Unreal Tournament III
Rating:  -
Just didn't live up to my expectations. They left to much for the mod community to finish off, especially to have 3 years to work on it.
Rating:  -
Wow did this one take a while to come out. I have to say that I am very impressed with my short time playing it. I have tried it on a EVGA 7800 KO and with 2 7800 GT KO's in SLI. The performance was perfectly fine with just one card running. It really looks great and I really enjoy the new movement that is more realistic and doesn't let you do crazy stuff like double jump in the air.
I enjoy the team play aspect of the game more than the deathmatch or duels. I really like the new team vehicle CTF game. The controls are easy and intuitive so figuring them out does not put a big learning curve in the way of you getting into the game right away.
I did not think the shooting was nerfed to make it easier like one reviewer said and the bots are definately a challenge. You better work your way through a few levels of bots above the "Average" skill before you try your luck with real life players. I mean unless you just enjoy being pulverized the second you respawn.
Also love the option for the server owner to select "forced respawn". Clicking this will make players come back into the game instantly after they are fragged. That way a few bad apples can't slow the game down by refusing to respawn so you can pwn them some more. I never started a server on UT2004, so I don't remember if that was there or not before, but I do remember that if it was some server owners didn't select it.
Here is a list of the changes for the first patch that th Unreal team is working on. This will let you know what some of the shortcomings on the game are before you buy it this holiday season. I am sure they will be issuing it soon, and it's nice to know they are working on it already.
Gameplay:
Fixed scaling of certain player meshes (increased in size some human and robot meshes). *Addresses meshes being smaller than collision box, as well as eyeheight issues.
Increased hellbender rear turret damage.
Reduced Goliath machine gun spread, plus slight damage increase.
Slightly increased momentum taken for damage by mantas and vipers.
Flak, Rocket, and Shock do slightly more damage to manta and viper.
AI:
Improved bot AI with darkwalker.
Tweaked bot voice message frequencies.
Bot aiming tweaks.
Fixed looking around while spectating a vehicle.
Server Browser:
Implemented "Server History" tab page in server browser, with ability to "lock" favorites on that page.
Added 'Join as spectator' feature.
Server browser uses smaller font to display more servers.
Fixed custom mutators not appearing in server browser.
Fixed custom gametypes not displayed in server browser's window.
Fixed server browser's listed MaxPlayers being incorrect.
Added filter option for dedicated servers.
Fixed server browser showing an incorrect goal score and time limit when the .ini values were used.
User Interface:
Can now save settings/progress even if have never created a profile.
Added ping and connect time to scoreboard.
Removed annoying confirmation menu when starting a game.
Removed unnecessary top settings page (can use tabs at the top of the settings to navigate).
Added a Messages tab to the mid game menu.
Friends messages now saved until explicitly deleted.
Finer control over mouse sensitivity, using an edit box instead of a slider.
Added framerate smoothing and FOV options to the advanced video menu.
Increased max players/bots in menus to 32.
Fixed auto switching to vote menu at end of match.
Improved mid game menu performance (don't render world behind it).
HUD:
Added the killer weapon to victim messages.
Fixed flag and orb scaling in minimap at high resolutions.
Fixed node teleporter not showing "You can't teleport with orb" message on clients.
Fixed situations where "get in vehicle" pictograph wouldn't work correctly.
Still draw the clock on the scoreboard after the game is over.
Fixed Duel HUD issues.
Rating:  -
This game just in not what it used to be. Epic has dropped the ball on this by trading eye candy for gameplay. The weapons are cumbersome as is the movement. No accuracy is needed anymore as the weapons have also been nerfed so bad it is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Translocator, what a joke. You can run the distance on foot faster and longer than it actually shoots. I was really hoping this would be a great game. Disappointed~
Rating: -
Games that are as long awaited as UT3 always bear the inherent danger of becoming over-hyped and to inevitably disappoint in the end. Well, this is NOT the case with this game. UT3 ROCKS!
Graphically you have not seen anything that beautiful this year! Surfaces, shadows and explosions are just GORGEOUS! Yes, I liked the graphics even more than those in CRYSIS (and I gave CRYSIS a raving review - check it out if you like): they are crisper and even more atmospheric.
Fans of the UT-series will meet again all our old ...friends: the Bio Rifle, the Link Gun, the Shock Rifle, the Flak Cannon (my favorite!), the Rocket Launcher and the Sniper Rifle. New additions are the Enforcer (to replace the under-used Assault rifle) and the Impact Hammer (replacing the shield gun). An interesting twist: hitting an enhanced target with the Impact Hammer's alternative fire will drop his power-up for you to grab!
SuperWeapons are also at our disposal, both the Redeamer and the new Target Painter.
The number of available vehicles has been enriched as well. Besides the Axon vehicles from UT2004 (which have been renovated), a new Necris set is available: vehicles that demonstrate novel behaviors, yet are beautifully balanced with the Axon set.
What is really impressive once more are the environments. You have to see them to believe them...! And the skies...! I have not seen more breathtaking skies ever since, well, the original UNREAL.
Since this is a pretty demanding game, once the rockets start flying do not trust that by meeting the Minimum requirements you will be cruising. So, here are the official RECOMMENDED requirements:
· Pentium 2.4GHz Dual-Core (or AMD equivalent)
· 1GB of RAM
· nVIDIA 7800GTX (or ATI x1300 equivalent)
· 8 GB of HDD space
· WinXp (SP2) or WinVISTA
CRYSIS is surely getting a run for its money for GAME OF THE YEAR!
I cannot imagine anyone not enjoying this...
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Rating: -
As a hardcore Unreal aficionado since the very first version way back in 1998, and having followed the changes with every subsequent release, I had an idea of what to expect with Unreal Tournament III - faster gameplay, more eye-popping graphics, better AI, etc. But how could they improve on Unreal Tournament 2004, one of the most heralded arena shooters of all time?
The most immediately obvious change from UT2004 is the graphics - even without the DirectX 10-enabled video card, you still get sunlight reflecting off of water, textured stone and soil, and as remarkably photorealistic visuals as featured in the preview images and videos. The 50+ bundled maps help show it all off with more symmetrical and organic design, and WAY more built-in visual gimmickry (neon lights, plasma fields, etc) than was featured in 2004; anything in the game that could be made shinier, flashier, or just generally more impressive looking has been given serious and creative attention to detail. But even with those details set to minimum in the graphics options, you'll want an NVidia 7800 series or better for a playable game experience (8800 or better for max details). Sound-wise, some of 2004's better sound effects have been used again here, and this is the first shooter I can think of where I've actually left the music on; it's more like soft background ambience than music, and it changes in tempo and intensity with events in the game such as taking damage and kills.
Gameplay is largely unchanged, but with a few nice additions and a whole lot more speed - you'd better bring your "A-game" and some caffeine or you'll never keep up with what's happening. As with most new incarnations of Unreal, the transition from an older version (or other older/slower shooters) takes quite a bit of practice just to build up your reflexes for the huge leap in game pace. Every aspect of the game has been made faster from vehicles to melees to even just walking - on larger maps, every player has a Hoverboard, a hovering skateboard device, so even without a vehicle you can quickly cruise from one side of a map to the other (but without a weapon while in use, though you can use it while carrying the flag in Capture The Flag). Those of you who need or like bots in your matches will find the higher-difficulty versions to be remarkably cunning and/or helpful. Enemy bots can fire based on predictions made several steps in advance, and can Shock Combo from vast distances, also often predictively. And teammate bots now give details on where they're going and where enemies are on the map, making them more helpful than a lot of human players.
Little has changed with the gametypes as well, with only the addition of Vehicle Capture the Flag (large-map Capture The Flag with vehicles) and Duel (one-on-one deathmatch). Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture The Flag are still there, and Onslaught has been renamed to Warfare. (The Warfare gametype now also features an "Orb" device which spawns at each team's base, and when used on any unshielded power node, regardless of color or power status, turns it instantly to that team's color with full power.) Single-player Campaign can now also be more than just single-player [see below].
When you do get a vehicle, you'll find they have much snappier responses and can be maneuvered in ways that were never possible in UT2004. The now-smaller Manta can change direction on a dime, the revised Scorpion features an "afterburner" which sends it rocketing at the push of a button (and should it collide with any other vehicle, explodes Kamikaze-style), even the Goliath main battle tank brakes and accelerates so brusquely as to produce suspension nose-dive and -lift. There's also the addition of the dark and alien "Necris" vehicles, such as the several-story tall Darkwalker or the jellyfish-like Fury, all of which effectively double the number of vehicles the game has to offer. And all vehicles now have the ability to take along teammates - a teammate on a hoverboard can "grapple" to any vehicle using a tractor beam of energy and be tethered along a la waterskiing.
Weapons are mostly the same from the previous version while having undergone visual changes. Of note is inherent weapon inaccuracy; unlike 2004 where a perfect aim always meant a perfect hit regardless of the weapon, most of the weapons now are slightly inaccurate, and more so with distance (including vehicle weapons). There's a new class of weapons/devices known as deployables, which include the famous Spider Mines (now laid as a single trap, as opposed to a weapon), a EMP Mine (shuts off all vehicles in the area and sets off their ejection seats), and a Stasis Field (slows down time over a given area). The Double Damage power-up is still part of the game, but now can be knocked free for anyone to pick up if the user is killed, plus there can be more than one per map. There's also a "Berserk" power-up, which doubles the rate of fire of any weapon for a brief time, and even an Invulnerability power-up. And yes, you can have more than one power-up at the same time...
Those of you who enjoy internet battle will be glad to know that UT3's online experience is as fast and as seamless as previous versions; pick your game criteria, pick a server, and you're playing. Also of note is the new "Customize Player" option, which allows you to select and alter various physical details of your avatar, such as armor configuration and clothing, giving you your own unique visual identity. And if you prefer solo playing, the Campaign gametype provides an entire storyline-and-objectives game, though you have the option here also to let others join your Campaign, either by internet or LAN.
So Epic has once again delivered on all counts in this season's faster, harder, better arena shooter, destined to create another bump in hardware sales as gamers rush to update their computers to take in the carnage in its full glory. Highly recommended if you have the video card and reflexes.
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