Unreal Tournament III (PS3)
No other first-person shooter matches the speedy gameplay of Unreal Tournament -- even on PS3.
1/30/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2
What's Hot: Exceptional controls; Refreshing sense of speed; Unreal Tournament evolved
What's Not: Drab visuals; Trite dialog; Low-calorie single-player mode
Blake Snow
Status: I 'used to' a lot of things, Prudence ...
For any concerned, you can limit multiplayer controls to thumbsticks only, keyboard and mouse only, or both. When using both, I couldn't tell if I was just an easy target for seasoned players or if my use of thumbstick controls put me at a disadvantage. Whatever the case, I had my fair share of takedowns and never felt frustrated -- everybody gets killed here.
Even though
Unreal Tournament III is a multiplayer game at heart, Epic did a nice job of including minor variations such as the campaign mode which can offer a certain degree of single-player achievement. It merely mimics the feel of multiplayer using artificial intelligence bots while adding blasé cut scenes, but the simplistic objects do their job and the enemy behavior is surprisingly sophisticated. Sadly, user-mods are currently absent (though planned) for the PS3 version.
In terms of presentation, the shooter performs, though in ordinary fashion. The HD graphics are technically present, but they're rather dull and nothing to gawk at. Sound effects are meager, but the soundtrack is both fitting and catchy. With exception to the classic "Headshot!" or "Double kill!" or "Killing spree!" announcements, voice work is forced at best (aka, insert baseless expletive here), and menu text is ridiculously small, even on my 32-inch widescreen. Overall, however,
UT3's appearance and audio never get in the way of gameplay.
While the premise isn't as fresh as last year's
Gears of War,
Unreal Tournament III offers the fastest online multilayer experience around, and one of the best on PlayStation 3. If you enjoyed the first
Unreal Tournament, you'll feel right at home. The game is breakneck, has forgiving hit detection, and handles like a fine German automobile. It may lack innovation, but the game is a skilled shooter and a compelling addition to the PS3 library.
This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
