Unreal Tournament 3
Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Midway Games. Part of the Unreal franchise, it is the fourth game in the Unreal Tournament series, and the eighth and final game overall; its name is in reflection of the game being the first in the franchise to use Unreal Engine 3. It was released on November 19, 2007, for Microsoft Windows, December 10 for the PlayStation 3, and on July 3, 2008, for the Xbox 360. OS X and Linux ports were planned, but they were eventually cancelled. A free-to-play version, entitled Unreal Tournament 3 X, was leaked in late 2022 and cancelled in 2023.[4]
| Unreal Tournament 3 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Epic Games |
| Publisher(s) | Midway Games |
| Producer(s) | Jeffrey Kennedy Morris Michael V. Capps |
| Designer(s) | Steve Polge Jim Brown David Ewing |
| Programmer(s) | Steve Polge |
| Artist(s) | Jerry O'Flaherty Shane Caudle Paul David Jones |
| Writer(s) | Michael V. Capps |
| Composer(s) | Jesper Kyd Rom Di Prisco Kevin Riepl |
| Series | Unreal |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 |
| Release | Microsoft WindowsPlayStation 3Xbox 360 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Similar to its predecessors, Unreal Tournament 3 is primarily an online multiplayer title. There are eight modes, including Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, as well as modes like Duel, Warfare, Betrayal and Greed. In vehicle maps, the player is equipped with a hover board, which allows players to quickly traverse large maps and grapple onto other teammates' vehicles. The game's single-player campaign does not follow a plot based around the eponymous tournament, but rather a Necris attack that occurs on a colony on an unknown planet, releasing armed Kralls, a warlike race of aliens, on the humans.
The game received positive reviews from critics, and sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.
Gameplay edit
Similar to the prior entries of the series, the game is primarily an online multiplayer title offering several game modes, including large-scale Warfare, Capture the Flag, and Deathmatch. It also includes an extensive offline multiplayer game with an in-depth story, beginning with a simple tournament ladder and including team members with unique personalities. The following game modes are included:
- Deathmatch
- Team Deathmatch
- Capture the Flag
- Duel – A one versus one game mode. It uses a queuing system: the winner stays, and the loser goes back to the end of the queue. A typical match lasts fifteen minutes with the winner being the player with the most kills.
- Warfare – A mix of Onslaught and Assault game modes. While basic game rules are equal to those of Onslaught, Warfare adds countdown nodes (which, after being captured and defended for a certain period of time, create a vehicle or trigger an event helpful to the capturing team) as well as the orb, which can be used to instantly capture and defend nodes.
- Vehicle Capture the Flag – Capture the Flag, with vehicles as part of the map; this game mode is distinct from the standard Capture the Flag mode. Also, players are given a hoverboard rather than a translocator.
- Betrayal – This game type places freelance players on teams, and when the members of each team kill enemies, the pot for that team grows. Anybody on a team with a pot can betray the rest of the team by shooting them, thus taking the pot, but they must defend themselves from the betrayed teammates for 30 seconds after that, or the teammates receive extra points.
- Greed – Greed is a game that (like the UT2004 mod of the same name) focuses on collecting skulls dropped from dead players and capturing them in the opposing team's base. For Greed, the game uses all Capture the Flag and Vehicle Capture the Flag maps.
Modes not returning from the prior Unreal Tournament games include Invasion, Mutant (having been later on partially replaced by the Titan mutator in the UT3 Titan Pack), Onslaught (replaced by Warfare), Bombing Run, Last Man Standing, Domination, and Double Domination. Assault was removed from the game during production.[5]
In this installment of Unreal Tournament, the vehicles are split into two factions, the Axon vehicles and Necris vehicles. The Axon vehicles are the same vehicles from Unreal Tournament 2004, but several have significant game play changes. In addition, on vehicle maps every player is equipped with a personal hover board, a skateboard-like device that allows players to quickly traverse large maps and grapple onto other teammates' vehicles. The hover board is very vulnerable to attack, and any hit will knock the player off the board and disable him or her for several seconds, leaving the player exposed and vulnerable. The player cannot use any weapons while on the board.
Plot edit
Unlike the prior Unreal Tournament games, the single-player campaign does not follow a plot based around the Tournament Grand Championship, and therefore several of the teams within Unreal Tournament 3 are not Tournament competitors. The five playable factions are: the Iron Guard, a team of human mercenaries affiliated with the Axon; the Ronin, a band of four survivors of a Skaarj attack on a human colony; Liandri studius, a series of advanced humanoid robots custom-built or retrofitted for combat; the Krall, a warlike race of aliens formerly under the leadership of the Skaarj, returning from their initial appearance in the original Unreal; and the Necris, warriors who have undergone the process of the same name, making them stronger at the expense of replacing their biological processes with "Nanoblack", effectively turning them into undead soldiers (hence the name, Necris). In the Campaign, players control members of the Ronin, and the Necris serve as the chief antagonists.
In the game's story, a Necris attack occurs on the Twin Souls colony of Taryd, an Earth-like planet, releasing bloodthirsty reptilian Krall on the humans. The colony is defenseless, but a group of soldiers called 'Ronin' arrive on the scene, defending the survivors. Reaper, the group's leader, is caught in the explosion of an incoming rocket and passes out, but not before seeing an unknown Necris woman, revealed to be Necris High Inquisitor Akasha, executing a wounded soldier next to him. Reaper is rescued by Othello and Jester and wakes up in the base of the Izanagi, a megacorporation with a large private army, and meets with their leader Malcolm, a celebrated former tournament champion. Malcolm promises Reaper and the rest of Ronin that if they join the Izanagi, they will take the fight to the Necris and avenge the massacre of Twin Souls.
The missions of the campaign are identical to multiplayer matches, with the only difference being the enemies are computer-controlled bots instead of human players. The Izanagi pits Ronin against the Axon in a campaign to seize their vehicle technology, and then begins a campaign against the Liandri to seize their rich Tarydium mines, both of which are required for sustaining a war against the Necris. Shortly after this, the Necris launch a surprise invasion of Taryd, destroying cities and massacring civilians. The Necris are seen deploying tentacle-like tubes carrying Nanoblack into the planet's surface from orbit, in order to terraform the entire world. The Izanagi then mount a counterattack, and Ronin is sent on several missions to push the Necris back. After successfully repelling the Necris assault and ending the invasion, Reaper and the rest of Ronin decide to break ranks and pursue the Necris to their homeworld, Omicron-6, in an effort to kill Akasha for good.
Finally cornering Akasha in her last sanctuary on Omicron-6, Reaper defeats her in a duel and decapitates her with his rocket launcher. However, it's revealed that Malcolm has betrayed Ronin, allowing Necris troops to surround and kill Jester, Bishop, and Othello. Reaper swears revenge on Malcolm before powering up his rocket launcher and leaping to attack the Necris.
Development and release edit
The game was announced on May 9, 2005, as Unreal Tournament 2007 for a 2006 release.[6] In August 2006, the game was delayed until the first half of 2007.[7] The game was renamed to Unreal Tournament 3.[8] The original Unreal Tournament uses the first Unreal Engine, while UT2003 and UT2004 use Unreal Engine 2. Since 2004 incorporates all of the content from 2003, they are regarded as part of the same generation. UT3 is the third generation, as it runs on Unreal Engine 3 and does not reuse any content.[9] The game also uses motion blur effects.
Windows version edit
A limited collector's edition of the game features an exclusive collector's edition tin and a hardcover art book. A bonus DVD is also included, featuring more than twenty hours of Unreal Engine 3 tool kit video tutorials, the history of the Unreal Tournament series, and behind-the-scenes footage of the making of Unreal Tournament 3. The Limited Collector's Edition was sold in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, South Africa, Australia and most other territories.[10]
PlayStation 3 version edit
The PlayStation 3 version supports community-made mods that can be uploaded and downloaded to the PS3's HDD or external media, as well as mouse and keyboard inputs. The 1.1 patch was released on March 21, 2008. It adds the ability for players using the North American and European versions to play together, fixes problems with some USB headsets, and displays the lowest pinging servers at the top of the server list. Some updates are only applied on the North American version, since the PAL version released in March 2008 was already partially updated.[11] The 2.0 patch was released on March 5, 2009, and adds better PC mod support, split screen, smarter AI, forty-eight obtainable Trophies, server-side improvements, an improved map vote, local multiplayer, and a new user interface. Online and LAN multiplayer for this version was terminated in July 2014, following the shutdown of all GameSpy servers.
Xbox 360 version edit
Upon release, the Xbox 360 version had five exclusive maps, two exclusive characters, a two-player split screen mode,[12] and all the downloadable content released by Epic already on the disc. With the release of the PS3 and PC "Titan Upgrade" patch on March 5, these versions offered the formerly exclusive Xbox 360 content, as well as other content.[13] The Xbox 360 version does not support user-generated mods, as additional content has to be verified by Microsoft before being released. It is the only version to support controllers only.
Cancelled Linux and Mac OS X versions edit
The Linux and Mac OS X versions of the game were planned to be released as downloadable installers that work with the retail disc. Ryan C. Gordon has uploaded screenshots of the game, dating from September 2008, running on both platforms.[14][15] On May 22, 2009, Ryan stated that the UT3 port for Linux was still in process,[16] but later in December 2010, Steve Polge announced that the Linux port would never be released, making it the second Unreal Tournament game not to be released on Linux.[17]
Soundtrack edit
Unreal Tournament 3: The Soundtrack is primarily based on the original Unreal Tournament score, which was composed by Straylight Productions and Michiel van den Bos.[18][19] Jesper Kyd and Rom Di Prisco remixed many of UT99's tracks and composed several other original tracks, which were released on November 20, 2007, by Sumthing Else. Sandhya Sanjana was featured as a guest vocalist. Kevin Riepl did also contribute in music production for the game, scoring the cutscenes as well as a few in-game music tracks.[20]
Titan Pack and Black Edition edit
A free update titled Titan Pack was released for the PC in March 2009; the PS3 version of the pack was released on March 19. The pack includes five maps and two characters that were formerly exclusive to the Xbox 360 version, along with eleven brand-new maps, two new game modes ("Greed" and "Betrayal"), and the Titan Mutator. The Titan Mutator causes a player to grow in size as they do better, while carrying alternative weapons and power-ups. The expansion also includes a new power-up, a new vehicle, two new deployables, and the addition of stinger turrets. A new patch was also released in conjunction with the Titan Pack, which allowed for various AI improvements (especially in vehicle modes), networking performance upgrades and added support for Steam Achievements (PC) and Trophies (PS3). It also adds a two-player split screen mode (formerly exclusive to the 360 version) and mod browsing for the PS3 version.
The Black Edition is a complete Unreal Tournament 3 package—included is the complete UT3 (with patch 2.0) as well as the Titan Pack.
Unreal Tournament 3 X edit
On December 14, 2022, Epic Games announced that the game's online servers for the Windows version would shutdown on January 24, 2023, in order to focus on supporting the Epic Online Services. On that same day, a free-to-play version, entitled Unreal Tournament 3 X, was leaked on Steam, meaning that the game would be using the Epic Online Services and full cross-play between Steam, GOG.com, and the Epic Games Store, with the latter platform being added when it released. Epic Games was to self-publish this version, and was slated for a 2023 release. On June 6, 2023, development of this version was cancelled and the Steam page was reverted to its original name without any announcement.
Reception edit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2016) |
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | PC: 83%[21] PS3: 86%[22] X360: 83%[23] |
| Metacritic | PC: 83/100[24] PS3: 86/100[25] X360: 82/100[26] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer and Video Games | 8.9/10[27] |
| Edge | 8/10[28] |
| Eurogamer | PC: 8/10[29] PS3: 9/10[30] |
| GameSpot | PC: 8.5/10[31] PS3: 8.5/10[32] X360: 8/10[33] |
| GamesRadar+ | [34] |
| GameZone | X360: 8.5/10[35] |
| Giant Bomb | X360: [36] |
| IGN | PC: 9/10[37] PS3: 9/10[38] X360: 8.5/10[39] |
| The Guardian | X360: [40] |
| PC Advisor | [41] |
| PC Pro | [42] |
| Thunderbolt | PC: 6/10[43] |
Unreal Tournament 3 received positive reviews from critics. Xbox Magazine rated it 8.5 out of 10.[44] PlayStation: the Official Magazine gave it 5 stars out of 5 in its February 2008 issue and stated, "UT3 looks great, but it's every bit the stunner under the surface". In March 2008, Midway announced that UT3 had sold over a million copies worldwide.[45][46]
References edit
- ^ . June 22, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ . June 22, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ . October 1, 2008. Archived from the original on October 1, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (June 5, 2023). "Looks Like Epic Very Quietly Cancelled An Unreal Tournament Release". Kotaku. from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ . Gamevideos.1up.com. February 26, 2007. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (May 9, 2005). "Midway announces Unreal Tournament 2007". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ Klepek, Patrick (August 1, 2006). . 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 9, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ Thorsen, Tor (January 26, 2007). "UT 2007 renamed, 360-bound". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ . March 26, 2007. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ Chris Mohney. . Kotaku.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "PS3 Patch Fix List". Retrieved March 19, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ . Xbox.joystiq.com. April 20, 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ Brudvig, Erik (April 17, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Media Blowout – IGN". Xbox360.ign.com. from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "New Unreal Tournament 3 Linux Details – Phoronix". from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "Another human interest story". from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "Ryan Gordon On Linux UT3: "still on its way" – Phoronix". from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "For Those Hoping To See UT3 On Linux This Holiday... – Phoronix". from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ IGN Music (November 13, 2007). . Music.ign.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "Rom Di Prisco And Jesper Kyd – Unreal Tournament III – The Soundtrack (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. November 20, 2007. from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ . Kevin Riepl Official Website. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ^ . GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ . GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ . GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Unreal Tournament 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Unreal Tournament 3 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. from the original on December 15, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Francis, Tom (November 20, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review. Wisely not counting UT2003". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Edge Staff (December 22, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review". Edge. Future plc. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Rossignol, Jim (November 22, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (PC). Frag franchise forever". Eurogamer. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (December 21, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (PS3). Suck it down! Wait, that's the other one". Eurogamer. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (November 21, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (PC). Unreal Tournament 3 doesn't make huge changes to the formula, but still ends up feeling fresh, fast, and very fun". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ VanOrd, Kevin (December 18, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (PS3). Unreal Tournament 3 serves up yet another helping of the tight, thrilling gameplay the series is known for". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on August 15, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ VanOrd, Kevin (August 29, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (X360). Even without player-created content, the Xbox 360 version of this online shooter holds its own, providing plenty of slick, thrilling sci-fi action". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Evans, Geraints (July 7, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review". GamesRadar. from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ jkdmedia (July 16, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (X360)". GameZone. GameZone Online. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (August 6, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (X360)". Giant Bomb. from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Onyett, Charles (November 21, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review. The most beautiful pelvic thrusts yet". IGN. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Onyett, Charles (December 13, 2007). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (PS3). How does Epic's online frag-fest hold up on PS3?". IGN. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Ahearn, Nate (July 3, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (X360). Epic's fast, fun and beautiful fragathon makes its final appearance". IGN. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Boxer, Steve (July 10, 2008). "Game Review: Unreal Tournament 3". The Guardian. from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Cartwright, Mike (July 31, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review". PC Advisor. International Data Group. from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Emery, Daniel (January 16, 2008). "Unreal Tournament 3 Review (PC)". PC Pro. Dennis Publishing. from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ Robson, Bart (December 24, 2007). . Thunderbolt. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ (September 2008). Xbox Magazine. Issue 87, p. 66-67.
- ^ "Unreal Tournament 3, Stranglehold Break 1M Sold". Shacknews. March 12, 2008. from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ Ingham, Tim. . Mcvuk.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
External links edit
- Unreal Tournament 3 at MobyGames
- Unreal Tournament 3 at IMDb
- Unreal Tournament 3 on PCGamingWiki