Doom 3 engine
The Quake series immediately conjures up images of frenzied, intensive multiplayer action, beautifully orchestrated sound and cutting edge weaponry – it could be said that the series whipped the online multiplayer player community into a frenzy. However, just like Doom3, Quake 4 focuses on the single player action.
The technology of the Doom engine is still utilised in this latest offering and provides a familiar gaming experience. In fact, so familiar it often feels like a Doom 3 mod. In Quake 4, developer Raven have produced a standard first person shooter that offers the occasional thrill, but won’t leave you begging for more. If you’ve played previous Quake or Doom games you’ll often experience the ‘been there, done that’ mentality.
Quake IV begins where Quake II left off, you’ll step into the shoes of Matthew Kane, one of Earth’s elite space marines, in a battle against an alien race called the Stroggs, who could be described as zombies from space. The game begins with a cinematic sequence in which your dropship is shot down, killing most of your team’s members. Corporal Kane and his surviving team-mates will need to destroy and surpress the remaining Strogg forces in order to succeed. The storyline is revealed through in-game sequences, usually near the end of one of the linear levels and acts as a side show to the main event, it doesn’t really add anything extra to the game, other than telling which direction you need to head. It’s the action that draws you in.
Click for larger imageIn terms of game play Quake 4 is pretty typical of many first person shooters, it adds nothing to the genre that we haven’t already seen and relies heavily on the success of the series, without bringing anything new to the table. The A.I soldiers act as the storytellers and accompany you on some of the missions. The mix of solo action with squad based action can be refreshing at times, and injects a welcome change of pace in the gameplay, although your team-mates do have an uncanny knack of getting in your way at times.The action is generally sustained and engaging to any new fans of the series, but a familiar trip down memory lane for old fans.
Firefights will see enemy Strogg, grunts, gunners and berzerkers launching lunging attacks at ferocious speeds. It’s not in the same league as F.E.A.R, the A.I only display a small amount of tactical maturity, a large percentage of Quake IV will see the enemy running straight into your line of fire – it certainly keeps you on your toes but becomes rather draining after a while. It would also have been a nice addition to be able to lean round corners and take out the oncoming Strogg, somthing which I feel should be a feature of all first person shooters.