$20 Game of the Week: Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PS3)

Note: This game is also available on Xbox 360, but not for the $20 price tag. It has exclusive maps and characters, but there is no support for user-generated content like in the PC and Playstation 3 versions.

Unreal Tournament was one of the first FPS game to focus exclusively on competitive multiplayer. Offering modes such as Assault, Capture the Flag, and Domination, Unreal Tournament gave gamers more than just the standard “kill everyone else as many times as you can” deathmatch modes seen in other FPS titles’ multiplayer components. Subsequent entries in the series have added more unique gameplay types, far-out locales, and even vehicles. Unreal Tournament’s unique weaponry, excellent graphics, and modding capabilities made the series a hit amongst gamers and critics as well. Unreal Tournament 3 (which is actually the fourth Unreal Tournament game) is no exception, and it has the added bonus of having the awesome power of the Unreal Engine 3 behind it.

UT3’s backdrop attempts to give the game a darker atmosphere. The Necris, a group of undead humans reanimated by nanomachines, have wreaked havoc across the galaxy. Thus, the tournament is no longer about entertainment, but survival. The game’s single player mode centers around a group of mercenaries known as the Ronin, whose colony has been destroyed by the Necris. There is a storyline, but it’s mostly used to introduce players to the game’s modes and weapons. Several of the modes from previous games such as bombing run, assault, and onslaught have been dropped, but classic modes such as Deathmatch and Capture the Flag remain.

The real show of this package is the mod support. The mod tools have been included with the PC version of the game, and with a downloadable plug-in, they are cross-compatible with the PS3. If you do a search on sites such as http://planetunreal.gamespy.com, you can find all types of cool stuff, such as new maps, characters, and game modes. One mod turns Unreal into a side-scrolling 2-d game, and another adds new gametypes. Players have even imported character models for Metroid’s Samus Aran and Halo’s Master Chief onto their PS3! PS3 users can even play with their mouse and keyboard. UT 3 brings back more of the fast-paced FPS action that players expect from the series, and brings in an unprecedented level of mod support and graphical power. If only Microsoft wouldn’t be so harsh about its support of user-created content, then Xbox 360 gamers would be able to enjoy some of the nicer stuff coming from the fan community as well.