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Unreal Tournament 2004 pc Game Reviews
Unreal Tournament 2004
Critic Score
Metascore: 93 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.0 out of 10
based on 48 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 111 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Reload, rev up and ride out. The new Tournament is faster, higher and meaner. Land and air based vehicles take combat to a new level; while an arsenal of new weaponry, daunting arenas and battlefields and the challenge of the Assault and Onslaught modes make the gladiator blood sport of the future a brand new experience. Buckle up; it’s gonna be one hell of a ride! [Atari]

PUBLISHER: Atari
DEVELOPER: Epic Games
GENRE(S): First-Person Shooter
PLAYERS: 32
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2004

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
GamePro
Surprise, surprise —UT 2004 looks absolutely fantastic. From the sprawling battlefields to the tiny blades of alien grass, there’s not one visual detail that looks less than stunning.
Read Full Review
100
GamerFeed
The battles are fast-paced and frenetic as ever, the programming is rock solid, the graphics are eye-popping, and blood is spilling all over the place.
Read Full Review
100
Warcry
UT2K4 goes to 11. The scary part is…more and more people are buying it and joining servers, patches are getting made, the Mod community firing up. This game could actually get better. I don't think I shall ever see/a game as awesome as UT.
Read Full Review
100
Adrenaline Vault
The gameplay is pitch-perfect, and everything has a rich and polished feeling about it. The variety of the styles of play is deep and incorporates some of the best multiplayer fragfests to date.
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100
Gamers Depot
Boasting a solid, long, and challenging single player career, a massive online gaming side, enhanced graphics, aggressive and intuitive bot AI, tons of action, a solid engine, and a host of new tweaks added to the original theme that triggers all over the world have come to know and love, UT 2004 has put its foot down with a bone-rattling crash into the world of PC fragging.
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100
GameShark
With the famed versatility of the game engine, the amazing potential for quality third-party content has already begun to manifest itself, making it well worth the purchase and hefty investment in hard drive space.
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100
G4 TV
This is the one, folks. A more complete package you will not find.
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100
Gamer.tv
Simply the most varied and accomplished multiplayer combat game on the PC.
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100
Computer Gaming World
And therein lies the game's beauty—it's expertly balanced. For every Goliath tank driver, there's a Manta master or Raptor pilot who can rip you a new one.
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100
Times Online
The level of detail in the various maps and multiplayer levels will have you reeling, while the integration of voice communication software allows you to chat with friends, in real-time, in mid-battle.
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100
Frictionless Insight
Unreal Tournament 2004 is close to a master work, containing tons of new levels, new modes, and a great excuse for upgrading your video card... It's polished to a shine, it plays like a dream, it's gorgeous, and best of all, it is an absolute blast to play.
Read Full Review
98
Game Chronicles
But for now, UT2004 is one of the best, if not the best, tactical FPS games you can play on your PC, either alone or online. With improved gameplay, enhanced AI, and new game modes it’s packed with enough content to keep you entertained for months, and it will take a good solid year to master all the levels and tactical subtleties this game offers.
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96
Game Over Online
Most impressive of all is the obvious care and planning put into the maps, which are large without being cavernous, and intricate without being overly confusing (though I’ve got to say that it’s a good thing that they’ve included vehicles, because some maps would involve a lot of long walks if you couldn’t steal a vehicle somewhere).
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95
3DAvenue
An early candidate for 2004's best PC game and quite possibly the smartest game purchase choice you'll make since leaving "Daikatana" on the shelf.
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95
GameSpy
It's a stunning comeback for the franchise, a fantastic mix of the fresh and the familiar, and enough content to make this the only game you need for the next few months. [**Reminder: GameSpy's "How Our Ratings Work" equates a 5-Star review with 95.]
Read Full Review
95
Gamezilla!
It may just be the best arcade style online shooter ever made, and it’ll likely only be unseated by next year’s incarnation.
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95
GameZone
I was absolutely blown away by UT2K4.
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95
GameBiz
For fast trigger gameplay, and the best in fast and furious gameplay, there is still nothing better than Unreal Tournament 2004.
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95
GameSpot AU
Ninety five maps, a huge variety of game modes, extensive single player campaign, online multiplayer and the low system requirements makes this a game that no first person shooter fan should ignore.
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95
Game Power Australia
It offers lightning fast gameplay, beautiful graphics, streamlined control and near flawless networking. It's no exaggeration to say that you won't find a more feature-packed, high quality first person shooter on store shelves today.
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95
Australian GamePro
The graphics in UT2004 have a semi-surreal sort of edge, for which the term “eye-candy” is undoubtedly the most appropriate.
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95
Game Informer
The speed and polish of UT 2004 cannot be denied. [May 2004, p.104]
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94
Computer and Video Games
It's the new team-centred gameplay modes - the return of an old favourite particularly - and the introduction of driveable vehicles that make this such an exciting and important addition to the Unreal lineage...It offers just about all you could ever want in a first-person shooter - and just a smidge more. [PC Zone]
Read Full Review
94
Worth Playing
Onslaught alone makes this game a must by for all the fans out there. If you are an online gamer and looking for the very best death match game out there today, there is no better, more polished game out there.
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94
Gaming Nexus
I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it’s the best pure online FPS ever made.
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94
IGN
A huge selection of new maps, gorgeous graphics, improved game play, and the return of Assault are generous enough. But the addition of Onslaught, with its powerful vehicles and tactical variety, makes UT2004 into a multiplayer behemoth, offering enough action, depth, and expansion possibilities (just think of the mods here, people), to justify keeping UT2004 on your hard drive for a long, long time.
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94
GameSpot
This is the multiplayer action game that offers something for everyone--even those who prefer playing offline, since the UT bots are better than ever and are still the best in the business...No other multiplayer-focused action game has this much to offer.
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93
Gamer's Hell
If you want “twitch action” then this really is it. Unreal Tournament 2004 has an insane amount of content.
Read Full Review
93
VideoGamesLife
You could quite literally configure a different game of Unreal Tournament 2004 for every day of your life. Each map can be played either online or with bots. Online play is, as ever, greatly preferable, but the bots seem the cleverest to date and can provide an enjoyable challenge.
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93
ActionTrip
The huge assortment of high-tech weaponry and the variety of modes, coupled with the superiority of the Unreal technology, rightfully places UT 2004 amongst high-ranking online action games.
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92
Inside Gamer Online
If you're looking for perhaps the best multiplayer experience ever created in the history of the industry, this is definitely the game for you.
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92
AtomicGamer
It's hard to find any real fault in Unreal Tournament 2004.
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92
PC Gamer
Eventually I had to venture online, and the first sounds I heard (no lie) were "Oh yeah, you f******, I am the mother-f******'s s***!" It turns out UT 2004 has built-in voice support, and as easy as it is to set up, it's mercifully easy to turn off. [June 2004, p.79]
91
VIA Gamers Arena
It's been a while since the community has had a good fleshy Deathmatch game to sink their teeth into, and UT2004 is exactly that and so much more. It just feels like the right game at precisely the right time.
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91
Game Revolution
Marrying the best elements of traditional UT with "Halo," "Tribes II" and a bit of the "Battlefield" series, the game serves up intricate, breakneck battles at blinding speeds.
Read Full Review
90
Yahoo! Games
Unreal Tournament 2004 achieves that near impossible task in video gaming: It appeals to every online shooter fan without making compromises in quality.
Read Full Review
90
Computer Games Magazine
Unreal Tournament 2004 might be the superior product, but "Battlefield Vietnam" is the better game. [June 2004, p.73]
90
My Gamer
While UT2K4 does mark the current high-water mark in FPS shooters with its innovative game play modes, and the addition of Onslaught really does seal the deal for me, there’s not a huge amount here that’s revolutionary… it’s just a really solid FPS game, well executed.
Read Full Review
90
Boomtown
Without doubt the ultimate release in the Unreal series. Smooth gameplay, great graphics, and mountains of content. Epic has released a game that may well be able to dominate the online gaming scene for the next couple of years.
Read Full Review
90
TotalGames.net
Those who do most of their gaming alone may well prefer "Far Cry," but as far as multiplayer shooters go, this is the best game on the market, and well worth a gander.
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90
1UP
It's a brilliant collage of smooth, polished gameplay, solid netcode, unadulterated diversity, and a frenetic pacing few games can rival.
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90
Eurogamer
Epic has created the mother of all first-person shooters with this game - over a hundred maps, a selection of diverse and extremely well balanced game modes, built in voice communications, intelligent bots, a great offline play mode, good network code, a superb server browser and a solid graphics engine. Onslaught alone is worth the price of entry, but the game as a whole is a stunning package.
Read Full Review
90
eToychest
The retail version of UT2k4 works on both Windows and Linux, with a Mac version of the game also available. This is something that I personally wish more companies would do with their games.
Read Full Review
90
Cheat Code Central
Much more than a mere upgrade, Unreal Tournament 2004 brings more depth to the frag-fest with more weapons, vehicles, maps and opportunities for team-based strategy.
83
PC Format
Note to Epic: just give us more unique Onslaught maps – and new vehicles for them – and we’ll happily keep playing. But keep churning out endless samey maps and it’s back to "Battlefield" and "PlanetSide" for us.
Read Full Review
80
games(TM)
If you've ever so much as seen an Unreal Tournament game, you'll know what to expect here and, thanks to the addition of vehicles, modes and maps galore, this clearly represents the culmination of genre evolution thus far. [May 2004, p.108]
80
Edge Magazine
The improvements are so varied, polished and deep to make any devotee of the game consider upgrading. In fact, its range is extensive enough to make those who turned their nose up at the business-as-usual nature of UT2003 come storming back. [May 2004, p.98]
Read Full Review
80
GMR Magazine
You'll be hard-pressed to find a white-knuckle, multiplayer-focused FPS more intense than UT2004 any time this year. [June 2004, p.87]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 111 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ian S. gave it a10:
This game is probably one of the best fps games I HAVE EVER PLAYED it has amazing graphics for a game made in 2004,it meets most players' need for fast past run-n-gun action,it has TONS of maps and game modes, and is really customizable! two thumbs up and a 10/10 for epic games who's name speaks for how good their games are.......EPIC!

Sebastian J gave it a10:
I have played this game over the years, and it is still unsurpassed. UT3, quake-live, nothing comes close when you want frenzied action, beautiful environments, ginormous amounts of unexpected gameplay possibilities, innumerable custom mods, physics which are so gripping that you literally feel the motion, humor, gore, tech, frustration, elation, utter ownage, and beauty and hidden functions in every last detail, weapon, and vehicle. It's a masterpiece - go into spectator mode in an online match, watch, learn, and be awed. Thanks, EPIC.

Tom Anonymous gave it a10:
One of the finest shooters of all time. Note: Please stop voting 0 if a game have a few hackers or flaws, ZERO means you would never play it and has so many flaws it's unplayable! Even Pac-Man have more than 0! THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE!

Todd A gave it a10:
Enjoyed single player, multi player was fantastic, endles hours or re-occuring gamergasms!

Vince S gave it a10:
Best FPS I've ever played,. a lot of people have been turned away from it because of its steep learning curve, casual players should stick to easier games like halo or other casual friendly FPS.

Alberto B gave it a10:
Intense fighting with huge fragging. That's what is needed in massive FPS. Alone play is a "must do" to learn the basics, the online came to improve the skills. A great game!

James K. gave it a10:
LOVE the storyline UBER as i wish they continued it in UR3 :'(, finished the game then went multiplayer and by god its goood!

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