oy, it feels like this game just came out – twice! Anyone who’s played Unreal Tournament 3 on PC or PS3 knows what to expect here. UT 3 is the best of the best when it comes to fast-twitch FPS action. The graphics are amazing, the maps beg you to explore and find every sniping point, and the vehicles and weapon arsenal are always a blast to use.

The 360 version brings a few nice additions to the table, including five additional maps, two new characters, and the split-screen mode that lets you bring friends in for co-op play. The online action is lag free, and the variety of match types keeps the gameplay fresh. Warfare, in particular, is a blast; this vehicle-heavy, team-based mode has you fighting over sequential nodes. Once you string together the nodes in your favor, you can blast the opposition’s core to claim victory. 

Other features don’t fare as well. The single-player experience boils down to a string of bot matches. The poorly implemented weapons selection system could have been handled better, and while the movement controls feel good on the 360 gamepad, PC gamers likely won’t be leaving behind their mouse and keyboard combos. The biggest tragedy is the lack of an infrastructure to handle user-generated content, which is an important feature for fans of the PC version. Fortunately, all of the Epic-generated DLC from the PC is included on the disc.

All these complaints don’t add up to much when you’re online mowing guys down with the flak cannon while the infamous Unreal announcer screams “Killing Spree!” in your ear. UT 3 still offers fast and furious action like few others, and 360 sci-fi shooter fans finally have a reason to take a break from Halo 3.