UT's sound effects are what anyone would expect from a first-person shooter.
This probably wouldn't be noticed by those who haven't played the PC version, but for people like myself who played the original to death, it's painstakingly obvious. While this shouldn't have been a problem, this made some tracks end rather suddenly and unexpectedly (the DM-Deck16 backing music being a classic example). However, some tracks had to be shortened due to the less-powerful nature of the Dreamcast. Not that that's a criticism - this music provided either more fuel for the carnage, or a genuine sense of atmosphere. The Dreamcast version of UT uses the same background tracks as the PC version. While not quite as much so as graphics, sound is a very important aspect of any game. While the UT engine pumped out polygons at a respectable 30-40 frames per second on most maps, some larger levels such as CTF-Face with six or more players slowed gameplay to a pitiful 20 frames per second (and sometimes even less). However, as with the PC version, UT lacked some of the graphical achievements that the Q3A engine had made possible. Early reports from the Unreal camp were promising, with the developers promising a higher player limit than Q3A while running at a steady 40 frames per second. And due to the fact that the original Unreal had been in development for the PSone, shooter fans weren't surprised to hear that Unreal's multiplayer-oriented sequel, Unreal Tournament was in development for Sega's Dreamcast. The Unreal engine was running on Dreamcast devkits as soon as they were available.
While the Dreamcast-only levels ran at a smooth 35-40 frames per second, some of the original maps developed by Id Software became sluggish with three or four players battling it out together. There was, however, a slight disadvantage. Dynamic colored lighting, plenty of detail and lovely curved surfaces were to be found throughout the game, to the delight of gamers. However, most critics were silenced when they saw the finished product - Q3A pushed back the boundaries of what many thought could be done with the Dreamcast. When it was announced that Q3A was coming to Dreamcast, many wondered how the developers would get the engine running at all - let alone at a decent speed - on Sega's white box. After all, you want whatever you happen to be killing to look as detailed as possible, while avoiding in-game stutters. Graphics can make or break a game, especially a first-person shooter. Is Quake III Arena looks pretty darn fabulous on the Dreamcast. But which is really the better game? This is where my editorial comes in! Instead of just making a blind decision for or against a game, we're going to take a look at a number of each game's features. "But surely is better, just look at its !" If you're a Dreamcast shooter fan, you've probably already drawn your own conclusions and sided with either one game or the other. These two games have already battled for the hearts of PC gamers, and now they're pitted against each other on the Dreamcast. PlanetDreamcast | Features | Editorials | Quake III Arena vs Unreal Tournamentīattle of the first-person behemoths.