Unreal Tournament 3 - Xbox360 (From Croydon Guardian)

Unreal Tournament 3 - Xbox360

5:30pm Wednesday 20th August 2008

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Unreal Tournament has always prided itself on being a fast paced and frantic first person shooter.

It practically revolutionized PC gaming, and still retains a loyal and well practiced fan base.

With previous incarnations such as Unreal: The Awakening largely disappointing, fans have eagerly awaited UT3 for many years now.

PC owners have traditionally owned a monopoly over the franchise, as casual gamers were often ill equipped to cater for high spec PC gaming.

Yet this is the first Unreal game to excel on a console, and with this in mind, it is fair to say that UT3 has gone back to basics, giving the gamer an experience far more akin to the 1999 original game.

Where Unreal: The Awakening, concentrated largely on the single player mode, the inclusion of a single player option here seems a token offer, and appears to be used simply to educate the gamer on the workings of the various multiplayer modes.

It is here where the game truly shines, and despite the lack of any story or character development, an increasingly important component for games, UT3’s relentless multiplayer action caters for both newcomers and hardcore fans alike.

Delivering 6 multiplayer modes ranging from single and team deathmatch, to a Warfare and a new dual mode, through X Box live players can easily join games around the globe, and within minutes you’ll find yourself immersed in some kind of gun battle.

The standard Deathmatch pits all-on-all in a variety of environments, all thoughtfully constructed to allow both a tactical approach to bouts while maintaining high octane style fighting.

The inclusion of various vehicles adds a further dimension to the game, and for die hard fans of the franchise, the familiar sight of the bio gun and the rocket launcher will prove a nostalgic return to form.

For those who have never played Unreal before, maybe this will mark the beginning of a second wave of Unreal fans, who will no doubt appreciate this highly anticipated and unhealthily addictive game.

4 stars out of 5