Though it's still generally perceived as a PC series, Unreal Tournament is no stranger to consoles -- just look at spin-offs like Unreal Championship or its Liandri Conflict sequel on Xbox, or the version of Unreal Tournament that was brought to the PS2 in 2000. Despite those console titles being well received amongst reviewers, never has Unreal really taken root amongst the console crowd, who, if sales numbers are any indication, are more than happy to stick with their Halo. Yet console versus PC loyalties don't appear to count for much anymore. Big franchises like Half-Life and Call of Duty, series which started off on PC, have gradually made their way over to consoles and fared quite well, particularly in Call of Duty's case. Now with Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3, releasing earlier this week, a few weeks after the PC version, we find a title that looks fantastic, runs well and makes strides to narrow the gap between what's possible on PC and what gamers should expect on consoles.
Since the first UT was released on PC in 1999 and its sequels, UT 2003 and UT 2004, the series' main draw has never changed, and the same remains true with UT 3. It's an online-focused shooter requiring blazingly fast reflexes. The PS3 version has been noticeably slowed down in comparison to the PC, but it's still amongst the most frantic FPS experiences out there, in addition to being hopelessly, endearingly nonsensical.
Control options are up to the user - either Sixaxis or USB keyboard and mouse support. Both control rather well, but anyone used to the precision mouse and keyboard controls on the PC will notice a slight amount of mouse lag when turning and looking in the PS3 version. It's nothing that ruins the experience, but it can be aggravating when trying to make quick, precise aiming movements. Then again, some would argue anyone playing this on PS3 shouldn't be trying to use a mouse and keyboard in the first place, so such an observation likely won't affect users' perception of the game anyway. Sliders have been included in-game for adjusting player turn speeds as well as thumbstick and mouse sensitivity, so you'll likely find some happy medium for character control. And once you set everything to your liking, you'll find the Sixaxis handles the action extremely well.
UT's control scheme isn't quite standard fare. To mesh with the game's exaggerated sci-fi visual style, you're given the ability to double-jump, dodge to the side, and dodge off walls. With both Sixaxis and keyboard/mouse setups, tapping jump twice will perform a double-jump, but dodging is handled a bit differently. Instead of double-tapping anything, you just move to the left or right and hit jump. This system works just fine for the console version, though if you do decide to try out a keyboard and happen to have played the PC UT's of the past, it'll feel odd when you realize double-tapping A or D doesn't dodge. There's also no crouch in this version - your character just auto-crouches when near a space that requires it.
Then there's the mod support, which you can't actually use yet. Even so, it's yet another feature that's working to close the gap between console and PC gaming. With UT3, it's definitely something console gamers should take notice of and, whenever Epic releases the tools, take advantage of. The UT community on PC is as hardcore as they come and quite capable of producing top-quality, free content, available from spots like this, so keep an eye out.
Players will find a few more differences with the PS3 version. While the recent 1.1 patch for PC streamlined the in-game menus and interface to a degree, you're stuck with the old menus in the PS3 version. Though they can at times be irritating, the often clunky menus really aren't that big a deal, especially when compared to UT3's fantastic gameplay. There is support for Sixaxis tilt control, but only with the hoverboards and redeemer missiles, which is…pointless. Superfluous, inconsistent complications are just about the last thing you'd want while playing this kind of game.
For those concerned their keyboard and mouse-using peers online might dominate their controller skills, fear not. If you're hosting a game (which includes the option to run a dedicated server), you can choose whether or not to allow keyboard and mouse users to join. If you're just browsing the server list, you'll see an icon indicating whether keyboard and mouse support is enabled in the server, so you can make the appropriate choice regarding where to jump in.
As we've already said a few times, this game looks absolutely gorgeous on the PS3 and runs remarkably well. It has to be reassuring to PS3 owners, after seeing several ports perform so poorly, for Epic to resoundingly prove that with some effort games can look beautiful and maintain a solid framerate. It did dip for us offline from time to time on larger maps with the maximum number of bots, but that doesn't particularly detract from Epic's accomplishment.
Don't expect much of a single-player experience out of this game. There's a story involving a Marcus Fenix look-alike named Reaper who fights the Necris, an evil alien race, but it's a shallow, forgettable narrative. Essentially it exists to tie together the large number of maps and modes for users to get used to before heading online or into Instant Action against customizable and generally intelligent bots. You can, however, play through the campaign co-operatively by hosting a public server when you launch a game, or browse for open campaign servers to join.
Unreal's unrelenting action has always been a draw for the series, yet with UT 2004 Epic dramatically expanded the series' range of gameplay with the much larger maps and vehicles of onslaught mode. While UT 3 doesn't offer the same kind of dramatic shift in focus as UT 2004, it does offer a more complex and ultimately more enjoyable version of onslaught, called warfare. In it, you try to capture a series of nodes in succession to open up the enemy base to attack. Warfare mode features many of the same vehicles from UT 2004, such as the goliath tank and hellbender truck, but makes things more interesting by inserting a number of new Necris machines. These include a stealth tank that can drop mines, shields, and time-slowing fields, a giant spidery walker with punishing laser cannons, hoverbikes, and freakish crawling orbs.
Another tweak to onslaught's gameplay is a tiny glowing orb, which has a more significant impact than you might initially suspect. Picking it up precludes hopping into any vehicle, but you can jump onto your hoverboard to quickly reach a target. Orbs work to instantly capture nodes or, if you already possess a node, render it invulnerable while you're in the vicinity. When you throw in special types of nodes, such as countdown nodes that produce varying special effects or others that spawn otherwise inaccessible vehicles, you've got quite a bit to concern yourself with. Onslaught veterans will feel right at home here, but warfare may be a little intimidating to newcomers, especially once they find themselves defending against a Leviathan for the first time. Though it may be daunting, don't let that turn you away - this is an excellent multiplayer mode. Its node-capture concept is simple enough, and the added depth of the vehicles, orbs, and special types of nodes add plenty of replayability.
Aside from warfare, you get the more traditional modes of deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag. These focus more on the blistering action UT is known for, and should prove to be wildly entertaining for those who've never played any of these games to begin with. There are also duel and vehicle capture the flag modes, the latter of which includes the new Necris vehicles for a more wide-open, unpredictable CTF experience.
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