As an avid Mortal Kombat fan, I had to know about the inclusion of Raiden. As confirmed in the past, Raiden will be a selectable character in this game. As of this moment, no other Mortal Kombat characters will be included in the game. In some ways, I’m excited about the option to play as Raiden, but as an Unreal fan, I had some doubts about how he would fit in. I mean, I can’t see Raiden using Unreal style range weapons, but Midway assured me he is cool and does fit in with the Unreal Universe. Raiden uses the lighting infused staff for melee attacks and can disappear and reappear behind enemy players. One moment he’ll pose in a crouched position and then materialize high above and behind for a devastating aerial attack. Every character can initiate a Coup de Grace (finishing move), but Raiden’s is the only one –so far— that is unique. Raiden’s finishing move is very similar to his actions in Mortal Kombat. Crackling sparks of lighting courses through the opponent’s body and booyah, pass the mustard! In fact, the exact same button combination used in Mortal Kombat will initiate the Coup de Grace. At this time, don’t expect any storyline to explain how or why Raiden appeared in the Unreal universe. According to Midway he is just an added feature. Another character I enjoyed playing was Lauren.
Lauren received a few adjustments in the animation area. One noticeable power-up feature was Lauren’s ghost ability. With enough adrenaline and proper button input, Lauren will produce a wispy spectre of her. The image will appear at her side and mirror every move. Although you will see both characters, the other player –on his/her screen-- will only see the ghost image. Attacking the ghost won’t cause Lauren any damage, but this is a time limited power-up, so use it wisely. Lauren’s weapons don’t produce a lot of damage, thus her biggest strengths are speed and agility, and she needs every bit of it when faced against Gorge or Skaarj in a melee attack. Thankfully range weapons allow players remain far enough away from those two tanks.
The range weapons include new animated crosshairs, detailed model animation, and astonishing effects. A cool HUD feature is the ability to lock your camera view onto a selected opponent. Don’t confuse this with the lock feature found in the UT2003/2004 rocket launchers. This element only locks your camera view, not the crosshair of the weapon, onto the player. The camera view lock requires some manual control, especially when the opponent is moving towards the edge of the screen. Once the opponent is out of sight or a good distance away, the camera view lock deactivates. I found this attribute helpful, but not advantageous, and it doesn’t hinder the game play or balance. Epic is very attentive to balance and with the entire weapon and character attributes; game balance is a trick Epic got right.
Playing Unreal Championship 2 again reinforced my belief that Epic is truly a gamers’ company. Mark Rein attended the event, his energetic and optimistic attitude stems from his love of the fans, and positive outlook of the Unreal franchise. This attitude is evident in all Epic personnel, and that is why I enjoy being part of this community. Unreal Championship 2 will revolutionize and quickly redefine the boundaries of the Unreal universe. Unreal PC enthusiasts will revaluate their views about console games. I often scoffed at console owners, but even I wanted to purchase an Xbox just to play Unreal Championship 2. In February of 2005, Midway will release a demo of this game. Be ready for the revolution!