Classic Gameplay and A Little Vrrooom Vrrooom

Blowing up opponents continues to be fun

So, it's a great-looking if resource-intensive game. But it's not just a graphics engine; how does it play? Admittedly, I've felt chagrined by the past few years of multiplayer FPS titles. To put my thoughts in perspective, understand that my favorite multiplayer FPS titles are Quake 2 (deathmatch and CTF), Unreal Tournament and Quake, in that order. In terms of a pure deathmatch experience, anything else is a johnny-come-lately (tactical and class-based shooters are another story altogether, and I largely stay away from those titles). With my alliances clearly on the table, I'm enjoying the familiar gameplay of Unreal Tournament 3 deathmatch (and the one-on-one duel mode). It's fast, furious and full of over-to-top atmosphere, aided by play-by-play from an announcer and on-screen leaderboards. Team deathmatch is similarly paced and just as exciting, but the demo levels aren't up to snuff when it comes to showcasing team tactics in deathmatch.

Time for more candidness: I completely skipped Unreal Tournament 2004, as well as most multiplayer games from 2002-2006 (for the record, the jury is still out on the value of completing a college degree over moving up the ranks in online deathmatches). As such, I'm almost entirely new to vehicle combat in an FPS. So, for the first time ever, I jumped into a Vehicle CTF match online and made a beeline for the Goliath, Unreal Tournament 3's largest and most destructive vehicle. As it turns out, it's also easily disabled, and I quickly found myself looking for more maneuverable craft. The ground-skimming Manta is nice, but isn't a match for the firepower of the demo's other steeds, and I finally settled on a high-flying Raptor.

While the demo offers other vehicles, I came to enjoy buzzing to to the enemy flag with the Raptor (though I frequently ended up in the drink in moments of improvised bravado). The game is new, so strategy is lacking on servers, but this will certainly change over time (and particularly with the implementation of built-in voice chat). Hindering vehicle combat at the touchy controls, which need some definite tweaking before release. On the plus side, vehicles are well-balanced, though they're all easily destructible.

The Goliath is a beast: slow and difficult to handle, but powerful

For a quicker ride, try the Manta, but be sure to dodge incoming fire

As with the gameplay, the weapon selection will be familiar to Unreal Tournament veterans. The Enforcers, Impact Hammer, Flak Cannon, Rocket Launcher, Bio Rifle, Shock Rifle and AVRiL all make a return, and the new Stinger is a nice replacement for the Minigun. Some of the alternative fire modes have been changed, and the ability to lay traps is enhanced, but overall the weapon selection is a mish-mash of the series' past weapons. Some will label the Unreal Tournament weapon selection as unbalanced and awkward, but I've always enjoyed the unconventional weapons and layer of strategy that dual-fire entails. It's not entirely innovative, but reinventing the wheel isn't always necessary. The same love/hate relationship will likely extend to other gameplay decisions, such as the return of double-jump, jump boots and feigning death.