If you’re like me, you love packing a poorly air-conditioned basement full of teenage nerds, high-end PCs, and a sufficient supply of Mountain Dew to prepare for a frantic 12 hour gaming marathon. Okay, maybe you’re not like me. Even still, one can not deny the popularity and comradery of these social gatherings of the notoriously anti-social gamers of a small town, this cultural phenomenon known as the ‘LAN Party’. These gatherings have been going on since, well, the existence of games where it is possible to link multiple computers together via a LAN (Local Area Network) connection. One of the earliest and most prominent LAN party favorites was the now-legendary Unreal Tournament, released in 1999. I have fond memories of playing this game and others like it in my early childhood, and I can still remember the challenges and friendships that emerged from those fast-paced and high octane ‘deathmatch’ battles. As I grew up, however, I matured and eventually stopped playing arena shooters such as Unreal Tournament, in favor of more developed and complicated games. However, when I see a Steam sale for five Unreal games for a measly $6, you know I’m all over that.

                                                                              press release

Apparently I hadn’t missed much in the Unreal series, as the most recent installment, Unreal Tournament 3, was nearly identical to the original. Despite being titled as the third installment in the Unreal Tournament series, it is actually the fourth Unreal game including the term “Tournament”. It’s the ninth “Unreal” game, meaning that as well as the “Tournament” entries, there are two “Championship” titles, two single-player focused titles simply called “Unreal” and “Unreal 2: The Awakening”, and one called “Unreal Gold” which is essentially in its own category. Despite this series being the most convoluted and tangled mass of intellectual property known to man, the gameplay formula has remained largely consistent throughout the last 17 years. Unreal Tournament 3 is as much a simplistic and no-holds-barred hail of bullets, screams, and explosions as its predecessors. It even has an identical arsenal of weapons as the 1999 iteration. One could conceivably criticize the series for lacking diversity and evolution, but I prefer to look at it with the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. Unreal Tournament 3 is fully aware of its strengths and weaknesses, and while it doesn’t do anything particularly new, it still does its job exceptionally well.

The areas in which UT3 differs from the first Unreal Tournament are the improved graphics and the addition of vehicles, a feature which was first implemented in Unreal Tournament 2004. The latest Unreal Tournament features beautiful environments and quality particle effects, although many of the maps possess dreary color palettes, filled with browns and greys. Call me crazy, but I tend to prefer bright and vibrant colors to go along with over-the-top action games such as this, which is a department in which developer Epic Games seems to be lacking. Despite its lack of color, UT3 is still graphically impressive. Visceral and engaging gameplay has always been the Unreal series’ strength, and UT3 is no exception. Battles are balanced and enjoyable, and are improved by adding ‘mutators’ to the match, such as low gravity or slow-motion. Blasting an enemy with a well-placed rocket or plasma shot is as satisfying now as it was as those years ago. While the online community is mostly dead at this point, the LAN option is still functional, so there’s nothing stopping you from filling that basement with your closest gaming allies and having a good old-fashioned deathmatch. The game features a single-player campaign as well, but this seems to boil down to little more than bot matches with added cutscenes and dialogue.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of classic arena shooters and are looking for a modern pick-me-up, Unreal Tournament 3 may just be the best game out there. If the extent of your experience with shooters starts and ends at Call of Duty, you would also likely be interested in branching out into the simple and addictive formula of the Unreal series. When it comes down to it, Unreal Tournament 3 is fun for all who seek that fast-paced and competitive thrill. Although I picked it up at an insanely cheap price, I would wholeheartedly recommend it even at full price if you’re looking for a new dose of nostalgia (and also explosions).

Next week: Our nostalgia trilogy comes to a close with a recent RPG experience which will fill you with determination.