The main reason I am writing this blog is purely on the basis on how unbelievably disappointed I was with the 360 version of the game.

It had been a long time since I had bought a game on day of release and felt so let down by it that I had to take it back the next day! In fact I only played the game for around an hour and it left me feeling as if I had been robbed.

Let me explain. I have been a massive fan of UT since I can remember which is why I bought it on the PC and then later on the PS3. I loved the game, it was the frag fest that I knew and loved with the online community that shared my passion. This was great!  Not only did it have the great maps and gameplay, such as DM, TDM, CTF and VCTF but it had the user generated content that made these games fresh and fun to play. My favourites being from “Harbour” (I think) based on a COD4 map to the ridiculous “Apartment” and “Lego” and if I wanted to go around pretending to be Spawn, Samus or the Master Chief then the possibilities were there! And this experience was available at my PC or on the couch in front of my PS3.

But sadly things come to an end (and rather quickly I think). The user generated content on both the PC and the PS3 started to slow down and it was getting harder to find a decent game online, so when the news came that UT3 was coming to my beloved 360 I began buying those beers and savoury snacks ready for my new all nighter sessions. I mean what better platform to have the game on than on the 360, with the biggest online community there is  and with a service that would make it easier to find a game, or so I thought...

The rumours started to come in. No user generated content, but you would get all the DLC maps made available to the PC and PS3... ok, no doubt (I thought)  Epic and Microsoft would choose and licence some of the most popular user generated content and eventually it would be uploaded onto the Marketplace (free I hope). I knew you wouldn’t be able to play as Samus or Solid Snake, but hey maybe the Master Chief! Or maybe not, but who cares, because you had five extra characters that were exclusive to the 360! Would it be a new class of Human, Robot or Alien? The anticipation became unbearable and so I pre-ordered.  I also made sure that people on my friends list knew I was getting the game with the hope they would do the same (a chance for some payback I thought after being humiliated on COD 4) and so the wait began.

9 am on day of release, I was there first at the door, waiting for my local Gamestation (The video game store owned by Blockbusters here in the UK) to open with my £40 in hand to be greeted by one of the friendly folks in store. The doors opened I rushed to the service desk only to find that the assistant didn’t have the key to the lockable cabinet, as only the Manager had the key and he was in Starbucks getting his coffee for the morning. But that was ok; I spent the next 15 minutes talking video games with the Clerks and had a deep debate regarding the  pros and cons of choosing the Sniper Class in COD4 (I hate it when people camp).  Finally in came the Manager with the golden key to the forbidden cabinet and set free the next game that would have me become the unsociable night time recluse that my common law wife was used to. With a quick pace I said my farewells and raced to the bus stop hoping I didn’t miss the 14 home.

30 minutes later there I was at home and ready for the game I had been waiting to play since the announcement of its launch was made. I turned on the Xbox and watched the familiar X appear on the screen. I gently placed the DVD onto the tray and waited for the game to start. The game began with the same intro as the other two versions... that was ok, but shortly after, that was when the disappointment started to set in.  I decided that before I went online I would create my own character only to find that I couldn’t. I was looking forward to seeing what the new characters were but there weren’t any. I knew you were not able to create your own maps or characters from other game franchises, but I still expected that you would be able to create your own online persona... how wrong I was. Already I felt lied to.  Instead of the option to choose your own head or shoulder pads you could only choose from a list of readymade characters, what’s up with that! And the five extra ...where? I could only see the same classes as in the PC and PS3 version.

After randomly choosing a “here’s one of the many characters I made for you” I decided to play a match online. Another disappointment as even with the ability of Xbox Live and the excellent matchmaking capabilities it possesses I still had to go through a whole questionnaire before I could play. I can understand this in the PC and the PS3 version but I would never expect it on the 360 and at the end of the match you have to go through it all over again.  There’s not even a lobby in place! Both the single player and online play are the same as the PS3 version when it launched last year, but I would say that it is a lot tighter with the 360 controller which took a little getting used to as I was accustomed to the Six Axis. The PC version is far superior in my opinion, as you have all the content and the community but most importantly the keyboard and mouse, which in my view is always the best way to guarantee your multiple kills.

I have decided that a fundamental part of UT for me is the ability to install user based content if I wanted it, to create my online warrior if I decide to, and out of all three versions of the game the 360 is the biggest letdown, not because of the typical fanboy arguments regarding which version looks better, but by the lack of content and the feel that you have that you are getting half a game and defiantly not worth the 40 quid I spent.

If you have never played the PC or the PS3 version then you will probably enjoy the chaotic frag fest that is UT3, but if you have, then you might feel let down by what could have been the best version of all three.

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