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Many gamers eagerly anticipating the release of Unreal Tournament 2003 have no doubt soaked up quite a bit of information on early builds of this title, as a recent press event held by Digital Extremes and Epic Games spawned dozens of previews and impressions across the 'Net. However, a lucky few, including the folks at HomeLAN Fed, were invited by publisher Infogrames to take a closer look at the game. The result is a slew of new details that should be of interest to Unreal Tournament fans.

Bombing Run, one of the new game types in Unreal Tournament 2003, has already been documented as a mode involving two teams and a ball, which players must try to fire into the opposing team's goal, located within their base. The ball can be passed to other players, though any player in possession of the ball cannot fire his or her weapons. The development team is considering adding multiple balls to the game, among other possible tweaks.

As far as weapons go, the translocator is undergoing several enhancements. When fired, it will leave a blue streak in its wake, making it more visible. In addition to this, it will also have a camera that can be used by the player as a surveillance tool of sorts. The Redeemer will be present, but may be modified so that it has to stick close to the ground. In addition, another super weapon, named the Ion Cannon, will allow players to launch an energy beam from the sky to the ground, similar to that of a satellite weapon.

Though Unreal Tournament 2003 seems to be sticking fairly close to its roots, some changes are being made, including the removal of the Assault mode and the modification of the Domination mode:

For UT 2003, Epic and DE altered the gameplay mode of UT's Domination somewhat. Instead of simply running around all of the control points, the team now has to hold all of them for 10 seconds after they are all captured in order to win a team point. This makes Domination much more of a strategic game than simply a game based mostly on speed. One of the Domination maps was a bit too large to really enjoy this mode more (we were limited to eight players at a time for the press event) but DE will like tweak the map and the mode before its release.

Those interested in more information, including remarks on the levels, single-player options, and mod support can find plenty to peruse at HomeLAN Fed's article. In addition, IGN's Action Vault has posted an Unreal Tournament 2003 Q&A with quotes from the development team remarking on their favorite improvements:

Mike "Cruciform" Wagner: The switch from Sniper Rifle to Lightning Gun is a big improvement in my eyes. It takes away the cheap feeling of being nailed by a guy who camps his ass in a shadow and stays there for a whole match because no one can get close enough to find and kill him. Now the sniper needs to choose his prey a little more carefully, and be ready to move quickly, since players will be able to catch on to his location within the first shot or two. And the weapon effects just kick ass :) Seeing electricity coursing over an opponent as he cooks off is great visual feedback. Now if only we could get the monitor to give off the smell of burnt hair. :)

Action Vault: Unreal Tournament 2003 Q&A #3

HomeLAN Fed: Unreal Tournament 2003 Preview

Digital Extremes (add to watch list)

Buy Unreal Tournament 2003

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