I remember buying this game as soon as it came out, in 1998. My computer did not have a 3DFX video card, so it only ran well on my cousin's PC. I went to his house often, just to play Unreal. Unreal share some of the flaws of Quake 2, that was released the year before. It has no plot whatsoever and tries hard to compensate it by small messages you read on your "translator". But, unlike Quake 2, it has amazing graphics. Nowadays, it's kinda embarrassing to say that you like a game because of it's graphics. But Unreal didn't just present a technical revolution, with its mirrorred floors e weird lights. It showed a very interesting world. Unreal gave the player the aesthetical pleasure of exploring a different universe. Of course, in 1998, in Brazil, I didn't think with THOSE words. But I felt it, very strongly. I played the game taking lots of screenshots, completely astonished by the beautiful architecture of the alien castles and villages. Light plays a major role, as well. In one of the early scenes of the game, lights go out and you hear a monster growl. Then, the lights come up and the damn monster is in your face! Sure, it's nothing compared to those scripted actions that Half-Life would give us in 1999. But they were impressive. More than that, light is also used in creative ways: the colors are always strong, differently from Quake and Doom. Green, red, blue: they shine strongly, like in Dario Argento's Suspiria. The usage of light and the creative architecture renders the world of Unreal... well... unreal. And for that I am thankful.
