I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I do like video games.  Anyone that plays video games and is over 20 years old will remember Unreal.  Developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes and launched in 1998, Unreal was a mega-hyped game that was intended to clobber the then-amazing Quake, by ID Software.

:: Scene from Unreal running in widescreen Direct3D - click on image to enlarge ::

I remember reading about Unreal in the gamer magazines at the time - the screenshots, teasers, and expected launch dates.  Originally, the game was supposed to launch in 1996, but that two-year delay only served to build momentum for what would be the most atmospheric, graphically intense, and involved adventure game of its time.

:: Na Pali Haven - the 21st map you encounter in Unreal - click on image to enlarge ::

Back in 1998, I had a Dell Pentium II 400MHz machine with an STB Velocity 128 graphics card.  I installed Unreal, but could not get it to run with my computer’s weak graphics card, so I gave up.   It was not until I installed a 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 did the Unreal’s graphics-accelerated visuals hit me like a sledgehammer.  After all, Unreal’s graphics engine was designed to run on Glide, 3dfx’s proprietary API.  Direct3D and OpenGL support was added with later patches, though Unreal always ran best on 3dfx-based graphics cards.

Though Unreal’s Direct3D drivers were very slow in the late 1990s, the game will run as smooth as butter on today’s systems simply because modern CPUs and GPUs are so fast they can run Unreal’s inefficient code with ease.  Yes, it will run on an Nvidia SLI-enabled system with no issues, though SLI is not supported (obviously), nor is it needed.

:: Ny Leve’s Falls; the scene that helped define Unreal - click on image to enlarge ::

I recently bought a new Dell 24-inch display and for fun, I loaded up Unreal to see if I can get it to run on a Vista machine at 1920×1200.  Turns out this game still had some tricks up its sleeve - not only does it run well on Vista, but the game also supports widescreen displays even at really high resolutions.  Yeah, the overuse of lens flares and lighting effects is tacky by today’s game standards, but I think Unreal still looks fantastic.  Unreal still has its unbelievable atmosphere, with a soundtrack and casual-combat adventure style that plays very well, even ten years later.

:: Unreal is a very colorful game, almost to the point of excess - click on image to enlarge ::

Some years after its release, Unreal was repackaged as Unreal Gold, which included the latest patched version of Unreal as well as the mission pack, Unreal: Return To Na Pali.  It’s now available through Steam for about $10.00 or even cheaper on Ebay.  You don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy Unreal and even the most casual gamers will find its simple storyline, long adventure, and relatively easy combat inviting.

Related Links:

• Beyond Unreal - online community and portal devoted to old Unreal games.