Unreal Tournament 3 (PC) review" If there's a genre that 2007 has been kind to, it's the first person shooter. The market has been absolutely flooded with shooters and many of them have been very good, making it that much more difficult for a new game to stand out. Nevertheless, Unreal Tournament III is easily one of the strongest entries in the genre this year, especially for fans of multiplayer shooters. " |
If there's a genre that 2007 has been kind to, it's the first person shooter. The market has been absolutely flooded with shooters and many of them have been very good, making it that much more difficult for a new game to stand out. Nevertheless, Unreal Tournament III is easily one of the strongest entries in the genre this year, especially for fans of multiplayer shooters.
For those not acquainted with the Unreal Tournament series, all you need to know is that the game is fast. Lightning fast. Almost uncontrollably fast, but not quite. There hasn't been a shooter this speedy in years, which makes UTIII feel quite fresh and different from the more methodical competition. From the moment you start a match, you're in the fray. You don't need to take time to prepare -- you grab the nearest weapon and go. If you die, there's no real consequence -- you won't sit out for the round or wait in time-out for a few seconds -- you're back on your feet immediately and fighting again. It's not unlike an arcade game and this breakneck pacing gives UT a pick-up-and-play quality that few other multiplayer shooters can claim to have. That's not to say that there's no depth to the game, though. UTIII is very rewarding for devoted players who take the time to practice, and there's truly no limit to how much you can improve.
Of course, game concepts alone won't make a multiplayer game special -- the most important aspect of a game like this is level design and it is absolutely stellar here. UTIII includes dozens of maps for its various modes and all of them look and feel unique. Levels are strewn with powerful weapons, vehicles, and teleporters to avoid downtime in a match and are the map layouts are designed to minimize confusion so you'll never feel like you're wandering through a maze trying to find somebody to kill. For the most part, the maps are tightly-woven enough to remove any dead space or places to hide, which all but eliminates the problem of somebody camping or dominating the map. Essentially, the major annoyances that commonly plague multiplayer maps have been alleviated which makes the entire game feel really solid. The level selection brings back a few favorites from past UT games and renovates them in the process, but the bulk of the levels are entirely new and easily some of the strongest designs the series has seen.
The carnage is as enjoyable as ever thanks to a large helping of genuinely cool weapons and vehicles. The weapons are identical to those found in UT 2004 with the exception of few additions like the sniper rifle, but all of the guns have received some balance tweaks. Needless to say, weapons are all still fun to fire, do devastating damage, and are still among the more unique weapons in an FPS. The most noteworthy part of your arsenal, however, is the vehicles. From land cruisers to giant, War of the Worlds-esque monstrosities, there's always some way to commit vehicular homicide. Not only are the vehicles fun -- there's a lot of them, too, and they all play differently. While other countless other games have offered vehicles, UTIII has an unprecedented number of them and is completely unmatched in the sheer visceral fun of piloting them.
Community review by Daisuke02 (December 17, 2007)
A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page. |
More Reviews by Daisuke02 [+]
|
|
If you enjoyed this Unreal Tournament 3 review, you're encouraged to discuss it with the author and with other members of the site's community. If you don't already have an HonestGamers account, you can sign up for one in a snap. Thank you for reading!
User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links