Unreal Tournament 3

Really Good but not quite Great

I love Unreal Tournament, and I am a huge fan of UT2004. Unreal Tournament 3 isn't quite up to it's predecessor's standards, but it's still one fine shooter. The graphics are much improved and - contrary to my comments in my preview - not too dark to be enjoyed. The gameplay is solid and the options are good, but there are a few things holding this back from being a top-tier death match title.

As far as what UT3 does right, there's allot to talk about. The weapons all have a great feel to them and have a satisfying kick when fired. They also deal out serious punishment, which is nice. I for one am glad to see the lightning gun gone. I was never a fan of it, and much prefer the sniper rifle. I do wish they'd brought back UT's Ripper, though. The vehicles are, as a whole, great. I like the improvements made to the Scorpion and there's little to not like about driving the Darkwalker (fighting it is fun, too). The Raptor seems a little weaker this time around, but that's not a killer. The hoverboard is handy, I feel, and I can't help but wish it handled more like a skateboard (grinding, flipping, etc).

The controls are very, very solid. The only complaint I have is that I personally don't like to play with the dodge function on, and there's no way to turn it off. I have a habit of tapping the directional keys to perfect a spot, and with dodge on, I jump in the direction I'm trying to fine-tune and end up screwing myself up royal.

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