Unreal Tournament has finally made it to the PS3 and boy we are in for a treat. It feels like Unreal Tournament III has taken an age to come out especially when you consider all the hype at the backend of last year. Despite the long wait we can confirm that Unreal Tournament III is a real beauty.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Unreal Tournament series, it is an arena-based shooter, which features game modes such as team and single based death matches. Unreal Tournament has always been a PC based game so this makes it its first appearance on console. Many fans were worried about the conversion of controls but we are pleased to report that the controls feel very natural. To control your characters movements and aim your gun you have to use the two analogue sticks and primary and secondary weapons are fired using the L1 and R1 buttons. UT III basically follows the same control rules as any other FPS. This makes playing much easier for newbies.

Getting straight into the action you will notice the return of weapons such as the flak cannon, the Link gun and the rocket launcher and that the game plays very much like its predecessors. It feels like old times. Though the game feels very much the same there have been some key new additions. The most noticeable is the introduction of vehicles.

Vehicles play a significant role in the new version of Unreal Tournament as it allows players to move around the vast levels at extreme pace. The most accessible vehicle is the personal hover board. The hover board is simply brilliant as it is small and compact compared to other vehicles, which means it is harder for enemies to hit. The board is also quick and feels extremely responsive.

The levels and graphics of Unreal Tournament are also brilliant. The frame rate is near perfect and the vast expanse of the levels gives you plenty of opportunities to find new and exciting areas. The sheer size of the levels means that there are plenty of spots to hide out and pick off your enemy. Though this is not what Unreal Tournament is really about. Put this game on a large high definition game and you will be blown away. Unreal Tournament is simply a gripping experience.

Despite the brilliance of the multi player mode the game is let down by the single player mode. This is typical of Unreal Tournament as this has been the case in every version that has been released. The first player always appears to be an after thought. When we saw the opening single player screen we thought we were in for a treat. The huge cgi cut screen looks amazing and you cant wait to get in on the action but in fact you are not able to play in that particular scene. You are forwarded on to a different time period and the dreary game begins.

To say the bots in the first person mode are stupid would be an under statement. They are useless drones that are capable of little more than firing a few shots. The bots can’t even make use of the vehicles in the game. Our advice is not to waste your time with the single player mode.

Unreal Tournament III is simply a must buy. The game shows off the pure power of the Playstation 3 and graphically the game looks beautiful. At present there is no other game on the market that plays like this one.