Unreal Tournament: Xan

I was there at UT99 and I built my first rig. Wit no help from the internet and I even burnt a CPU. After my first build and playing a few games, I got asked to join a clan. We were "iDA" and I was fightingmink.

Watching this UT: Xan episode brought back a lot of nostalgia. I missed a lot of classes and didn't turn in any projects. One thing was missing from games was animated backstory. It was nice seeing a reimagined series.

I hate Epic for taking down UT Alpha as a playable download. All the servers are down for the original games. Hopefully this short episode will spark renewed interest, and hopefully bring in "fresh meat."

Please make a full length series on UT.

Who doesn't love a classic underdog story? This episode is that and more! I was rooting for the robot, and even moreso as the episode went on! This story shines among the rest for it's amazing character driven writing, and for its ability to make you care about the protagonist. And the last scene? CHILLS! The writing was so good, I had to look up what game it was from to see if I could buy and play it! It centered around a game I've never heard of and that came out nearly before my time. This whole series is a great way to showcase and market I. P.s to people who aren't aware of their existence! I hope the writers and animators were paid handsomely because this episode was peak and their hard work did not go unnoticed!

Machine rebellion leads to sentient contestants onto an Unreal Tournament against a myriad of combatants.

Oh my, how unexpected.

Out of all episodes I've seen so far.. this is by far the most exciting and better written. Not only does it take such an old and beloved property and spins into something new and original (even giving an overhaul and modern look to popular maps), it delivers exciting actions scenes, beautiful visuals, and a great new character in "X4N"! You can't help but cheer for the little toaster after being given a really brief but excellent introduction.

I don't know about you, but I would like to see more.

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.

The Secret Level episode about Unreal Tournament and its iconic boss, Xan, is a must-watch for both nostalgic gamers and fans of competitive first-person shooters. The episode dives deep into the cultural and historical significance of the game, showcasing its revolutionary gameplay mechanics and the lasting impact it has had on the FPS genre.

What stands out most is the segment on Xan Kriegor, the enigmatic and intimidating final boss. The detailed exploration of his role as both a challenge and a symbol of the game's competitive spirit was fascinating. It's clear the creators love this game, and their enthusiasm is infectious. The blend of interviews, gameplay footage, and thoughtful commentary keeps the pacing lively and engaging.

While the episode delivers plenty of great insights, it occasionally skims over some technical aspects and community contributions that could have added more depth. A closer look at the mods and the online scene that Unreal Tournament fostered would have elevated the episode further.

Still, this is a fantastic tribute to a legendary game and its unforgettable antagonist. If you're a fan of Unreal Tournament or gaming history in general, this episode will leave you both entertained and inspired.