Unreal Tournament: Xan

At the time of writing, this episode is a close contender for being the best in this series yet!

Altough we have seen many stories about robot revolutions, we have seen none quite like this one. The whole episode is just so smart and well-designed that you get completely lost in what you're watching.

The idea of the robot hiearchy and the way they use it in this episode is just something so unique that I never would've thought of it. The episode also manages to create an instantly iconic character, Xan, the robot who fights for freedom and what is right. Who thought people could be inspired by a robot who can't even communicate?

The action pieces are really thrilling and the combat is very smart and everything is uniquely utilized. However, I did feel there was something here that just doesn't make me think it deserves a perfect score. Maybe the lenght or some plot hole that I didn't understand. But overall, an amazing episode and Xan is my spirit animal.

I have reviewed each episode of "Love, Death + Robots" and am a big video games guy, so thought I'd do the same process for Amazon's "Secret Level".

After a couple of games that I've never played before, we finally come back to one that I do have some experience off - though I haven't played "Unreal Tournament" in years, probably since "Call of Duty" swallowed up a lot of the FPS market.

Having gained sentience, a robot becomes angry with the abusive treatment that it and its fellow worker receive. It takes remote control of its colleagues and kills their human supervisors, before being defeated by an overwhelming retaliatory force. The punishment is that the robot, XAN, and its fellow robots are forced to enter a gladiatorial style battle to the death, in a purpose-built environment. Though initial losses are high, XAN learns the tactics quickly and begins to inspire an uprising in the general population.

Blur Studios put together this one themselves, and it's another that leans into the realistic look. It's easier with the robot characters obviously, but there are humanoids in this too, including a Gamesmaster voiced by Elodie Yung and they look great too. The best touch is the use of Fred Tatasciore's arena announcements whenever the characters in this do anything that would have generated the same reward in the game, such as a "Double Kill". The weapons and some (though not all, from my recollection) of the tactics are also lifted from the actual game's gameplay.

The story is a familiar one from any sort of gladiatorial film - "Gladiator" for example but it works within the relatively short story format here and the story is really about how the Gamesmaster is going to balance entertainment, with not allowing XAN to get too popular. They're also trying to work out exactly where its sentience is coming from by experimenting on the remains of a robot previously under Xan's control.

I enjoyed this one too and so far, the series has proved to be more consistent than "Love, Death and Robots". We'll see if it lasts.

Pretty much did a real good job with the amount of time allocated to the episode, they crammed in the essence of the game and added a VERY indulging story. Only downside was them needing to cram it all in limited minutes.

Regardless, story and protagonist is the last thing / person anyone would have expected (pleasant surprise) and as much as the UT fan base will love this, it's a great watch for people who have no idea about the game! :D

Looks to be facing worlds map , concept of map modification is sweet and a nod to the editor and endless maps we've had over the years :D

For someone who's been part of a UT clan and playing the franchise for over two decades, this was awesome and hope there's more someday, such a good story to build on!

Also as an FYI, the game lives on! Google UT4ever for the latest iteration! Also the others can be found on archive site and epic games website

JOIN US!

-ACE (DXB99)

Xan was the most dangerous opponent you could ever face in the original Unreal Tournament, the most reactive enemy and more or less the final obstacle to your title on top of the Liandri ladder.

Seeing a nod to the superstars of the tournaments like Malcolm is a nice touch, though it would have been nice if the Necris captain was some of the named Phayder assassins like Kragoth. Either way, this covered most of the major players, even the Skaarj, impressive.

Excellent work at bringing it to life with the entire backstory attached and making it so epic. This is less of a review and more of a nod to the creators for understanding the source material and doing it justice. This is a rare thing nowadays, well done.

This episode dives into the legendary world of Unreal Tournament with a smokey cocktail of I, Robot and Gladiator vibes. The story, though predictable, is well-executed with a solid intro and a great ending, perfect for a short format. It also evokes the feel of one Clone Wars episode, following a team of clones working together trough a series of practice mission until the final one. The visuals are once more photorealistic, and the action is dynamic. With minimal dialogue, the focus on the robot protagonist's journey adds a unique touch. While it lacks depth and surprises which reminds me of a cinematic trailer once again, it's an enjoyable revenge story with great pacing, amazing action and adapted uptempo electro music.