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Summary: The classic UT gameplay finds its way to the PS3 with some unique touches, just don't expect too much innovation.
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Unreal Tournament 3 PS3 Review
When Epic announced that Unreal Tournament III was coming to the PS3 system there was much chagrin amongst the pc gaming community. Would it get the best edition? Would it get it first? Why is Epic moving one of their prime franchises to console? All those questions have now been answered and despite a strong showing, the PC game still has the upper hand on its console counterparts, but with that said it’s not all sunshine and roses for the series either way.
 For the first time really, Epic has tried to implement some sort of story into Unreal Tournament other then actually running a tournament, and have dismally failed. There is absolutely no inspiration to complete a level to find out what happens next as it’s a cliché war style ‘move in, kill em all and take over the land’ type of deal. This is despite the game offering a number of game modes. Unreal Tournament has always been a multiplayer game and this doesn’t change one iota with UT3.
For those unfamiliar with the formula, UT pits you against a number of online or AI enemies with various tasks to complete. Matches can range from simple deathmatches through to the ultra complex vehicle CTF. For example, in one level you have to link some nodes, move a tank across a bridge, go through the doors and blow up a base. When did multiplayer first person shooting become so task driven? Vehicle CTF is the biggest addition to the franchise, but it’s also the addition that, for the most part, we don’t like to play.
The PS3 version has had some tweaks made to it as expected. The game does not run as fast in terms of player movement to compensate for the fact that most people will be using the SIXAXIS control. It is entirely possible to plug a USB keyboard and mouse and use it, but Epic smartly went with the option that most will use the default controls. Because of this, Unreal Tournament does not seem as fast paced as it once did and the PC version is easily the best one to play in this regard.
That however is not the game’s biggest problem. The game’s biggest problem is that the formula of Unreal Tournament is getting old. There is no doubt that Unreal Tournament III was  produced almost as a tech demo by Epic to show what you can do with Unreal Engine 3.0 which they are busily licensing around the place, and while UT is a solid quality game, it just doesn’t do much in the way of new experiences and within a few hours you will be sitting there thinking “I’ve seen this all before”.
For those who manage to get past the fact UT really hasn’t changed that much other than vehicle CTF, there is a number of options to keep it going. Mutators (small mods which change the gameplay) have been retained including the ever popular ‘instagib’, which leads to one hit kills. Other mutators include ability to change the appearance of the characters, and other ways that change up the gameplay.
Where Epic have succeeded in an epic (excuse the pun) is the downloadable content. Any user with the PC version of Unreal Tournament III and the editor can produce content for both systems. You download the mod
on the internet, put it on a USB stick and upload it to your PS3 for play. This means that the game has an almost unlimited amount of download content. There is a limit that can be hit and restricts the system to PC, but if Epic sees it’s popular enough it appears they will work with the author to bring the mod to the PS3.
The levels of the game are also one of the more positive points. One minute you can be fighting in a feudal japan style environment, the next in an urban environment late at night. This is one aspect the game really succeeds by mixing up the environments and options for each game mode. Also, the game is truly visually stunning. With support for 1080p, the PS3 version may not hit the heady heights of the PC version, but it comes awfully close and considering the game does not miss a beat with its frame rate, this is quite an accomplishment.
There are both good and bad parts to the Unreal Tournament 3 PS3 port. If you’ve never played a UT game before you are likely to play the game for a while, but those familiar with the series will be wondering where all the new features went. Epic have a winner in this franchise but next time they head back to the Unreal Tournament universe a lot will have to change, otherwise the series will be stale and the PC and PS3 will lose yet another top franchise to stale gameplay.
 
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