It takes a certain amount of "gutzpah" for a first-person shooter to enter a market already saturated with FPS games, all ranging from amazing, to mediocre, to downright awful.

You need to be prepared to be barraged by critics and gamers alike, who will be brutally dissecting each portion of the game and magnifying minor faults to larger-than-life proportions.

In essence, you need a big vision and even bigger production values to bring something new to the table, something that will put the current slew of titles available to shame.

Into this fray steps the next iteration in Epic Games' hugely popular 'Unreal Tournament' franchise.

A staple for PC gamers and multiplayer aficionados alike, the 'UT' franchise garners immense popularity and respect in the online PC-gaming community, and with good reason. Fast-paced, fluid and brutal, the series is the perfect pick-up-and-play FPS for a beginner, with enough depth and variety for the hardcore veteran.

Published by Midway, the title makes its console debut on the PS3, and while innovation certainly isn't prevalent in 'UT3', it still manages to be a top-tier title, with enough here to satisfy the most hardened of critics.

There are problems with the game, which I will get to, but, depending on what exactly it is you're looking for, it doesn't hamper the game at all.

If you're unfamiliar with the series, the basic premise is that you're pitted against either online opponents or AI bots, and you'll be playing different modes on various maps. It's in this simplicity that the 'UT' franchise has succeeded. And it's here that Epic misjudged its first hurdle.

The first flaw with the game is the inclusion of a single player story campaign. To say that the story is an uninspired, insipid and mind-numbingly bland affair is a serious understatement.

Essentially it's an excuse for preparing you for the multiplayer part of the game with various Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag matches and so forth being strung together with cut-scenes in between.

Meh... I suppose if you have never played any of the titles in the series then it could serve as training for the multiplayer modes, but it's just not nearly the same as playing against flesh-and-blood enemies. The only way of learning the ropes is by jumping into the deep end, and online is where it's at.

With that little niggle aside I'll head to the more positive parts of the game.

Built with the Unreal 3 engine, the game simply looks spectacular. Lighting, textures, explosions and character models all impress, and the cut-scenes, though meaningless, at least look truly gob-smackingly good.

The frame rate remained stable with my playthrough and even with loads of enemies on-screen, the frame rate didn't drop or stutter once. Character models are impressive, even if they seem to come from the same stable as 'Gears of War' (another Epic game), but they're still the best you'll find in most games today.

Although the sound effects are by no means bad, it won't get your attention either. None of the weapons have that authentic crunch and crisp realism that could be found in 'Call of Duty 4'. Sure, these are fictional weapons we are talking about, but just don't expect to remember a gun for its specific sound or recoil.

The score is impressive when it needs to be in the single player campaign and the whole ensemble does manage to come together.

But all of this takes a back-seat once you have fired up the multiplayer portion of the game. Sure, for the most part you'll feel as if you're playing 'Unreal Tournament 2004' with upgraded visuals, but that certainly ain't a bad thing.

I tested the game on international servers and locally and, depending on the host you connect to internationally, the lag may range from decent to unplayable, so I recommend either hosting or joining a local game.

These affairs are lag-free, no holds barred frag-fests and invokes the kind of addiction only this series can manage. Frenetic, action-packed and ridiculously fast-paced, this is what 'UT3' is all about. It's akin to climbing into a sports car with the top down and letting the wind blast into your face. Pure, unadulterated fun.

Most modes from the previous versions are present here, along with the inclusion of a few new ones, such as Vehicle Capture the Flag — which is my least favourite mode to play. So it seems that innovation isn't always key in following up a successful franchise.

The PS3 version also allows for mods, or "mutators" to be added via download, ensuring that the lifespan of this title will continue until the creativity of the players have dried up. From additional maps to skins and other modifications, it's refreshing to see mods allowed on a console version and will hopefully filter through to other titles in the future.

It's not a masterpiece and it lacks innovation, but it more than makes up for it with its tried and trusted traditional gameplay. If you're looking for a blast online and adrenaline fuelled action at its most basic, look no further. 'UT3' has it in spades.