Unreal Tournament III Review
- Posted January 10th, 2008 at 01:21 EDT by
- 49 Comments
Review Score
- PSU Review Score
- 8.0
- Avg. user review score:
- 8.5
Summary
This game is without a doubt one of the premier online experiences on the PlayStation 3, and is one of the few must have titles of 2007. It may falter a bit when played offline, but the support of user created mods and maps provides this game with an infinite amount of play time. If you love shooters, pick this one up.
We like
- Gorgeous graphics
- Great online play
- User created content provides endless replay
We dislike
- Single player campaign leaves much to be desired
- AI is predictable in certain game modes
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
Epic Games is widely known for creating the Unreal Engine, one of the video game industry's most widely used tools for game development. This engine is named after one of the longest running first person shoot-em-up franchises out there. The Unreal series has been running strong since 1998, when the first title released on PC. Throughout the course of several titles, Unreal quickly became known for being one of the fastest and most over the top violent shooters available.
Unreal Tournament III is the first game in the series to hit next-generation consoles, releasing on PS3 and PC in late 2007, with an Xbox 360 version trailing into mid-2008, and for the first time, user created mods and maps are available on a home console. However, we'll discuss this a tad later.
Beginning with what is ultimately the lowest point of the game, the single player campaign feels very redundant. Throughout the mission, you play as Reaper, leader of a squad of rough and ready combatants who are in a conflict against the Necris, an evil alien race that aims to destroy everything. Instead of a linear, point to point style mission system, UT3 opts to take you directly to each new battleground for a single round mission which is little more than a single player quick match against bots. These rounds are loosely tied together around a series of spoken dialogue explaining the importance of capturing certain flags or defending specific territories.
The games AI sometimes makes little sense, and in certain Capture the Flag maps, entirely too predictable. The prime example that on certain maps, the enemy will camp in certain spots waiting for you, and is always parked in the same spot until you pass by. While this doesn't necessarily break the game or reduce its difficulty, it just nails in the fact that the single player campaign was given little thought.
Although the game lacks real depth and the sense of emotional attachment, it looks fantastic. It runs at 720p at a very steady frame rate and is home to some of the best looking textures on any game out there. Part of this being attributed to the fact that it is running on an engine that is named after the game itself. Unreal also boasts some of the craziest sound effects out there, with intense explosions and fighting that will make your speakers proud. This is one of the best looking games to hit the PS3 and definitely shows what the system is made of.
The beauty in this game comes from the grunge look of the environments as well as the amazing detail given to the textures and weapons. Each gun is intricately detailed and has two different modes of fire, each with a highly detailed animation. The guns in this game are on par with what we've seen out of Insomniac, which is quite the compliment.
There are also several vehicles making their way into the game, including several models from both the human and Necris factions. Each vehicle has a specific use and its own strengths and weaknesses. Also notable is the hover-board, which is very useful in certain situations as an alternative to hopping in a vehicle.
As for controls, there are several methods that can be utilized, giving the player incredible flexibility in how the game can be played. Using the controller works surprisingly well for a shooting game of this speed, and can be used either with or without Six-Axis functionality. The biggest surprise to me was that the lack of rumble didn't seem to bother me as it has in other games; however, the rumble does work with Dualshock 3 controllers, not yet available here in America. As for those gamers who prefer the keyboard and mouse setup, the game fully accepts most USB setups, and does so very well.
For veterans of the series, the lack of true single player comes to no surprise, as the games multiplayer has always been its selling point. This is where any Unreal game shines. The game doesn't stray into new modes, but is ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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plustheharm
- 10:45pm EST - January 9th, 2008
- 22
PSU editors.....without PS3's? its like a food critic...who doesn't eat food......
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chilledbreeze7
- 11:47pm EST - January 9th, 2008
- 23
sigghhhhh just wish we could buy and play it here in the UK :(
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PS3-The Ultimate Machine
- 2:54am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 24
Sooooo,has the ps3 mod thing been fixed,as i remember that the Editor needed a patch for it to make ps3 compatible mods.
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tanner1
- 2:58am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 25
bad review in my eyes it deserved @ least a 9 as 4 campain mode its only meant 4 u 2 warm up ur skills 4 online battles thats all the game is made 4 online gaming just like warhawk so 4 get campain mode it shouldnt even affect the review.As 4 the people in europe havent u heard of ebay? thats how i got it
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Untildeath89
- 3:49am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 27
"itoke: 22 PSU editors.....without PS3's? its like a food critic...who doesn't eat food......"
he got ps3 and ut3 and then made this review, btw he is a editor so he doesnt need a ps3 to edit psu.
nice review i think fps games that dont break any bounderies should stick with 8-8.5 max, its not like they bring revolutionary idea every time, unreal looks like halo+gow so this wasnt all that bad for the people who are complaining and if u read it says for the fps lovers its must have that should be enough appeal for fps guys like most of u here
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Muzikguy
- 4:07am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 28
It's starting to make some sense finally. If PSU editors don't have PS3s it's no wonder they're rehashing old news. They don't go out and find things out for themselves, then report it (like reporters/editors do). Considering this game has been out for a month already I would have thought there would have been a "review" on it awhile ago. Also on the homepage the relase dates for the games are NEVER right.
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Heavenly_King
- 4:35am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 29
Hey PSU editors, considering that you are reviewing/previewing PS3 games, YOU MUST HAVE A PS3. I´m just a player; and not a guy that works on this business; and I own already 140 PS2 games, 24 PS3 games and 20 PSP. I think you should have more than that because it´s your JOB; but with this review and the comment of DaveW makes me think otherwise. HOW is possible for you to recently buy a copy of UTIII, a game that was released last year, and a PS3 IF YOU ARE ALREADY WORKING ON A SITE THAT TALKS ABOUT PS3 GAMES!!! WTH. Man, I think It was better for you to lie in the last one. It would be very funny that even you are working on this site you first had an X360.
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DaveW
- 4:48am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 30
Are you guys really this dense? There are 22-23 writers and 4 editors for PSU.com. I'm the only one without a PS3 and I handle articles from Blu-ray, to PSP, to PS3 news. The rest of the staff have the PS3 console. Quit being so illogical with your coments and think things through first. I understand a lot of you are kids, but that's no excuse to be ignorant.
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plustheharm
- 7:01am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 32
@until death-wasn't even talking about the guy who did the review........
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plustheharm
- 7:35am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 34
Old news or useless news....it is usually either or - at least with this place. I finally understand why now..... DaveW-an editor of PSU-openly admits he doesn't have a PS3, but in fact, he still has a 360..............whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?
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DaveW
- 7:45am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 35
It's completely amazing how you still find yourself coming here iToke. It's almost unbelievable that you're still here reading the old and useless news that keeps you returning.
PSU stands for PlayStation Universe, not PlayStation 3. The PlayStation brand name roams over to the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable; however, that's obviously over your head. The X360 is an electronics entertainment device just like the PlayStation 3. The fact that you're simple-minded enough to feel the need to justify your insecurities by feeling it "lacks" in any way, is mind boggling. Get a grip on your own reality.
Being a gamer without enjoying all forms of gaming is like being a fat kid who only enjoys cake... Spread your tastebuds, turbo.
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plustheharm
- 8:03am EST - January 10th, 2008
- 36
Dude, turbo? hah, man, I wasn't trying to be rude....but I think you succeeded in that department.....and you keep returning to this "old" article as well....it seems tho you only come back to defend yourself from what the "people" are saying......I was only joking about that whole 360 thing, but it definitely seemed to "irk" you in some manner. No need to get so defensive.....and yes, while I know this is the Playstation Universe - as a whole - the majority of articles are in fact related to the PS3.....and Blu-Ray....I mean, I know I certainly don't come here to get up to the minute information on my PS2 or PSP - scratch that - I know I certainly don't come here to get up to the minute information on ANYTHING - but seriously, since I know you will be back, I might check this page once more to see what crazy stuff you are going to say next........after that, I agree to not return to this review of UT3 (Which is a little late anyways)
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