The tournament returns with a huge graphics update and solid gameplay, but it's tacky campaign mode is disappointing.
Unreal Tournament 3 (and in its early stages of development, Unreal Tournament 2007) is the successor to Unreal Tournament 2004. It features a huge graphics update, and provides a solid gameplay experience all around, from single-player to multiplayer. However, the tacked-on story to the single-player campaign is totally unforgettable, and in my personal opinion, detracts a little bit from the overall experience.
There is much fun to be had in UT3. The game is very fast-paced. You don't have time to plot out your next strategy. In this tournament, it's kill or be killed. I had a lot of fun blasting away at bots, but if you can find someone to play online, it's also a lot of fun. Unless you find a die-hard UT fan...words of advice if that happens: prepare to be raped. Unless of course, you're a die-hard UT fan yourself, in which case, you probably own this game, so why are you reading the review?
The graphics are very shiny. You will notice some problems with the UT Engine, as with all UT games, as I'm told. Sometimes, at the beginning of each match, you will see the graphics as bland and lifeless, then all the high-res textures will pop in. This does not hinder the game play experience, it's just...weird. You think in the 8 years since UT1 they could have fixed this problem, but I guess not.
The sounds are great. I recommend buying a surround sound system for your TV. You really feel like you are in a battle arena, blasting your enemy to bits when you can hear shots coming from behind you, or in front, or wherever. A definite add on to the overall experience, but if not, the game still sounds great.
This game is great, from the great single-player, and multi-player, to the graphics and sounds. You won't find another game like it. I do have a few complaints about it though, and they are big enough to make it not deserving of a 9.0 or higher. My first complaint is about the story.
In UT2004, the whole tournament was this: you create a team, you fight your team, you play matches in which you earn credits to buy new team members and become more skilled. However, in UT3, it's this guy named Reaper. OK, looks like the Gears of War guy, seems pretty cool. Except he's fighting to kill this monster-lady thing, that killed his family, or his people, or something. I don't care, it's forgettable.
This isn't Unreal 3. This is Unreal Tournament 3.
It's like Epic Games said "Hey, screw the tournament. Let's just make a potential Unreal 3, tack it on to the campaign mode, and make them play through some random tournament battles!" You think it would be easier just to incorporate the system from UT2004. I don't know. Some people probably like it. I don't.
Another complaint I have is that they aren't enough maps. UT 2004 had tons of maps. This has...a few. Plus two more DLC maps including the infamous Facing Worlds. Yay.
The online is near dead, and there is no offline 2-player split screen. The 360 has 2 player split screen, and we have modded maps. Which is cool, but I would rather play with my friend who is sitting beside me than download and waste my bandwidth on user-created maps that I may never use again.
Well, I'm done complaining. To sum it up: if you like people being blown to pieces, futuristic settings, beautiful graphics, and user-created content, or if you are a die-hard UT fan, pick this one up. It's definitely a fun game, but don't expect anything from the story. Oh yeah, and good luck finding some people to play with online.