Unreal,is still undefeated in terms of immersion environments, with all implication and epic soundtracks, without doubt one of the best fps EVER made. Unreal isn't a game....but more an experience to live Nowadays such games are rare because software houses think to make money first........ is not like in the 90's anymore sadly.
Working on this game was one of the coolest times of my life. This map used to be MUCH bigger! It was Chizra and Ceremony in one big map. Also I loved RIVEN at the time so many of the puzzles had a DOOM 2 meets RIVEN vibe where it did not make complete sense, but during that period in game development, it was all about immersion and exploration.
@@pzogelThanks! Lots of passion in those days. Level designers did almost everything. Today it takes 20 dudes at 120-250k to make a single player map in a year.
Thanks for your work, friend, this game means a lot to me and a lot of people, if only modern developers had the same passion for games like you guys used to have....
This music is from that level with the never ending temple maze and artifact switches and levers that needed to be triggered in a certain order. It was such a mystery that it really developed my problem solving skills as a child lol
If Unreal was ever updated, it would have to be with graphics that keep the unique, dream-like and alien atmosphere, where things aren't quite real looking, but they have a substance and reality all their own. It's not Reality, it's Unreality.
For me Unreal 1 is one of the best games ever if not the best. I don't know why but this cross over between fantasy world and science fiction was one of best ideas ever. The atmosphere in the game is outstanding, just by looking in the sky full of stars, planets or open plains It felt like this world was infinitely large... Music is by far the best I ever heard in a game, setting atmospheric feel and depth sky high... I just wish Epic will make a new singleplayer Unreal with such atmosphere...
Na Pali is not alien planet, it is alternate earth, not fully alternate, it just reflect continents, and Chizra was inspired by Aztec and Mayans. also, you hear terrestrial sounds from earth. it is just parallel earth with three moons. also The music sound Hawaii-maya like, and you can go to Na Pali to explore alien shaped mountains in kauai island,
Unreal's graphics are undeniably outdated, but for an old game, they aged well. Graphics need to be tailored toward the atmosphere of a game, and some work better than others. A dark, scary game would have realistically cast shadows and light that reflects realistically. For its time, Unreal's visuals fit the atmosphere perfectly, which is why trying to make them "better" with UE3/UE4 would alter or even ruin the game's atmosphere.
Great music, great and mysterious story, beautiful art, character and level design, perfect formula for a masterpiece. Thank you Epic for setting the Golden standard for a great game and story driven gameplay.
Outstanding music...The drum, the mystical flute and the whole concept of this music, remind me of the music of Shadow of the Beast on Amiga. Equally amazing music...
I was completly crazy about this game. And when I found these musics, I've got tears in my eyes. I don't know what's wrong, nowdays no game have the atmosphere like in the days of unreal :) But I think it's not in the games themselves, I think it's in US, we have changed. We were children back in that times... Fantasy in our heads did it, now we are too old to let the fantasy be unborder because we take the real world too much for real :)
Metroid Prime is an excellent example where beautiful graphics enhance the gameplay. That trilogy is living proof that modern games can still provide an unbelievable gaming experience because they don't use graphics as the end-all be-all. Unreal, while looking dated now, is still awesome to play and I thorougly enjoyed a full run through on Unreal difficulty not even a month ago. Yeah, the enormous open end levels like the Sunspire still blow my mind.
This Level together with the Music had more Atmosphere then todays whole Crysis + Crysis Warhead together! I miss those times so much when Games like this had real soul!
I remember playing this game on a Pentium 150 with about 16 megs of ram and a Voodoo Banshee card. I had a complete blast. The sequel, "Return to Na-Pali" is included in the Steam version of Unreal and I think the music is just as good. The included Unreal editor was amazing. You could compile fairly complex levels in just a few minutes. (Quake's editor could take hours or even days).
I agree. Old graphics kind of let the mind to wander. The game looked rough around the edges but that was fine, I didn't mind because everything was so alien and interesting. Once I suspended my disbelief and started taking in Unreal's atmosphere (where gameplay, music and aesthetics work together) the lack of graphical detail was patched up by imagination and the sheer emotion of wonder that the game elicited. Modern graphics aren't needed, they never were and never will be, but they are a plus
:) I play this game all the time still on the JCOOP server. I love this game. I can play this game for hours. I wish more people play online, then there will be even more people. The server that i play on usually gets up to 8 people playing.
System Shock, Hexen and Hexen 2, Unreal and Deus Ex, made me fall in love with flute instrument in video games. And should be used more in modern games.
The problem with most of today's games is that they focus on delivering certain features instead of delivering an unique experience like Unreal did. Open-ended gameplay and the need to design extremely large levels conspire against the kind of level design Unreal had. I don't think the problem is realistic versus interesting but more of graphics versus aesthetics. I'm referring to how some developers focus more on the means of delivering the visual component rather than on the component itself.
I bought Unreal Gold in 2001. I thought, "What the heck! It's only $9.99." I fell in love with it. The music, the graphics, the challenge. I'd be up to 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, trying to figure out how to get to the next level and how not to get killed. It's now 2011, and you know what? I still play it (although I play it in UT99 so I can use the UT(( weapons).
New graphics tech can accomplish the same feeling, but it indeed does take much more work - and many times devs prefer going for a single realistic "look" instead of making it diverse and beautiful. But there is something about those old effects that just are amazing, especially for the way they did skyboxes in Unreal. I feel if art directors focused on making a game otherworldly rather than realistic we'd have a lot more games like Unreal that would look great with modern tech
I wouldn't mind unreal with modern graphics, as long as they were careful with it. As long as the atmosphere, like on this level, is maintained through music lighting and those goddamn fish people making that creepy sound.
I think (as well as most of you guys) that Epic should make a remastered version of this game with all of the modern graphics and such but keep the storyline, remaster the music just a tad (not that there is anything wrong with this music), and keep the levels. I think this universe deserves a to be spred among the modern population today. If Epic games can make this they would become more popular and more respected among more people.
If the Game developers would concentrate more on the atmopshere and the intensivity of the scenery instead of only focus on DX11 Hyper Blaster Effects, yes then more games could at least come much closer to such soulful Masterpieces like Unreal 1.
Most atmospheric game is Unreal - from then to now - there never has been a more phantastic atmosphere. And for me atmosphere is most important - what is a game without atmosphere? I think not worth to play. Very important for a atmospheric game is the sound, and of course Unreal owns an epic soundtrack.
I think the reason for that is because Unreal was all about being a technological achievement at the time, so they had to do a lot with a little. I didn't play Unreal until last year, but reviews said that NyLeve was seen as pretty much a vast, open area, and the only way to recreate that today is to do the same on a larger scale. Some examples include the view of the Citadel from the beginning of EP2, the sunrise in the first level of Crysis, and the first time outside in Bethesda games.
I know this is a 2-year-old comment, but you're right. Every time someone tried to remake an Unreal level in the Unreal Engine 3, it lost its original charm. Vortex Rikers looked like a generic spaceship level like the ones you'd see in Mass Effect. Nyleve looked like an ordinary jungle level like in Fry Cry 2. The original levels in the Unreal Engine 1 were developed with character in mind. When you remake it so "it'll look pretty", it loses that character.
@unwiseowl It all depends on the focus between level design, aesthetics and technology. Quite a few games concentrate too much on making everything cutting edge. All that is useless without implementation. I'll forever remember the level design of Unreal, TES3, Deus Ex, Soul Reaver 2 etc. I won't remember how ugly some textures were or that the illumination 'sucked'. All that matters is that the aesthetics, storyline, atmosphere and music work together to make a memorable experience.
@ZyncheStrikesBack yep, will be super when it is realy like that. But I don't know if it will work, for some perfect old game which you never played before. Old known games are different while I can still rembember the atmosphere as well. I think I am too old for that kind of fairy tales, that's pitty... Now at least I am interested in astronomy and it has definitely roots in games and unreal.
@theothercommentguy They also don´t know anymore how to create feelings and a thick atmosphere in games. They also always use the same standard boring violin soundtracks. The Art of making soulful games got lost in the 00 years :(
@Sc0rpXLR you know what, though? i still think Unreal looks amazing. its a beautiful looking game. you dont have to have 10000s of polygons to have good graphics. even Super Mario World still has good graphics.
@Sceptorful These possibilities are not exclude each other. So I want both of them. If remade Unreal would be wrong, I just didn't remove the old version.
@Sc0rpXLR You're right, I play to escape from reality sometimes... Screw that then let's just have fun with all this envoirement and this music... Relaxing is so good...And Unreal Gold is even better ^^
Though this comment is 2 years old, I still feel the need to reply. People who ask for remakes of some old games simply fail to grasp that the sheer emotion and state of mind the look of a game can put you in are far more important than its technical accomplishments. I actually feel as if better graphics hamstring artists because the number of polygons and shader effects mean jackshit if the visual component of the game doesn't say anything to me. Sounds like more work for the same output to me.
this is the Orinal Unreal, not UT. I love playing on the server. I saw 2 of the JCOOPZ servers and they have a huge collection of maps. You can also go to Newbiesplaying . com and download custom made maps and view forums and stuff. It is really cool. I love playing on the JCOOPZ server and maybe i can see you in one. :)
Fucking modern games, they do squat to me. Sure, blitz GFX, but I want atmosphere! Look at what Unreal did with just the music. And that I'm not even talking about the sound effects of the planet you where on.
But the spirit of the time was also an other one. Games were art in the 90s. Now they are just business. I guess if the developers would had our present state of PC Graphic technology back then, they Games would still be much better back then in the 90s, then those boring ones now.
@Sc0rpXLR I don't agree. Yes some games are too real, but I don't think physics and graphics being improved have anything but a positive impact. The problem with games is that the market has become saturated with games that are all too samey in environment design and art style, with too much lackluster storytelling. A game gains from atmosphere and story and loses from anything that takes away from immersion and personal involvement.
i fing unreal 1 is a perfect game the singel player mod is perfect the levels binds togater relly god and the musik relly meges you fill a milion fings when you inter a level. you get lose kontakt to the real world :)! well i hate dat experence the ferst time i playde thes game 10 years olld
yeah ! in mainstream music they recycle more old stuff than writing new. why video game companys dont do that instead of putting all the modern-graphics-stuff in boring games.
Unreal is not just a game, its a piece of art, and a lifestyle.
Unreal,is still undefeated in terms of immersion environments, with all implication and epic soundtracks, without doubt one of the best fps EVER made.
Unreal isn't a game....but more an experience to live
Nowadays such games are rare because software houses think to make money first........ is not like in the 90's anymore sadly.
Its not just a game, its a piece of art.
this game was so underrated i check ign and another sites and then classificate unreal just like a good graphics and fuck all the rest
This game was never underrated. It was a benchmark for graphics, and is a legend among FPS. Ask anyone who was gaming in 1999
@@GreatRottweiler I play this game not for action, but of high valuable of artism ( locations, soundtrack, sound etc.)
@@GreatRottweiler
Working on this game was one of the coolest times of my life. This map used to be MUCH bigger! It was Chizra and Ceremony in one big map. Also I loved RIVEN at the time so many of the puzzles had a DOOM 2 meets RIVEN vibe where it did not make complete sense, but during that period in game development, it was all about immersion and exploration.
Great to see you here in the comment section, "Myscha"! Fantastic work on Unreal and UT.
@@pzogelThanks! Lots of passion in those days. Level designers did almost everything. Today it takes 20 dudes at 120-250k to make a single player map in a year.
Habu Dee!! 😲
Thanks for your work, friend, this game means a lot to me and a lot of people, if only modern developers had the same passion for games like you guys used to have....
03:02 - 03:32 WOW!
This music is from that level with the never ending temple maze and artifact switches and levers that needed to be triggered in a certain order. It was such a mystery that it really developed my problem solving skills as a child lol
If Unreal was ever updated, it would have to be with graphics that keep the unique, dream-like and alien atmosphere, where things aren't quite real looking, but they have a substance and reality all their own. It's not Reality, it's Unreality.
this track right here is my fav.
For me Unreal 1 is one of the best games ever if not the best. I don't know why but this cross over between fantasy world and science fiction was one of best ideas ever. The atmosphere in the game is outstanding, just by looking in the sky full of stars, planets or open plains It felt like this world was infinitely large... Music is by far the best I ever heard in a game, setting atmospheric feel and depth sky high...
I just wish Epic will make a new singleplayer Unreal with such atmosphere...
When 0:46 kicks in and you realise, you're still playing an FPS. Unreal is an apt name for it really is an Unreal experience to play.
next year unreal is 20. this jubilee just has to be celebrated with orchestral OST performance.
never played unreal but the music got me hooked up
This track make me journey in my thoughts.
Excellent track. Full of awe and mystery, just how 849 would have felt in the alien ruins of Chizra..
Na Pali is not alien planet, it is alternate earth, not fully alternate, it just reflect continents, and Chizra was inspired by Aztec and Mayans. also, you hear terrestrial sounds from earth. it is just parallel earth with three moons. also The music sound Hawaii-maya like, and you can go to Na Pali to explore alien shaped mountains in kauai island,
I can't believe 26 years have passed......There are times I'd give almost anything to go back....
Unreal FOREVER
Unreal's graphics are undeniably outdated, but for an old game, they aged well. Graphics need to be tailored toward the atmosphere of a game, and some work better than others. A dark, scary game would have realistically cast shadows and light that reflects realistically. For its time, Unreal's visuals fit the atmosphere perfectly, which is why trying to make them "better" with UE3/UE4 would alter or even ruin the game's atmosphere.
Great music, great and mysterious story, beautiful art, character and level design, perfect formula for a masterpiece. Thank you Epic for setting the Golden standard for a great game and story driven gameplay.
The whole unreal series has epic music!
Outstanding music...The drum, the mystical flute and the whole concept of this music, remind me of the music of Shadow of the Beast on Amiga. Equally amazing music...
I was completly crazy about this game. And when I found these musics, I've got tears in my eyes. I don't know what's wrong, nowdays no game have the atmosphere like in the days of unreal :) But I think it's not in the games themselves, I think it's in US, we have changed. We were children back in that times... Fantasy in our heads did it, now we are too old to let the fantasy be unborder because we take the real world too much for real :)
Metroid Prime is an excellent example where beautiful graphics enhance the gameplay. That trilogy is living proof that modern games can still provide an unbelievable gaming experience because they don't use graphics as the end-all be-all. Unreal, while looking dated now, is still awesome to play and I thorougly enjoyed a full run through on Unreal difficulty not even a month ago.
Yeah, the enormous open end levels like the Sunspire still blow my mind.
When playing this level, thanks to the music, it felt like I was actually there, this is how games were meant to be!
I miss playing co-op. People getting lost in this map and trying to guide them lmao
This Level together with the Music had more Atmosphere then todays whole Crysis + Crysis Warhead together! I miss those times so much when Games like this had real soul!
Hah. I was CD on Warhead :)
Michiel... This is a masterpiece.!
good game soundtracks... where are you now....
There are still here, you must only choose right soundtracks
It's relaxing, really.
I remember playing this game on a Pentium 150 with about 16 megs of ram and a Voodoo Banshee card. I had a complete blast. The sequel, "Return to Na-Pali" is included in the Steam version of Unreal and I think the music is just as good. The included Unreal editor was amazing. You could compile fairly complex levels in just a few minutes. (Quake's editor could take hours or even days).
holy shit I haven't heard the name "VooDoo Bashee" since the '90s O.o
The old 3DFx cards were something to behold :)
i like you had the same card :) as well....the glide worked best for the game.
I agree. Old graphics kind of let the mind to wander. The game looked rough around the edges but that was fine, I didn't mind because everything was so alien and interesting. Once I suspended my disbelief and started taking in Unreal's atmosphere (where gameplay, music and aesthetics work together) the lack of graphical detail was patched up by imagination and the sheer emotion of wonder that the game elicited. Modern graphics aren't needed, they never were and never will be, but they are a plus
:) I play this game all the time still on the JCOOP server. I love this game. I can play this game for hours. I wish more people play online, then there will be even more people. The server that i play on usually gets up to 8 people playing.
I get that Deus Ex vibe from Alexander Brandon
and Michiel van den Bos... Many of the most epic tunes are created by both of them
System Shock, Hexen and Hexen 2, Unreal and Deus Ex, made me fall in love with flute instrument in video games. And should be used more in modern games.
The problem with most of today's games is that they focus on delivering certain features instead of delivering an unique experience like Unreal did. Open-ended gameplay and the need to design extremely large levels conspire against the kind of level design Unreal had. I don't think the problem is realistic versus interesting but more of graphics versus aesthetics. I'm referring to how some developers focus more on the means of delivering the visual component rather than on the component itself.
I bought Unreal Gold in 2001. I thought, "What the heck! It's only $9.99." I fell in love with it. The music, the graphics, the challenge. I'd be up to 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, trying to figure out how to get to the next level and how not to get killed. It's now 2011, and you know what? I still play it (although I play it in UT99 so I can use the UT(( weapons).
New graphics tech can accomplish the same feeling, but it indeed does take much more work - and many times devs prefer going for a single realistic "look" instead of making it diverse and beautiful. But there is something about those old effects that just are amazing, especially for the way they did skyboxes in Unreal. I feel if art directors focused on making a game otherworldly rather than realistic we'd have a lot more games like Unreal that would look great with modern tech
I wouldn't mind unreal with modern graphics, as long as they were careful with it. As long as the atmosphere, like on this level, is maintained through music lighting and those goddamn fish people making that creepy sound.
Thank you for posting these, Tuthor.
this game was Crysis of its age
2:36. It’s obviously different, but the way the melody is articulated constantly reminds me of Raven Beak’s theme from Metroid Dread.
my song \o/
You're in Chizra and you feel the true misery and isolation of the Nali people.
I think (as well as most of you guys) that Epic should make a remastered version of this game with all of the modern graphics and such but keep the storyline, remaster the music just a tad (not that there is anything wrong with this music), and keep the levels. I think this universe deserves a to be spred among the modern population today. If Epic games can make this they would become more popular and more respected among more people.
Gedren84, you've so nailed it, sir.
If the Game developers would concentrate more on the atmopshere and the intensivity of the scenery instead of only focus on DX11 Hyper Blaster Effects, yes then more games could at least come much closer to such soulful Masterpieces like Unreal 1.
Most atmospheric game is Unreal - from then to now - there never has been a more phantastic atmosphere. And for me atmosphere is most important - what is a game without atmosphere? I think not worth to play. Very important for a atmospheric game is the sound, and of course Unreal owns an epic soundtrack.
Yeah really. Nothing can beat Unreal in terms of atmosphere.
I think the reason for that is because Unreal was all about being a technological achievement at the time, so they had to do a lot with a little. I didn't play Unreal until last year, but reviews said that NyLeve was seen as pretty much a vast, open area, and the only way to recreate that today is to do the same on a larger scale. Some examples include the view of the Citadel from the beginning of EP2, the sunrise in the first level of Crysis, and the first time outside in Bethesda games.
I know this is a 2-year-old comment, but you're right. Every time someone tried to remake an Unreal level in the Unreal Engine 3, it lost its original charm. Vortex Rikers looked like a generic spaceship level like the ones you'd see in Mass Effect. Nyleve looked like an ordinary jungle level like in Fry Cry 2. The original levels in the Unreal Engine 1 were developed with character in mind. When you remake it so "it'll look pretty", it loses that character.
@unwiseowl It all depends on the focus between level design, aesthetics and technology. Quite a few games concentrate too much on making everything cutting edge. All that is useless without implementation. I'll forever remember the level design of Unreal, TES3, Deus Ex, Soul Reaver 2 etc. I won't remember how ugly some textures were or that the illumination 'sucked'. All that matters is that the aesthetics, storyline, atmosphere and music work together to make a memorable experience.
@ZyncheStrikesBack yep, will be super when it is realy like that. But I don't know if it will work, for some perfect old game which you never played before. Old known games are different while I can still rembember the atmosphere as well. I think I am too old for that kind of fairy tales, that's pitty... Now at least I am interested in astronomy and it has definitely roots in games and unreal.
@theothercommentguy
They also don´t know anymore how to create feelings and a thick atmosphere in games. They also always use the same standard boring violin soundtracks. The Art of making soulful games got lost in the 00 years :(
@Sc0rpXLR
you know what, though? i still think Unreal looks amazing. its a beautiful looking game. you dont have to have 10000s of polygons to have good graphics. even Super Mario World still has good graphics.
Slith, Flak, 8ball Gun.
@Sceptorful
These possibilities are not exclude each other. So I want both of them.
If remade Unreal would be wrong, I just didn't remove the old version.
true, few games actually pay attention to that
@RedSHARK6 fish people! ooooh those guys were scariest thing in the whole game
@Sc0rpXLR You're right, I play to escape from reality sometimes...
Screw that then let's just have fun with all this envoirement and this music...
Relaxing is so good...And Unreal Gold is even better ^^
Agreed!
Though this comment is 2 years old, I still feel the need to reply. People who ask for remakes of some old games simply fail to grasp that the sheer emotion and state of mind the look of a game can put you in are far more important than its technical accomplishments. I actually feel as if better graphics hamstring artists because the number of polygons and shader effects mean jackshit if the visual component of the game doesn't say anything to me. Sounds like more work for the same output to me.
@RonTaboga That`s an Amen !
@Sc0rpXLR Unreal still has awesome graphics. Go ahead, install it and then turn the effects up to 11. You'll see.
@Gedren84 haha I agree with you there..i hated that level so much because i kept getting lost
@Sc0rpXLR the only reason why Unreal would get those graphics is not because it needs them, just deserves them...
sounds exactly like the theme from the fugitive
Isn't Earth but the way we live on it. Still got your point :)
this is the Orinal Unreal, not UT.
I love playing on the server.
I saw 2 of the JCOOPZ servers and they have a huge collection of maps.
You can also go to Newbiesplaying . com and download custom made maps and view forums and stuff.
It is really cool.
I love playing on the JCOOPZ server and maybe i can see you in one.
:)
Alexander Brandon!
As professor Tolkien wrote, "three is a company". What about the idea :-)?
I gonna installling back on my computer, see you later!
Fucking modern games, they do squat to me. Sure, blitz GFX, but I want atmosphere! Look at what Unreal did with just the music. And that I'm not even talking about the sound effects of the planet you where on.
But the spirit of the time was also an other one. Games were art in the 90s. Now they are just business. I guess if the developers would had our present state of PC Graphic technology back then, they Games would still be much better back then in the 90s, then those boring ones now.
*drop* so fucking oldschool ....
Is that in regular Unreal? Or is it like the oldskool mod for UT in coop mode? I'd really like to play on that server
So that for kids who would be don't know series of Unreal ! They have to continue this series :/
Sad * not that eheh ^^
@Sc0rpXLR Well said brother
8-bit version: ruclips.net/video/nAUsxD5aKyk/видео.html
@Sc0rpXLR FINALLY SOME- F*ckin'- ONE that has the EXACT thought as me Thank you!:D
Good gameplay > Grafix ;)
@Sc0rpXLR
you cant fault people for makin somokin graphics
but unreal weapons and physics are fun
@Sc0rpXLR
at the time this game had the best graphics ever, making it alot more "real" than any other game at that time. soooo...... ya
@Sc0rpXLR I don't agree. Yes some games are too real, but I don't think physics and graphics being improved have anything but a positive impact. The problem with games is that the market has become saturated with games that are all too samey in environment design and art style, with too much lackluster storytelling. A game gains from atmosphere and story and loses from anything that takes away from immersion and personal involvement.
lol yeah it is
i fing unreal 1 is a perfect game the singel player mod is perfect the levels binds togater relly god and the musik relly meges you fill a milion fings when you inter a level. you get lose kontakt to the real world :)! well i hate dat experence the ferst time i playde thes game 10 years olld
they should remaster it and not change the graphics and keep the soundtrack and weapons and release it for Xbox360, and PS3 that would be fun...
@Sc0rpXLR
Epic said and agreed :D
@BaldaZlodziej06330 Can I come with you?
Yes this game is great, but you have to admit, maybe some graphic upgrading on the levels and nothing else?? it would probably would be for the best
yeah ! in mainstream music they recycle more old stuff than writing new. why video game companys dont do that instead of putting all the modern-graphics-stuff in boring games.
Hihi
Oh, you wanna be titan fodder, don't you? Na Pali without skaarj would be awesome place to live, however.