ith a very few exceptions, Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3 is no different than the PC version of the game. It’s still lightning-fast, chaotic, and tons of fun when you find a good server to play on. The weapons and vehicles are still bombastically awesome, the game modes are still brilliantly conceived, and the maps are still some of the best in the business. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn’t make the transition to a gamepad with the same grace with which the graphics move onto your TV, making this a somewhat worse buy than its PC brother.

The lackluster single-player “campaign,” which consists of a series of bot matches with terrible cutscenes interspersed, won’t wow anyone – though the ability to play it co-op is a definite plus. As always, the true value of UT lies on the Internet, where the action is constantly evolving and real people are on the other end of your taunts. In my experience, the PS3 version performs admirably online, with little to no network lag or server issues to get in the way of the next frag.

Even though every last bit of content from the PC version is here – including the ability to download mods and tweaks – I would recommend anyone with a decent gaming rig to go the keyboard/mouse route instead. UT’s weapons were clearly designed with mouse precision in mind, making it difficult to use the shock rifle, sniper rifle, or rocket launcher to their full potential. Additionally, vehicles control much worse on the Sixaxis; it’ll take an awfully long time to get used to the substandard control.

Nonetheless, when the blood is flowing and the taunts are flying, Unreal Tournament 3 transcends these niggling issues and becomes one of the better ways to get your online multiplayer fix. Getting that “Flak Master!” award never gets old, and it’s no less satisfying to crush the enemy from your couch than it is from your desk in the end.