After it seemed like the UT series was about to become the next Fifa (you know, a new revision every year with hardly any new features added to the mix) with the 2003 and 2004 releases, things got quiet. It took 3 years for the next installment to be finally ready and thankfully Epic decided to drop the release year naming convention and returned to a more standard, numerical naming. But is that big III behind the Unreal Tournament name and logo all that this new version delivers, or did the upgrade to the Unreal Engine 3.0 bring more?
The return of the Necris
UT games were never big on stories. In fact, the only back story provided so far was that the Liandri corporation, a huge interplanetary conglomerate was sponsoring billion dollar tournaments with the goal of finding the ultimate champion. After Liandri’s owner Xan with his super awesome armor got beaten by Malcolm (who has become sort of a figurehead for the UT franchise) at the end of the original UT (referred to as UT99 from here on) he withdrew from the public eye, leaving his corporation to take care of future championships. UT 2003 and 2004 followed a similar pattern, with Malcolm being the victor both times.
As such it comes as a bit of a surprise that Unreal Tournament 3 actually has a fairly fleshed out singleplayer campaign story. Even more amazing is the fact that this story has little to do with any kind of tournament whatsoever. That doesn’t mean Malcolm doesn’t make a return however! He does take a backseat though, letting James “Reaper” Hawkins and the rest of his 4 man (well, 3 man and one woman) team called the Ronin take the lead. After experiencing a Krall (new alien race, serving the Necris) invasion firsthand Reaper and his sister Jester (along with the rest of the team) get hired by the Izenagi corporation (a direct competitor to Liandri) to deal with the competition. While Reaper is none too happy with the arrangement he doesn’t have much choice due to the fact that he owes his life to Izenagi, so as much as he would like to go and fight the Necris he bows his head and starts following orders. Issued by none other than Malcolm as well, since Izenagi hired him (being a high profile combatant from the tournaments) as a field commander.
The story does take a few interesting twists later on and before the end Reaper finally gets his wish – exchanging blows with the Necris. Now, as interesting and well written the story might sound (believe me, it’s nothing special actually), it serves only as the glue that holds together the various “missions” the game throws at players. I call them missions, but they are nothing else than bot matches with various degrees of difficulty. Yup, you heard me right – the glorious tale of war, deceit and revenge is just a cover for a (admittedly well orchestrated) series of deathmatches, CTF matches and warfare battles. It is actually quite funny how capturing the flag or capturing nodes in warfare is tied in with the story – borrowed from the tournament matches, respawners have become standard issue gear on the battlefield, so in theory the troops could keep on respawning to infinity. In deathmatch missions the respawners only have a limited amount of energy per team, while in CTF the flag acts as a kind of control system (yes, the flag controls the respawners!). Stealing it three times results in the respawners shutting down, or in other words with victory. Warfare battles at least make more sense, since the main objective is destroying the enemy generator, though one might wonder why on earth are battlefield troops working at connecting their generator with the enemies before they can take it down.
A classic refined
Let’s be clear on one thing here – nobody really cares about the story in UT3. I doubt anyone will buy the game for its singleplayer aspect alone (or at least the campaign bit, instant action is still tons of fun due to the great bots, but more on this in a bit). So, instead of analyzing how the campaign plays out, let’s take a closer look at the individual modes the game offers:
Deathmatch (team and classic) – as expected there are no revolutionary features to be seen in this mode. As always the objective is to just kill as many opponents as possible without getting killed enough times for them to reach the frag limit before you. Now, you might think that with intricate modes like Warfare or Vehicle CTF the deathmatch part would play second fiddle, but I actually found the pure simplicity of the mode refreshing. In free for all deathmatch it is your skill alone that affects your performance, so lone wolves still tend to gravitate towards this mode as opposed to the more team focused ones.
There are some interesting gameplay aspects on the DM maps that can’t be considered standard fare however. First and foremost, the maps are a lot more “interactive” so to speak. We’ve all seen (and thoroughly enjoyed) the environmental traps in previous UT games (as well as Quake and company) and UT3 pushes the bar higher. Quite often the best equipment (be it the weapons, armor or powerups) spawns in open, difficult to reach places. But while it is still possible for a skilled player to grab such an item and get away with it certain maps don’t leave survival to skill. So, in one of the maps the shield belt as well as the UDamage powerup (massive damage) both spawn in a pit, out of which the only way is to wait for the platform they spawn on to raise. Now, where is the problem with that you ask? Right next to the pit there is a big red button that is just asking to be pressed. The result of pressing it? Instant incineration of anything located in the pit of course! Next on the list are the environmental effects that let you know when a power-up or pick-up has spawned. From crashing waves on costal maps to a drastic drop of temperature in a frozen lab (accompanied by extra fog and a significantly more cold color palette), these signals let everybody know that they are either about to become extremely powerful or get wiped by somebody who does.
Duel – an extension of regular DM, duel lets players face of one on one, as the rest of the server watches the fight. After a player has enough frags the loser gets kicked to the bottom of the queue and the next player enters the fray, hoping to beat the champion. The same principles that applied to DM are still in effect here, especially the environmental cues (since a power-up drastically affects the odds of winning a one on one fight).
CTF – a returning classic, CTF in UT3 is almost exactly the same as it was in the previous installments. Two teams, two flags and a whole lot of ways to get from one to the other. But much like with the Deathmatch, it is the maps that make this mode so great. Sure, you could always run from your base to the other, try to steal the flag and providing that you were successful run for your life, hoping to get back to your base in one piece (and that your flag is still there so you can actually score). Most of the maps are built with the translocator weapon in mind however. This now trademark teleportation device is a must when you are trying to get into the enemy base via unconventional means or when you are trying to catch a sneaky enemy who just stole your flag. How is that different than what we saw in previous UT games I hear you asking?
For starters, the maps are some of the most ingenious works of level design to date, so while using a translocator was an option before, it is a must this time around. I’ll give you just one example – a map located on the Necris home world is built vertically instead of horizontally. Both of the flags are located at the top of this underground temple, and you have to go all the way down from your base, cross into enemy territory via the catacombs and then work your way back up in the enemy base. Once you have the flag you obviously have to repeat the whole ordeal, but this time you can’t use the translocator to climb your way back up (since using it results in you dropping the flag where you teleported from). So, with a team of angry enemies at your tail you’ll be using stairs and elevators to escape as they on the other hand can teleport freely and ambush you at their leisure. You’ll have to rely on your team to deal with them or to carry the flag on should you die. This might sound obvious, but all too often it happens in CTF matches that a single person sneaks into the enemy base, grabs the flag and carries it back home with little to no resistance. With map designs like the one I mentioned that is all but impossible, so kudos to Epic for bringing teamwork back into CTF.
Vehicle CTF – when vehicles were introduced to the series with UT2004 it was only a matter of time before Epic officially added the mode to the franchise. As the name implies this mode combines CTF with vehicles, and puts the result into fairly big maps (enough to warrant the usage of vehicles anyway). There are some limitations in place obviously. To prevent hit and run flag steals the flag carrier can’t use vehicles. As a result a relatively easy incursion into enemy territory behind the wheel of a fast scorpion (car with front mounted blades) ends up being a long trek back home with potentially an entire platoon of enemy vehicles at your tail.
To somewhat alleviate the problem of returning back with the flag and your innards still in place, Epic replaced the translocator with a hover-board in vCTF matches. Yup, every player can, in a true Back to the Future 2 style, summon a hover-board and zig-zag around the map at leisure. He can also attach himself to friendly vehicles and get towed around, which is also the preferred method of getting the hell out of hostile territory with the flag in possession. How is this any better than actually driving away? Well, a single shot is enough to make you drop the flag and start tumbling (which can be lethal at high speeds), so using the hover-board isn’t advised when there are enemy projectiles headed your way. This forces teams to work together to capture the flag, as a single player or even a well versed two man team often isn’t enough to get the job done. Again, a job well done Epic.
Warfare – the final and most featured gameplay mode, warfare is a combination of Onslaught and Assault from UT2004 (and UT99 in the case of Assault). Two teams, two bases with one power core each, and several power nodes scattered around the map. The goal? Capturing a series of power nodes and thus building a link all the way to the enemy generator. Since the point is to actually link the two generators, players must control a series of linked nodes before they can get control of the next one in line. Problems obviously start when the two teams meet at a node and then battle it out.
Unlike in UT2004 there are also unlinked nodes found on the maps, and they usually provide a noticeable advantage to the controlling team. Sometimes this advantage is just an extra tank that can turn the tide of battle, while at other times a countdown starts which when it reaches zero inflicts massive (20%) damage to the enemy node. And yes, certain maps also spawn a leviathan (a behemoth vehicle that can wipe out the entire enemy team in a single shot) for the controlling team, so these side nodes can make a losing team make a glorious return, even when it seems that the battle is already lost.
Like in vCTF, players can use hover-boards to travel around or use one of the vehicles that spawn in the individual bases or friendly controlled nodes (which can also be used as a spawn point when not contested/under fire). So far this is sounding pretty much like regular Onslaught. This is where node orbs come into play. These floating balls of metal can hurt the enemy where it hurts the most – at protected nodes. If a player carrying the orb (which means he can’t drive a vehicle, much like a flag carrier in vCTF) touches an enemy node, that node is immediately captured (instead of needing to destroy the enemy node first, then wait for the new node to get built). This even works on nodes that you don’t have a link to, so using an orb is the perfect way to stop an enemy that is making a break for your power core.
The orbs also make the gameplay a lot more balanced, since unlike before where a team that was defending their last (called prime) node had virtually no chance of a comeback it is now possible to cut the enemy node link, preventing them from damaging your node. Or, should that not be possible at the moment, the orb can be used to defend your node (no damage can be done to a node if an orb carrier is standing next to it).
War of the worlds?
The new game modes are only half of the package however. Since there are no new weapons in the game (but all the classics return, often combining the features from both UT99 and UT2004) and the new maps and character models usually aren’t enough to warrant a purchase, Epic put an entirely new faction into the game. And by faction I don’t just mean player models, but accompanying vehicles as well. As mentioned before, the Necris (my favorite team from UT99) are back and they decided to bring their war machinery with them. Unlike the mundane vehicles from UT2004, such as tanks and jeeps, the Necris use huge walkers (influenced heavily by the War of the world tri-pods), hover-bikes that can act as kamikaze vessels, spider-like anti-vehicle bots and more.
To keep the teams balanced each of the new vehicles primarily acts as a Necris alternative to a standard vehicle, but you’ll agree with me that a walker being an alternative to a tank makes these new weapons of destruction more than just returning vehicles in a new skin. The new vehicles also mean that several of the maps can be played in different variants, one using standard vehicles on both teams and the other gives one of the teams access to Necris peripherals.
I’ve skipped over the weapons back there and I think I owe them at least a few more words. Like I said, none of the weapons are new, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to use. First in line is the impact hammer, which after its absence in UT2003/2004 got an EMP blast feature, which is perfect when dealing with vehicles. The standard issue assault rifle got scrapped, making room for another returning favorite – the enforcer pistol. From here on the weapon list didn’t change much – the bio and shock rifle, the link gun (pulse gun from UT99), stinger minigun, flak cannon, rocket launcher and sniper rifle are all still here, alongside with the AVRIL anti-vehicle rocket launcher and the trademark nuke launcher – the Redeemer. Now, as even the gerbil in your neighbor’s apartment probably knows by now, every weapon in UT has two firing modes, so the options are virtually limitless.
Unreal Engine 3.0
Now, I’m sure you’ve all looked at the screenshots already and know that the game looks great by now. But how does it run? Before I answer that, let’s just make a quick jump back in time and take a closer look at UT2004. When it came out, the game looked stunning, but not because of amazing DX9 effects (At that time pixel shader version 2.0 were the hot topic everybody was talking about). Instead, Epic made use of high detail textures and high polygon counts to deliver a look that rivaled the tropical beaches of Far Cry (which was released at the same time). Now fast forward to today – DX10 is the word on everybody’s lips, but again Epic decided to ignore the fad and instead polish this DX9 engine to the point that it looks unbelievable and runs great on middle range hardware as well. Don’t believe me? I tried running UT3 on a Radeon HD2600Pro, and to my surprise was able to play the game even at 1920x1200. Sure, the framerates were never far from 20fps, but considering that trying the same in Crysis would probably result in an instant hara-kiri performed by the card itself, this is quite an achievement.
And it’s not just the technology used either. Most (not all unfortunately) of the maps were designed by very talented artists, so they look great thanks to an amazing art style. When you see DM Deimos in action you’ll probably need to start looking for your jaw (lost somewhere under the table) – the map looks that good. And as mentioned, it runs at a high 60+ fps on most modern graphical cards. The character models look just as good, though they look like clones of the Gears of War characters (which I never liked) for the most part. Their animation is good as well, though you’ll probably never notice it or the character detail due to the high speed of the game.
Sound is an important part of an online shooter as well, and UT3 delivers here as well. From the signature announcer sounds (M-M-M-M-Monster Kill!!!!!) to the taunts (which sound almost too lifelike in the middle of battle) and techno/metal music, your speakers will never get a second of peace. That is, unless you are running a 64-bit OS or are trying to use Hardware OpenAL acceleration (required for surround sound). In both cases the game becomes as stable as a drunken ballerina doing a pirouette on top of a toothbrush, which is to say not stable at all. You’ll be lucky if you get 10 minutes of playtime out of the game before it crashes to desktop. Forum users are reporting other random crashes as well, but I personally haven’t had many issues as long as I was playing in Vista 32-bit with no surround sound. Hopefully a patch will fix some of these issues.
Another aspect we have to touch is the supposed consolization of the game. If you check Epic’s forums you’ll see hordes of unhappy PC gamers complaining that the game feels like a console port. They are taking it too far as usual, but the menus could do with some tweaking. That’s why there is a big patch coming rather soon that should cure this minor case of consolitis and make the game feel like a true PC game.
Conclusion
Yes, I’ve been singing praises to Epic and UT3 an awful lot during this review. That has probably something to do with the fact that I have been a long time UT fan, spending months on every game from the series. Be that as it may, UT3 is a good game by any standard and even completely indifferent player will have to agree with me that Epic managed to refine the online shooter formula to perfection. Granted, the game doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table and some of the technical issues make the experience quite frustrating at times. But underneath this grime lays an online shooter that succeeds at delivering the most important aspect of games –
fun!
