I’m easily pleased. Give me an online action game where I can merrily blow things up, and I’ll be happy for hours. Give me an online action game that incorporates strategy and teamwork, and I’ll be happy for weeks.
There are lots of games that fit the description above, but few of them manage to strike the right balance between the complexity of their gameplay and the simplicity inherent in blasting things to bits. Unreal Tournament 2004 offers a dazzling array of game modes with something to suit any gamer, but for me, its Onslaught mode is the perfect blend of action and strategy.
Onslaught pitches your team at one end of a vast battlefield, with the enemy team at the other. You each have a selection of vehicles at your disposal, which you must use to capture territory sequentially. It’s as simple as that: there are no classes to worry about, no preset ‘missions’ aside from the core objective, nothing.
And yet, the gameplay is vastly more varied than anything Counter-Strike or Team Fortress or any of those other team-based shooters can offer. Shrewd individuals really can make a difference, and - in contrast to Counter-Strike in particular - no two rounds are the same.
Add to that its stirring music, often evocative environments and seamless network play, and UT2004 is a wonderfully absorbing experience that lasts and lasts. Shame no bugger seems to play it online any more, though.
