Unreal Tournament 3 [PS3]

Originally titled Unreal Tournament 2007, this latest instalment was almost delayed until the new year, and is also a showpiece for Epic's Unreal Engine 3.

For the first time, Unreal Tournament offers up some single-player action in addition to its usual array of multiplayer modes. An invasion by an alien race known as the Necris has commenced, and naturally, it's your job to defend humankind and get rid of them as James 'Reaper" Hawkins, a member of a hired mercenary team. A tutorial of sorts, the story starts with footage of a battle where Reaper is injured. Post-recovery, Reaper's sister Sarah (Jester) provides a bit of training, after which their commander (Malcolm) fills you in on the situation with the Necris.

During the solo campaign, players will fight various team-oriented battles that introduce the various game types such as Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag, which will be familiar to most players, as well as Warfare, where teams link nodes across the map and then destroy the enemy's power core. It's also a chance to practice controlling the various vehicles in the game without the pressure of an online match. There's also the new hoverboard as well, which can be controlled via motion controls if you like. As you progress, cut scenes will reveal more of the story and you'll have some choices as far as which battles to fight in. It's a nice added extra, but does feel somewhat strung together, and definitely falls short of the solo game in other First-Person Shooters.

Of course, online multiplayer is really what this series is all about, and in that department, it doesn't disappoint. After creating a customized character, you'll be able to join a Quick Match, browse the various hosted games looking for one that appeals to you, or host your own game. Naturally, there are a large number of settings to tailor the gameplay to your liking. Video effects, audio levels and controller options are almost as numerous as on shooters for the PC. You can even use a keyboard and mouse, if you prefer using them to a controller. If you can't find an online match that appeals to you, or you find you need some practice, you can play against computer-controlled bots to build up your skills. They aren't wimpy either, and seem to be quite a bit smarter and faster than in previous installments. You can also have bots take the place of human players as you wait for more people to join a match that you host. Sadly, there aren’t any split-screen modes where you and a friend can team up against bots, human opponents, or even each other. It’s a shame, since Co-Operative play is fast becoming a must-have feature for FPS fans. Players that were expecting new weapons might not be too thrilled either, as aside from some minor tweaks, the available arsenal hasn’t changed.

The level roster is slightly larger than expected, with different maps available in each game type. While a few are certainly reminiscent of the earlier games, most of them feel fresh enough while still inspiring the same type of cat-and-mouse gameplay the series is known for. One of the new features of UT3 which will likely keep players interested for some time, is the ability to play user-created modifications (mods) made with the PC version of the game. This means that new levels and gameplay types will be available for free. Mod creators will need to export PS3-specific versions of their creations, but players will only need to download the PS3 version of a mod with their PC, transfer it to a flash memory card or USB drive, and then import it into the game from the menu.

The game's graphics are meant to show off Epic's Unreal Engine 3 technology, and do look good. The level structures look amazing, and the game runs as fast as you could ever want it to. It's harder to compare some of the character and weapon visuals, since they are quite stylized, but suffice to say that UT 2004 is looking pretty old at this point. Audio is pretty much what you'd expect from the series, with pumping music, weapon fire, and headset trash talk dominating the soundscape. There's also some ambient sound mixed in there too, and it's definitely nice to have control over the mix.

UT3 is decidedly focused on multiplayer, as veterans of the series will expect. While the single-player campaign does offer a good introduction to the various game types and a training ground for newbies, players are much better off practicing against the bots before taking their game online. The game is very good at what it does, and having access to mods will no doubt keep the game fresh, but the lack of offline split-screen play will likely leave some players wanting just a bit more.

9/10