...the plaudits of the troops and the amusement of the children.

Played the demo for UT2K4 last night. A couple of thoughts...
Holy cow, is that fun. I've never had the opportunity to drive a tank in a FPS game before. It gives you a remarkable sense of security. And I like the cars... the cars that go boom. Especially when on the receiving end of a tank shell. The vehicles are awesome.
Scalable graphics. Oh yeah. I have an older computer, and I'm glad to see that the game not only has Direct3D graphics, it also has a software mode that will let me play on my laptop. (Although I would never, never do that in any of my classes.)
Questionable values. Check out this interview where the game designer talks about what's improved in this game compared to the previous iteration (it's the last question on the page - for those who've never played this kind of game, gibbage=flying body parts or "giblets", more usually called "gibs", usually resulting from an explosive impact - rockets, tank shells, giant shotguns will all cause gibbage). Looking over the game options, there are three settings for gore. (Not quite like ordering a steak... but I'll still take mine medium, thanks). Mature taunts (every now and then, you can hear a 'bot scream that you're a promiscuous woman who engages in certain activities for money). Which can also be turned off so Claire doesn't add prematurely to her vocabulary.
What can I say? Now all I need is a voice headset, and I'll be ready to rock on Tuesday. (5 gig install... grumble, grumble...)