Do you have an Xbox Live account? If not, you shouldn't bother with Unreal Championship 2, the second attempt to bring the PC multiplayer shooter over to Xbox. If, however, online fragging is your thing, then this might very well be one of your favorite games for quite some time.
At first, the amount of combat techniques and commands that Unreal manages to squeeze onto a controller can seem daunting. That's why it's highly recommended you run through the single player tutorial, even if you never touch the campaign – which, in all honesty, is just practice for online combat. Once you run through it, however, switching between melee and firearm combat becomes second nature.
Indeed, it is the melee combat that distinguishes this Unreal from its PC origins. While firearms are very much represented as an integral part of combat (a well-placed rocket can still decide who lives and dies), the third-person melee is a much better fit for consoles. Attacking in this mode is simplistic yet addicting, due to the pick-up-and-play mentality of it all, allowing even first-time players to throw down with the best of them. It's Unreal for the casual gamer, and it's a blast.
Presentation-wise, Unreal is most impressive. Everything moves at a blistering pace, with no slowdown in sight. Textures are polished all around, complimented by some very strong explosion and particle effects. The pumping, military-styled score will do a good job of putting you in the mood for bloodshed, while the voice acting is as inoffensive as possible. The most important thing regarding Unreal's sound – and that of any first person shooter - is that the weapon effects are extremely solid and pack a huge punch.
Overall, Unreal Championship 2 accomplishes what its predecessor set out to do: Bring the experience of Unreal Tournament to the console crowd, while compensating for the lack of mouse and keyboard. The result is one of the finest multiplayer experiences on any system.
-George
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