Of course, before you’re even in the game you’re going to have plenty of choices to make. In what type of setting do I want to die? How many ugly, oversized demon creatures do I want to have ravage my unfortunate corpse? While the list of modes won’t seem daunting, the impressive number and sheer scope of the maps just might.

After you first boot up UT3, you’ll probably want to get your space boots wet with some instant action (better to put off that first online match until you know what all of the fancy buttons on your controller do). Instant action features six modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Vehicle Capture the Flag, Warfare and Duel. If you need an explanation of Deathmatch, you’re seriously playing the wrong game. In UT3 Deathmatch, you put your finger on the trigger button and you don’t let go until you’ve died or the screen is painted with the blood of your enemies. Rinse and repeat until the match ends. Team Deathmatch is pretty much the same thing, except that you try to avoid shooting your teammates. If you do, you’re sure to receive a verbal chastising from either the AI-controlled bot or the angst-filled humanoid you have “accidentally” shot. Capture the Flag is similar to Team Deathmatch, except that you also have to find the opponent’s flag and bring it back to your base, with Vehicle Capture the Flag adding transport to the formula.

Warfare is by far the most interesting mode in UT3. It’s similar to the Domination mode in past games; teams try to capture various nodes scattered around large maps, and if a team controls all of the nodes linking its core to the other team’s core, they can attack it. Destroying the enemy core’s shielding results in a major win for your team. Finally, Duel features you, an opponent and tons of guns. The winner grows chest and knuckle hair (especially true for female players), while the loser gets nothing but a broken spirit.

Each mode features a good number of compatible maps (bigger layouts being reserved for the Vehicle Capture the Flag and Warfare games, of course). The maps not only vary in size, but in just about every other way. They can be colorful and lush or dreary and grim, and they’re all incredibly detailed. When you play in them, you almost feel obligated to kill someone, otherwise you wouldn’t be doing the game justice. And for those folks who just don’t dig the online thing, there’s also a campaign mode, complete with cutscenes and pre-mission dialogue.