To say Unreal Tournament 2004 reinvented deathmatch would be a lie, to say it revived deathmatch would probably also be a lie. More likely, its probably closer to an overhaul. With more game modes than you can shake a stick at, including the new 'Onslaught' and shiny new graphics, this game follows the trend dictating that blockier cartoony graphics are the way forward and since I'm not a games designer, I'm in no place to argue.

Starting in the most logical place, deathmatch, this game has got it covered. With plenty of maps, including a rework of my old favourite, Deck16 or now Deck17, and renovated versions of the original weapons this game truly delivers. There's also plenty of scope for Team Deathmatch, with a great weapon balance, since all weapons have their Pro's and Con's, which teams can work with to their advantage. You could match the Minigun's ability to almost paralyse on the spot with the Sniper Rifles accuracy. Or the Lightning Gun's ability to sap armour coupled with the Flak cannons ability to strip health. Hey, and who needs to aim when you have the splash damage of the rocket launcher or the immensely powerful radius of a shock combo! The double jump makes a nice counter to the splash damage of the rocket launcher which cant go unmentioned too - nothing has gone without being thought of when this game was made.

As with the other versions there is also Last Man Standing, which is no more than a cowards version of deathmatch, rewarding hiding rather than going out and killing. It may well match some peoples play styles, and I sincerely hope they enjoy it.

Capture the flag has enjoyed a similar fate, with large and varied maps, you certainly get your moneys worth. The maps in my eyes don't benefit from the new designs, with bumps all over the show. I'm a much bigger fan of smooth, planed surfaces like you could find in Unreal Tournament '99 but I suppose its been done to alleviate excessive sniping, which can only be a good thing.

Bombing run, carried over from Unreal Tournament 2003 is much the same as ever, and is only a twist on CTF. But when the winning of a map comes down to the questionable clipping of the hoops which you have to get the ball though it is a bit soul destroying when you just cant through a clean shot in, making you lose a match. That doesn't mean to say its not enjoyable as a whole though!

I'm unhappy to say that they've kept the Double Domination from UT2K3 and not done a roll-back to the original style straight Domination. In the single player it was a serious chore to play through these maps, with such a dissatisfying feeling when your enemy team would achieve a 'last second save', yet no feeling of reward should you do the same.

Invasion is an interesting game mode which I overlooked in UT2K3. In this its just a matter of your teams survival against line after line of increasingly intelligent, better armed and more resilient monsters. I'm ashamed to say I've yet to complete Wave 15 against the enemy hordes - not for lack of trying though!

Assault has had a bit of a rework too, there are many more objectives within a map than in UT'99, and also vehicles although it still plays much the same. I hated the spaceship match in single player. I felt like I just wasn't in a deathmatch game at all, and nor did I feel like I was in a Flight simulator, it was more like being in hell. In single player I found there was way too much pressure because of the bots ineptitude at this game mode, but teamwork should rein supreme on multiplayer, especially in clan matches.

Mutant is almost instantly forgettable. Its simply an enjoyable way to wile away some time, with one player invisible with supercharged weapons and the others all hunting him. I've seen it done better, much better.

Onslaught, the new game mode is the daddy of vehicle warfare, at least in UT2K4. I must say, the better team wins in this one from my experience, with tactics high on the agenda. The beastie new vehicles certainly spice this up, including the speedy yet weak Manta, and the slow yet destructive Leviathan. Taking all this into account I still fail to see why a fan of vehicle style of game would choose UT2K4 over the Battlefield games. Regardless of this, its still a safe and welcome addition.

Now on with the problems (few and far between as they are), the assault rifle is no alternative to the Enforcer, and is far less likely to be able to kill, I would go so far as to call it a glorified cap gun, they've got rid of the Impact hammer, which was an awesome way of shaming your opponent - especially if you knew they didn't have their sound turned on.

Its not the same

Performance wise this game beats HL2, at least in the fps stakes, and in the crash stakes. No memory errors here! On occasion it opens in windowed mode, but since it only requires one key click to remedy, it isn't even an issue.

As with the other UT games and Quake games for that matter there isn't much in the way of Single player plot but we all know that's not what these games are about. They're about pure ownage in a deathmatch setting, they're about drawing blood by the gallons and gibbing your opponent into oblivion. This game has all that and more, with plenty of game modes before you even get to mutators to the extent that it's way beyond the realm of a review to go into. This game is truly enjoyable and my only niggle is the removal of the original UT's smooth constructs, I can't run backwards in this one without getting caught on a doorway. Basically, it's undeniable that this game is a worthwhile action packed game for those dedicated to the world of Unreal, or newly coming into Multiplayer FPS gaming. It is in no way a must buy game, especially for those who already have UT2K3 and are content. If you want that bit more though, this game beckons for you...

This game earns a strong 80% and a thumbs up!