More of a glorified tech demo than an actual game.
I bought Unreal Tournament 3 expecting more of the same. That's exactly what I got, but something seems to be missing this time around. It might be a matter of personal taste but Unreal Tournament 3 just seems shallow. Like it's all show and no go. The only game mode that is really worthwhile is Warfare, call it Onsluaght 2.0, basically you have a bunch of waypoints that you fight over until one side controls enough of them to draw a straight line to your enemy's powercore then blow it up. Wash, rinse, repeat. The map options are limited in this mode, so the experience wears thin in a hurry.
The gameplay is similar to UT2k4. There is a cool down time between dodges and the weapons feel more powerful this around with one good hit from the rocket launcher or flak cannon enough to do in a freshly respawned opponent. However, the combat just feels empty and samey. It's the same UT just with prettier graphics.
The whole thing feels like a glorified tech demo for the Unreal 3 engine, which, to be fair, can produce some incredible visials. UT 3 is gorgeous, the details are lavish and the draw in time for the bump mapping is shorter, but still noticeable.
However, Unreal Tournament 3 just seems short on gameplay. This might be because the modder and mapper communities have yet to kick into hight gear. I will try this game again in 6 months and see what mods are out for it. For the time being, I rate UT 3 a 7 for great visuals and potential, but lacking actual substance.