Name: Unreal Tournament III
Genre: First Person Shooter
Platform: Windows PC

When it comes to fast paced gunplay few do it as well as the Unreal Tournament series. Since the first title back in the late 90’s, Unreal Tournament has set the bar for over the top, explosive battles. Its focus on multiplayer carnage and fast-as-lightning combat sets it in a class of its own. As the series has moved on it has grown with the times by adding vehicular combat and more gameplay modes, while updating the visuals to keep up to date. With each major upgrade to the series came something new and exciting and I looked forward to what would be added as the game jumped to the Unreal Engine III.

UTIII looks like a larger version of Gears of War in many ways. The characters all have the same gritty look to them, setting the game in a similar melancholy tone. While it doesn’t take place in the same canon as Gears, (sadly) one could mistake that fact. Every level is well modeled with incredible detail – then covered with a large cache of dirt effects and sludge shaders. It looks good and fits the mood.

The smooth visuals don’t slow down the gameplay, as Unreal Tournament III is as hectic as any other game in the series. Characters will zoom across the screen firing rockets while dodging chain gun bullets with no framerate drops. Some games live or die by the engine they are on, and Unreal Tournament is no different. Luckily the large update didn’t change anything big enough to not make the game feel like its predecessors. The problem is not much was changed at all; the entire game feels more like a graphically upgraded expansion then a full sequel.

Unreal Tournament has always kept up with the times. When the Tribes series had players flying around the maps, UT made sure to do it just as well. When Battlefield had fun point-capture game modes, UT added some that were just as good. In the current climate of destructible environments, immersive single player campaigns and innovate gameplay enhancements brought on by better technology, Unreal Tournament III watches with a dull stare, itching its eyes and picking its nose. The additions are minimal and it feels like more time went into making it game console acceptable then making it a full, new experience.

Unlike Unreal Tournament 2004, Unreal Tournament III has a single player campaign; most likely due to the console versions that were due to come out around the same time as the PC one. It is a halfhearted effort, as the single player campaign is little more then team based multiplayer maps with poor cinematics to tie them together. The characters have about as much depth as a Dixie cup and the plot makes me wish I were playing though Crysis again. If Crysis’s single player was gun porn then UTIII’s is a highlight reel.

The resources spent on the Single Player campaign could have gone to better use. Some areas in the game lack as much substance as previous installments and, sadly, some aspects of the games have digressed more then progressed in this sequel. Onslaught, a game mode from the last iteration, has been modified to be simpler and faster. It's now called Warfare, and it will either be hit or miss with fans of the series. It was a miss for me, as I missed the larger, more strategic maps of Onslaught. The more I played the game the more I realized it was just another Unreal Engine III tech demo. With the strides taken in the graphics department it is a shame the game modes haven't seen the same amount of evolution.

Vehicles have gotten a nice update in this installment, making them faster and more fun. The biggest (and smallest) additions are the hoverboard and the Dark Walker. Players in large maps will have permanent access to the hoverboard by pressing a single button. It is faster than running and can jump higher, but while riding it you cannot fire and being hit drops you to the ground, keeping it balanced. Nothing beats riding around like Marty McFly with the enemy's flag as they try desperately to shoot you down. The Dark Walker is the opposite of the hoverboard – a massive tripod with powerful mounted lasers capable of effortlessly laying waste to enemy tanks.

The reason I point these out is because it shows what Unreal Tournament III could have been. Epic is a strong developer with plenty of money in their bank from Gears of War. It is a shame to see them in a strange spot where they want to innovate but are afraid of changing the game too drastically. The new vehicles seem like either a cry out or a test run to see how the public accepts their new ideas. It is this same fear that keeps the game from being more then an incremental upgrade to the UT franchise.

In the end, Unreal Tournament III is better if you haven’t been following the series closely. Fans may want to stick with Unreal Tournament 2004 unless they are really looking to jump to the new graphics engine, because other than that there isn’t much to see here. Some small additions like the option to feign death are interesting in concept, but in execution don’t prove to change the game enough. Even though it is disappointing for a huge fan of the series, Unreal Tournament III is still a fun game and well worth it for FPS enthusiasts.