Supplier: Midway
Reviewed By: Rogue5
Price: $60 (MSRP)

There’s something very exciting about an online-only game being available for a system that has free online. It’s a combination that makes sense. There is also something very exciting about a moddable game that is on a somewhat open platform like the PS3. While Unreal Tournament 3 may not offer anything innovative or cutting edge from a gameplay standpoint, this is the first time a major console game has openly supported the ability to enjoy user generated content. If only for this reason, UT3 should receive some serious attention from any FPS fans out there. It’s online is action-packed, free, and essentially limitless.

Epic has been extremely candid about getting UE3.0 running on the PS3. The fruits of their labour are clearly evident in the visual splendor of UT3. The art style and direction are very much similar to Epic’s 2006 headliner 360 title, Gears of War, but UT3 has had the added benefit of a year’s worth of polish. It’s not vastly different visually, but it is definitely superior to previous UE3.0 console titles. And although it doesn’t hit the coveted 60fps, UT3 runs at an incredibly solid framerate even when there is a ton of stuff happening on screen.

The only other aspect of the game that comes close to rivaling UE3.0’s graphical prowess is it’s almost completely lag-free online play. The programmers in charge of the netcode should get a medal as even with a mildly decent connection it runs like silk. Good online performance on an online-only game is obviously important, but when you see how much stuff is happening on screen and fast the gameplay is, it's a wonder that Epic was able to pull off such awesome net performance.

Single player is comprised of a series of bot-based battles strung together with an extremely shallow storyline (think of it as offline multiplayer). Even though it’s easy to appreciate the game’s attempt at a single player experience, it is ultimately lackluster and serves more as a tutorial or training than an interactive narrative. The saving grace, however, is that you can quickly and easily play this “campaign” online with four of your buddies in Co-Op. It isn’t as tightly integrated as something like Gears of War, but it makes kicking the CPUs ass that much more fun.

Naturally multiplayer is Unreal Tournament’s bread and butter. It’s here that you’ll find tons of modes, tons of maps, and tons of weapons and power-ups that you’ll use to lay waste to both CPU-controlled and human-controlled opponents. This isn’t as much of a team-based, tactical FPS as you may think. Rather, it’s an out-of-control, kill-or-be-killed fragfest where reflexes and good aim are of more importance than teamwork or strategy. It’s quick, it’s action-packed, and, unfortunately, if you don’t absolutely love this type of game, it can become tedious.

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