Epic dates UT3 expansion for PS3, PC News

Epic has announced details of its upcoming Unreal Tournament 3 expansion, the Titan Pack, and said it will be out for PS3 and PC on 5th March.

Best things first, it's a completely free 800MB-1GB download, which introduces split-screen and a new mod-browser for PS3 owners, and 16 maps in total.

There are also new gametypes, including some that involve the titular Titans and their even-bigger brothers, the Behemoths.

As you can read in our Unreal Tournament 3: Titan Pack hands-on preview this morning and observe to some extent in our screenshot gallery, five of the maps are the ones introduced in last year's belated Xbox 360 release, as is the split-screen. The others are detailed at the bottom olf this page.

As for the Titans, they're part of a mutator that lets you transform into a 15-foot-tall Titan or a 30-foot-tall Behemoth under certain circumstances.

The new gametypes, meanwhile, are Greed and Betrayal. In Greed, you collect the skulls of downed foes and have to transport them to base - the more you have, the higher value a target you are.

In Betrayal, played with Instagib rifles, you work in groups of three, building up separate personal and team scores, and then once the team pot's exciting enough you can take out an enemy to betray them. They then get a big bonus if they can get you back quickly.

It's all explained more fully in the hands-on preview, which also touches on other changes and features a cameo from our old friend Cliff Bleszinski.

As for the Xbox 360, Epic's Steve Polge explained the lack of an update there by pointing out, first, that a lot of the content is already in the 360 build.

"And we couldn't do the mod browser, there's no structure for that on the 360. And the pack is larger than Microsoft's patch limit," he added.

Here's a brief rundown of the maps taken from Epic's handy factsheet:

• Hostile (Warfare) - Many research vessels were lost in the early days of Na Pali exploration. When the terrain or local fauna proved to be too dangerous for recovery, equipment was often abandoned and forgotten. But when it was learned that the Necris had moved in to recover this equipment for their own purposes, the NEG dispatched military salvage units to reclaim their property.
• Confrontation (Warfare) - Confrontation Canyon serves as a training ground for Axon forces, improving unit readiness by providing highly realistic, stressful training across the full spectrum of infantry and mechanized conflict. It is the premiere facility for heavy armor training, and all forces must complete courses here before assignment to a Leviathan unit.
• Cold Harbor (Warfare) - Axon's Stealth Research Division managed to get some of the early specs for the Necris Nightshade vehicle and have been attempting to retrofit that technology onto their own. The Necris have moved to stop this research, and despite the blockade that sealed the harbor when the NEG enforced the armistice, they have maintained a foothold here and are fervently working to destroy all remaining Axon research.
• Downtown Necris (Warfare) - The Necris are invading territories throughout Taryd, infecting conquered areas with Nanoblack to terraform them to suit their own needs. You must push back the Necris forces and restore order to this sector.
• Stranded (Vehicle CTF) - Civilian contractors are often used to reliably transport supplies and equipment over short distances on Taryd, but when this cargo ship full of Axon supplies ran aground in Izanagi territory, a military unit was quickly dispatched to defend the area until a full extraction team could be assembled.
• Rails (Vehicle CTF) - Even areas of new construction can be exploited as weak points in Oxida Nova's defenses, so the Iron Guard has established a series of mobile turrets to patrol the perimeter of this worksite. With several city blocks of terrain to cover, including an access point through the city's canal system, protecting this site will be a challenge to even the most experienced of teams.
• Suspense Necris (Vehicle CTF) - Suspense is the only bridge across the Alluvion strong enough to support the weight of heavy combat vehicles. It is under attack by Necris forces that control one river bank.
• Dark Match (Deathmatch) - In preparation for the assault on Oxida Nova, Izanagi bombers targeted supply lines and other sites of important infrastructure. This power station was one of the first to be hit, and is now left to defend itself while running only on auxiliary reserves. Attack forces have moved in, and the facility's lights haven't even been restored. This level provides a unique twist on deathmatch in a darkened laboratory lit intermittently by a particle accelerator and emergency lights, and by muzzle flashes and explosions.
• Ocean Relic (Deathmatch) - This ancient structure was discovered in the depths of an ocean rift 53 miles off the southern coast of Absalom. While the planet's seemingly endless supply of sentient Nanoblack has kept the facility active, its origins and ultimate purpose remain a mystery. This level features the slow field powerup, a portable version of the slow field deployable.
• Eden, Inc. (Deathmatch) - This industrial complex was once a hydroponic research facility focused on saving rare and endangered species. When their grant ran out, funds dried up and all work was suspended. Months later, demo crews moved in to pave the path for a new highway and found that many of the research seedlings had taken root and continued to grow. This level features the introduction of deployables to deathmatch, with both a spidermine trap and an X-Ray field deployable available.
• Turbine (Deathmatch) - Axon Research Corporation has many geothermal power stations just like this scattered across the northern reaches of Taryd. They form a tight grid that supplies power to the research facilities and military installations common to the area. This level features the return of a classic Unreal Tournament deathmatch layout.
• Koos Barge (Deathmatch) - Continuing their long tradition of expertly crafted sea vessels, Koos Shipping now offers barge services across all of Taryd's oceans and waterways. While the prices are exorbitant, they're the only line that guarantees that your shipment will arrive on time and undamaged, even when shipping lanes take them across the frozen polar regions.
• Lost Cause (Deathmatch) - The Necris have not revealed the original purpose of this crumbling structure, nor have they explained why it was decommissioned. It stands on the cliffs of Absalom as a monument to history, a living link to the Necris ancestors.
• Morbid (CTF) - Morbias Station Gamma is a transport hub that services overflow traffic passing through Taryd's jumpgates. The Station offers a terrestrial shuttle, storage facilities (with quarantine services for live cargo), and a social center where guests can meet incoming visitors or hold private meetings in a neutral setting. Designed for use with the Titan mutator, Morbid includes heavy blast doors that can only be operated by Titans.
• Nanoblack (CTF) - Giant vats of Nanoblack are processed and stored in facilities like this one across Omicron. The structures are largely self-sustaining once operational, and are upheld with much reverence by those who respect the power and significance of the Nanoblack seething within. Public access is highly restricted.
• Shaft (CTF) - The substrata mines of Taryd produced over 800 gigatons of Tarydium last year alone. Production never stops here, not even for war, and mining drones will remain operational even as chaos erupts around them.