Unreal Tournament 3 Review with PS3 Titan Pack
I am finally reviewing the game which has been taking up almost all of my spare time for the past month – Unreal Tournament 3. Having missed the game completely when it first came out (even though I was a fan of the original on both the PC and Dreamcast), I was finally persuaded to take the plunge by the promise of a much-needed update adding Trophies and splitscreen, and by the addition of the Titan Pack.
First came Unreal Tournament 3 v2.00, a patch which while small in size has added plenty to the game. The Trophies are fantastic, ranging from 10 lots of 15 Kill bursts with each weapon to 20 Kills of a Godlike bot without dying (easy when you know how). And the splitscreen also helps make the game worthwhile to those who haven’t yet connected their PS3 to the Internet. There’s also added mod support making many of the PC-created mods available to Playstation 3 owners.
The Titan Pack is that most sacred of beasts – free DLC that actually adds value to a game. It adds 16 new maps, two new characters, two new game modes, and the Titan mutator which gives it its name. The last sees you able to transform into a bigger version of yourself after a certain amount of kills. Even more kills and you transform again, this time into a gargantuan creature that virtually guarantees you a win in any Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch game.
Story
Unreal Tournament 3 is mainly a multiplayer game. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who plays alone all the time because it truly comes alive when played against other people, be they online or sitting next to you. Bots just don’t suffice. Having said that, the skill levels of the bots is nicely structured meaning you can be challenged whatever level you are at. Why am I mentioning this in the story section? Because the story, or Campaign mode, really is secondary to just getting down and dirty against other players online.
There is a story, however, which sees your team of soldiers amongst those attacked by an alien race of people called the Necris. A war is played out which pitches your team against other races such as the Liandri, the Iron Guard, and the Krall. Eventually you get to face off against the Necris and their leader Akasha. The plot is quite simple and really only there as a way to introduce and flesh out the characters, game types, and environments you’ll encounter in multiplayer.
Visuals/Design
Unreal Tournament 3 excels in the visuals department. Utilizing the Unreal 3 graphics engine, naturally, the environments are lush and detailed. The characters are all well-realized, with the robots and beasts acting differently than the humans. The animations are superb, with the gibs, always a key part of any Deathmatch-style FPS, gorgeous in a grotesque kind of way.
A lot of time and effort has gone into the level design, with different arenas ideally suited for each game type. There are both outdoor and indoor levels, and the variety on display puts games such as Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2 to shame.
Summary
The v2.00 update and Titan Pack release have turned what was already an great game into an outstanding one. I am addicted to this game, so is my girlfriend (who hates all other FPS), and so are the four or five other people I’ve turned on to this game over the past month.
Online play is as good as anything else I’ve seen on the PS3. The system of finding and hosting games is well-designed, there is very little waiting around between matches, and there are enough game modes and maps to prevent it from ever becoming a chore. If there is one game the PSN was designed for it is Unreal Tournament 3.
Unreal Tournament 3 is a must-buy for anyone who likes FPS, likes Deathmatch-style gameplay, and has their console hooked up to the Net. It’s not worth buying if you hate shooters or haven’t yet ventured online, though if you fall into that category you really should do because it is what the current-gen consoles are made for.
Score
5/5
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10 Responses to “Unreal Tournament 3 Review with PS3 Titan Pack”
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April 14th, 2009
any chance of throwing you PSN out here so we could maybe vs each other? or maybe email us so you don’t advertise it
April 14th, 2009
The developers of this game get my thumbs up on this. Free, throw the people who spend so much of their hard earned money a bone! Capcom, are you taking notes?
April 14th, 2009
I don’t know if I’d have given Unreal full marks, maybe 9/10. I think somethig should be said about the campaign mode…
Playing it, I found myself playing the same maps over and over again. With so many maps at their disposal surely the game designers could have avoided duplicating. It’s a minor grumble really because I do love this game. Usually I hate FPSs but I’m addicted to this one.
You guys have probably fragged me a few times in the past month lol.
April 14th, 2009
The single player is basically just a tutorial. The game is a great online FPS. My main complaint is that there was no rank or perk system. You just kind of play and that’s it. It’s nice that it’s a level playing field, but I kind like to feel like I’m working towards something. Otherwise it feels a bit repetitive after a while.
Knighthawk has a really good point. Epic basically doubled the game for free & added trophies, while almost all other companies out there charge $4 for costumes and skins. I wish Sega wasn’t so f-ing lazy and would release a trophy patch for Valkaria Chronicles.
April 14th, 2009
Am I the only one who hates the graphics of UT3? And yes, I am a graphics whore. But this is the first time that the graphics didn’t do it for me. I even think Doom 3 and Unreal 2 looks better.
I think it’s the filter that is the biggest problem; it over-exposes and washes-out all the colors.
April 14th, 2009
^
Well I didn’t think the graphics were AMAZING, but the certainly are not bad!
April 14th, 2009
The graphics look a lot better on PC.
April 16th, 2009
knighthawk – the difference between me and the ps3 fanboys is:
1. i say the ps3 is in last place. Not a fanboy remark. it’s factual.
2. the ps3 fanboys claim, “just wait until…” then things will change. that IS a fanboy remark.
hope this helps clear it up for you, but prolly over your head….
April 17th, 2009
Kev, once again you jump here just to have a stab at ps3 sony etc…..there is nothing in your post relevant to this thread or anything posted in it. Yet another “pot this is kettle” remark.
Fanboy
May 8th, 2009
I just want to copy and paste what I said in the “Gametrailers really biased or incompetent” news, about the graphics of UT3:
That’s another thing I hate about the Unreal Tournament 3’s graphics: The textures are compressed to hell; some textures don’t even have Normal Mapping; and some compressed Normal Maps are put on the wrong textures, making it look muddy.