"Unreal Gold" includes the base game "Unreal", and its mission pack "Return to Na Pali". It also uses the menu from Unreal Tournament, rather than the one from the Unreal disc version.

Today, Unreal could almost be called a hidden gem. It was big back in 1998, but over the years it has somewhat faded into obscurity, at least compared to games like Doom and Quake, which are still widely known and popular. Perhaps this is because Half-Life, a great, but in my opinion inferior game, released at the same time and received vastly more media coverage. Or because the multiplayer version, Unreal Tournament, would become the flagship of Epic Games.

Unreal remains one of the very best single-player FPS to this day. The gameplay could be described as an in-between mix of action-packed shooting (Quake) and atmospheric exploration (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.). The shooting isn't quite as polished and fleshed out as in the id games, but the leveldesign is top-notch. Together with the great music, it creates an immersive atmosphere that's rarely seen in games. Unreal will lead you through so many unique and memorable places over the course of the campaign that it's hard to list them all. You'll explore ancient temples, and it will make you feel as if you were Indiana Jones. You'll also make your way through the decks of a crashed spaceship, and you'll feel just like Ellen Ripley. Add a village in the sky here, an alien mothership there, the leveldesign will take you from one highlight to another.

The arsenal consists of ten weapons and, seeing as this is an older game, you can carry them all. All weapons have two fire modes, while some have additional depth to them, such as the ASMD that can do combos or the 8ball that can load up to six rockets or grenades at once and fire either spread out or close together and even lock on enemies to fire heat-seeking rockets.
All weapons are different from one another, most are interesting and innovative. Unfortunately, they are not balanced. Different weapons have different strengths and weaknesses, but some are outright better than others. The Flak Cannon is a strong counter for the quick and aggressive enemies that like to engage the player in melee combat, and will be your preferred weapon for most encounters as long as you have enough ammo. The more powerful hitscan weapons also pack a good punch and are overall strong and versatile. The most common enemy creature in the game, the Skaarj, is agile and very good at dodging, which makes it a real challenge to inflict meaningful damage with weapons that fire projectiles. Those weapons tend to become easily replaced as your arsenal grows.

Unreal pits you against a number of enemies, from small insects to huge monsters. They really fit into the world and make you believe as if those creatures are actually living there, and not just random mobs placed into the maps by the leveldesigner. Most enemies are distinctively different from one another and require different tactics and weapons to defeat. Each level usually has a prevalent enemy type that makes up most of the population in that area, while the other, general types will take more of a backseat but are still there. The Skaarj, which you'll see throughout the game, come in about a dozen variations with varying stats and skins. Noteable is an AI that is impressive even today, almost two decades later. The pathfinding may let enemies find you even from far away through terrain that is difficult to navigate. Most enemies are reckless when at full health, and cautious when injured. Their ability to lead with projectiles as well as Skaarj's mobility and agility make for a formidable challenge on higher difficulties.

Unreal does have multiplayer, though it's probably hard to find online games after all these years. The multiplayer always seemed to lack something that ended up making it feel unfinished, though I could never point out exactly what that was. Perhaps it's the weapons which are designed to slay monsters, though they are still potent and perfectly capable of fragging players once you get good at the game. If you want to give multiplayer a more serious try, I'd suggest checking out Unreal Tournament, what's basically a polished version of the multiplayer released as a new game, and the best of its kind only challenged by Quake 3 Arena.
It's also possible to play with bots, and they give inexperienced players a good run for their money. Filling DmFith, DmHealPod or DmMorbias with 16 bots and just reveling in the carnage it would unfold kept me entertained for hours on end in a time when internet access wasn't readily available. It's definitely worth checking out.

I'd also like to mention that, on a technical level, Unreal could quite possibly be the most impressive game relative to release date, which makes a worthy history lession second only to Wolfenstein 3D. And if you had a 3dfx Voodoo card in 1998 you know exactly why. We were used to playing Duke3D and Quake when Unreal came along with its colored lightning, reflective surfaces, glow effects, volumetric lightning, and and and... it was eyecandy on a level that put Crysis to shame. Even the AI was and still is amazing, only really outdone by F.E.A.R.. And yet Unreal is more than a simple tech demo. It's actually a good game, solid in every aspect. And the first game that earned the right to call itself a "Quake killer". Did it kill Quake? No, but the attempt was more than respectable.

If you like FPS, you'll love Unreal. It's one of the best single-player FPS ever made, and a must-play for any shooting enthusiast. Its leveldesign, music, graphics and AI raised the bar in 1998 and still hold up today.

"Unreal Gold" includes the base game "Unreal", and its mission pack "Return to Na Pali". It also uses the menu from Unreal Tournament, rather than the one from the Unreal disc version. Today, Unreal could almost be called a hidden gem. It was big back in 1998, but over the years it has somewhat faded into obscurity, at least compared to games like Doom and Quake, which are still widely known and popular. Perhaps this is because Half-Life, a great, but in my opinion inferior game, released at the same time and received vastly more media coverage. Or because the multiplayer version, Unreal Tournament, would become the flagship of Epic Games. Unreal remains one of the very best single-player FPS to this day. The gameplay could be described as an in-between mix of action-packed shooting (Quake) and atmospheric exploration (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.). The shooting isn't quite as polished and fleshed out as in the id games, but the leveldesign is top-notch. Together with the great music, it creates an immersive atmosphere that's rarely seen in games. Unreal will lead you through so many unique and memorable places over the course of the campaign that it's hard to list them all. You'll explore ancient temples, and it will make you feel as if you were Indiana Jones. You'll also make your way through the decks of a crashed spaceship, and you'll feel just like Ellen Ripley. Add a village in the sky here, an alien mothership there, the leveldesign will take you from one highlight to another. The arsenal consists of ten weapons and, seeing as this is an older game, you can carry them all. All weapons have two fire modes, while some have additional depth to them, such as the ASMD that can do combos or the 8ball that can load up to six rockets or grenades at once and fire either spread out or close together and even lock on enemies to fire heat-seeking rockets. All weapons are different from one another, most are interesting and innovative. Unfortunately, they are not balanced. Different weapons have different strengths and weaknesses, but some are outright better than others. The Flak Cannon is a strong counter for the quick and aggressive enemies that like to engage the player in melee combat, and will be your preferred weapon for most encounters as long as you have enough ammo. The more powerful hitscan weapons also pack a good punch and are overall strong and versatile. The most common enemy creature in the game, the Skaarj, is agile and very good at dodging, which makes it a real challenge to inflict meaningful damage with weapons that fire projectiles. Those weapons tend to become easily replaced as your arsenal grows. Unreal pits you against a number of enemies, from small insects to huge monsters. They really fit into the world and make you believe as if those creatures are actually living there, and not just random mobs placed into the maps by the leveldesigner. Most enemies are distinctively different from one another and require different tactics and weapons to defeat. Each level usually has a prevalent enemy type that makes up most of the population in that area, while the other, general types will take more of a backseat but are still there. The Skaarj, which you'll see throughout the game, come in about a dozen variations with varying stats and skins. Noteable is an AI that is impressive even today, almost two decades later. The pathfinding may let enemies find you even from far away through terrain that is difficult to navigate. Most enemies are reckless when at full health, and cautious when injured. Their ability to lead with projectiles as well as Skaarj's mobility and agility make for a formidable challenge on higher difficulties. Unreal does have multiplayer, though it's probably hard to find online games after all these years. The multiplayer always seemed to lack [i]something[/i] that ended up making it feel unfinished, though I could never point out exactly what that was. Perhaps it's the weapons which are designed to slay monsters, though they are still potent and perfectly capable of fragging players once you get good at the game. If you want to give multiplayer a more serious try, I'd suggest checking out Unreal Tournament, what's basically a polished version of the multiplayer released as a new game, and the best of its kind only challenged by Quake 3 Arena. It's also possible to play with bots, and they give inexperienced players a good run for their money. Filling DmFith, DmHealPod or DmMorbias with 16 bots and just reveling in the carnage it would unfold kept me entertained for hours on end in a time when internet access wasn't readily available. It's definitely worth checking out. I'd also like to mention that, on a technical level, Unreal could quite possibly be [i]the[/i] most impressive game relative to release date, which makes a worthy history lession second only to Wolfenstein 3D. And if you had a 3dfx Voodoo card in 1998 you know exactly why. We were used to playing Duke3D and Quake when Unreal came along with its colored lightning, reflective surfaces, glow effects, volumetric lightning, and and and... it was eyecandy on a level that put Crysis to shame. Even the AI was and still is amazing, only really outdone by F.E.A.R.. And yet Unreal is more than a simple tech demo. It's actually a good game, solid in every aspect. And the first game that earned the right to call itself a "Quake killer". Did it kill Quake? No, but the attempt was more than respectable. If you like FPS, you'll love Unreal. It's one of the best single-player FPS ever made, and a must-play for any shooting enthusiast. Its leveldesign, music, graphics and AI raised the bar in 1998 and still hold up today.