| intense melee abilities which make for probably the most satisfying melee combat found in a tournament-style shooter and the ability to lock on to your opponents to help keep them onscreen, really make it all work. You can play as any one of 14 characters from the Unreal universe, each with spectacular new Adrenaline Powers that enable new offensive and defensive combos. For the first time in an Unreal game you can battle with hand-to-hand combat that's seamlessly melded with the franchise's trademark fast-paced shooter action. Combat takes on a whole new dimension. New third-person navigation makes it easy for players to pull off incredible acrobatic combo moves. Levels are designed to allow players to maximize moves and take combat to a high-flying vertical level-never seen before in an action shooter! New Adrenaline Powers enables you to deflect projectiles and invoke powers for new offensive and defensive tactics. The Unreal experience is optimised for Xbox Live, enabling you to take on adversaries from around the world. System Link provides the ability to play against others by directly linking Xbox consoles. Intense single-player excitement : Players are immersed in a two-part, single-player tournament experience that allows the player to take on the role of a variety of uniquely skilled characters. You can even battle as the heroic Anubis as he fights to reclaim his people's Rite of Ascension from the omnipotent Liandri Corporation There are 50 maps to choose from and all are beautifully constructed. Since the game features support for up to eight players, Unreal Championship 2 has a series of maps large enough to accommodate that many people, but it also has more claustrophobic environments that are perfect for up close and personal battle. You can play two player mode using split screen or hook up with other Xbox consoles via sys-link but when it comes to multi-player action it is on Xbox Live that Unreal Championship 2 really comes to life. You can mix the game line-ups and have some bots in there to make up the numbers. Stats are available too, so make sure you get those kills in and get yourself a decent placing on the scoreboards. When you are talking about features it is all well and good but if the core of the game is wrong then it doesn’t matter how many great features you have piled on top. The good news with Unreal Championship 2 is the core engine is sweet. You always feel in total control of your character – the engine is solid, although the game-play is fast there is never any drop out and the physics are perfect. Graphically this game is outstanding, from the quality of the player animations to the interestingly designed maps and even the menus all look perfectly Unreal. The variation in maps is also cool – whether you are playing capture the flag or wandering around one of the tightly constrained maps the whole thing feels great. The pace is frantic and the Xbox deals with everything really well. Sound works well in the game. You get the same kind of adrenalin fuelled killing music we are used to in Unreal – and the taunts and groans are excellent as always. Unreal Championship 2 is a real success. Having taking the first person classic and added a third person mode the developers have opened up the melee fighting options. Jumping around is also a bit easier when in third person mode. Playing against bots is pretty satisfying and with the amount of bot tweaking available you get a good game from them but it is on Xbox Live that this title really comes to life. If you are a fan of the previous Unreal games then you are going to love this. If you are new to the series then you should get into it now. Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict is excellent fun. intense melee abilities which make for probably the most satisfying melee combat found in a tournament-style shooter and the ability to lock on to your opponents to help keep them onscreen, really make it all work. You can play as any one of 14 characters from the Unreal universe, each with spectacular new Adrenaline Powers that enable new offensive and defensive combos. For the first time in an Unreal game you can battle with hand-to-hand combat that's seamlessly melded with the franchise's trademark fast-paced shooter action. Combat takes on a whole new dimension. New third-person navigation makes it easy for players to pull off incredible acrobatic combo moves. Levels are designed to allow players to maximize moves and take combat to a high-flying vertical level-never seen before in an action shooter! New Adrenaline Powers enables you to deflect projectiles and invoke powers for new offensive and defensive tactics. The Unreal experience is optimised for Xbox Live, enabling you to take on adversaries from around the world. System Link provides the ability to play against others by directly linking Xbox consoles. Intense single-player excitement : Players are immersed in a two-part, single-player tournament experience that allows the player to take on the role of a variety of uniquely skilled characters. You can even battle as the heroic Anubis as he fights to reclaim his people's Rite of Ascension from the omnipotent Liandri Corporation There are 50 maps to choose from and all are beautifully constructed. Since the game features support for up to eight players, Unreal Championship 2 has a series of maps large enough to accommodate that many people, but it also has more claustrophobic environments that are perfect for up close and personal battle. You can play two player mode using split screen or hook up with other Xbox consoles via sys-link but when it comes to multi-player action it is on Xbox Live that Unreal Championship 2 really comes to life. You can mix the game line-ups and have some bots in there to make up the numbers. Stats are available too, so make sure you get those kills in and get yourself a decent placing on the scoreboards. When you are talking about features it is all well and good but if the core of the game is wrong then it doesn’t matter how many great features you have piled on top. The good news with Unreal Championship 2 is the core engine is sweet. You always feel in total control of your character – the engine is solid, although the game-play is fast there is never any drop out and the physics are perfect. Graphically this game is outstanding, from the quality of the player animations to the interestingly designed maps and even the menus all look perfectly Unreal. The variation in maps is also cool – whether you are playing capture the flag or wandering around one of the tightly constrained maps the whole thing feels great. The pace is frantic and the Xbox deals with everything really well. Sound works well in the game. You get the same kind of adrenalin fuelled killing music we are used to in Unreal – and the taunts and groans are excellent as always. Unreal Championship 2 is a real success. Having taking the first person classic and added a third person mode the developers have opened up the melee fighting options. Jumping around is also a bit easier when in third person mode. Playing against bots is pretty satisfying and with the amount of bot tweaking available you get a good game from them but it is on Xbox Live that this title really comes to life. If you are a fan of the previous Unreal games then you are going to love this. If you are new to the series then you should get into it now. Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict is excellent fun. 9 out of 10 | 
