Unreal Gold is Amazingly Unreal
Some of my earliest PC gaming memories are playing UT99 shortly after its release on my grandpa's Windows 98 rig. That may have been my first exposure to video game gore actually. But all that said, I never played Unreal proper until just a week or so ago and all I can say is wow, they really don't make them like this anymore.
The atmosphere, the guns, and especially the music are just peak for lack of a better word. To some, the graphics probably look dated. But I don't know, I just find them charming. I played this game on my Steam Deck using the oldunreal release. I don't think younger me would have ever guessed the day would come where you could play this series on the go.
What I really appreciated about Unreal was the challenge. I played on the Medium difficulty setting and still felt challenged on some parts. The sprawling nature of the levels and getting lost wasn't so frustrating to me, but I can see how that isn't for everyone. This game was surprisingly spooky to me at times despite the older graphics.
I have completed the main campaign and am currently on the fourth stage of the expansion pack. After that, I plan to tackle UT99 and UT2004's "campaigns" and then maybe go get my ass handed to me in online. I really wish Fortnite had never happened because I miss this series and am saddened to see it abandoned. But who knows? Maybe Epic will revive the series when I'm 70.