Polish scans:

http://www.multiupload.com/N4BM9MED6I
http://www.multiupload.com/PVWYRR6M8A

English trans:

Unreal: In Preparation
======================

Your awakening takes place in a small room with solid, metal walls. The room is illuminated by sunlight shining through a small opening above the door. You sit on a small bed attached to one of the walls and take a look around -- although you don't know where you are, it looks like a prison cell. You approach the door and push with all your might -- much to your surprise they open. You follow down the corridor and face another door that you open with a switch to your right. In front of you, there is a lake and further behind it, majestic mountains. You go through the door and take a look back... well, that's rather unexpected. The "prison" you just exited is in fact a small, badly damaged spacecraft. Hull remains are scattered everywhere and the vehicle itself is in a huge impact-caused crater. You move forward, a gun in hand, to find out more about the place you ended up in. With awe, you observe the gorgeous albeit a but strange landscape. Two moons shine on the sky. To the north ruins of some kind of building are seen. And just next to you, a big bad alien is about to finish his meal which was one of your buddies.

It seems that first person perspective games are in crisis. It's been a year since the premiere of QUAKE -- the first game made completely of three-dimensional objects and the developers continue to provide us games made on a weaker engine that fueled DUKE NUKEM 3D (BLOOD, SHADOW WARRIOR, REDNECK RAMPAGE) or make attempts to write their own that cannot match ID SOFTWARE technology (OUTLAWS, CHASM etc). Granted, this year will bring us HEXEN 2 and QUAKE 2, whereas in 1998 we'll see the sequel of DUKE NUKEM 3D fueled by QUAKE 2 engine. It is true that these titles are expected by us with more rapid heartbeat, but nothing matches emotions that are caused by the EPIC MEGAGAMES' hit that is in development for two years now, that hit is titled UNREAL. True, the idea behind the game is nothing new -- all elements of first person perspective genre are present here, these being dungeons, castles and caves, items that can be used as weapons and monsters that are to be eliminated, but thanks to the modern technology solutions UNREAL has a huge chance to outmatch QUAKE.

The screens presented on these pages come from the game itself and they show the immense attention the team gives to the smallest of details. Perhaps that's why the game will be released so late, after over a year of continuous postponing of the release date. In contrast to games divided to levels like DOOM and QUAKE, the UNREAL environment is to be one huge level for the bloodthirsty player will travel through. Besides a pistol and a quad (!) barrelled shotgun there won't be any 'standard issue' weapons in UNREAL -- in their place, the developers are preparing something special -- something seen for the first time. That's not all, UNREAL will contain many more such juicy bits...

First person perspective games' fans often criticize the low level of intelligence that the computer-controlled monsters have -- this isn't gonna be a problem with UNREAL. EPIC MEGAGAMES have hired the talents of Steven Polge -- the author of ReaperBot (a program for QUAKE that emulates alive opponents in Deathmatch mode). ReaperBot is intelligent, fast and aims perfectly, so it behaves just like a good player. The same Steven Polge is responsible for the UNREAL monsters' intelligence. The developers also plan to include never before seen options for torturing monsters -- the player will be able to plunge the enemy into a lava pit or impale it onto spikes placed on a wall, and as an extra bonus, there will be an option to shoot off limbs one by one.

There is also going to be a totally new Multiplayer (Internet) mode. As opposed to solutions used in e.g. QUAKE where players connect to special dedicated servers, UNREAL will allow every player to set up a server on their own PC -- that's where others will connect to. The developers assume that this technology will make the barriers that exist today completely nonexistent - the players will be able to modify the maps and settings at will. Another very important fact is that the game CD will include UNREALED -- the same map editor that the developers used during the game development. This way, the players will be able to build their own worlds with a professional tool instead of hobbyist-made editors which most of the time are useless. Yes, a true feast is approaching, made of all those juicy bits expected for so long now by all those people who are fragging online on a regular basis.

As a modern game worthy of its name, UNREAL will operate solely in Windows 95 with DirectX 5.0. The game will utilize MMX instructions which will enable it to operate 3-4 times as fast as without them, and in true-color mode. It will also support the omnipresent 3Dfx accelerators that will enable ultrafast animations in high resolutions (30 FPS in 640x480x65000 colors).

Even though, the developers assure us that a Pentium 100 will be perfectly enough for the game. QUAKE killer? We shall see for ourselves pretty soon... The shareware version was supposed to be released at the end of June...

EPIC MEGAGAMES
PC, Nintendo 64.

<subtitles under drawings>
<to the left under the monster renders>
The designs of the cannon fodder cause an involuntary trigger happy reflex...
<to the right, next to the screenshots>
And these lush interiors, dear tourists, need to be filled with blood...

Polish scans:

http://www.multiupload.com/MNED4YWHM1

English trans:

Unreal: Interview with the devs
===============================

On the E3 exposition, we've met our compatriot working on one of the most expected games -- UNREAL. We've questioned him.

SECRET SERVICE: What can you tell us about yourself?
ARTUR BIAŁAS: My name is Artur Białas, I'm 25 years old. I live in Canada, in the city of Kitchener-Waterloo. I have fantastic parents, a younger brother Daniel and a girlfriend Stephanie that comes from Columbia. I work in DIGITAL EXTREMES that is developing UNREAL in cooperation with EPIC MEGAGAMES.

SS: It seems you've lived in Poland before...
AB: I arrived to Canada in December 1986. Previously I lived in Opoczno, a city famous for tiles. I hope that when UNREAL is released, I'll be rich enough to afford visiting Poland and my hometown.

SS: What were your past experiences before ending up in the UNREAL development team?
AB: Well... I am a crazy artist. I always loved drawing and sculpting. I used to love such artists like MichelAngelo, El Greco, Goya, Rodin, Gaudi. Currently, I am most impressed by the works of Magdalena Abakanowicz, Beksiński, H.R. Giger and Kiefer.

SS: We're interested in how you got into the UNREAL team. Was it difficult to get the job?
AB: After I graduated from Waterloo University, I planned on studying their version of Arts faculty, I was planning to become a starving painter artist. I needed money to continue studying though... While surfing along the Internet I found a job offer for a sculptor. The offer was local, so I applied for the interview. As you can see, I got the job!

SS: You got lucky then?
AB: A bit, but it was mostly thanks to my broad area of interests related to arts... I was already experienced in painting, sculpting, architecture and computer graphics. I presented a part of my portfolio during the interview and I made it! I am enjoying my job so much that for now I've postponed further studying to a later date.

SS: Let's proceed to the questions related to your job. Can you tell what your role is on the team and what kind of hardware and software you are using?
AB: I am one of the concept artists working for the UNREAL project. My taks is to prepare concept arts, textures, plasticine- and digital models of monsters and other items. When the game is finally released, I'm gonna work on additional levels. I'm working on a PENTIUM 150 PC with 80 MB RAM. The software I'm using is PhotoShop, Kai's Power Tools, Light Wave, Fractal Design Painter and UNREAL EDITOR. At the moment I am working in the DIGITAL EXTREMES office, but later on I'm going to be able to do this at home.

SS: Can you reveal the process of how the levels are made step by step to our raders, or how many people are working on UNREAL?
AB: The entire process starts from a brainstorm. We are thinking on how to make a level in essence good by itself and at the same time, to make it coherent with others. The artists draw preliminary sketches which allow us to better imagine the levels' looks. When the ideas are agreed upon, works begin on preparing the textures and at the same time, a three-dimensional level model is prepared. When the textures are ready, they are being applied to the level -- the level designers cooperate with texture artists here. Another step is monster, weapon and item placement. That's the simple version, of course programmers, graphic artists, musicians, animators and other artists need to cooperate at all times. All those parts must really be coherent with each other. The most important part is that the entire process is so fun and exciting! Our team consists of 14 people.

SS: Actually, almost every upcoming game is advertised as revolutionary and one-of-a-kind. Let's leave the marketing campaign for a moment. Tell us what you personally like most in UNREAL.
AB: Outstanding graphics. Depending on the rig you run it on, the graphics can be displayed in 16 bits or more. UNREAL's story is revealed gradually and it's enticing without the need of hectolitres of blood on screen. Let us not forget about the enemies' intelligence, gorgeous animations and totally new Multiplayer protocols. A great asset is UNREAL EDITOR included with the game, it'll enable players to quickly create complex levels. People trying to take on UNREALED will quickly learn how to apply lights and use various tricks. UNREAL EDITOR is good enough to compete with commercial 3D modelling software such as 3D STUDIO and LIGHTWAVE. There's much more to that, but to see it for yourselves, you're gonna have to wait for the game's release. I can promise you though that the final effect is going to be marvellous!

SS: QUAKE 2 developer, ID SOFTWARE is talking just the same about new multiplayer protocols and monsters' intelligence in order to make their game look good.
AB: I liked QUAKE and I am awaiting QUAKE 2's release. The statement that a game is better than another seems immature to me. Both QUAKE 2 and UNREAL will introduce new and exciting elements and will lead the way for games that follow. Although both have many things in common, each will address the player in a different way. One thing I am sure of and that is that UNREAL will be a hit!

SS: UNREAL has been in development for a long time now, so can you tell us when is the game going to be finally released?!
AB: UNREAL should be released in September, however even if not, it's gonna be released by the end of the year for 100%. Now as opposed to many other games, UNREAL's engine is being made from the ground-up. We want UNREAL to be one-of-a-kind and full of small details and that takes time. We continue to discover new features of our 3D engine.

SS: What games have attracted you to spend entire nights in front of the monitor?
AB: I play all kinds of games, actually, but my best memories come from WARCRAFT 2, RED ALERT, DIABLO, QUAKE and naturally, UNREAL!

SS: Will you visit our offices if you ever come to Poland?
AB: With pleasure!

SS: Thanks for the interview.

Polish scans:

http://www.multiupload.com/9JELSDXQTX

English trans:

Store date in five minutes time: Unreal
=======================================

Unreal is being heard of for a long time now. Big promises, enthusiastic announcements, big money flow around. Epic Megagames has abandoned most of their projects and backed out from the shareware scene to focus on this particular project. Eventually in March the game was finished and most likely ended up on... a shelf, but not the store shelf. It'll await for either the decision to release it or for pull-back to the drawing board.



You awaken with a headache and shards of memories of the events of the past few hours. All you remember is that something happened with your spacecraft's power generators that caused it to crashland on one of the many uncolonized planets. Your name is Thak and all you got from the ship is a plasma pistol and the skills of survival in the most unhospitable of conditions. You move forward slowly, looking around until you notice several huts that may be part of a settlement. You enter the first one cautiously and you see a corpse that belongs to one of your companions. And the huge monster that just jumped out like a jack-out-of-the-box stabs you in the stomach with a blade attached to his hand...

The world of UNREAL is both huge and beautiful and at the same time it is full of danger and mystery. There are times that it takes almost a minute for Thak to run through a great canyon or valley without meeting a single soul along the way. It is seen that the authors merge three concepts here: huge open spaces on the surface of the planet with slave settlements, huge Alien installations made by the now dominant race and remnants of a race that originally inhabited the planet. The open spaces serve mainly as connections between dungeons and corridors so that part is not new. In case of the last ones though, we can observe a peculiar concotion of industrial and ancient motives fused into one. When confronting the enemies, you also get a strange feeling, when Thak is wielding a plasma gun and faces a huge, dumb giant throwing stone blocks. Aliens show up fairly rarely and are divided into several species. The most interesting of them is undoubtedly the Skaarj warrior, reminding of the famous Predator of the movie, highly intelligent (avoiding bullets, trying to circle around Thak while shooting and looking for a chance to attack directly with his blades).

UNREAL is naturally a first person perspective game -- you can run, jump, shoot, swim in water, collect weapons and use them effectively. An interesting option is strafing in circles with a single key pressed and held. As in QUAKE, UNREAL's commands are mostly issued through the console accessible when you press the tilde key, this feature will most likely be met with approval by most of the Quake community.

As for weapons... it seems someone pushed their brain to the limit to come up with something unlike any weapon available in the FPP shooter genre so far. We've got standard issue plasma guns, we've got Eightball (a grenade launcher that can spurt up to eight missiles at once) or Razor Blades (a rifle that shoots out swirling shurikens), we've got energy projectile weapons. All these are unlike any weapons available in other FPSes. The combat system itself is very interesting and deserves to be described in more detail. Every UNREAL gun can be fired in two ways. For example, the Eightball's base shot will be a single missile, but if you hold down the mouse button, all missiles are prepared for a simultaneous shot.

The UNREAL graphics are absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. It might as well be the first time a computer game uses such detailed high resolution textures and 32-bit color that enables us to see a spectacle impossible to describe. Effects like multi-colored particle lights with lens and reflections will be written in the history of the genre, along with translucent, multi-colored and animated water. The textures used as skins for the characters look simply perfect and the characters themselves move with incredible realism.

Unfortunately such multitude of graphic fireworks thrown together into a single game will cost players a substantial amount. UNREAL sets the new standard of gaming rigs in mid-1998. Don't you dare come close without a decent 3D accelerator, Pentium 200 MMX processor and 64 MB RAM. On weaker configurations you may expect frustration and slowdowns you haven't dreamed of in the worst of nightmares. Even the hardware just mentioned won't award you fast and fluid animation -- unless you choose to play in unaccelerated mode in 320x200 resolution. The cause lies in two things. Firstly, huge (and I mean by that, truly GIGANTIC) levels spanning many MB's and being loaded as you play; and secondly, the intelligence of the computer-controlled enemies. The processor is being kept busy with calculating the enemies' algorithms, controlling the complex gameworld and parsing instructions of graphics display and that causes the game to slow down very often, especially when the locations are large. And there is lots to calculate because the author of the AI for UNREAL is the same person that programmed the QUAKE bots. And that is probably the reason that you rarely meet more than two enemies. Of course the slowdowns are not omnipresent -- in narrow corridors they are unnoticeable, but in open spaces they can hurt your eyes good. It seems that to fully enjoy UNREAL one's going to need a supercostly supercomputer. I assume that Pentium II 300 with a Voodoo2 3Dfx accelerator is going to be enough to run the game with full splendor.

UNREAL's bad luck is that QUAKE 2 is available for almost six months now. Q2 is a fantastic shooter with awesome graphics and fluid animation available on a standard machine with a 3D accelerator. In the PC shooter genre, ID SOFTWARE's game is the reigning champion, very difficult to depose for other games. And for now it doesn't look like UNREAL is going to be able to do that.

We were hoping that the old and used up field of the genre is going to be refreshed. Unfortunately, it's hardly the case. The players will get another mindless DOOM clone with obscene system requirements. As a game, UNREAL brings nothing new -- we saw all that before, only the name was different. The beautiful cover contains still the same book -- go forth and kick ass. And despite what I said before, that the game's gorgeous fireworks can make one's heartrate accelerate, the bare bones are generic. Well, maybe it's just my hunger for something new? After all, UNREAL is beautiful, full of danger and insanely addictive. I don't know myself...

According to the latest announcements, UNREAL is going to be released in stores on May 12th this year. However, there is a suspicion within my mind:

Q: Why is the publisher stalling the release date for so long and when is UNREAL going to be actually released? The game is ready, after all.
A: And when will most players have a Pentium II 300 rig with a Voodoo2 accelerator to fully enjoy it?

Haha I remember how fucking fail was Quake 2 compared to the first one.

Epic seems to have taken ideas from Unreal and put them into Bulletstorm. There's this, the quadshot, and (imo) Damien kind of looks like the main Bulletstorm character.

Gassius (or Gasbags) were basically supposed to play like Burnouts from Bulletstorm. And the Stinger was supposed to have Bulletstorm's Flail Gun features.
The "play as monsters" idea has been put into Gears 3.

Most of the reused ideas seem to be ones not done right or used at all the first time though, so I guess it's okay. However, Epic has a mad obssession with ending games in escape pods.

Interesting articles, too.

Oh well, in Gears of War Marcus starts as a prisoner, and in Bulletstorm everyone is hunting Grayson.

And the planet in Bulletstorm is full of lakes, biterfish, fireflies (guess what, they were supposed to appear in Unreal too but were replaced by horseflies), palms and there are two suns in the sky.

Yeah, Epic.

sooooo bulletstorm is spiritual successor to unreal? (I stopped paying attention to other epic games round about the pc release of gears 1)

Not really. Aside from the few similarities that were already mentioned, there isn't much in common with Unreal and Bulletstorm.

Epic never forgets their old ideas.

Unreal 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ME WANTS! But the real Unreal, not a fake-ish-ass-whipe-lousy-c**k-sucker-the-awakening thing.
No, really, I liked Unreal 2... a bit.

If there is anything from Unreal 2 that needs to come back, then it's the enemy roster

Drakk, Toscs, Izarians, and unused people such as Shians, Striders and the three N.

Nah, Skaarjs are the real thread. And in U2 it was humans that made most damage.
And... Where the f*k are the Nali?

Lol, do you know the Skaarj have practically no chances against people like Drakks?
And actually Drakks are pretty much the coolest race all around.

Nali aren't in U2 because it's not set in Na Pali, duh.