You are a convict in voyage towards the penal colony on the starship Vortex Rikers. But something has gone wrong. You are now the only survivors of a crash-landing on the planet Na Pali, once home to the peaceful and worshipping Nali who have now been enslaved by the evil Skaarj. Only they, however, have the technology that would allow you to escape from this place, but the 30 levels are fraught with peril and with other races enslaved by the Skaarj. 10 weapons, your wits and a few courageous Nali are all left on your side.

In 1998, the PC gaming world was shaken by the arrival of the original Unreal. The sequel to this blockbuster, Unreal II - The Awakening, is an intense gaming experience that immerses players in an epic story-driven adventure, first-person shooter style. The game uses an advanced, real-time dialog system for fluid communications with your ship's crew and non-player characters as well as lifelike graphics powered by the latest Unreal Engine technology from Epic, with extremely high polygon counts, skeletal animation, particle system modeling (for fire, smoke, cloth, breaking glass, hair, etc.) and more. Players battle more than 24 different enemies or wield 15 weapons in the game's intense multiplayer modes.

The first Xbox addition to the Unreal universe immerses console gamers in the adrenaline packed first-person frag-fest that has revolutionized PC gaming. Designed specifically for Xbox and the Xbox controller, developer Digital Extremes has incorporated console-specific features such as joypad-activated special moves, double jump, power-ups, unlockable features and more to keep gamers glued to their couches with knuckle-whitened tension. In addition to a fully customizable multiplayer component that allows for up to 16 players on Xbox Live, the developers also included single-player bot battles. All in all, players can take on six different races featuring over 25 highly individual characters in over 30 maps.

The Skaarj war is over, but fighting between the different factions and the mysterious and bloodthirsty Phayder are escalating. A Tournament is held to contain competition. Soon, this turns from a few gladiatorial combats between convicts into major public events and the biggest source of income for the Liandri Corporation. Several factions will be competing in this year's tournament, each with their motives. You are a member of one of them, and must prove to be worthy of facing Xan Kriegor himself in each of the 43 maps, mastering the 11 weapons at your disposal and confronting the most powerful computer AI to date - or your friends in multiplayer mode.

Epic has taken the core of Unreal Tournament 2003, with its massively improved graphics, new weapons, and huge levels, and added layers and layers of polish and game play depth. Along with all of UT2003's game modes and maps, UT2004 will be released with vehicles, new weapons, two new game modes, and more new maps. The popular Assault mode from the original Unreal Tournament makes a welcome return to the series. The game mechanics remain the same: one team attacks by completing a series of objectives, while the other team must prevent them from succeeding. The new Onslaught mode is best described as connect-the-dots, where players compete to take over neutral nodes and establish bases in strategic locations.