- Vast Arsenal of Weapons: Unreal Tournament has always been known for brutal weaponry, and now the arsenal is even bigger and badder. Detonate your opponent from a distance with the ever popular Shock Rifle or blast away at close range with the Flak Cannon.
- New Single Player Campaign: Unreal Tournament like you’ve never seen it before! The Necris invasion has begun, and your clan was one of the first to be slaughtered. Join this Epic battle to defend humanity while taking your revenge.
- New and Favorite Characters: Fight side-by-side with or compete against new and returning characters from the Unreal universe, all with enhanced abilities, extremely detailed designs, and distinct personalities.
- Enhanced Popular Game Types: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and all-new Warfare mode and more.
- PC version bundled with the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 Toolset. Build your own levels, game types, and more, or download the latest mods from the massive Unreal community.
Product Description
Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the world’s premiere first-person shooter to the PC. Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense battles with other human players online, or against Unreal artificial intelligence that sets the industry standard. With the most powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best!… More >>
Before I start I’m going to admit that this game is very fun and very intense. No doubt that it contains way more action than it’s predecessors. The only problem is.. it’s not finished. And what I mean by that is that this game needs some serious patching updates before I’d even consider it a full fledged product release. Some players have embraced it’s flaws with hopes of fixes (like myself), but some people need to understand what they’re getting in to before they get disappointed.
When Epic released the UT3 demo back in October it was released with GREAT anticipation. FINALLY a glimpse at an Unreal game that contained lifelike characters with bigger and badder action like never before. Created with the Unreal Engine 3, the characters and environments alike are definitely sweet eye candy.. which leads me to believe that the last several years this game has been in development have been merely to make it look good. The Beta contained a LOT of bugs, which is normal considering its a “Beta Demo,” but when it was announced that UT3 had gone gold in a matter of weeks many had their doubts that the bugs that plagued the Beta Demo would be fixed in the retail version. Many of the bugs had remained. One such bug has the players viewpoint very close to the ground. It’s like playing UT3 with little people instead of the proper height of the character models.
Much of what made UT2k4 and UT99 so great have been stripped from UT3. If you’re a fan of the movement styles of 2k4 then you’ll be greatly disappointed as the jump dodge has been removed. Jumping in itself is bad enough because some obsticles just aren’t low enough for the character to jump over even with double jump. Fans of both eras will notice that the colors are washed with 100 types of gray and brown. The absense of bright colors (on players and environments) tend to make the game depressing and grundgey. Only a few levels even contain color and even so they’re just lights. The game is also drowns in bloom and distance fog. Sure, the bloom and fog give the game more realism, but they also hinder sight when playing the game. At one point a players screen can get so bright (due to power ups coloring the screen) that it makes it even more difficult to see anything.
The User Interface (menu system) is very consolized and not PC friendly. Because the game is coming out for the PS3 and 360, Epic decided to give PC users a very consolized looking menu. Many areas do not have tabs or drop down menus for easy navigation. You find yourself going menu after menu then going back to a previous menu only to go forward again. It’s a real hassle. Deep customization is gone from this game. PC users cannot control many of the graphic settings they could control in previous Unreal Tournament games. It’s either all or nothing by sliding “World Detials” and “Texture Details” 1 through 5 with 5 being the max detail settings. If you REALLY want Unreal Tournament 3 to be truly customized you would have to go into the game’s .ini files and edit the code by hand. And even when you do so, your game still needs to connect to the internet where Epic and/or Gamespy have servers that SAVE your .ini files. Yes, Epic and/or Gamespy have servers that store your game’s .ini files on their servers. The mothership does call. Sometimes your changes stick and sometimes they don’t.
Epic chose Gamespy, much to the “delite” (sarcasm) of UT players everywhere, as their choice of software for finding game browsers online. The browser in both the beta and retail have not changed. You MUST create an online profile for yourself in order to play online. Sometimes, when you want to play offline, the game still asks you to connect to the internet. It’s very annoying. One problem is that when browsing for specific games (like having the option to not show empty servers or full servers), you finalize your decision and then when the game list shows up.. it didn’t even filter out what you’re looking for. So you have to go back, redo everything and try again. There are no favorites tab, you cannot see who’s playing on any of the servers, and you cannot spectate any server.
The single player campaign in itself is a fun addition to those who just want to play offline. There is a story that goes along with many many battles. You play all the gametypes (except duel) with your team (Ronin). The bot AI on the enemy team is very good… but I can’t say the same about any bot AI on your own team. You’ll have to experience that one for yourself.
Warfare is a fun addition to the game along with the other classic gametypes. It’s one big game of capture the flag mixed with Onslaught (a gametype from UT2k4) with a ball. My only gripe is that Warfare has a LOT of maps, while gametypes like CTF and vCTF (Vehicle Capture the Flag) have a handful. A small handful.
Character customization is not as deep as it could have been and there aren’t as many characters to choose from. You have to play through single player mode to unlock new characters such as the Necris.
There are many problems that plague this “final” release of the game that are currently being fixed in beta patches that are being privately tested as I write this. What’s disappointing is that the game should have been finished when it was released, not patched heavily within a short time. If you’re that picky about it then maybe you should wait for an official patch.
Nonetheless, if you can look beyond the flaws and want a game where you can run and gun, blow things up with vehicles and lay some smack down to your friend across the country.. then this game is for you.
Rating: 3 / 5
Games that are as long awaited as UT3 always bear the inherent danger of becoming over-hyped and to inevitably disappoint in the end. Well, this is NOT the case with this game. UT3 ROCKS!
Graphically you have not seen anything that beautiful this year! Surfaces, shadows and explosions are just GORGEOUS! Yes, I liked the graphics even more than those in CRYSIS (and I gave CRYSIS a raving review – check it out if you like): they are crisper and even more atmospheric.
Fans of the UT-series will meet again all our old …friends: the Bio Rifle, the Link Gun, the Shock Rifle, the Flak Cannon (my favorite!), the Rocket Launcher and the Sniper Rifle. New additions are the Enforcer (to replace the under-used Assault rifle) and the Impact Hammer (replacing the shield gun). An interesting twist: hitting an enhanced target with the Impact Hammer’s alternative fire will drop his power-up for you to grab!
SuperWeapons are also at our disposal, both the Redeamer and the new Target Painter.
The number of available vehicles has been enriched as well. Besides the Axon vehicles from UT2004 (which have been renovated), a new Necris set is available: vehicles that demonstrate novel behaviors, yet are beautifully balanced with the Axon set.
What is really impressive once more are the environments. You have to see them to believe them…! And the skies…! I have not seen more breathtaking skies ever since, well, the original UNREAL.
Since this is a pretty demanding game, once the rockets start flying do not trust that by meeting the Minimum requirements you will be cruising. So, here are the official RECOMMENDED requirements:
· Pentium 2.4GHz Dual-Core (or AMD equivalent)
· 1GB of RAM
· nVIDIA 7800GTX (or ATI x1300 equivalent)
· 8 GB of HDD space
· WinXp (SP2) or WinVISTA
CRYSIS is surely getting a run for its money for GAME OF THE YEAR!
I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this…
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
Okay, so to begin, I’m as die-hard of an Unreal fan as it gets — ever since my introduction to the game at the tender age of 10, I’ve been quite the Unreal afficionado. I eagerly anticipated the releases of UT2K3 (which wasn’t amazing, but I certainly enjoyed it) and UT2K4 (best game of 2004). So naturally, I awaited UT3′s release in wide-eyed awe as the days counted down to the release of the game. Come early November, I was in total dismay at the product that Epic attempted to pass off at Unreal Tournament 3.
At first, the game had horrendously demanding system requirements. My machine was getting pretty old (a Pentium D 925 and a GeForce 7800GS) so it was high time to upgrade. After upgrading to a Core 2 Quad and GeForce 8800GT, my performance issues were solved, but I was left wondering, “why does this game require so much processing power”? Where were the real time shadowing on every piece of geometry as was promised in the original UE3 demos? Where were the dynamic lighting, destructable environments, and ground-breaking physics? The extent of the game’s graphical splendor lies solely in that it has neat “blurring” effects when under water/slime. Other than that, DOOM 3 and Half Life 2 are quite honestly not much worse looking than this game– and they ran flawlessly on my old computer. Meh, so graphics I’d rate, perhaps, a 8/10. However, graphics hardly account for what I think of a game — I still have a BLAST with the original DOOM, which has total crap for visuals by today’s standards.
The story that is provided is really, REALLY, cheesy. Okay, so apparently some clan is at war with a team of undead aptly called the “Necris”. Funny thing is about this war is that, uh, nobody actually dies! What the hell kind of battle field is it where your dead soldiers are saved by respawners? Epic should have stuck with the whole sports/competition theme that was prevalent in the earlier installations of Unreal Tournament — at least that was somewhat believable. Meh, UT isn’t about the single player game anyway, but the SP game here certainly wasn’t as nicely done as that found in UT and UT2004.
So, the multiplayer gameplay is what this game’s all about, and it’s here that UT3 shows its shortcomings relative to the older titles. UT and UT2004 both had a plethora of game modes, and there were many high quality, brilliant maps for your gaming pleasure — UT3 is not so. Its maps are generic, to say the least, and there just aren’t that many of them. Furthermore, the only game modes available in UT3 are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Vehicle Capture the Flag, and Warfare. This is in stark contrast to UT2004′s plethora of modes, including assault, onslaught, invasion, bombing run, CTF, deathmatch, team deathmatch, mutant, etc. The previous game just was so much MORE of a game. It had more maps, more modes, and it was just better. UT3 looks, aesthetically, better than its predecessor, but who the hell plays a game for only looks?
So, I’d say steer clear of this atrocity unless you’re really itching to have a complete collection of Unreal games. But, quite honestly, the Unreal Anthology — with UT, UT2004, Unreal, and Unreal 2 — is only $[...] on amazon and is much better. Hell, the anthology would be more of a value even at the price of UT3.
So, if you already have UT2004, don’t buy this. If you don’t have UT2004, don’t buy this and get the Anthology with the groundbreaking UT and the amazing UT2004. Stay away from this trash until it his $[...] in the bargain bin.
Rating: 3 / 5
As a hardcore Unreal aficionado since the very first version way back in 1998, and having followed the changes with every subsequent release, I had an idea of what to expect with Unreal Tournament III – faster gameplay, more eye-popping graphics, better AI, etc. But how could they improve on Unreal Tournament 2004, one of the most heralded arena shooters of all time?
The most immediately obvious change from UT2004 is the graphics – even without the DirectX 10-enabled video card, you still get sunlight reflecting off of water, textured stone and soil, and as remarkably photorealistic visuals as featured in the preview images and videos. The 50+ bundled maps help show it all off with more symmetrical and organic design, and WAY more built-in visual gimmickry (neon lights, plasma fields, etc) than was featured in 2004; anything in the game that could be made shinier, flashier, or just generally more impressive looking has been given serious and creative attention to detail. But even with those details set to minimum in the graphics options, you’ll want an NVidia 7800 series or better for a playable game experience (8800 or better for max details). Sound-wise, some of 2004′s better sound effects have been used again here, and this is the first shooter I can think of where I’ve actually left the music on; it’s more like soft background ambience than music, and it changes in tempo and intensity with events in the game such as taking damage and kills.
Gameplay is largely unchanged, but with a few nice additions and a whole lot more speed – you’d better bring your “A-game” and some caffeine or you’ll never keep up with what’s happening. As with most new incarnations of Unreal, the transition from an older version (or other older/slower shooters) takes quite a bit of practice just to build up your reflexes for the huge leap in game pace. Every aspect of the game has been made faster from vehicles to melees to even just walking – on larger maps, every player has a Hoverboard, a hovering skateboard device, so even without a vehicle you can quickly cruise from one side of a map to the other (but without a weapon while in use, though you can use it while carrying the flag in Capture The Flag). Those of you who need or like bots in your matches will find the higher-difficulty versions to be remarkably cunning and/or helpful. Enemy bots can fire based on predictions made several steps in advance, and can Shock Combo from vast distances, also often predictively. And teammate bots now give details on where they’re going and where enemies are on the map, making them more helpful than a lot of human players.
Little has changed with the gametypes as well, with only the addition of Vehicle Capture the Flag (large-map Capture The Flag with vehicles) and Duel (one-on-one deathmatch). Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture The Flag are still there, and Onslaught has been renamed to Warfare. (The Warfare gametype now also features an “Orb” device which spawns at each team’s base, and when used on any unshielded power node, regardless of color or power status, turns it instantly to that team’s color with full power.) Single-player Campaign can now also be more than just single-player [see below].
When you do get a vehicle, you’ll find they have much snappier responses and can be maneuvered in ways that were never possible in UT2004. The now-smaller Manta can change direction on a dime, the revised Scorpion features an “afterburner” which sends it rocketing at the push of a button (and should it collide with any other vehicle, explodes Kamikaze-style), even the Goliath main battle tank brakes and accelerates so brusquely as to produce suspension nose-dive and -lift. There’s also the addition of the dark and alien “Necris” vehicles, such as the several-story tall Darkwalker or the jellyfish-like Fury, all of which effectively double the number of vehicles the game has to offer. And all vehicles now have the ability to take along teammates – a teammate on a hoverboard can “grapple” to any vehicle using a tractor beam of energy and be tethered along a la waterskiing.
Weapons are mostly the same from the previous version while having undergone visual changes. Of note is inherent weapon inaccuracy; unlike 2004 where a perfect aim always meant a perfect hit regardless of the weapon, most of the weapons now are slightly inaccurate, and more so with distance (including vehicle weapons). There’s a new class of weapons/devices known as deployables, which include the famous Spider Mines (now laid as a single trap, as opposed to a weapon), a EMP Mine (shuts off all vehicles in the area and sets off their ejection seats), and a Stasis Field (slows down time over a given area). The Double Damage power-up is still part of the game, but now can be knocked free for anyone to pick up if the user is killed, plus there can be more than one per map. There’s also a “Berserk” power-up, which doubles the rate of fire of any weapon for a brief time, and even an Invulnerability power-up. And yes, you can have more than one power-up at the same time…
Those of you who enjoy internet battle will be glad to know that UT3′s online experience is as fast and as seamless as previous versions; pick your game criteria, pick a server, and you’re playing. Also of note is the new “Customize Player” option, which allows you to select and alter various physical details of your avatar, such as armor configuration and clothing, giving you your own unique visual identity. And if you prefer solo playing, the Campaign gametype provides an entire storyline-and-objectives game, though you have the option here also to let others join your Campaign, either by internet or LAN.
So Epic has once again delivered on all counts in this season’s faster, harder, better arena shooter, destined to create another bump in hardware sales as gamers rush to update their computers to take in the carnage in its full glory. Highly recommended if you have the video card and reflexes.
Rating: 5 / 5
For starters let me just say i bought this game to use the Unreal Editor, I’ve never really enjoyed an Unreal Tournament game. I’ve always been more of a Counterstrike kind of guy. That being said Unreal Tournament III hasn’t changed my position on the matter.
The graphics are pretty phenomenal but be warned if your PC barely meets the system requirements expect to set your settings low in order to play the game fluidly.
Gameplay though hasn’t changed much and don’t expect a single player experience. The campaign is just a bunch of random skirmishes like an online match but with cpu opponents. However there is an option to play through the campaign mode online which sadly doesn’t do much.
I’m just gonna end by saying Unreal Tournament III should only be purchased by diehard fans of the series or people that want to mess with the Unreal Editor.
Rating: 3 / 5