History YMMV / UnrealTournamentIII

* {{Misblamed}}: Although often referred to as a flop, and even one of the biggest failures in videogame history, in reality only the PC version sold particularly poorly on its initial release. The console versions actually sold pretty well, and even the PC version began selling a lot better (albeit at a significantly discounted price) when it was brought to UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. Unfortunately though, even the console versions got overshadowed by the likes of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', which led to impressions that the series was yesterday's news.

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 3}} version of the game is widely regarded as one of the finest PC-to-Console ports that has ever existed. Even though the game is capped at 30 FPS, it still contains the same amount of features as the PC version. To top it all? ''It has official third-party mod support'', which means that all of the customization that is possible in the PC version is also possible on the [=PS3=] version.

* EightDeadlyWords: The general feeling about the campaign, thanks to [[{{Narm}} the corny dialogue and unlikable characters]] and the fact that [[spoiler:SeriesMascot Malcolm was a bad guy all along]].

See also:
* [[Awesome/UnrealTournamentIII the Moment of Awesome page]]
* [[Fridge/UnrealTournamentIII the Fridge page]]
* [[Funny/UnrealTournamentIII the Funny Moments page]]
* [[AwesomeMusic/{{Unreal}} the series-wide Awesome Music page]]
* [[ThatOneLevel/{{Unreal}} the series-wide That One Level page]]
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* CrazyAwesome: Bishop. The guy recites Bible passages while popping heads off his enemies!

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Necris High Inquisitor Akasha]] commands both [[TheNecrocracy the Necris]] and the [[ProudWarriorRace Krall]] in a campaign to impose her invulnerability upon the universe. Described as one who "slaughters civilians for a living", Akasha led the Twin Souls massacre that killed the friends and family of [[PlayerCharacter Reaper]] and his sister, Jester. Orchestrating more bloodshed that carved horrific swathes through Taryd, Reaper eventually corners Akasha in her chambers on Omicron 6. In the ensuing firefight for the fate of the universe, she [[EvilGloating mocks him about the ease with which she murdered his family]]. Ruthless and bloodthirsty, Akasha caused far more damage in the war than any other faction.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Necris High Inquisitor Akasha]] commands both [[TheNecrocracy the Necris]] and the Krall in a campaign to impose her invulnerability upon the universe. Described as one who "slaughters civilians for a living", Akasha led the Twin Souls massacre that killed the friends and family of [[PlayerCharacter Reaper]] and his sister, Jester. Orchestrating more bloodshed that carved horrific swathes through Taryd, Reaper eventually corners Akasha in her chambers on Omicron 6. In the ensuing firefight for the fate of the universe, she mocks him about the ease with which she murdered his family. Ruthless and bloodthirsty, Akasha caused far more damage in the war than any other faction.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Akasha]] is the [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Necris High Inquisitor]] of the [[TheNecrocracy Necris]] forces in Story Mode. Described as one who "slaughters civilians for a living", Akasha led the Twin Souls massacre that killed the friends and family of [[TheProtagonist Reaper]] and his sister, Jester, with Othello being an unfortunate witness to the bloodshed. Also commanding the Krall, she has them raze an unknown human colony at the beginning, an operation she personally led, rendering Reaper himself unconscious after gunning down a soldier. [[OrcusOnHisThrone Hiding out in her throne for the rest of the story,]] Akasha has her forces continue their [[RapePillageAndBurn tirade]] on Taryd and the rest of Earth, including the complete destruction and takeover of a thriving city. When Reaper finally confronts Akasha in her stronghold, she [[IShallTauntYou taunts]] him all throughout the ensuing struggle. She mocks him [[InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn going alone]], [[TranshumanTreachery claims his mortality in his weakness]], and--worst of all--says he dies too quickly "[[KickTheDog like his family]]". A [[LackOfEmpathy ruthless]] [[BackFromTheDead Necris]] who thinks she will become invincible, Akasha caused far more damage in the war than any other faction.

* PolishedPort: The UsefulNotes/{{Playstation 3}} version of the game is widely regarded as one of the finest PC-to-Console ports that has ever existed. Even though the game is capped at 30 FPS, it still contains the same amount of features as the PC version. To top it all? ''It has official third-party mod support'', which means that all of the customization that is possible in the PC version is also possible on the PS3 version.

! [[center:[[YMMV/{{Unreal}} Main page]] | [[YMMV/UnrealI Unreal]] | [[YMMV/UnrealTournament Tournament]] | [[YMMV/UnrealIITheAwakening Unreal II]] | [[YMMV/UnrealChampionship Championship]] | [[YMMV/UnrealTournament2004 UT2004]] | [[YMMV/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict UC2:TLC]] | [[YMMV/UnrealTournamentIII UT3]] | [[YMMV/UnrealTournament4 UT4]]\\
[-Series-wide pages: [[AwesomeMusic/{{Unreal}} Awesome Music]] | [[ThatOneLevel/{{Unreal}} That One Level]]\\
Game-specific pages: [[Awesome/UnrealTournamentIII Awesome]] | [[Fridge/UnrealTournamentIII Fridge]] | [[Funny/UnrealTournamentIII Funny]] -]]]

[-Series-wide pages: [[AwesomeMusic/{{Unreal}} Awesome Music]]\\

* ThatOneLevel: Any mission where your team is outnumbered. [[ArtificialStupidity Any mission where your team gets instant access to the Leviathan and can get stuck.]] [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Any mission where your team is both outnumbered and can get stuck in the Leviathan]]. Now that we got the abridged version out, here's the full detail:
** Diesel from ''Act II: With Caesar's Coin'' is a 2-on-4 Team Deathmatch match in a small map where you're paired with the worst member of your team against four of Iron Guard's best. Good luck getting the [[QuadDamage UDamage]] before they get it. The same can be said for the Biohazard and [[BossBattle Deck]] missions from ''Act IV: Calculated Losses'', except that those are optional missions and you may want to skip them.[[note]]If you're unlocking characters, you may miss Scythe by skipping Deck.[[/note]]
** A very special mention goes for Torlan Delta (a.k.a. Torlan_Leviathan) from the end of all but one of the ''Act II: With Caesar's Coin'' paths, with your team possessing the Leviathan against the Krall and their two Darkwalkers[[note]][[GuideDangIt For one of these paths]], the Krall are replaced by Liandri robots; this of course doesn't mean that the mission is made wany easier.[[/note]]. [[AllThereInTheManual The game's visual code]] calls this level an "[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004 Invasion-style]]" match for good reason: it's a completely and unfairly asymmetrical 4-on-7 match where your AI will be at its worst as you see all of your companions getting onto the Leviathan and making useless attempts at taking the nodes and the enemy base. Your only choice can be getting the Leviathan as soon as it spawns and deploy as close as you can between the objectives. It's on this scenario that you may want to play the Iron Guard Reinforcements or Tactical Diversion card if you have them. You WILL need them.
** Dusk from the beginning of ''Act III: The Liandri Conflict'' is a 4-on-6 Warfare match that requires you to NOT to be distracted with the Support Nodes (which just gives you access to the Cicada and the Shield Belt) and get to the enemy core and destroy it ASAP. Should you fail to do so, you'll be overwhelmed with hordes of Liandri Bots not giving you the chance to retaliate and attacking you from anywhere.
** ''Act IV: Calculated Losses'' starts with Islander_Necris. Remember the Islander level where you get a big bunch of Axon vehicles and your enemy only a pair of turrets alongside barricades placed in order to prevent vehicle invasion? Well, you start on the Turret side, and your enemy starts with a full array of Necris vehicles. If you cannot get the Orb to the Prime node and start busting the enemy core, you will suffer. A lot.
** Also from ''Act IV: Calculated Losses'' is the Onyx Coast mission. It should be easy. Pick the Leviathan and start busting enemy nodes with your teammates covering your ass and doing the node building, isn't it? Well, no. Your enemy start with two Darkwalkers which are slightly weaker but faster than your beast, and have numbers advantage (4-to-5). Add to it the dumb Leviathan AI already mentioned and you'll find yourself not being able to be anywhere while your teammates are stuck in the Levi and your enemies keep charging against your core.
** Also, the final battle against [[spoiler:Akasha]] in the higher levels.

See also:
* [[AwesomeMusic/{{Unreal}} Awesome Music - Unreal]]

** Diesel from ''Act II: With Caesar's Coin'' is a 2-on-4 Team Deathmatch match in a small map where you're paired with the worst member of your team against four of Iron Guard's best. Good luck getting the [[QuadDamage UDamage]] before they get it. The same can be said for the Biohazard and [[BossBattle Deck]] missions from ''Act IV: Calculated Losses'', except that those are optional missions and you may want to skip them (if you're unlocking characters, you may miss Scythe by skipping Deck).
** A very special mention goes for Torlan Delta (a.k.a. Torlan_Leviathan) from the end of various paths of ''Act II: With Caesar's Coin'', with your team possessing the Leviathan against the Krall and their two Darkwalkers. The game's visual code calls this level an "[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004 Invasion-style]]" match for good reason: it's a completely and unfairly asymmetrical 4-on-7 match where your AI will be at its worst as you see all of your companions getting onto the Leviathan and making useless attempts at taking the nodes and the enemy base. Your only choice can be getting the Leviathan as soon as it spawns and deploy as close as you can between the objectives. It's on this scenario that you may want to play the Iron Guard Reinforcements or Tactical Diversion card if you have them. You WILL need them.

** For all of its faults, ''[=UT3=]'' did something right in improving the normally useless Bio Rifle with particular emphasis on the alternate fire's newer properties (instead of a big glob which splitted in smaller globs and was [[HoistedByHisOwnPetard a regular source for suicides]], it is now a bigger glob but which can stick to a player which is fragged with no splash damage, [[DifficultButAwesome problem is, of course, landing these shots require practice against very high moving targets]]).

** For players who liked [[GameBreaker the ''2004'' iteration of the Manta]], which allowed players to be carried on its wings and turned the dummied Vehicle CTF mode onto [[DetractorNickname "Manta CTF"]], the fact that players on the wings of the Manta would get sucked and killed was a downgrade.

* PlayerPunch: [[spoiler:In the final battle, you'll receive three "X has fallen" messages. Replace X for Othello, Jester and Bishop. And then, in the final cutscene, a Necris soldier drops a mortally wounded Jester in the floor. Cue Reaper swearing revenge against Malcolm.]]