Quake 4
- Platform: PC
- Published by: Activision
- Developed by: Raven Software
- Release Date: Q4 2005
- Genre: Action
- Multiplayer: Yes
- Online: Yes
Warning: include(/web/shugashack/include/advertising/articles_ads.x) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /data/www/www.shacknews.com/htdocs/extras/2005/091905_quake4_2.x on line 30
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/web/shugashack/include/advertising/articles_ads.x' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/share/php5:/usr/share/php') in /data/www/www.shacknews.com/htdocs/extras/2005/091905_quake4_2.x on line 30
Quake 4 Preview Continued..
-- September 19, 2005 by: Chris Remo
Quake 4 Multiplayer
If you've played Quake III Arena you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Quake 4's multiplayer component. The game is extremely fast-paced and from what I can tell most of the weapons and a few of the maps from Q3A return.
We were started off with some straight deathmatch, and it felt immediately familiar. The game even has those little pings that sound when you hit an opponent, a touch I'm glad was retained. There are jump pads and easily-available weapons, health, and armor strewn about to ensure that the gameplay always remains fast and hectic. It certainly feels like a Quake multiplayer game, and it also certainly feels very very different from the Quake 4 single-player mode. Whereas much of the single-player is at least scripted and deliberate if not slow-paced by any means, the multiplayer encourages non-stop action at all times.
Next we played a few rounds of team deathmatch, which as expected was more frantic deathmatch goodness. One thing worth mentioning is that the standard-equipment multiplayer machine gun is a lot more effective than the one from Quake III, and there were many situations in which I found myself forgoing a more powerful weapon in order to make use of the powerful-if-dead-on machine gun. EDIT: Raven has informed me that when unzoomed the machine gun operates the same as it did in Quake 3. When zoomed it does slightly higher damage at a slightly lower rate of fire. Plus, it's just nice to hear that dull bell sound again and again and again. The final mode we played was capture the flag. Being a fan of objective-based multiplayer games, this was my favorite of the three, and it provided a good team-oriented experience while still retaining the necessary Quake nonstop insanity. EDIT: Raven has informed me that there are in fact two more multi-player modes that will ship with the final version of the game: a Tourney mode and an Arena CTF mode.
Raven definitely took the attitude that Quake III's multiplayer was already very solid, so why mess with it? It's an attitude that's hard to fault, because the twitchy and less-realistic deathmatches of Quake 4 still end up being very well-done. Plus, it's been about six years since the previous game, so not too many people should be bothered by the similarity.
Quake 4 on Xbox 360
/1/091605_360/091605_q4_360_2.jpg)
At this point it's looking like Quake 4 will hit stores within the Xbox 360's launch window. I tried out the first two levels on the console version, the same ones I started with on PC. For all intents and purposes the content and gameplay is identical. While I did notice the occasional texture that seemed a bit lower res on the console version, overall the game feels like a direct translation. The controls could perhaps be tightened up a bit, but it's a minor enough observation that I suspect it will be ironed out by the time the game is complete.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to try out the single-player vehicle sequences or the multiplayer mode on the Xbox 360. Had time permitted, I would have been interested to see how the tank and walker control compared between the two versions. In general I prefer using a console controller when driving vehicles for the more tactile feel it gives.
The multiplayer will apparently be as similar as it can be to the PC version, though players of the two versions will not be able to play against one another online. Raven and id are attempting to ensure that, despite keeping as much of the game as possible a direct one-to-one conversion, the console version is still designed with consoles in mind as far as level design and control mechanics go. To that end, they will be extensively testing the multiplayer content on Xbox 360 and tweaking it to make sure nothing is lost in the translation from mouse and keyboard to dual analog sticks.
All in all, Quake 4 is shaping up very well despite not reinventing many wheels. Following in the vein of Doom 3, the game has a bit more of a nod towards storytelling elements than is traditional in id's properties. Raven seems to be handling the task well, and the game should give Quake fans a solid experience when it ships in the near future.
