I got my hands on the newly released UT3 and I have put well over 30 hours into it, but is it worth your purchase? Lets find out.

Unreal tournament started as a project between Epic Games and Digital Extremes back in 1999. Though a few changes have occurred over the years, the same core gameplay is present in the new release of Epic Games and Midway's most recent first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 3. Unreal Tournament 3 was under a lot of scrutiny because they decided on porting Unreal tournament 3 to the PS3 and later to the Xbox 360. Many elements that made the previous Unreal tournaments so great could only be achieved using a PC. Unreal Tournament has always had a cult-like following of hardcore gamers, but the community is slowing dieing. This game most likely was an attempt at getting Unreal back on top of the FPSes, but they seemed to sacrifice alot of things that made the game great just to make it better for the consoles.

It is a good game, don't get me wrong, but many of the mechanics that I just loved have gotten toned down. From the moment you start this puppy up, the consolish feel will hit you like a baseball to the face. The menus are simplistic to say the least. You have to go through 5 screens just to start a game. I want to have all the options on one page, but the developers decided to opt for a simplistic design "for the ease of console gamers" But I can see past that. It is when you are actually playing a game does the real problems rear their ugly heads.

The basic play style from the previous games are here also. Many of the same weapons such as the Bio-rifle, rocket launcher, flak cannon, sniper rifle, etc. are all present and feel very natural to use and fire. Also, the usual Power-ups are in here for your disposal. The controls are very well done, but there seems to be some lag between the mouse and the game. I have a good wired gaming mouse that can play games such as Crysis and Counter-Strike with practically no delay, but this game seems to be the exception. I got used to it after a while, but it still is a little frustrating. Otherwise, the controls for the PC are done quite well.

When you start playing the game is when you notice the biggest changes. It seems like the gameplay is slower than the normal fast-paced arcade style that we have come to love and expect from the Unreal Franchise. this 'slow-down' is probably an attempt to make the gameplay easier for the consoles that are used to the slow-pace FPS games such as Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4. There are Mutators to help out with this, but even speeding up the games speed with the mutators, the game still feels a little off. The campaign is fun, but the main focus is still on the multiplayer. The map variety is excellent, and the level design is quite innovative at times. There is a small case of texture pop-ups at the beginning of a match, but after about 10 sec., the textures go smooth and the game runs as smooth as silk on most machines.

Most of the game modes are very fun. They include your usual DM, TDM, CTF, and Duel. The Warfare and vehicle CTF are also fun, but when I try to play it with a lot of players, It makes me want to rip my hair out. The enemy's base is soo heavily guarded that when you get the flag, you are just asking for an ambush. If you are lucky enough to get out of their base, you will get mowed down by an enemy vehicle that takes away all your health with a seemingly minuscule shot. The vehicles tend to feel right most of the times, but with some of the vehicles you feel like you are driving on grease covered ice. It is quite rewarding when you finally win a game, but you will probably end up bald before that happens.

Overall, the game is a great addition to the Unreal Tournament franchise, and by no means is it perfect, the gameplay is rock-solid, multiplayer is fun, and the in-depth campaign is a great feature for new players or people who do not want to play online. My final thought is this: If you are a PC gamer, then this game may feel a little slow at times, even with a lot of people playing. For the console gamers that are used to playing slow-moving games, then this is a great package to indulge yourself in. If you are a PC gamer and are a fan of arcade style FPSes, then this is a great game to pick up. If you are a ps3 owner who even has a remote interest in FPSes, then by all means pick this one up.

GRAPHICS:9

GAMEPLAY:7

REPLAYABILITY:8

INNOVATION:2

FUN FACTOR:8

OVERALL:8.5

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PLEASE READ:

This review is coming from my opinion and take into consideration that I have never played the original unreal tournament, and only played Unreal tournament 2004 for a little while. I may not be the most educated person regarding the Unreal Tournament franchise, but I have always liked fast moving games such as this and at times CS. This is my first ever written review, so I know that it isn't of the highest quality, but I appreciate you taking the time to read it. If you have any comments or constructive criticism pertaining to this review, then by all means please post a comment.

Thank You :D!