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[Bobby1234SI]

Source: http://www.strategyinformer.com/editorials/1475/unreal-tournament-3-six-months-on

Editorial from Strategy Informer about the future and present disapointment of Unreal Tournament 3.

Earlier this month, Epic Games teased Xbox 360 owners with some screenshots of the upcoming port of Unreal Tournament III. They failed to summon any interest. It's extremely unusual for such an event to occur. If we take Epic's track record, (let alone the success of the Unreal Tournament series), their games have been at the forefront of Shooter fans' minds since 1999. The Unreal franchise is a legacy, one that even commands a widely accepted graphics engine. Is the reason simple ignorance or is there something more worrying at work? We attempt to find out.


The most obvious place to start is with the Xbox 360 release date. The game is due out nine months after its PC and PS3 counterparts. Anyone with sense would have bought the PC version (due to the superiority of the mouse and keyboard) and the rest, would have made do with the PS3 version. Nine months is a long time to wait for a game, even by the most hardcore of followers.

 

[RubberJohnny]

Confusion may be creeping in at this point. Nobody got excited about some screenshots, what's the big deal? The bigger picture is far more worrying, especially now Unreal's got some steam behind it. Everything links to the PC server stats for Unreal Tournament III. A quick glance will show a healthy server count of just under a thousand. That clocks in about twelve thousand possible player spaces. The actual player rate is around 500max a day. Emails from Epic Games to server hosts confirms the fact that no-one is playing. Originally this was due to a shoddy server browser and a lack of anti-hacking tools. Six months on, things have improved; patches have been released and stability has been reinstated. The PC version crashed in price, with retailers trying to generate some interest. The game is still available at a rock-bottom cost of ten dollars, yet the player base hasn't improved.

Oh shit.

 

[mandiller]

I won a copy of UT3 for the PC when it came out. I enjoy playing deathmatch with bots, but that's the only thing I like. Warfare mode is a load of crap (based on playing with bots who are too stupid to be of any help), and the online portion is non-existent. There are no players.

The only UT3 server is Australia with any players is one deathmatch server, and it only ever plays deck17.

A game with potential, but ultimately turned out to be a big bore. Good luck future 360 owners. I'm a UT fan but this version doesn't have much going for it.

 

[Aaron]

It's a tired formula. What did they expect? I was bored by the demo and I once loved the series.

 

[Kolgar]

Epic killed Unreal Tournament with Gears of War.

Like Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens, the old style has been replaced with the new.

It's progress. Evolution. Gamers have moved on.

 

[acm2000]

Epic killed Unreal Tournament with Gears of War.

Like Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens, the old style has been replaced with the new.

It's progress. Evolution. Gamers have moved on.

you forgot to add that they even tried to make it Gears Of Tournament, but people arent interested, its not GoW, its not R:FoM etc

 

[Forsete]

Epic killed Unreal Tournament with Gears of War.

Like Homo Sapiens to Neanderthal, the old style has been replaced with the new.

It's progress. Evolution. Gamers have moved on.

Sadly, yes.

 

[1stStrike]

I don't know how it is on PS3, but I got it, played online for about 30 minutes and haven't touched it since..it's just not really fun anymore.

Now, if anyone ever gets a damn gundam mod out..I might actually play that. They were making one for half-life for like 8 years and never saw anything of that.

And yes, I LIKE GIANT ROBOTS D:

 

[SupahBlah]

The end of Deathmatch.

 

[Mash]

Quite a few of us PC gamers were moaning about the lack of players but it always got swept under by those who bury their heads and claim there's tonnes of people playing, when it's simply not true.

Gears has not killed UT, that's ridiculous and only someone who wasn't really familiar with UT's history would even think the two were in competition, for the PC version at least. I think the reason people aren't playing is because it didn't innovate enough and the huge UT2004 player base didn't feel compelled to upgrade and move on.

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

I love UT3 (I've played the PC version), and I'm greatly looking forward to the 360 release. It's a mystery to me why it's not more popular online, because, for me, its Warfare mode is the best objective-based online mode I've ever seen in a shooter.

 

[plagiarize]

Quite a few of us PC gamers were moaning about the lack of players but it always got swept under by those who bury their heads and claim there's tonnes of people playing, when it's simply not true.

Gears has not killed UT, that's ridiculous and only someone who wasn't really familiar with UT's history would even think the two were in competition. I think the reason people aren't playing is because it didn't innovate enough and the huge UT2004 player base didn't feel compelled to upgrade and move on.

this sadly. UT3 is great, but there's this impression that it's been 'dumbed down' compared to UT2k4. i'd call it purer, and Warfare is basically Onslaught with a little extra depth... but sometimes you just fire and miss.

 

[Onemic]

Quite a few of us PC gamers were moaning about the lack of players but it always got swept under by those who bury their heads and claim there's tonnes of people playing, when it's simply not true.

Gears has not killed UT, that's ridiculous and only someone who wasn't really familiar with UT's history would even think the two were in competition, for the PC version at least. I think the reason people aren't playing is because it didn't innovate enough and the huge UT2004 player base didn't feel compelled to upgrade and move on.

THIS.

And the pure fact that Epic completely alienated PC gamers, when they released the beta demo, and later on the full retail game, as the game looked like it was ported from a console. The menus and server listings were a complete mess. Not to mention there was almost no marketing push to speak of during the last few months before release.

 

[jakershaker]

Epic killed Unreal Tournament with Gears of War.

Like Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens, the old style has been replaced with the new.

It's progress. Evolution. Gamers have moved on.

Somehow I doubt Epic making Gears had anything to do with it. Pure Deatchmatch style fps games have been on decline for a long time, people prefer more tactical games(or have moved to consoles I guess). For PC gamers it's kind of hard to fire up a subpar UT when you have all those awesome fps's on Steam or why not go with UT2004 which is way better.

I kind of liked it but it didn't hold my interest.

 

[Kolgar]

Quite a few of us PC gamers were moaning about the lack of players but it always got swept under by those who bury their heads and claim there's tonnes of people playing, when it's simply not true.

Gears has not killed UT, that's ridiculous and only someone who wasn't really familiar with UT's history would even think the two were in competition, for the PC version at least. I think the reason people aren't playing is because it didn't innovate enough and the huge UT2004 player base didn't feel compelled to upgrade and move on.

You're right, UT hasn't innovated much over the years and this style of shooter has been on the decline. I think gamers were waiting for something new and Gears of War was it.

The baton was passed.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"The menus and server listings were a complete mess. Not to mention there was almost no marketing push to speak of during the last few months before release."


This is pretty much it. Anyone whose spent a bit of time with UT3 and gone back to UT2K4 will tell you the UT2K4 is pretty shitty in a lot of respects, gameplay-wise. UT3 is a massive improvement over UT2K4 in weapon balance. Of course UT3 is broken in a lot of respects, everything else-wise. The beta demo didn't even launch with a dedicated server so most people were playing on super laggy listen servers with shitty menus and a server browser that functioned like ass. That combined with NO marketing push in the biggest FPS holiday season in years is a recipe for failure.

 

[Cahill]

I love UT3 (I've played the PC version), and I'm greatly looking forward to the 360 release. It's a mystery to me why it's not more popular online, because, for me, its Warfare mode is the best objective-based online mode I've ever seen in a shooter.

I've been holding off for the 360 version even though I have a PS3 and PC simply because I have a number of friends who are getting the 360 version when it comes out.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

"Epic killed Unreal Tournament with Gears of War.

Like Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens, the old style has been replaced with the new.

It's progress. Evolution. Gamers have moved on."


Except not at all... Gears is good but Gears isn't the reason UT3 has gotten a lackluster response.

 

[Mash]

You're right, UT hasn't innovated much over the years and this style of shooter has been on the decline. I think gamers were waiting for something new and Gears of War was it.

The baton was passed.

Yeah that'd be grand but I can't see myself playing instagib with Gears.

 

[Suerte]

Eh, I'm still getting the 360 version next week. Looking forward to it, mod or no mod support.

 

[AgentOtaku]

I bought the PC version for $49.99 right when it came out....I thought I was completely ready to dive head first into the franchise once again as I was in love with UT2k4... especially Onslaught....

But for whatever reason, it just didn't happen and aside from the superb visuals....I was just completely indifferent to UTIII. I Still enjoyed the tried and true DM, but Warfare felt like a mess and I couldn't get into it....oh yeah and they took out Assault
Couple this with that fact that...yeah! no one is playing this dam thing!

I mean, I really think it's fascinating what has happend to UTIII....did it take to long to finally come out? ....was the formula tired at this point? who knows...

 

[plagiarize]

"The menus and server listings were a complete mess. Not to mention there was almost no marketing push to speak of during the last few months before release."


This is pretty much it. Anyone whose spent a bit of time with UT3 and gone back to UT2K4 will tell you the UT2K4 is pretty shitty in a lot of respects, gameplay-wise. UT3 is a massive improvement over UT2K4 in weapon balance. Of course UT3 is broken in a lot of respects, everything else-wise. The beta demo didn't even launch with a dedicated server so most people were playing on super laggy listen servers with shitty menus and a server browser that functioned like ass. That combined with NO marketing push in the biggest FPS holiday season in years is a recipe for failure.

sounds very plausible. i mean, i didn't play UT3 on pc before patch (cause i didn't have a pc that could play it until lately)... and yeah, UT2K4 just doesn't 'feel' as good now.

most people got put off by that beta demo... just showing you that labelling a demo 'beta' doesn't stop people judging the whole game on it.

 

[FFChris]

Eh, I'm still getting the 360 version next week. Looking forward to it, mod or no mod support.

It's out next week?!

I guess this just shows how little people care for the game, I've hardly heard a word about the 360 version on these forums.

 

[xbhaskarx]

It's out next week?!

I guess this just shows how little people care for the game, I've hardly heard a word about the 360 version on these forums.

My reaction also. I honestly didn't know it was coming out soon, so the hype must be at zero.

Will the 360 release have anything new added from the PS3 version?

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

I love UT3 (I've played the PC version), and I'm greatly looking forward to the 360 release. It's a mystery to me why it's not more popular online, because, for me, its Warfare mode is the best objective-based online mode I've ever seen in a shooter.

I strongly recommend you check out Quake Wars then.

 

[RubberJohnny]

It's out next week?!

I guess this just shows how little people care for the game, I've hardly heard a word about the 360 version on these forums.

Same here.

Is Midway still doing the marketing? Epic must be kicking themselves for that.

 

[plagiarize]

I strongly recommend you check out Quake Wars then.

yeah. i have to second that. <3 quake wars.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Unreal was great fun and great success for supporting KB&M on PS3. Unfortunately segregating players based on input preference is dumb as fuck.

Also the lack of local multiplayer rendered it a "no buy". :\

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

I strongly recommend you check out Quake Wars then.

I love Quake Wars as well (at least the PC version), but in Europe almost all Quake Wars servers are dominated by clans and are very intimidating for newcomers and/or casual players. I found UT3's Warfare mode much more accessible for casual play, with a lot less down time during the match.

 

[AgentOtaku]

yeah. i have to second that. <3 quake wars.

Speaking of which...does PC Quake Wars still have a good player base? ....i'm thinking of picking up off of Steam

I tried both demos though and wasn't a fan of the actual shooting itself...everything felt too off....but I'd really like to give it a....well like 3rd or 4th try!

 

[TheHeretic]

They should have released UT3 at the same time on all the platforms. Considering how well the 360 community treated them with gears its disgraceful that 360 players are still waiting on this release. The game flopped and no-one cares, well done Epic.

 

[PistolGrip]

Anyone with sense would have bought the PC version (due to the superiority of the mouse and keyboard) and the rest, would have made do with the PS3 version. Nine months is a long time to wait for a game, even by the most hardcore of followers.

Seems like he doesnt know much about the PS3 version of the game. It does suppor mouse and keyboard.

 

[No Means Nomad]

If we take Epic's track record, (let alone the success of the Unreal Tournament series), their games have been at the forefront of Shooter fans' minds since 1999.

Here. This is the problem. It's the same game it was nearly 10 years ago and it's been repackaged too many times.

 

[Zaptruder]

It was alright. Just... better stuff came a long and there wasn't enough time to play it.

Would've been great when there are a lack of games... but there just wasn't.

 

[Iadien]

I tried to play this on the PC last night, it still feels like a shitty console shooter.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"I tried to play this on the PC last night, it still feels like a shitty slow paced console shooter."

Now you're just being full of it.

 

[Metalmurphy]

I tried to play this on the PC last night, it still feels like a shitty console shooter.

No it doesn't... Not even the PS3 version feels like a console shooter tbh...

and "still"? You mean it already was? oO

 

[mr_bishiuk]

Do I recall a planned demo?

This game is gonna need it imo

 

[Dark Octave]

:lol The music isn't as good in UTIII as it was in the previous games, especially UT 2004.

That and a wider veriety of online competition is the reason for me. Every game has to have an online mode no matter what it is nowadays. This wasn't the case four or five years ago.

 

[maxmars]

Any UT game that ends with "three" just sucks. It's simply that.

 

[Darklord]

Epic killed Unreal Tournament with Gears of War.

Like Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens, the old style has been replaced with the new.

It's progress. Evolution. Gamers have moved on.

I disagree. UT2k4 is still awesome fun infact all of them are but UT3 was bad. It was slowed down plus with modes were removed and just not nearly as good as the others.

 

[MoxManiac]

I went back to UT2004 more for player volume reasons, but I also like onslaught better than warfare (didn't like the changes they made in warfare)

 

[Iadien]

Now you're just being full of it.

It feels like I'm playing halo. Which is a bad thing imo.

No it doesn't... Not even the PS3 version feels like a console shooter tbh...

and "still"? You mean it already was? oO

Yes, it felt that way when it came out. I decided to give it another shot.

It does not feel like any of the other ut games.

 

[Igo]

The most obvious place to start is with the Xbox 360 release date.

I would start with the fact that the game just isn't good. Uninstalled it less in than two weeks and instead searched for my ut99 goty disk and started playing that again instead. UT99 has some mouse accel issues but it's fixable and definitely worth it for such a brilliant game. It would be absolutely incredible if someone made a really good ut99 mod with the U3 engine. That would really drag me away CS1.6 and TF2 back into UT.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

"It feels like I'm playing halo. Which is a bad thing imo."


Again you're full of shit if you actually mean that.

 

[Dyno]

Personally I love UT3 and can always find a bunch of good games on the PS3. Vehicle Capture the Flag is a great game and no other title has it. Hoverboards are a great addition as well and some of the maps are my favorite of any game.

But while multiplayer is clearly the focus of UT3 it should also have an entertaining single player because lots of games these days have the whole package. UT3 single player wasn't merely light in content but stupid. It was a dumb story that puts the game in a universe no one cares about or remembers.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

"But while multiplayer is clearly the focus of UT3 it should also have an entertaining single player because lots of games these days have the whole package. UT3 single player wasn't merely light in content but stupid. It was a dumb story that puts the game in a universe no one cares about or remembers."


You mean like every other UT has been? This was well known it was like that and it's been like that for all the UTs I remember.

 

[Iadien]

"It feels like I'm playing halo. Which is a bad thing imo."


Again you're full of shit if you actually mean that.

How am I full of shit? lol

It in no way feels like an unreal game to me.

 

[duk]

they shouldn't even bother releasing it for the 360, instead work on DLC for GOW2

 

[Label]

UT2003 was the peak of the series closely followed by UT2004.

UT3 just failed to deliver in all aspects imo, also did not help it felt like a console port. I guess they just set the bar way too high with their previous games. ( I completely love the Unreal series apart from UT3 that shit is an abortion of a game.)