We have been waiting a while for the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament III to arrive in the UK and now it is finally here, but the question is, does this first person shooter helps our next gen console reach new heights or is this game just another dumbed down PC port?

The Unreal series has been with the PC for a long time now, each version squeezing power from even the highest spec of PC’s. Occasionally an Unreal game will transfer to the console market, and whilst fun, you never really get the feel of the PC original in looks and online capability. Thankfully, the console versions have changed all of this. Xbox Live handles the online part really well, and the console also churns out some amazing looking characters and arenas without breaking a sweat.  

Unreal Tournament 3 is mostly an online game so if you don’t have internet connection think twice about getting this title. There is a single player campaign, but this is really a training ground for people new to the series and to also get to grips with the many game types available.

Online is where this baby shines, the lobby is very easy to navigate, showing ping times so you can choose the best for your area, click on this and you’re away.

The pace of UT3 is very fast, requiring cat like reflexes just to stay alive. This is usually the point where console first person shooters fall as the speed does not filter well onto a control pad. Epic however have done a fine job of making the controls work well on this title.

The amount of content shoehorned onto the disc really shows value for money and great production considering this is mainly an online game. There are loads of maps to play through, each varying in size from close quarters to huge open areas. These are played through various locations like caverns, space ships, temples and ruined city streets.  The graphical look of the game is also stunning, going with characters that look a bit like those from Gears of War, these gorillas of men will run around dirty looking streets trying to kill each other without even a thought of slowdown. Some of the newer additions to the Unreal series take on a more biomechanical feel. The Necris vehicles look like living/mechanical modes of destruction and are great fun to use; the Death walker and Viper Hoverbike are both worth a mention. There are also classic modes of travel included like the Jeep with huge blades that can cut down enemies, very brutal indeed. If heavy transport is not your thing then you can always use your hoverboard to travel around. Though this sounds full of 80’s cheese, this is executed really well, and there are points, especially on the larger maps where this item is indispensable.

As with all online games, there are the usual batch of modes to play, deathmatch, team deathmatch, duel and capture the flag make welcome returns, but Epic have also added two new types, and hopefully they will be around for a while, these are Warfare and Vehicle Capture the Flag. Warfare really make for great team battles, its up to the team to capture a node point, once captured you will need to defend from the enemies but also send out troops to capture new areas as the more you gain the better weapons and vehicles are available to use, giving you the upper hand.   

The Xbox 360 version of the game offers some extras over the previously released PS3 version, for as well as including five additional maps and new characters, there is also a brand new 2-player split screen mode, meaning that you and a friend can both frag people together. You can even take the split screen mode online, which is a great feature to have and this adds so much more to the game. Another bonus to the online split screen is that there is no lag at all, which is reassuring because there is nothing worse than when a game is ruined by slowdown.

If you ever get bored with the basic setting on each map, you have a load of options which you can with, like one shot kills or setting a handicap for the newer, less battle hardened players.

Unreal Tournament 3 is a great benchmark for all other online console shooters; it does everything to the highest possible standard and never drops the ball. It has all of the qualities a top notch PC title will have, but without the high price of the newest possible graphics card to enjoy it. The only area the Xbox 360 loses out to the PC is in the modding where gamers will submit their own maps, however the split screen does go someway to make up for this. So if you are craving for a frag fest, this is definitely the game for you.