Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the sound of a very good half-minute: the stutter turns a rapid string of frags into an event that every player in the match hears. Unreal Tournament's announcer lines became part of the language of arena shooters, and fans still say 'monster kill' for any big streak, in games that never used the phrase.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Unreal TournamentShow the scene
In Unreal Tournament (1999), the announcer calls out your achievements in the middle of the match, and "Monster Kill" is the top of the multikill ladder: it is awarded for killing a run of enemies in quick succession, beginning with a double kill, then a multi kill, ultra kill and finally the monster kill for five or more frags in rapid succession. The recording stutters on the first syllable of "monster", which is how players remember it. The award is announced right after the kill and the streak is lost if you are killed or take too long between frags. Later Unreal games kept the name but shifted how many kills it takes.
Sources (2)
- Achievements and awards (Unreal Wiki)Unreal Tournament section: Sprees and MultikillsReference checked
- Unreal Tournament (Wikipedia)Lead and ReceptionReference checked
Context reviewed
