Pigeons, Sex Addicts, and Cool-Teens

Before we begin today I'd like to say a few words about the incredible Unreal Tournament 2004. Here is a game that, by all logic, we should hate. It's the same damn UT2003 engine, the same damn gameplay, and the same damn game we've seen a million times before. There is a slew of new maps and a new game type that is basically a rip off of Battlefield 1942. After saying all that why do I think this game is so much fucking fun? I havn't had this much fun with a game since the Doom days. UT2004 has rekindled my love for the first person shooter and the type of gameplay pioneered by games like Quake or Duke Nukem 3D. Epic has proved that there is an intangible quality in game design that you can't quite explain. There's a feel to the gameplay that feels so damn right. I'm not even going to try to analyze it. It's just fun.