Unreal Tournament has been one of the premier online shooter franchises of the past decade, even eclipsing the original Unreal series from which it’s spun-off in terms of success. Now, the latest highly-anticipated title in the series has released and does what it sets out to do, making a solid and engaging multiplayer-centric shooter that lives up to the standard set out by its predecessors. However, those expecting a complete departure from the rest of the series won’t find it here, as the majority of the gameplay feels very familiar. Still, if you’re a fan, then Unreal Tournament III should be a worthy investment.

Unreal Tournament III has six different game modes, many of which are returning from previous games. There are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Vehicle Capture the Flag, Duel, and Warfare. The game has a single-player campaign that’s set into a thin storyline, which essentially serves as a tutorial for the game modes.

The game feels very familiar if you’re a fan of the series, but it does do a few things differently than the rest. For starters, the use of vehicles is a lot more prominent in UT3. The game has a vehicle-based Capture the Flag mode, which follows the same CTF ruleset, but adds more of a focus on the use of vehicles throughout the larger maps. Another new vehicle feature is the hoverboard, which gives you a quicker way to get back to your homebase in the CTF games. Simply hit the Q button and your character will switch to the third-person hoverboard controls. This allows you to move a lot faster, but it also causes some problems. You’ll be more vulnerable to damage, and a single hit will have you barreling off of your hoverboard and susceptible to more damage. Additionally, you can’t attack while on the board, and the controls aren’t quite as tight as they’d be on-foot. Therefore, you need to be sure that you aren’t somewhere that you could easily be knocked down by gunfire before you try using your hoverboard.

The main new addition to the game is the inclusion of the Assault mode. Like the Onslaught mode in the last game, Warfare involves attacking your opponent’s power nodes while protecting your own from destruction. The difference stems from capturing other nodes throughout the map in order to give you better spawning points, a la Battlefield. The end result takes the strategy-based play of BF and applies the frantic pace of UT for a pretty engaging and deep experience.

One problem with the game’s single-player component is the weak AI. While solo gameplay has never really been the focus of the Unreal Tournament franchise, the weak AI really stands out in the game’s campaign. Your comrades seldom make much of a contribution to the outcome of the match, making poor choices either defensively or offensively and not really capable of driving vehicles properly in VCTF battles. You’ll find yourself doing most of the work in the single-player mode, which can get a bit annoying.

Fortunately, those who pick up Unreal Tournament III will more than likely be picking it up for the multiplayer combat, which is where the payoff for UT3 really lies. The game’s various modes allow for fast-paced action and huge battles, well in line with the intensity and multiplayer fun that is the series’ bread and butter. The matches are fast and smooth, with minimal lag or slowdown.

Considering that the game had a new engine built from the ground up for it, Unreal Tournament III really shines through graphically. The Unreal Engine 3 looks phenomenal, as does the art direction for the game. The large maps are fully realized, with tons of intricate details and great effects. The character and vehicle models also look fantastic, with some cool animations and detailed textures. The game is also very scalable, and performs exceptionally well on mid-range PCs with a few options turned down.

The sound effects are also pretty good, as is the score, which fits in well with the mood of the game. The voice acting is the same typical brand of trash-talk that we’ve come to expect from the series. The problem is that this can get repetitive and grating after a while, and after the last “pwnage” snide remark, you might want to turn off the sounds altogether.

Unreal Tournament III functions as it’s meant to: a beautiful, fast-paced online shooter with some great gameplay modes and diverse maps. While not terribly far removed from its predecessor, the game holds up quite well against the current batch of PC shooters. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed.

Gameplay: 8.5
While not a revolution over the other games in the Unreal Tournament series, UT3 plays great and offers up some nice new additions in the way of game modes. The gameplay isn’t perfect, as the bits of story elements aren’t terribly well-developed and the bot AI in the single player campaign is spotty, but the game still does a fine job of being a compelling and frantic online shooter.

Graphics: 9.5
Unreal Tournament III looks great, with excellent textures, character models and environments. The lighting effects are also superb, showcasing the Unreal Engine 3 in all of its glory. The game is very scalable as well, and capable of running on many computers with good framerates.

Sound: 8.0
Some good sound effects and thematic music, but the voice work does get a bit grating at points.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.5
Unreal Tournament III doesn’t change the formula around from its predecessors, but stands up well among the current crop of PC shooters.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Being a multiplayer shooter by principle, Unreal Tournament III works best online, where the variety of modes and maps play quite well.

Overall: 8.5
Unreal Tournament III is a solid shooter and a great entry to the UT franchise. While not a huge departure for the series, it still is a ton of fun to play online.