 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | id / Raven Software |
| Publisher: | Activision | |
| Genre: | FPS | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1-4 (1-8 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | System Link |
When the original Quake was released way back in 1996, in every way it lived up to Id's goal of being the company's next big franchise and an evolution of the gameplay concepts introduced in DOOM. The mod community quickly became one of the most active any game has ever enjoyed, and in many ways it helped solidify online gaming as a key component of any PC game. Unfortunately, three sequels later the series has failed to advance much beyond that original vision.
In Quake 4, the player assumes the role of Matthew "Left Eye" Kane. After The Big Gun was destroyed and the Strogg leader Makron defeated in Quake 2, the Strogg regrouped and built a new and more powerful Makron. As a result, Kane is part of a large assault force hitting the Strogg planet of Stroggos to try to finish the war once and for all.
Running on the DOOM 3 engine, Quake 4 is for the most part a straightforward FPS experience. Although there are a few outdoor environments where you're usually piloting a vehicle, for the most part the game consists of moving from room to room clearing out enemy Strogg and following orders as instructed. When on foot there is very little variety in gameplay, other than activating plenty of elevators and solving a few very simplistic puzzles along the way. A bit more variety is provided in the different vehicles Kane can command throughout the game, including Hovertanks and Walkers. These levels too are pretty simplistic, as each vehicle moves fairly slowly and only has a couple of weapons to choose from making it easy to figure out what to use in each situation.
Of course, one of Id's biggest selling points for this game has always been that halfway through the game the player is himself turned into a Strogg. Unfortunately, playing as a Strogg doesn't really mean a whole lot gameplay-wise. In fact, other than 25% more armor and health, as well as the ability to heal up at Stroyent stations scattered throughout the world, playing as a Strogg is no different than playing as a human. You still use the same weapons, still fight alongside the same people, and still fight for the same objectives.
The only real change to gameplay that getting Stroggified brings is that the extra health and armor means the enemies suddenly become smarter and tougher. Among these are new classes of Strogg that can actually employ rudimentary tactics, although they usually get confused easily if you do something unpredictable like charge at them. So in reality, the only purpose it really serves is to give the game an excuse to throw more enemies the player's way, not that that's a bad thing of course.
It wouldn't be a Quake game without multiplayer support, and this version has plenty of it. There are five different online modes, including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Tournament, Capture the Flag, and Arena Capture the Flag. It's disappointing that, even after all of these years, Quake 4 only supports the same basic online modes that FPS games have featured for years. In addition, online play caps out at a measly 8 players online (versus 16 in the PC version, or up to 32 in Perfect Dark Zero for Xbox 360) at a time. As a result, overall the online support fails to impress.
Graphically however, Quake 4 does impress. The lighting and shadow effects are excellent, and really help to set the mood and increase the tension on every level. High-polygon environments slathered in sharp textures really help to make the world of Stroggos come alive, and players get a true sense of scale jumping from vehicles to foot and battling gigantic Strogg creatures.
Even more impressive than the technical quality of the graphics is id's commitment to a gory theme throughout the game. In every respect, this is one of the goriest games I've ever seen. Kane's Stroggification scene alone is pretty intense, as it plays out from a first-person perspective and basically has Kane witnessing his own dismemberment. Throw in a world full of human corpses being transported on hooks, failed human experiments walking around as zombies in the lower bowels of Stroggos, and a complete disregard for humanity by the Strogg and it all adds up to a disturbing game world. It evokes some intense emotion from the player, making taking it to the Strogg all the more satisfying.
But while the game is impressive graphically, there are a few issues which much be addressed. The first is the framerate, which fails to remain consistent throughout the game. Virtually the entire game runs at 30fps or less, with some serious slowdown in more intense sections of the game. I have no doubt that the Xbox 360 hardware can handle a game like Quake 4, but the team apparently didn't have enough time to optimize it for the system. The other problem is that there's a certain sense of genericness to the game, from the corridors that all look very similar to the three or four character models somehow making up an entire squad of marines.
The sound is used to good effect. When there is music, it's ominous or ramps up at just the right times. More impressive though are the sound effects, with the blood-curdling screams of tortured humans off in the distance, clanging of Strogg machines, and a myriad of other sounds to set the mood.
Bottom Line:
Quake 4 is a fun, straightforward FPS that does exactly what it sets out to do. While you will likely have a lot of fun with it, in the end it's too similar to what you've already been playing for years to warrant a definite purchase.
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7.5 |
Posted: 2006-01-10 12:15:05 PST