Ripten Video Game Blog » UT3

Unreal Tournament 3 patch and Titan pack available now

Sam Naylor — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:26:20 +0000

As Shacknews reports, the gigantic Unreal Tournament 3 patch and Titan pack has been released for free for PC and PS3 users today. Steam and PS3 users can simply let the game update itself, and non-Steam users can either register the game to Steam or download the files from Fileshack. The extra content includes 19 new maps, two new game modes, and a myriad of vehicles and items. Hit the jump for the (frankly, titanic) full release notes.

[Update]The game is set to be free this weekend on Steam, and a 40% discount is in place until 15 March.

* Two new game types: Greed, a “tug of war” skull-toting team points battle, and Betrayal, a cutthroat style of play where alliances and teams can shift fluidly through a match.
* The Titan Mutator, where you can become a 30 foot tall behemoth in any game mode.
* Nineteen maps for Deathmatch, CTF, Vehicle CTF and Warfare modes, including 11 new maps plus eight popular maps from the first UT3 bonus pack and Xbox 360 version.
* New vehicles and pickups, including the X-Ray field deployable, the link station deployable for vehicle repair, the slow field powerup, the Stealthbender vehicle, the Eradicator artillery piece, and the Stinger rail turret.
* Client-side demo recording.
* Revamped User Interface, including an improved server browser, improved server filtering options, all new advanced options menu, streamlined and polished the whole system.
* Awards: Fifty-seven different awards mark your progress and mastery of UT3. Progress screen in the UI shows which awards you have earned, and your current progress on awards not yet completed.
* Maplists and voting: New maplist system and mid-game voting support for gametypes and mutators as well as maps.

And as for the full patch notes:

Improved Steam integration
o Steam Achievement support for Steam installations of UT3.
o Integrated Steam Authentication support.
o 57 achievements mark your progress and mastery of UT.
o Progress screen shows which awards you have earned, and completion progress on all awards.
o You can activate a non-Steam purchased version with Steam (making it a full Steam version) by:
o Open Steam main window
o In Games menu, select Activate a Product on Steam…
o Type in your CD Key
o Install UT3 via Steam
o Note this make an entire new UT3 installation, so uninstall the previous version (your settings/profile should not be affected)
Server Browser:
o Server Browser updates, expanded query filtering, clientside filters and a new UI option list.
o Added mutator filtering to the server browser (filter by installed mutators, mutator classes and mutator names)
o Now displays each servers IP in the server details box
o Added ‘Join IP’ and ‘Spectate IP’ buttons to the join game menu
o Added an ‘Add IP’ button to the favourites menu
o Modified the main menu to return to the server browser after disconnecting
o Added a new button to the midgame menu ‘Add Favorite’, and a new console command: AddServerToFavorites
o Updated server browser code, so that custom gametypes are properly filtered.
o Added a ‘List All Game Modes’ selection to the server filter menu.
o Added more information to the server browser player list.
o Fixed servers not being added to history, when following a friend to a server
o You can now attempt to directly connect to offline servers in History and Favorites (even during master server downtimes).
o Show “+” for player counts that are populated by bots.
UI:
o Major visual and menu flow overhaul for improved useability.
o Made the instant-action and host-game menus keep their settings.
o Scoreboard double click functionality for kicking, messages to specific players.
o Enabled gamepad stick sensitivity setting in UI.
o Improved gamepad support on PC.
o Added support for a whole mess of options on Advanced video settings page.
o Easier to click buttons by fixing cases where mouse went just past them.
o Max player counts always fit on all scoreboards.
o Modifier cards should take display priority in toasts over character unlocks.
o Improved voice command menu positioning and offsets.
o Fixed showing as teleport destinations on map nodes which could not be teleported to.
o Added tooltip while deployed in stealth vehicles to show drop deployable button.
o Bot count UI changed from “Number of opponents” to “Number of combatants” to be less confusing.
o Added support for showing top weapon user in end of match scoreboard. This shows which player got the most kills with a particular weapon. If a player was the leader with more than one weapon, it picks the weapon he or she got the most kills with.
o Show beacon with name of enemies in DM if they are close enough.
o Fixed ammo number on HUD pulsing on armor pick up instead of ammo pick up.
o Third position for powernode beacon, when just looking at base.
o Added speaking icon to player beacons.
o Portraits shown for player speaking with VOIP.
o Fixed onslaught teleporter tooltip not always displayed correctly.
o fixed toasts that don’t shut down properly popping up later unexpectedly
o More delay before going back to ambient music from action.
o Fixed text being obscured after removing a friend from the friends list
o Fixed showing proper weapon icon on weapon bar for selected weapon when two weapons are in same slot.
o Fixed issue where playercard and friend message screens were disappearing.
o Reduced chat log spam.
o Fixed rules for showing “change team” button.
o Added John Barrett (programming contractor), Michiel Hendriks (programming contractor), and Pancho Eekels (level design contractor) to credits.
o Fixed duel match rules in scoreboard.
o Fixed player information on server browser history page not refreshing correctly.
o Fix a crash caused by some mod UI scenes during the gamne
Vehicles:
o Increased radius/volume of Manta, Raptor, and Viper engines.
o Fixed scavenger legs disappearing in kill volumes.
o Force occupied manta to rise if underwater.
o Added sound effect and recharge bar to SPMA to indicate when the weapon is ready to fire
o Increased water damage taken by vehicles.
o Increased Goliath health.
o Fixed nightshade beam weapon accuracy.
o Fixed spidermines confused about nightshade that switches teams.
o Tank shell is always relevant, so you’ll see it if it kills you from a hidden tank.
o Leviathan shield doesn’t stay around after death.
o Fixed leviathan passenger beacon positioning.
o Fixed hoverboard rooster tail positioning when traveling over shallow water.
o Fixed flag positioning on tracked turrets.
o Fixed flying Manta exploit.
o Fixed boost exploit with Fury vehicle
o Fixed exploit to damage own core/nodes with rocket turret.
Weapons:
o Added burn trail for link gun beam.
o Weapon pickups now disappear for the player who picked it up, until it can be picked up again (now works like weapon lockers).
o Weapon throwing always enabled.
o Improved force feedback for various weapon and pickup actions.
o Simpler crosshair for instagib rifle.
o Third person translocate sound.
o Stinger now higher priority than flak cannon by default.
o Back splatter decals for hits with sniper rifle, stinger, and enforcer.
o Improved spidermine aiming help on console with hitscan weapons (enforcer, stinger, sniper).
o Fixed enforcer anim problems when become dual during initial loading.
o No ammo display for instagib rifle.
o Improved spidermine herding with Avrils.
o Improved redeemer blast screen shake.
o Spidermines work properly in deathmatch.
o Fixed translocator discs being able to get embedded in geometry with zero extent collision on but box collision off.
o Fixed deployable exploit (run over deployable while firing weapon, get in vehicle while still firing, and never switch to deployable).
o Fixed trans discs getting stuck on instigator’s head.
o Fixed redeemer bug where redeemers impacting ceiling sometimes had explosion center imbedded in ceiling, affecting damage dealt.
o Fixed stinger alt-fire stops with 1 ammo.
o Fix for rare stinger shard crash when shard tries to impale two overlapping dead bodies at the same time.
o Fixed fast avril firing exploit.
AI:
o Added Drop Flag/Orb command (accessible through voice menu) to get bot teammates to drop the flag they are carrying.
o Improved bot handling of navigation failures, don’t stay stuck.
o Bots understand ducking under obstacles with the Darkwalker.
o Bots understand getting off hoverboard to use a lift.
o Adjusted bot new enemy acquistion speed.
o Low skill bots don’t slow down if carrying flag.
o Bots understand how to effectively use Orbs in Warfare much better.
o Bots use the hoverboard more effectively.
o Improved bot AI for using Translocator.
o Improved AI for picking best weapon to use.
o Improved AI for Leviathan, including aiming with the leviathan, and navigating the Leviathan.
o Improved AI for using the Hellfire SPMA.
o Improved Scorpion AI for trying to run over enemy foot soldiers and self destruct into big vehicles.
o Improved Manta/Viper AI for trying to run over enemy foot soldiers.
o Improved stealth vehicle deployment AI.
o Improved bots yelling “same team” when player is actually trying to hit nearby enemy.
o Fixed bots not able to get in Darkwalker secondary turret in some cases.
o Fixed bot AI issues in secondary turrets.
o Bots go after countdown nodes if core can’t be attacked.
o Fixed bots grabbing orb without getting all the way to orb spawner.
o Improved AI for bots deciding whether to get out of vehicles and continue on foot.
o Automatic fix for not letting bots in vehicles try to go into areas that are blocked for vehicles by turnaroundvolumes.
o Bots are move aggressive about driving vehicles without slowing down too much for slight turns.
o Bots fully understand kismet disabled nodes.
o Improved bot AI for fighting enemies in Slow Fields.
o Improved bot understanding of targeting occluded powernodes.
Demo Recording:
o Added support for clientside demo recording.
o Demo playback is now delayed until precaching completes.
o Fixed SPMA camera crash during demo playback.
o Fixed demo playback log spam.
o Added DemoFF and DemoSlomo console commands. Can be bound to a key in UTInput.ini. DemoFF toggles between 1x, 3.3x, and 10x fast forward. DemoSlomo takes a float between 0.1 and 10 which adjusts playback speed by that factor.
Networking:
o Fixed localization of certain networking messages received from different language server.
o Improved dynamic netspeed system based on player counts.
o Improved hoverboard smoothness in net games.
o Friend following now attempts to place friends on the same team.
o Added team balancing between matches.
o Fixed reachspecs occasionally keeping level references across seamless travel, causing levels not to be properly unloaded.
o Increased net priority of movers with viewer based on them. Reduces mover popping in large playercount games.
o Networking bandwidth use optimizations.
o Improved prioritization of actor replication.
o Improved network pawn position update smoothing using mesh translation.
o Tweaked finding floors for simulated falling pawns.
o Yaw and pitch change smoothing for other players on clients.
o Fixed character mesh not getting onto hoverboard right away in high player count games.
o Improved turret replication in high player count games.
o Fixed remaining cases where team color skins weren’t being properly set.
o Fixed clients auto-switching to better weapon when they stop firing.
o Don’t dynamically adjust listen server client netspeed above max client has requested (for modem clients).
o Make sure all audio components get cleaned up on seamless travel.
o Fixed various exploits.
o Try multiple STUN servers if first one fails. Fixes users incorrectly getting the “Your network configuration may not be compatible…” warning.
o Fixed spectator choppiness when camera is following a player.
o No spectating bar when spectating in first person.
Server Administration:
o Removed download speed limitations, when hosting LAN servers.
o Implemented auto-reconnect code for Gamespy uplink and advertising. Servers now continuously try to advertise to the master server upon failure.
o Fixed buggy URL parsing function, which was breaking mutator advertising
o Added code to recreate serveractors after seamless travel
o Fixed case insensitivity issue with admin and game passwords
o Added session banning, with the command: AdminSessionBan
o Security fixes.
o Added config variable ‘SpawnProtectionTime’ to UTGame.ini.
o Optimized stats sending bandwidth.
o Support ‘n as n in MOTD.
Engine:
o Collision Octree optimizations
o Particle system optimizations
o Safe handling of inversing nil matrices. Addresses rare ragdoll physics crashes.
o Removed unnecessary profile saves, improved saving progress when player expects it.
o Improved Garbage collection performance.
o Optimized decals.
o Warfare Teleporter portal rendering updates are now disabled by default, even for high end systems (for performance reasons). To enable, add the following to your UTGame.ini file

[UTOnslaughtNodeTeleporter] bRealtimeCapture=true
o Reduced non-warfare teleporter update range if bRealTimeCapture is false.
o Added a dialog warning users of nvidia driver version that are known to crash UT3, and to upgrade.
o Fixed Engine.* localization files being in the wrong location
Game:
o Option to allow for custom characters to load at all times (no default characters, but may get hitches when new players join).
o CTF flag is hidden for player carrying it.
o Can no longer teleport to node that is under attack.
o Improved victim death messages (precise cause of death).
o In game types using weaponlockers, players spawn with weapons from nearest weapon locker.
o Fixed scoreboard issues during seamless travel.
o Fixed lifts returning if you jump or get shot while on them.
o Play taunts on upper body only for moving players.
o Fixed black boxes on Leviathan shock balls.
o Fixed lighting on first person spidermine death effect
o Improved code for leaning players which are going around turns.
o Reduced foot jittering on stairs.
o No team change penalty for automatic swaps.
o Improved lighting for characters.
o Reduced mesh offsetting on slopes, removing exploit allowing players to hide.
o Fixed winner pawn rotating after round ends.
o Fixed sender not hearing autotaunts.
o Fixed krall missing footstep sound notifies.
o Fixed bots leaving game affecting TDM team score.
o Fixed bad low LOD meshes (spiky when feigning or dead).
o Fixed gamespy rank query results. Now always properly centers the querying player in the returned list.
o Added GameInfo.bForceNoSeamlessTravel config var to completely disable seamless travel
Mod support:
o UTHUD now responsible for drawing player and vehicle beacons, making it easier to support custom beacons for custom game types.
o Added support for stretching IK limbs (see SkelControlLimb.uc).
o Merged PC version script functionality to PS3 to improve mod compatibility for mods on PS3.
o Added spectator notification hooks to Mutator.uc:
o AllowBecomeActivePlayer: Allows mutators to prevent spectators from joining the game
o AllowBecomeSpectator: Allows mutators to block players from spectating (not fully implemented).
o NotifyBecomeActivePlayer: Notifies mutators when a spectator successfully becomes an active player
o NotifyBecomeSpectator: Notifies mutators when a player becomes a spectator (not fully implemented)
o Added two new functions to Object.uc, ‘IsNetScript’ which returns true if the current code was remotely executed, and ‘GetNetFuncName’ which returns the name of the replicated function where script execution began
o Added a new function flag, ‘DemoRecording’, which replicates the function into the demo file when recording demos NOTE: Implicitly flags the function as simulated
o Added the ability for mods to specify custom settings scenes, through new values in UTUIDataProvider_GameModeInfo.uc:
o ‘ModGameSettingsScene’, allows mods to specify a custom settings scene which is accessible through a ‘Mod Settings’ button in the Instant Action and Host Game menus
o ‘ModClientSettingsScene’, allows mods to specify a custom settings scene which is accessible through the main menu settings page, and the mid game menu settings
o Added ClearConfig and StaticClearConfig functions to Object.uc
o Added team change notification hooks to Mutator.uc
o AllowChangeTeam: Allows mutators to prevent players from changing team
o NotifySetTeam: Notifies mutators when a player successfully changes team
o Added bCanRagdoll flag to UTPawn for mod authors.
o Added slight player glow support for darkmatch (maps with DARKMATCH at start of worldinfo name
o Made UIObject ‘ResolveStyles’ function accessible to script.
o Added support for loading a Splash.bmp in a mod directory.
o Fixed server browser not being able to filter custom gametypes; in the gametype data provider, set ‘GameSearchClass’ to: UTGameSearchCustom
o Added code to reinitialize ServerActors after seamless travel
o Added editable ‘MouseBounds’ property to UIScene, which allows you to configure mouse boundaries for the current scene
o ‘MouseBounds.BoundaryObject’ is set through the ‘Set Mouse Boundary’ submenu in the UIEditor context menu
o Also added a selection to the UIEditor View menu, ‘Mouse Boundaries Outline’, for viewing the current mouse boundaries
o Mouse boundaries can be changed during runtime using ‘UIScene::SetMouseBounds’ and ‘UIScene::ResetMouseBounds’
o Now writes mod config files to mod directory, and auto-find config files in moddirconfig or moddir.
o Now autofinds localization files in moddirlocalization.
o Now finds splash image in moddirsplash.
o Supports compiling script code with -mod
o Supports publishing with -mod
o Fixed not being able to publish default (startup) map
o No longer copies RefShaderCache files when publishing
o Supports Bink movies in -mod dir (ModDirMovies)
o Fixed problem with completely overriding UTCustomChar.ini in the mod config directory
o Added -solomod option to restrict game looking in non-loaded .ini files for maps/gametypes/etc
o When using -mod, LocalShaderCache is ignored, instead it uses ModShad

Gears of War 2 Exclusive Xbox 360 UT3 Bonus Video & Impressions

Chad Lakkis — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:27:52 +0000

Marcus Fenix would not be caught dead wearing that shirt

I have been busy adding some new features to the site based on your feedback as readers, so please continue sending me your feedback about annoying ads, broken links, and pretty much anything you think can help us to improve the site.

That said, I am just NOW getting a chance to sit down and watch the leaked UT3 Xbox 360 Gears of War 2 exclusive multiplayer video. The footage was originally intended to be a bonus, available only to those who bought the upcoming Unreal Tournament 3 game for the Xbox 360, however as things often do, it found its way on to the web.

If you haven’t seen the video yet, here’s your chance to process it along with my impressions after the jump.

Bigger. Better. More Bad-ass. As cheesy as that sounds (and it sounds very cheesy) C-Blaz has every reason in the world to continue pounding us with the catch phrase. The second installment of Gears proves that Epic processed tons of feedback from gamers and put it into effect instead of just doing the minimal effort needed to crank out another sequel (cough EA cough).

New weapons like the flame-thrower and poison grenades will no doubt be sweet additions, but the ability to plant grenades on structural objects in the game and use them as proximity bombs will add a whole new level of complexity to the game. While I am excited about giving them a shot (and I will), I have a disturbing feeling that this feature will somehow be abused in tight quarters and areas of high traffic. Hopefully Epic has planned for this, and will allow for some sort of counter — i.e. tossing a grenade into a suspected area to set off the proximity bomb.

If defense is your thing, then you will likely enjoy being able to create cover on the fly with the introduction of shields. Not sure how I feel about this one personally, but I can understand the benefit and assume that more than a few gamers thought this would be a good idea. On the plus side, it seems you will be limited to a pistol fire arm while in what I will call “your not touching me, your not touching me” mode.

Crawling while you are down — another big addition that could mean the difference between life and death on the Gears battlefield. I can not tell you how many times I laid helpless, calling out to my buddy (you know who you are) for help, only to hear “I can’t make it over to you, they will kill me too!”. Simply having the opportunity to crawl a few feet to gain cover may not seem like much to some, but it will void certain “bait” situations used by the enemy, and for that reason alone, I welcome its addition.

Most shooters are all about the headshots, but I can honestly say that with the addition of several new brutal execution moves, I will be more interested in downing a player so that I can get up close and personal to finish them off. And on days where I feel a little more forgiving, I may choose to spare their life (initially) by taking advantage of the new “meat shield” feature, which will allow gamers to pick up a downed enemy and use them as a walking shield. Of course if you get bored of walking around with your new pal, you can always snap his neck and find a new toy to play with.

Cliffy acknowledges that the popular chainsaw feature had its short comings the first time around by stating that the team didn’t put much thought into head-to-head chainsaw encounters in the first Gears, and that the victor “was essentially random”. While the addition of a dueling chainsaw mechanic that puts control back into the hands of the gamer will likely ensure that the right man walks away, the gamer on the short end of the stick will probably still complain that they were robbed and smash their controller.

Last but not least, the game also boasts larger multiplayer maps and 5 player slots per team to help fill them. How can you not be excited about playing this game? Share your thoughts about the trailer below.

Video Source: xbox360fanboy.com

UT3 for 360 to Feature Split-Screen, Exclusive Content, and GoW2 Preview

Dan Landis — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:20:53 +0000

The 360 version isn’t as far behind the PS3 version as most people thought.

Apparently, to make up for the lack of user-generated content, Epic has thrown in a few exclusive bits to the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III. Oh, and the disc will also contain a sneak peek at Gears of War 2.

The 360 version will offer 5 new maps and 2 new characters not available in the PS3 release, as well as the aforementioned split-screen mode. But maybe you knew that already. What you probably didn’t know, however, is that Cliffy Blaznats will also offer some color commentary on an exclusive, as yet unseen video preview of the upcoming Gears of War 2.

Does this make up for the near infinite possibilities of user-generated content like that found on the PS3 version of UT3? Mark Rein, vice president of the world (and Epic Games), had this to say:

“This is a great title and, with two-player split screen support and some very cool new content, Xbox 360 players should be thrilled with this fantastic version of the game.”

I’ll be the judge of how thrilled I am about your game, thanks. UT3 is set to ship July 7th for the Xbox 360, with a review most likely to follow shortly thereafter.

Source

Unreal Tournament III PS3 Review

Ian Ennis — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 21:44:43 +0000

To coincide with the European release of Unreal Tournament III, I gave it a spin to find out whether it’s worth your cash. I’m a hardcore console gamer– always was, and always will be. So when Midway announced that Unreal Tournament III was going multi-platform instead of staying PC exclusive, I was one happy camper.

I always thought of Unreal Tournament as one of those games that stayed exclusive to a platform just because of its evolution on the PC, or maybe because the developers just couldn’t see that type of fast-paced FPS played with a joypad. If you’re new to the series like me, some things will be apparent the first time you pick up a controller. The first thing you will have to get used to is the controls, since they are not mapped very well to the Sixaxis, and some buttons have no purpose, or are just duplicates.

The second thing I noticed is that the single player mode is extremely dull. There are six teams: Ronin, Thundercrash, Krall, Liandri, Iron Gaurd and the Black Legion. You play as a Reaper from team Ronin, and as the title suggests, all teams are competing in Unreal Tournament for the championship title.

Before each mission you are given a briefing, and also the illusion that there is actually an objective for what you are doing, but really you’re just playing “kill ‘em all”. Since Epic and the Unreal Engine were involved, I was expecting a cinematic experience with an intense story, massive explosions, and body parts flying around the screen.

In reality, you’re paired up with dumb AI and equally dumb opponents. To be honest, it’s like a dumbed-down version of the online play. The story is also as thin as rice paper, and while there are some nice cut-scenes to get you pumped up before each round, when you begin playing it is just a repetitive letdown.

There are no levels, just maps. The same maps in single player are used online as well, and if you are ever bored enough to complete the single player, you won’t find anything new online (unless you’re playing a user created map).

The single player may be a letdown in nearly every department except one, and that’s visually. This is where Epic really shows how they can work their magic with Unreal Engine. Everything has a unique look, whether it’s a shiny wall dripping slime or your favourite gun charging up with bio waste, it’s all a pleasure to the eyes.

Each team has a different look and there’s no surprise that Unreal Engine compliments them all. Every colour and texture has been looked after in this game, and visually it is one of the more impressive-looking games on the market today.

Once you grow bored of the Campaign mode, the online mode is definitely worth the money you paid for this game. Before I went online, I had a look around the options menu and found a nice little feature that enabled me to install the game on my HDD and cut out all the loading times. This was a great help and emphasized what Mark Rein was saying about how he wanted all the perks of the PC version left intact on the console version.

I’ve always heard that Unreal Tournament is a series with online play that is hard to rival, and once I selected online multiplayer the fun times started to roll. When you begin, you may select and customize your character, then jump straight into the servers.

Be careful, though, because all of the perks of the PC come with the bad. If you jump into any game near full capacity, you’re 99% sure to find lag. Not a little lag, but a full-blown 10 second delay, where you won’t know who you killed or who killed you.

In other words, it’s unplayable. I learned this the hard way, but soon found that the un-ranked games are less full and a good game can always be found there.

Another PC perk, and the best of them all, are the mods. These are user generated content for the game itself, and just like on the PC it’s all free with no strings attached. Mods can come in any shape or form, such as weapons, maps, or new perks. They are not limited to what the developer can think of, but what the community wants.

I got around to installing one mod and it’s as easy as pie. All you need is a memory stick and two minutes of your time. If you can’t be bothered to do it, that’s no problem either– if you join a game using mods you will automatically download them to keep.

And some mods can really elevate the game to another level, with new third person camera angles (an over the shoulder Gears of War look) and new game modes – some of which you wish were in the game from the outset.

There is also the use of keyboard and mouse, if you wish to call that a mod. It’s just plug-and-play, but after using it I still prefer the Sixaxis, mainly because it’s not very practical stretching the USB cables and trying to get comfy in the couch. I didn’t want to sit directly in front of my 32” LCD and burn my eyes out of their sockets, but for some players, keyboard and mouse support is a godsend, especially if you buy yourself a wireless bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

So far my online experiences have been nothing but great, but I have noticed a few things as I’ve continued playing. Apart from the lag in ranked games, which can make the game unplayable, there is as yet no voice chat. This can be a killer to anyone starting a clan or just looking to find online friends to play regularly with. A ranking system would be a god send as well.

A combination of great online play and a ranking system kept me coming back again and again in Call of Duty 4, and Unreal Tournament III has the online play factor but a ranking system would really help with the whole “I need to get just one more rank” factor of the game.

Unleashing the game on consoles for the first time meant UT3 had two roads it could go down. It could change completely for new fans and adapt to the console life, or stick to its roots and keep all the older fans while making some new ones.

So does Unreal Tournament III make the cut? Yes, since the fact that this game has so much going for it in the multiplayer department makes it easy to overlook the lag and poor single campaign, which in all honesty could have been dropped. I played this game religiously online and loved the visuals. It also shows what consoles can do if the developers put their minds to it, with lots of mods and no load times. Forget the campaign mode and get online!

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

Unreal Tournament 3: To Be Delayed, Or Postponed

Rob Way — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:21:01 +0000

POWNED!

On the outside it appears as though Midway has given Sony a swift kick to the stones, with the announcement of the delayed release of “Unreal Tournament 3,” and the European PS3 release of “BlackSite.”

Midway claims that they have run into some “bumps” in the development of UT3 for the PS3. President and chief executive officer, David F. Zucker, had this to say:

“While we regret that these delays will cause us to lose some valuable holiday sales in the near term as well as shift revenue for some of these titles out of 2007 and into 2008, we remain confident that our technology strategy and product plan position us to grow both revenue and market share as we move into the heart of this console cycle.

Looking ahead to 2008, with our core technology platform now in place, we expect to release a number of titles, including already announced console versions of Unreal Tournament 3, a next generation installment of our NBA Ballers franchise, Wheelman, and TNA iMPACT! the video game. We also expect to release several as-yet unannounced titles such as next generation versions of our hit franchises Blitz and Mortal Kombat, and two exciting new ambitious open world games. We intend to give more details on our 2008 release schedule in the near future.”

Midway revised sales estimates reveal a lost of $11 million for the end of their third quarter and an overall lost of $55 million for the year due to the delayed releases. Midway will miss the holiday release for “Unreal Tournament 3” as the game moves into the first quarter of 2008. This puts the UT3 to be released sometime between January and March of next year.

In my opinion, this all just a clever marketing scheme, in other words I believe they pushed back the date to release UT3 because of Halo’s release. With IGN Entertainment’s GamerMetrics report that among the 15,000 gamers surveyed, the Xbox 360 SKU of Midway’s “Unreal Tournament 3” doesn’t sit too well with Halo lovers. Not only that the Halo boom was sure to over take the proposed UT3 sales. Of course this could also be Microsoft’s plan to begin with; a lack of new games for the PS3 for the upcoming holiday season Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is sure to make a lot more money.

I mean it’s not hard to put together just look at the dates. In February Amsterdam-based independent developer, Streamline Studios, announced that it will be creating 3D content service solutions for Epic Games’ upcoming UT3, expected to launch later this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Then three months later Bungie releases the online Beta for Halo 3 followed with a September release date for the Final.

UT3’s delay isn’t as big of stab for Microsoft as it is for Sony, but then again I could be making up conspiracy theories in my basement while draw circles on the newspapers pasted to my wall. I mean it’s not like the gaming industry ever gave misleading information to the public before (DualShock 3)..

This wouldn’t be the first time the industry has given the public misleading knowledge (The SixAixs can’t have vibration, duh).