You know that feeling when
other consoles get that amazing console exclusive that you are dying to play but
cannot since you don’t own that particular console? It hurts, doesn’t it? What
hurt Unreal Tournament fans was the sting of being left out of Unreal Tournament
III that debuted on the PlayStation 3 and the PC a year ago. Well, it’s better
late than never and finally the Xbox 360 gets a good taste of the
highly-addictive shooter sure to light up Xbox Live for a long time to come.
Xbox owners are not new to
the Unreal games seeing as Xbox Live gamers have been diving into 2002’s Unreal
Championship and 2005’s Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict. It’s great
to see the Unreal Tournament series back to the basics and on the PS3, it
brought all the elements that made the series such a smashing success on the PC.
The game, of course, comes
with a single-player Campaign mode that actually contains something of a story.
While Campaign doesn’t weave an intricate and deep tale, Unreal Tournament III
contains a somewhat interesting plot nonetheless. A human settlement is
viciously attacked by an alien race known as the Necris and a war is sparked.
Among the human survivors are James “Reaper” Hawkins and his feisty sister Sarah
“Jester” Hawkins who join Team Ronin to destroy the Necris and their leader
known as Akasha. In order to exact vengeance, Reaper is sent into hostile enemy
territory that is designed as a battle arena. In order for Team Ronin to
continue the battle, you must win against various other teams as well.
Of course, Campaign mode
plays like the multiplayer portion with computer-controlled bots taking the
place of real players. Players control Reaper while the AI controls your two
other comrades such as Jester and the Bible-quoting Bishop. The only thing that
makes you feel like you’re playing a story-driven game are the beautifully
handled cut scenes and the fact that your teammates will chime in now and then
during a match. Other than that, you’re basically going up against bots in
various arenas throughout the globe. You are offered a few advantages during
Campaign that come in the form of “cards” you earn along the way that tilt the
match to your advantage by adding extra firepower for your team or removes an
opponent’s teammate from the lineup. There are also side objectives tossed in to
keep things interesting.
Campaign as well as the
Instant Action mode simply serves as training for the online portion seeing as
the entire available game match types are featured. Aside from Deathmatch and
Team Deathmatch, there is also Capture the Flag and Vehicle Capture the Flag.
Accompanying these four match types is also Warfare and even a match type called
Duel that pits you against a single opponent. Warfare is, by far, the most
challenging of the match types seeing as the objective is to damage your
opponent’s base by destroying its vulnerable core before your enemy destroys
your own base.
Making a return are
vehicles that range from tanks, hover vehicles and even aerial fighter planes.
On the Necris side, there is the impressive and massive Necris Darkwalker that
looks somewhat like the alien invader vehicles from the remake of War of the
Worlds. Vehicles add much to battles and there is also the option to bum a
ride from companions driving one when hover boards become available. Even the
weapon variety is excellent whether you like sharp shooting with sniper rifles
or blowing enemies to pieces with a rocket launcher.
The Xbox 360 gets the five
new maps that were made available for the PS3 via download and they’re actually
good maps that work well with the different game match types. There are also new
characters to use in the game, although these characters don’t play a big role
during Campaign. As far as the controls are concerned, Unreal Tournament III
feels right at home on the 360 and this is good news for first-person shooter
fans new to the series. This game is actually easy to get into right away, which
is perfect for online play.
Speaking of online, the
game flows nicely without a dip in the framerate. Up to 16 players can take each
another on System Link or via Xbox Live but there is also the option of playing
against a friend or with them via co-op. New to the Xbox 360 version is the fact
that you can play the game using split-screen … that, sadly, was an option
missing on the PS3.
On the graphics front,
Unreal Tournament III looks spectacular. The maps are quite striking and the
level of detail is wonderful enough to make them stand out. The character design
is also a nice touch and up close they really fit in with the striking
environments. Through the cut scenes in Campaign, the characters really are
impressive … although Reaper must have been separated at birth from Gears of
Wars’ badass, Marcus Fenix. Even the visual effects are gorgeous.
The sound is a bit of a
letdown but this is not to say that it’s bad. There’s a dramatic score in this
game that is militaristic in nature and goes well with the theme. I would have
loved to hear it a bit more during Campaign matches but that’s Ok. At least
Campaign contains some solid voice acting from all the characters including
Akasha. Sometimes, during matches, you’ll hear the same pre-set phrases and that
gets a bit irritating. As for the sound effects, they’re quite good.
Despite its late arrival
on the Xbox 360, Unreal Tournament III brings its wonderfully refreshing and
action-packed goodness for Xbox Live. There are a few new maps and characters to
use but the game could have used more console exclusives such as new game modes.
While the single-player Campaign mode isn’t particularly deep, it compliments
the great online portion well enough and thus making this a package well worth
buying.
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Gameplay: 8.5
The series feels right at home on
the Xbox 360 and the solid controls prove it. While the single-player game is
nothing more than training for the online game, there’s still something to like
about the story. Online is where the action is and where you will be spending a
lot of your time.
Graphics: 9.0
What was a stunning-looking game on
the PS3 is a gorgeous one on the Xbox 360. Everything from the character models
to the maps will not fail to impress and the dazzling visual effects light up
the screen perfectly.
Sound: 8.5
The game’s score is intense and
riveting to the point that you’ll wish you heard it more during the matches. In
the single-player game, the voice acting is actually really good and helps the
bot matches feel less … mechanical.
Difficulty: Medium
Campaign is actually very
challenging since the bot AI isn’t dumb at all. You’ll find yourself really on
your toes in single-player while online all depends on your opponent’s skills.
Concept: 8.5
The new maps and characters are
great additions but the real advantage over the PS3 version is the split-screen
feature. The action is fierce online as well as off and there are some cool
vehicles that spice things up nicely. Too bad the match customization options of
the PS3 version are a no-show.
Multiplayer: 9.0
Online the multiplayer game runs
smoothly even with up to 16 players on screen at once. There is co-op and you
can go up against a friend via split-screen. Add System Link fun and you have
yourself an action-packed LAN party on your hands.
Overall: 8.5
A true frag fest that is destined to
become a classic among UT fans, Unreal Tournament III is far from perfect but
still a seriously enjoyable online shooter for the Xbox 360. While the game
isn’t big on new content, it’s great to see this third installment of the Unreal
Tournament on Microsoft’s console.
