Video game reviews

‘UNREAL TOURNAMENT III’

(Midway) for PC, PlayStation 3

Genre: Role-playing; Rating: M

Grade: B-

It’s great how many gamers I’ve heard from who are stoked for the release of “UT3,” because it’s one of those franchises with a large following, but not a very vocal one. The third edition is going to make previous “Unreal” players feel right at home, but it suffers at times from a lack of originality.

On one hand, all the familiar comforts are here. Most of the weapons aren’t changed, and many of the maps and level designs have been tweaked just enough to add some interesting twists. But on the other hand, this is, at times, also a big detriment — now that we’re in the third edition, Midway could have taken some new turns and chances without angering the fans.

There is a single-player mode, but it’s the multiplayer that truly shines. All the regular modes of play are here, and the new twists — like a vehicle-based Capture the Flag — are really done well. The graphics are excellent, even on machines that don’t push the technical limits.

“Unreal Tournament” is a solid, fun first-person shooter, and that makes it a worthy buy.

‘KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN’

(Eidos) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Genre: Shooter; Rating: M

Grade: C-

The holidays are always a hotbed of big-name releases. We get some of the year’s best games, but we also get the occasional “hyped to death and shockingly disappointing” — and “Kane & Lynch” is right near the top of that list this year.

You star as Kane, who gets busted out by a gang on the way to his execution. Great timing, as ever. But the gang has Kane’s family members and will kill them all unless you help. This Lynch guy is like your shadow to make sure you don’t screw up, but by the time you get to know all the characters, you’re going to wish you could just do the family members a favor and kill them anyway.

Seriously, who wants to be around any of these yahoos? There’s no redeeming value to any character, and without that, all you have is the game play, which doesn’t do you any favors, either.

Shooting enemies is difficult, even when aiming, and yet anyone can gun you down in just a few shots. Plus, most of the game relies on you using cover, but getting behind cover is extremely frustrating so you’ll mostly avoid it.

‘THE GOLDEN COMPASS’

(Sega) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, DS

Genre: Adventure; Rating: E

Grade: F

“The Golden Compass” is another horribly produced game based on a movie. But the truly depressing thing is that it really feels like the purpose of the game is to milk parents out of $50 for a game their kids will hate after just 30 minutes of playing.

You play primarily as Lyra, who possesses an alethiometer, which is a fancy name for the golden compass that answers whatever questions you ask it.

There is some opportunity to fight polar bears, witches and a floating pirate ship, but nothing can distract you from the disappointment of playing this game.

The disappointments are too many to discuss, but in short: The camera makes game play nearly impossible; the game shifts genres (none of which is very good) constantly; the graphics are poor and chunky. There’s more, but I can’t believe I’ve spent this much time on this game already.

Those who buy this will wish they had used an alethiometer that would have told them to stay away.

— Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard News Service