Right after the Unreal II SE announcement, Atari now also revealed that a demo version of Unreal 2 Expanded Multiplayer a.k.a. XMP, will be released tomorrow. The demo will not require a copy of Unreal 2 to try out and will feature one map entitled XMP-Garden. The full version of XMP, which is included with Unreal 2: Special Edition, will be a free download for existing owners of Unreal 2, and is absolutely brilliant (thanks Andy). Stay tuned for we WILL have it on our fileservers of course ..

"Unreal Tournament 2004 is the next evolution of the greatest competitive computer game ever created," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and general manager of Atari's Los Angeles studio. "The addition of new modes, mods and maps as well as the controllable land-, air- and space-based vehicles, means Unreal fans are getting an entirely new experience featuring devastating vehicular combat and wide scale warfare." Check out some new screens ...

Atari and Epic Games announced today that the release date for Unreal Tournament 2004, the highly anticipated follow-up to last year's smash Unreal Tournament 2003, has been moved to February 2004. The game was previously slated for release during the 2003 Holiday season.

After 5 months of working on this great pack, the CBP team is proud to announce the arrival of CBP2003 map-pack (with approval from Epic Games ). A few of the Unreal community's best level designers got together to release a small pack of their best work to the community. As the time went on, the project grew into something far more significant, with more and more of the best Unreal talent out there joining the team. The map count went from a small handful to a fully-fledged professional-level bonus pack. Read more for download links ...

Atari and Epic Games have announced pricing and packaging details as well as a rebate program for Unreal Tournament 2004, the highly anticipated follow-up to last year's smash hit Unreal Tournament 2003, which has become the standard for competitive multiplayer gaming since it shipped in November 2002. Read more for details ...

Reload, rev up and ride out. The new Tournament is faster, higher and meaner. Land and air based vehicles take combat to a new level; while an arsenal of new weaponry, daunting arenas and battlefields and the challenge of the Assault and Onslaught modes make the gladiator blood sport of the future a brand new experience... Atari now released the system requirements, can your computer handle it? Find out below!

"Unreal Tournament 2004 is the next evolution of the greatest competitive computer game ever created," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and general manager of Atari's Los Angeles studio. "The addition of new modes, mods and maps as well as the controllable land-, air- and space-based vehicles, means Unreal fans are getting an entirely new experience featuring devastating vehicular combat and wide scale warfare." Check out some new screens ...

You can now sign up on Atari's official beta test web site to test the upcoming free Unreal 2 multiplayer expansion pack. The unreal 2 multiplayer mode is a class-based team game where players fight for control of artifacts and energy using a deadly arsenal of weaponry, vehicles, and defenses. While you are there you can also sign up to beta test the upcoming multiplayer oriented Terminator 3: War of the Machines (thanks HomeLAN).

"Unreal Tournament 2004 is the next evolution of the greatest competitive computer game ever created," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and general manager of Atari's Los Angeles studio. "The addition of new modes, mods and maps as well as the controllable land-, air- and space-based vehicles, means Unreal fans are getting an entirely new experience featuring devastating vehicular combat and wide scale warfare." Check out the first screens!

Noticed on GameSpyDaily that Epic's Vice President Mark Rein has clarified UT2004's new Assault and Onslaught game modes on the Atari community messageboard. Onslaught is a large scale, team and vehicle based game mode in which players battle for control of huge exterior settings. Assault is an objective/team based game mode in which two teams (attackers and defenders) battle each other in epic (and sometimes historical) battles taking place in the Unreal universe. If you are interested in more, check out the forum post.

Atari is bringing Unreal II: The Awakening to the Xbox this Holiday season. Unreal II: The Awakening is the follow-up to Epic Games’ 1998 smash PC hit, Unreal. The Xbox version of the game will include console specific enhancements and exclusive multiplayer modes playable on Xbox Live. Read more for details ...

Noticed on HomeLan that Epic Games' Mark Rein made a post on the official Unreal 2 bulletin board announcing that they are working on a free multiplayer add-on for Unreal 2 (which previously had NO multiplayer capabilities). The message read as follows : Lack of multiplayer is a temporary issue with Unreal2. Legend are currently reviving their XMP design for mulitplayer and it will be released as a FREE downloadable add-on for people who own Unreal2.

"Unreal Tournament 2004 is the next evolution of the greatest competitive computer game ever created," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and general manager of Atari's Los Angeles studio. "The addition of new modes, mods and maps as well as the controllable land-, air- and space-based vehicles, means Unreal fans are getting an entirely new experience featuring devastating vehicular combat and wide scale warfare." Check out the first screens!

I saw on VE3D that Andy tossed up info about a E3 footage of Unreal Tournament 2004 on E3 Insider (there's a glimpse of the title screen in there too). To check out this movie click here, then 'Watch Floored' ..

Andy also let us know that Beyond Unreal also has following comment from Mark Rein:

Sorry I have not been able to visit the forum sooner but we've been extremely busy showing off UT2004 during the day and then meeting with licensees and potential licensees at night.

The reception to UT2004 has been great which is especially gratifying considering how early everything is. There are so many cool things going into UT2004 that aren't in showable shape yet. But regardless of that people are really liking the parts they're seeing and we know they're going to be even more delighted in a few months when everything comes together.

I see many of you are discussing the topic of UT2004 pricing. Atari has not yet set the retail price of UT2004 however they have told us that all along they've been planning to have some sort of deal for existing UT2003 owners who buy UT2004. The game is still many months away so there's plenty of time to figure this out and let people know.

I have guests here in my suite and I need to get back to them now. I'll try (no promises) to post more tonight and possibly get on IRC again sometime in the next few hours to answer peoples' questions.

Atari is bringing Unreal Tournament 2004, the newest edition of the definitive virtual blood sport, to personal computers this Fall. Unreal Tournament 2004, like its predecessors, is being co-created by Epic Games Inc. and Digital Extremes. The game will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, May 14 - 16, in Petree Hall, room 4003.

Unreal 2 is an intense gaming experience that immerses players in an epic story-driven adventure featuring superb graphics. As a Terran Colonial Authority Marshall, you’re patrolling a sector of the frontier with three crew members when an interstellar war erupts about you! Rumors of powerful and ancient alien artifacts have driven rival factions to war in an attempt to find and control the objects. You must locate these artifacts, determine their purpose and restore order to the sector - before it’s too late. Legend Entertainment has finally released a playable demo of Unreal 2: The Awakening. No specific details as to what it contains are available reight now. Read more for download links ...

Just noticed on VE3D that GameStop has updated their site today with a new game page. The addition is Unreal Tournament 2004 and the game is listed as being released 18th November 2003. Can we expect announcement of this game at E3? It was stated before the release of Unreal Tournament 2003 that there would be a yearly update a la Fifa, so this could very well be!

At last the eagerly-anticipated release of the new patch for Unreal Tournament 2003 has been released. This upgrade brings your retail copy of the multiplayer first-person shooter by Digital Extremes and Epic Games to v2225. This patch can be applied to any previous version and has a buttload of gameplay tweaks and fixes, HUD/menus, AI, networking, mod support, D3D/OpenGL, audio as well as demo recording and playback. Read more for detailed fix list and links where to grab it ...

Unreal 2: The Awakening incorporates the same absorbing story-driven gameplay, cunningly ferocious enemies and nail biting tension that made the original title the top choice for first person action fans worldwide. Developed by Infogrames' Legend Entertainment, Unreal 2: The Awakening uses next-generation Unreal technology created by the masterminds at Epic to deliver intense life-or-death action in the most breathtaking scenery ever displayed in a computer game. Legend has finally released the announced update patch bringing your retail copy to v2001. This upgrade increasing performance, fixes EAX and various other sound related issues. Read more for detailed fix list and download links!

In a continuing effort to give back to the fans that have made Unreal Tournament 2003 one of the most popular multiplayer action games of the year, Epic Games and Atari have released the second official - and completely FREE - bonus pack for the game. The downloadable pack includes three new game types, 10 new maps, two new adrenaline combos, new announcer voice options and an in-game music manager. Read more for details and download links ...

Since this is turning out to be a boring news day, why not dig up some mod stuff. Noticed on HomeLan that UnrealSpeed, a racing mod for Unreal Tournament 2003, has been released. Drive a car, gliding through the twists and turns to win the race. Your car is (optionally) heavily armed, so shoot your opponent into pieces if he isn’t letting you get past him. Or drop a mine behind you to get rid of people that are trying to overtake you. UnrealSpeed uses on a lap-based system, the track goes in laps. All you need to do is drive smarter and faster than your opponents. Read more for download links ...

Infogrames Entertainment reports that Unreal 2 : The Awakening PC pots excellent sales in the main european territories. Unreal 2 : The Awakening reigns as number 1 selling title in United-Kingdom, France and Italy since its release in February 7, 2003 (sources : Chart Track, GFK, Media World Chart). Developed by Legend Entertainment (an Infogrames studio) in conjunction with Epic Games and published by Atari, the game incorporates the same absorbing story-driven gameplay, cunningly ferocious enemies and nail-biting tension that made the original title a landmark event and the top choice in action for millions of fans in PC gaming.

Infogrames has released an updated version 2206 of the demo for Unreal Tournament 2003, Digital Extreme's UT sequel. In addition to being updated to the latest Unreal-engine codebase, the new demo also adds another level. The updated demo includes five maps, four gameplay modes, a pair of mutators, etc. (thanks Bluesnews) A Windows as well as a Linux version are now available. Read more for download links ...

Right Hemisphere, a creator of 3D graphic production solutions for games, film and broadcast, web content, and industrial design announced today that Unreal Tournament 2003, which picked up year-end awards for Best Graphics and Best First Person Shooter, utilizies Right Hemisphere's Deep Character technology for a full-featured customization utility which ships with Unreal Tournament 2003. A huge community of hardened warriors are experiencing UPaint, a 3D painting application that lets Unreal Players paint directly on their character. UT2003 Players can even import a digital photograph of their own face and put it directly on an Unreal Tournament 2003 Warrior.

Digital Extremes Press Officer, Maven Meridith Braun send out following information about the upcoming bonus pack for Unreal Tournament 2003..

They're still working hard on it. The team was a little worn out before the holidays so unfortunately they didn't get it completed in time for Santa to deliver to all the good boys and girls but they art testing this week and next and hopefully it will be out before the end of January.