survive waves of monsters directly imported from the first Unreal, and which look surprisingly good within the engine. Without human intelligence, botmatches always degenerate into chaotic free-for-alls with only loose fragments of applicable strategy.
The only major letdown is the AI command system – it just doesn’t have the versatility needed to coordinate consistent attacks. Also, vehicles only pop up around controlled nodes, and the enemy can’t just pop in and carjack your carpool or blow them up – they have to control the area first. Hop into a tank and sledgehammer an enemy strongpoint with the high velocity turret, or go at it from above with a Raptor, easily dodging incoming fire, or do a hit and run with the Hellbender, an obvious Humvee clone.īoth the spotless interface and game design keep everything in check – for instance, a top-right minimap keeps track of the match in progress, pointing to nodes that are connected, active or under attack, steering you right where the action is. The balance that these vehicles enjoy is near perfect – heavy tanks, jeeps, small rovers, hover crafts and jets all have a logical asymmetry between armor, mobility and firepower, each encompassing different play styles. Onslaught maps are predominantly giant – most are unplayable without at least ten players – and the inclusion of vehicles greatly adds to the fun. Securing every one of these nodes eventually renders the enemy base vulnerable to attack, which you must then pummel into oblivion in order to win the round. Another notable mission involves an assault on a Skaarj mothership as it bombards the Earth, even including simple space combat with fighter ships.Īs if all that wasn’t enough, we also get Onslaught, a game mode that has two teams control inter-connected nodes on a map, akin to a classic Battlefield match. Although not equally well designed, most assault maps enjoy good layouts and creative settings – attacking a speeding convoy is superficially similar to UT’s high speed train chase, but it’s countless times more spectacular. Spawn points gradually shift and better weapons become available you push deeper into enemy territory. Unlike the first game, a spoken briefing sequence clearly states your objectives and an excellent interface highlights exactly what you’re supposed to be attacking or defending. One has to wonder why these cool ideas were missing from Unreal II.
0 kommentar(er)
