The Weapons
Though from first glance, the weapons in UT3 may look similar to their UT2K4 counterparts, they have been retooled and modified for a more competitive feel. My favorite, the Shock Rifle, has had both it's primary and secondary firing modes to accommodate the faster gameplay that comes with the game as a whole. Most notably, its second fire (an explodable ball of energy) is faster, and when shot, is noticeably more powerful than before, almost to an unfair amount. Other modifications include faster rockets, an improved secondary fire for the Link Gun and the ever-important fast single shot from the Bio Rifle. I think with a little more work and input from the community, the weapons system could be made a little bit more even before the game fully releases.

Competitive Factor
At first glance, this game has the makings to become a very successful FPS in multiple realms of competitive play. First off, the UT series is still know as one of THE most exciting games for TDM, and this version seems no different. Epic stuck with what made this game so popular among TDM fans and only made it better. With the exception of the "DarkWalker" I really enjoyed TDM against the bots, and I can honestly say I'd give it a try online with a team when more servers become available.

As I have yet to play duel against anyone, I know one thing; THERE SURE AS HELL BETTER NOT BE ANY VEHICLES OR DAMAGE AMP IN DUEL MODE when the game releases. I don't want to be up by three frags on someone, only to turn a corner to see Mr.DarkWalker staring at me and blast the hell out of me for the rest of the match. Also, Developers, be smart when you're designing duel maps. Generally, this game is pretty slow for a duel game; don't make duel maps that will allow one player to hide from the other for the rest of the match if they are up by a few frags. Overall though, it'll be interesting to see how the dueling community reacts to the game when duel maps are released at launch.

Overall Reaction
I'm pretty happy with this beta release of the game and I'm actually excited to see how this game will turn out at release. Remember kids, this is a BETA release. Nothing is final. This game will only get better in my opinion. I think Epic will learn a lesson from the tale of Quake 4 and actually pay attention to the fans and not turn a deaf ear to their most important crowd, the players. So what do you guys think about the game?

P.S. - Yes, this story is in the Quake section. I know that it is not a story partaining to Quake, but a UT3 section is on the way.