Although many nostalgic first-person arena shooter fans are thrilled that Unreal Tournament will be returning to their PCs in the near future (for free, no less), there is another groups of former Unreal enthusiasts that are a bit nervous about Epic's unique community-driven development of the next chapter in the franchise. The release of some very early gameplay footage may have helped ease the minds of some of the skeptical fans, but lots of gamers are still waiting to find out more about the project before getting behind it. It may not be a finished product, but the latest update from the development team gives the community a new batch of assets and details to mull over.
In Epic Games' latest update to the Unreal Tournament blog, the developer released a new batch of concept art. Ranging from weapons, to character designs, to environments; the screenshots offer a much better look at the aesthetic of the game than the stripped down gameplay footage released a few weeks back. The characters and weapons definitely look like they would be at home in the world of Unreal, but they don't necessarily scream cutting-edge. Hopefully, the transition from 3D model to interactive gameplay will take things up a notch.
The following screenshots were released alongside a new development podcast in which Senior Designer Jim Brown and cognitive psychologist Celia Hodent chatted about the upcoming game's user experience.
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Perhaps even more interesting than the concept art to some fans, was the update's reveal that the game will launch with a standard Deathmatch mode only. The team plans to launch other modes, like Capture the Flag and Onslaught, eventually; but the goal is to get things right with Deathmatch first before adding the bells and whistles.
Deatmatch is the most popular mode among most fans, so if there has to be only one, it is definitely a good option. Some fans may be disappointed by the announcement, but considering we're dealing with a totally free game with no DLC or microtransactions, it seems reasonable that the developers move along at a reduced pace. If the developers are looking to retain fans a month or two after the game launches, the release of new modes seems like a great way to keep the gameplay experience fresh.
Will the absence of other modes at launch make you any less excited to play the new Unreal Tournament? Let us know in the comments.
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Follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.
Source: Unreal Tournament