Comparison: Unreal Tournament vs. Quake III Arena (DC)
Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 5:01 pm
Okay, this is an in-depth comparison of the two most prestigous first person shooters for Dreamcast (unless you count the unreleased Half-Life game that completely owns both of them).
Polish
First of all, we'll start with the "polish" of the games. Both Quake III Arena and Unreal have user-friendly menus that are easy to navigate through and are attractive. It all depends on your style which you prefer. There is no victor here, both titles exceed expectations.
Graphics
Next, we'll compare graphics. Both titles have insanely good graphics--period. Rent the PS2/X-box versions. There is really no difference for either of these sexy, sexy titles. Quake III Arena is definately the more colorful of the two games. Of course the levels aren't pink and red--it's a first person shooter, but most Unreal levels look dark and gray-ish. While the resolution and character detail of both games are so freaking close to being equal, I'd have to say that Unreal probably has a bit more detailed polys.
Although Unreal might have the more detailed models and textures, it certainly doesn't show too much. Most levels are just downright bland. The colors don't stick out enough for such an insignificant difference to really show. I can't really declare a victor here. I think that Quake is more pleasing to look at, but Unreal might have the slightly better polish.
Framerate
Now lets talk about a very important factor: framerate. An FPS had damn well better have good framerate. Quake III wins. No competition. When Unreal gets really messy with weapons and guns blazing, you occassionally get frameskip and slowdown. It's rare, but it does exist. It also gets much worse in multiplayer mode. I'm not hinting that this has any affect on the game, however. This is personal preference, but you can't deny that Unreal has slowdowns. Quake III Arena has freaking amazing framerate even with a kajillion rapid plasma guns blazing from all four players on deathmatch mode. Quake III runs smoother than Unreal. It's just a fact.
Sound
Okay, I'm not going to say which is better here, but I will state that what you're about to read is opinion. Quake III Arena has the more "badass" rocker sounding music playing. Unreal has the more calm "stealthy" music playing. It's all personal taste. I find that Quake III has the better music by a long shot, but that's because I enjoy blasting people to hell with some energetic music playing rather than music that might play when my grandma dies, but hey, that's just me.
Gameplay
Oh man... more opinions. Unreal is a little bit slower paced that Quake. The weapons and the speed of the combat is just slower. This can allow you to put more thought and strategy into the game. Quake III is for those of us who just want to blow the hell out of people nonstop. The action is Quake III is far faster and heavier than Unreal. I also think the levels are much more interesting in Quake. It seems like the battles can be a bit bland in Unreal at times. Another thing to note is that some people like to say that the AI in Q3A "cheats." Although CPU players don't cheat in Quake III, they certainly are cheap ass bastards at times. I don't remember having such frustration at Unreal computer combatants. Maybe it's just because the pace is different in the two games, though.
Extras
Both games have multiplayer modes. Both games support all the necessary peripherals. I find that once again Quake III is the victor, though. Multiplayer on Quake III is alot more fun. You can't deny it. The levels are alot more fun to battle on, the framerate is superior, and the array of weapons are better suited for multiplayer action. I am not, however, hinting that Unreal tournament isn't fun multiplayer--it is. Another point that I'd like to mention (no matter how small it is) is the fact that after you beat Q3A, you get to play the uber 1337 VMU maze on your memory card to unlock cheat codes. It's fun. Oh, and Quake III Arena can still be played online with homebrew servers; the online days of Unreal Tournament are over.
All in all, I recommend you buy both of them. You really should. They are both that good. But, for reasons that you've just read, I'm going to have to advise you purchase Quake III Arena first.
Polish
First of all, we'll start with the "polish" of the games. Both Quake III Arena and Unreal have user-friendly menus that are easy to navigate through and are attractive. It all depends on your style which you prefer. There is no victor here, both titles exceed expectations.
Graphics
Next, we'll compare graphics. Both titles have insanely good graphics--period. Rent the PS2/X-box versions. There is really no difference for either of these sexy, sexy titles. Quake III Arena is definately the more colorful of the two games. Of course the levels aren't pink and red--it's a first person shooter, but most Unreal levels look dark and gray-ish. While the resolution and character detail of both games are so freaking close to being equal, I'd have to say that Unreal probably has a bit more detailed polys.
Although Unreal might have the more detailed models and textures, it certainly doesn't show too much. Most levels are just downright bland. The colors don't stick out enough for such an insignificant difference to really show. I can't really declare a victor here. I think that Quake is more pleasing to look at, but Unreal might have the slightly better polish.
Framerate
Now lets talk about a very important factor: framerate. An FPS had damn well better have good framerate. Quake III wins. No competition. When Unreal gets really messy with weapons and guns blazing, you occassionally get frameskip and slowdown. It's rare, but it does exist. It also gets much worse in multiplayer mode. I'm not hinting that this has any affect on the game, however. This is personal preference, but you can't deny that Unreal has slowdowns. Quake III Arena has freaking amazing framerate even with a kajillion rapid plasma guns blazing from all four players on deathmatch mode. Quake III runs smoother than Unreal. It's just a fact.
Sound
Okay, I'm not going to say which is better here, but I will state that what you're about to read is opinion. Quake III Arena has the more "badass" rocker sounding music playing. Unreal has the more calm "stealthy" music playing. It's all personal taste. I find that Quake III has the better music by a long shot, but that's because I enjoy blasting people to hell with some energetic music playing rather than music that might play when my grandma dies, but hey, that's just me.
Gameplay
Oh man... more opinions. Unreal is a little bit slower paced that Quake. The weapons and the speed of the combat is just slower. This can allow you to put more thought and strategy into the game. Quake III is for those of us who just want to blow the hell out of people nonstop. The action is Quake III is far faster and heavier than Unreal. I also think the levels are much more interesting in Quake. It seems like the battles can be a bit bland in Unreal at times. Another thing to note is that some people like to say that the AI in Q3A "cheats." Although CPU players don't cheat in Quake III, they certainly are cheap ass bastards at times. I don't remember having such frustration at Unreal computer combatants. Maybe it's just because the pace is different in the two games, though.
Extras
Both games have multiplayer modes. Both games support all the necessary peripherals. I find that once again Quake III is the victor, though. Multiplayer on Quake III is alot more fun. You can't deny it. The levels are alot more fun to battle on, the framerate is superior, and the array of weapons are better suited for multiplayer action. I am not, however, hinting that Unreal tournament isn't fun multiplayer--it is. Another point that I'd like to mention (no matter how small it is) is the fact that after you beat Q3A, you get to play the uber 1337 VMU maze on your memory card to unlock cheat codes. It's fun. Oh, and Quake III Arena can still be played online with homebrew servers; the online days of Unreal Tournament are over.
All in all, I recommend you buy both of them. You really should. They are both that good. But, for reasons that you've just read, I'm going to have to advise you purchase Quake III Arena first.
