In this case, I agree with much of what Dale has written. We're in agreement that the navigation menus in Unreal Tournament are extremely well done and definitely friendlier than the sparse ones found in Quake III: Arena (Q3A). I also agree that the vocal insults and bolsterings definitely have more bite than the annoying text-based chattering that goes on in Q3A. I also further concur that 'Bots' in Unreal Tournament, despite looking a little bland, also seem to react more naturally than the ones in Q3A. Yet, by far, the one thing that makes Unreal Tournament such a worthy contender for the online multiplayer crown is the sheer amount of options that it offers over Q3A. There are more degrees of difficulty in Bot configurations, more different styles of play beyond CTF and classic Deathmatching, more maps to choose from, and even more diverse weapons (each sports an alternate fire option, which adds an entirely new dimension to the game). Almost across the board, Unreal Tournament brings more to the table than Q3A.
Yet, even with all those incentives, why do I disagree with Dale and feel that Q3A is the better of the two? Simple. When all is said and done, one of the main reasons online multiplayers are such a thrill is the competition of people from around the world. The chance to see how well your skills match up against others from all over. So in order to be properly gauge how well you play, you need to go up against the best. And since people playing Quake have been doing it for years and have evolved their technique along with the series, it is arguable that the best competitors are the ones who have played right up to Q3A. There's no doubt in my mind that Unreal Tournament is an excellent game with many positives under its belt and no one will be disappointed with what it offers. It just doesn't have that legacy and reputation that is Q3A's birthright. Q3A may offer less, but like Dale said in his review, both games are still essentially focused on Deathmatches and in that sense, Q3A inherits more evolved gameplay and the serious competitors needed to push the level of play a notch higher than everyone else.
Somewhere between all the gaming, Chi some how managed to finish high school and get into the New York Institute of Technology. At the same time, Chi also interned at Virtual Frontiers, an Internet software consultancy where he learned the ways of HTML. Soon after acquiring his BFA, Chi went on to become the lead Web designer of the Anti-Defamation League. During his tenure there, Chi was instrumental in redesigning and relaunching the non-profit organization's Web site.
Today, Chi is the webmaster of the American Red Cross in Greater New York and somehow managed to work through the tragic events of September 11th without losing his sanity. Chi considers GameCritics.com his life's work and continues to be amazed that the web site is still standing after the recent dotcom fallout. It is his dream that GameCritics.com will accomplish two things: 1) Redefine the grammar of videogames much the same way French film critic Andre Bazin did for the art of cinema and 2) bring game criticism to the forefront of mainstream culture much the same way Siskel & Ebert did for film criticism.
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