Unreal Tournament III – PC
PC gamers have had so many great games released this year. The same time last year, PC gamers were hard pressed to find a great title worth drooling over come Xmas time. Unreal Tournament III will provide the necessary drooling material this Xmas time, there's no doubt about that. If you've been anticipating this game release, you will not be disappointed. True to form, UT has always been one of the benchmark games in the FPS genre to date. So it's no surprise that with the release of UT III, expectations run high. As well as this, Unreal Tournament III is also releasing for the PS3.
Unreal Tournament III isn't just a frag-fest for the online multiplayer gamers which may or may not surprise you. The single player campaign mode feels alot like the multiplayer game type where a lot of the missions you undertake pit you against other teams just like it would in a team deathmatch situation online. The difference being that there is a plot to follow and a reason to be fragging everything that moves.
As you progress through the single player campaign mode, each mission becomes more complex and new game play aspects are introduced throughout. There isn't much of an introduction to the game as such because most of what you learn happens as you play. If you're new to the game there are various difficultly levels that you can choose from to play (this applies to the multiplayer game type as well). This makes it easier to reach objectives if you're finding things too tough or alternately, if you're finding the missions are too easy.
The first mission you complete is basic team vs. team action which you should be fairly familiar with already if you've played UT before. Each new mission introduces another aspect of game play such as the new 'Warfare' game mode which utilises tactical initiatives to reach the objective. Of course this is where the introduction of brand spanking new vehicles and weapons comes into play and everything from Turrets to 'Goliath' tanks are usable in both single player and multi player game types.
The AI in UT III has vastly improved compared to the AI in previous games and you will notice this immensely in the multiplayer game mode more than the single player campaign. But the one thing you just won't be able to get your head around is the sheer magnificence of the visuals and the environments in Unreal Tournament III.
Unreal Tournament has always possessed beautiful multiplayer maps. Compared to a game such as Quake which had some pretty decent looking maps, Unreal Tournament III takes the boundaries of what makes a game look good and pushes things right over the edge. Of course, if you don't have the hardware to run the game, you're not going to see everything using the best possible settings. Possessing a grunty PC that can deliver what you'd expect from the legendary Unreal graphics engine is expected to produce the best visual results. The specs for the machine I used to review Unreal Tournament III are listed in detail on page 37 for those of you interested in the hardware.
The maps in Unreal Tournament III will quite literally take your breath away – they're that stunning. The amount of detail that has gone into the creation of the environments really gives UT III the professional and polished look that the Unreal Tournament franchise is known for.
With a slightly new tactical edge introduced in the single player campaign mode, the new game types in Unreal Tournament III offer gamers more to do in the game than previously. The good thing about this is that whilst you have the option to explore and enjoy the new content, there's nothing like the good old fragging battles of old using the 'Free for All' deathmatch and team deathmatch game modes, which always prove to be great online game types to play if multiplayer is your thing.
And speaking of multiplayer, when it comes to Unreal Tournament, again, you will not be disappointed. With UT servers coming online all over the place after the release of the game on the 30th of November, people will be fragging it up everywhere so you shouldn't be too hard pressed to find online competition.
Unreal Tournament III is a delight to play and one of the better FPS games out there. I am extremely happy to see the new content has only enhanced the game that much more and should give PC gamers with a love for FPS games a reason to make that new hardware purchase they've been saving up for. Or better yet, hint around at family members for that 'Xmas pressie you just can't do without'. Unreal Tournament III is definitely worth the effort.
