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Unreal Tournament 3

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8.1 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 41 critic reviews
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Based on 314 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Midway

Developer: Epic Games

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Action

Players: 32

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: November 19, 2007

Summary

Players assume the role of a futuristic warrior engaged in contests of intense shooting battles against skilled opponents, controlled either by human contestants online or by A.I. These contests are fought with the most powerful sci-fi weapons and vehicles.Unparalleled graphical and physical realism from the latest Unreal Engine 3 technology delivers the most compelling First Person Shooter Experience to-date...online and offline. The weaponry is bigger and badder than ever. Destroy your opponent from a distance with the ever popular Link Gun or blast away at close range with the Bio Rifle. Battle against lightening fast A.I. in the deeper and richer single player tournament mode. Expanded Onslaught game type features two complete sets of high-tech vehicles, including the massive Leviathan, the terrifying Darkwalker, and a completely new way to get into the action...the Hoverboard. Fight side-by-side with or compete against new and returning characters from the UT franchise, all with enhanced abilities, extremely detailed looks and distinct personalities. Enhanced popular game types, including: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Instagib CTF and more. Unreal Tournament 2007 provides seamless loading on servers in addition to improved matchmaking for more evenly matched competitors. Bundled with the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 Toolset. Build your own levels, gametypes, and more, or download the latest mods from the massive Unreal community. [Midway]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Unreal Tournament Unreal Tournament 2003 Unreal Tournament 2004

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameFAQs

Also On The Web: GameSpot Preview Official Game Site Predict this Metascore

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Game Chronicles

Thankfully, the new weapons and vehicles really mask most of the sameness, and the massively complex levels are easily the best of any in the genre. Even after hours and hours of gameplay I can still get lost in them.

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GameStar

No character classes, no terrorists, no Second World-War, no AK-47 and no rewards. Do we want to play that? Oh yes! Once you launch the game and join a match, you simply can't stop playing.

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Pelit (Finland)

Super-fast fun. New engine makes the shooting look absolutely amazing and some balance fine-tuning fix the few things that didn't work in the 2004 version. The new hoverboard especially is a great addition; with it you can zip back to the action in seconds and there is no boring downtime anymore. [Dec 2007]

Game Informer

The game excels at everything from simple deathmatching to complex objective-driven campaigns. [Dec 2007, p.154]

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IGN

If you've been playing the series all along, expect the same sort of thing only with a sparkling graphical luster. If you've never played this game before, do so immediately. It's still one of the best shooters on the market, even if it seems to be bumping against the boundaries of its potential.

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GameDaily

The high system requirements might turn some people off, but something has to power the jaw-dropping graphics and highly detailed environments. The new version of Unreal Tournament has a few things that long time players will need to get used to, but the one thing that hasn't changed is incredibly fast-paced and addictive action.

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GamePro

So here's the real question: Does UT3 live up to high bar set by its prestigious predecessors? On a gameplay level, absolutely but on a visual level, it doesn't leave as lasting an impression. If you were a fan of the previous games, particularly the first Unreal Tournament, then UT3 is a definite must-buy.

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PC Zone UK

Its single-player campaign may be weak and forgettable, but its true genius lies in the untouchable quality of its firefights, its splendiferous visuals, diverse level design, massive attention to detail and downright awesome vehicles and weapons. [Jan 2008, p.60]

GotNext

The quality design will give this the staying power it needs, as long as the community is there to support it.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

Ultimately it’s shiny, it’s new and it’s a majorly streamlined edition of a much-played online game. The esoteric game modes are gone and there are considerably less maps, but those that there are are generally of the highest standard.

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PC Gamer UK

This is UT3's contribution to the formula: spectacle, drama, mad heroics. Hurling yourself on the enemy Orb like it's a live grenade, dodging bullets on the hoverboard as you escape with the flag, bailing from an explosive bike aimed at the enemy's star player, and yeah, hanging from a flying metal octopus. That's why it's essential, even in spite of the AI shortcomings.

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GameTrailers

If you have no friends and no broadband connection then UT III will be a snore. When twitching out against opponents around the globe it can be as addictive, and deep, as video games come.

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AtomicGamer

From the sheer number of maps to the entertaining gameplay modes and overall presentation, Unreal Tournament 3 is a winner.

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Play.tm

This game is pure, unadulterated, ultra-violent fun, and should perhaps be compulsory for anyone who needs a bit of stress relief in their life, or have an urge to shoot aliens for no other reason than because they can.

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Cheat Code Central

UT3 is visually stunning and the action is non-stop. It's hard to find much to seriously complain about once you drop in and start annihilating opponents in the huge number of high-quality maps with awesome vehicles and a variety of decent play modes. Epic doesn't reinvent the wheel here, but it does give players a fresh update on a classic old-school design that will keep you fragging long into the night.

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PC Format

Expect no surprises, but do expect a polished multiplayer shooter and the perfect basis for some memorable matches. [Jan 2008, p.62]

Games Master UK

It may be a little too hardcore for some people, but you won't find a better online shooter. [Jan 2007, p.66]

YouGamers

A fine shooter with multitude of game modes and maps, just not quite as polished as "Team Fortress 2."

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PC Gamer

Those of you still playing UT2K4 won't find many core gameplay changes in UT3; the advancces here are primarily aesthetic. [Feb 2008, p.66]

PTGamers

If you like to play online against other players, but without the hassle of learning team tactics, then Unreal Tournament III is one of your safest bets.

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GameSpot

Unreal Tournament 3 doesn't make huge changes to the formula, but still ends up feeling fresh, fast, and very fun.

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GameZone

The gameplay isn’t perfect, as the bits of story elements aren’t terribly well-developed and the bot AI in the single player campaign is spotty, but the game still does a fine job of being a compelling and frantic online shooter.

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Gamer 2.0

If you’re a fan of the Unreal series and have a computer that can run it, there’s really no reason for you not to own this game.

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Worth Playing

It may not be as revolutionary as some may have hoped, but UT3 continues to deliver that little extra something with which FPS aficionados can test their reflexes.

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GamingTrend

Vanilla Deathmatch, kick-ass graphics, and Warfare just aren’t going to cut it, even if it comes from the people who brought you "Gears of War."

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Yahoo! Games

It's a fast-paced online deathmatch game with few bells and fewer whistles, featuring essentially the same weapon lineup it's had for ten years.

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PC PowerPlay

UT3 has all the elements of a solid, well-executed deathmatch multiplayer game, with a passable singleplayer campaign and some vehicle modes bolted on. [Jan 2008, p.41]

PALGN

It may not be so much a stride than a baby step for the series, but Unreal Tournament III still manages to provide a solid return for pure hectic multiplayer entertainment.

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Edge Magazine

Irrespective of talent, taste, spare time or even online connectivity, it has something for anyone with even a tingle in their trigger finger. [Jan 2008, p.78]

games(TM)

Epic’s latest beauty was designed for the online world and that’s where it belongs, so make sure you take it there – the likelihood is that you won’t regret it. [Jan 2008, p.120]

Game Almighty

UT3 is quick, fun, violent, and positively a blast to play, despite a couple minor shortcomings.

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GameSpy

If you're a longtime Unreal Tournament, fan, you'll find plenty to like in UT3 -- just keep in mind it's not the instant classic its predecessor was. With any luck, that will be remedied with the next UT release -- hopefully we won't have to wait another three years for it.

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Eurogamer

Drop into servers, start killing people, it's so natural to habitual gamers these days that it's hard to quantify how familiar and welcome these experiences are. With the sheer range of death-mongering that UT3 provides, it's hard not to get into the spirit of things. So yeah, Unreal Tournament pretty much remains The Daddy: consistent, meaty, and just weird enough to survive.

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VideoGamer

UT3 really is a stunning-looking game that's only really surpassed in terms of visuals by recent PC-killer Crysis.

GameTap

Messing around with UT3 made me realize that I kind of miss this deliberate throwback to super-fast multiplayer.

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Boomtown

With little additions to the franchise, a decent but not mammoth amount of maps, and some pretty standard gametypes saved by Warfare (that I’m not even so keen on) it’s only the extension to the Single Player Campaign that saves the score from being considered little more than an expansion pack.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

The game's A-ticket attractions are the massive, ornate battlegrounds where opponents compete in objective-based clashes. Gorgeous alien landscapes play host to massive turf battles between factions vying for power nodes. These mêlées come stocked with a mind-boggling variety of weapons and vehicles, greatly reducing the rinse, lather, repeat burnout that comes in online shooters with less to do and smaller places to do it.

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Game Over Online

When I first began my review of UT3, I was very excited by all of it: the new graphics, the little changes that they had made to Onslaught, the inclusion of the personal hoverboard. The more I’ve played it however the more like UT2k4 it plays, and I’m left wondering what we were waiting over three and a half years for.

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1UP

It's still a good game -- lovely, and a little tired. But these days, even a favorite old dog like UT needs to learn more than a few new tricks.

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Thunderbolt

It's still worth buying UT3, for those who enjoy modding and hacking. For everyone else: there have been far better PC games this season.

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Game Revolution

It’s hard to really judge a game that hands its users a comprehensive modding kit. Because in six months, many of my complaints may be completely nullified by the modding community. Out of the box, however, Unreal Tournament 3 is a mediocre presentation, and brings little new to the table.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 314 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[anonymous] gave it a7:
no one plays this online? barely anybody lets say that. ooh Ahh the graphics aren't near what the screen shots are posted in ads for it. I even run maxed out graphics and don't see it. failure

JacK A gave it a9:
Awesome engine, speed, and gameplay from an awesome developer. This game is awesome.

Brody Guest gave it a5:
Game LOOKS amazing and plays well as any other unreal tournament game, but living in australia there is no-one to play online with :(

Alex B gave it a4:
I wonder how many people who gave this "9 or 10" have played UT'99 or 2K3/4. If you have, I don't follow your logic, because I can't find anything much to like about this game. Firstly, the graphics scalability is truly terrible, if that was the only problem, then big deal, sometimes you need an incentive to play a good game, and if UT3 was good, then this would be a relatively minor issue. However, the gameplay is not good. For the single player we have the campaign and instant action. If you're prepared to fight through the tournament ladder like every previous installment of UT, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. Instead you're going to be treated to some kind of war, complete with aliens. "But wait" said someone on the committee who were tasked with designing "how on earth does this make any sense with Unreal Tournament?". This person was fired, and development continued. Now, I'm not a developer myself, but I do know something about dictionaries. Just to see if I wasn't mistaking myself, I then looked up tournament on wikipedia. I came up with this definition "A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game." - does this storyline fit that criteria? No. But hey, what do I know. I digress, the "campaign" is basically an angst-driven kid who hates someone because she tried to kill him, so he goes off on a crusade to kill her, will he have successes? Who Knows? Who Cares? Next time, remove the pre-rendered cutscenes and let's just have a tournament. I've spent a good amount of time ranting about this game, and havn't got to the gameplay. Most of the weapons are there from previous titles, you won't find anything new - some have been tweaked a bit, the redeemer and impact hammer are back from UT99, and adrenaline has been removed (a mixed blessing, kill streaks are almost meaningless now, whilst before you were rewarded for doing well). There are more "super powerups" (berserk is now a pickup, for example) and other various things that could probably easily be performed with mutators on 2k4. Nothing feels better, quite a lot feels worse. The bot AI is horrible, on the single player, you often need to get about 4 or 5 times the number of kills than your bot friends to win. Almost certainly - you will be the one pulling the weight, capturing the flag, attacking their base, etc. At launch, UT3 came with 3 gamemodes. There was deathmatch (Including team deathmatch,and duel - which is deathmatch for 2 players at a time), Capture the Flag (most of the maps were vehicle capture the flag, which means hoverboards, which means the worst design choice ever, having a 3rd person view on a first person shooter), and Warfare (a cut down version of onslaught, which is heavily "orb central" - this is not an improvement, apparently it's meant to incorperate elements from assault, but these aren't really noticeable in any way, just an occasional side-objective). 2 more were added later, Greed (a toned-up version of a custom gamemode for 2k4), and Betrayal (Instagib death-match with a small twist, you can "betray" allies to claim a "pot" of shared kills, fun - but not much to write home about). That's it, notice that there's no Bombing Run, Domination (of either kind), Assault, Invasion or Last man standing. Whilst there are some good new maps, most of the maps that you know and love are gone (there's no Facing Worlds, the Deck remake doesn't really feel like any of the other Deck maps, and I actually felt offended when I started to play Torlan, due to what they'd done to it). The AI in this title are horrible, I was hardly able to use the rocket launcher in 2k4, because of the fact that most of the AI dodged the projectiles, and therefore other weapons were more effective. In UT3, the rocket launcher makes it's triumphant return, as you blow enemies to smithereens who can't dodge at all. Friendly AI is just as bad, with your teamates dying whilst trying to regroup in TDM, and causing you to lose as a result (when you are forced to lower your difficulty settings even though you're scoring 5 times as much as any of your team members, we have a problem). Overall, do not buy this game, instead - have a look at the exceptionally good Unreal Tournament 2004. There are plenty of good mods and maps for it, and you'll have a game that uses a colour palliate that is better than "grey, brown and brown disguised as red". An unfortunate departure for the series, and I'm truly sorry if this is your first UT game.

Michael gave it a9:
Once you tune the settings for your PC, this game is pretty sweet. I love the campaign mode. This game is great graphics with lots of action. I found that if I run the game as administrator on Vista, I don't have the system shutdowns that sometimes happen.

Ari G gave it a9:
Very fun game. It's fast action, and takes a bit to learn the strategy of it, but isn't that the fun?! Really go just pack it in boom start it up action.

Justin B gave it a10:
This is an exceptional game. Reminds me of quake 3. The co-op play is the best i have ever played. So much fun.

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