Unreal Tournament 3 delivers on its promise of fast, and fun, multiplayer action.
The core of this multiplayer game is well built. There are a lot of stages built into the disc and they're all impressive. UT3 uses a heath pack system where you can pick up health and armor, it doesn't recharge automatically. This might be surprising to someone new to the franchise but it works really well in the game. The guns, spread out over the stages, are all very unique and fun. Even if your opponent is using a rocket launcher when you spawn it doesn't leave you without any options. In that regard, the gameplay is well balanced. There is also vehicle combat in the game and the vehicles are just as interesting. I personally liked the Darkwalker a lot, but there are many to choose from.
There are a few different modes of play in this game. There is of course the standard deathmatch and team deathmatch. A variation on deathmatch, called dual mode, is made specifically for 2 people to fight one on one. There is also capture the flag and vehicle capture the flag. The final mode is called warfare and has both teams fighting for control of different connected points until one team is forced back to their own base and eventually destroyed.
If you are looking for a single player experience that game does throw you a bone. There is a campaign mode, which sets you through a series of missions until you reach a final boss that you fight in a duel. The campaign is really just bot matches in the same modes you could play in an instant action or online. The game tries to explain things like respawning and why you're trying to capture the enemies flag so often in the story, but the story doesn't matter. You can also earn cards in the campaign which can change the settings of the matches a little more in your favor. That adds a little but not a lot.
One plus to the console version is the split screen co-op play. You can play through the campaign or online with one additional person on your console. It would have been nice to have up to four, but two is still more than the PC version allows.
I really enjoyed UT3 and I think anyone who enjoys multiplayer FPS games will find a lot of enjoyment too. The only drawback to the game is that despite its attempts at the campaign its still all multiplayer. The game is quick to get into and has a high replay value. For those that think they would enjoy it, this game is definitely worth picking up.