The original Unreal was a marvel of graphics and gameplay at the time, giving a huge non-linear world to explore. The first time I stepped out of the Vortex Rikers I was completely blown away from the sheer size of everything around me. I'd say Unreal Tournament (the original) is a stronger game overall, and certainly more influential on developing gaming, especially in the competitive scene, but there's a magic to the very first game that has never quite been recreated anywhere else, a sort of mystique or mysticism, an otherworldly quality.