Xbox 360 owners have their hands full with first-person shooters. The console had launched with quite a few of them and while this selection of shooters may not make the console the most attractive platform to gamers who like a broad variety of gameplay types, action and shooter fans have a decent selection of games to take for a whirl on their newest game console. The latest FPS I’ve personally gotten my hands on for the platform is Activision’s Quake 4 and I must say that while it’s not as great as Activision’s other Xbox 360 FPS, Call of Duty 2, it’s still a game that’s definitely worth a look, especially if you’re a fan of the series and games that involve blood thirsty aliens, big guns, and things of that sort.
Interestingly enough, id Software, the original developer of the Quake series, has taken the back seat with the development of Quake 4. The last time id Software developed a single-player Quake game was with Quake II in 1997 and with this true sequel, the game’s developmental responsibilities were passed onto Raven Software, a growing gaming studio who has done quite well over the past few years with some rather entertaining installments in LucasArts’ Jedi Knight franchise. Fans need not worry, Quake 4 is
"the Call of Duty of sci-fi first-person shooters"
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sure to please you, since it is undeniably the epic and beefed up sequel you’ve waited years for, but despite this, the game lacks in quite number of areas.
An interesting observation I’ve made about the FPS genre is that whenever a new groundbreaking game in the genre is produced, every forthcoming game released needs to include the elements introduced in these acclaimed titles to live up to the expectations of the thousands of gamers who indulge themselves in each new FPS title that is released. Quake 4 doesn’t really deliver all the gameplay elements or features we’ve come to expect. For instance, the ability to not be able to toss any type of grenade is missed, and not being able to use any kind of melee attack for close enemy encounters is also detrimental to the gameplay experience. I truly believe that the game would’ve been much better if such things had been featured and it’s a shame it’s not.
The traditional shooter element of Quake 4 is pretty bare bones. It’s linear and not very demanding; do not expect any mind numbing puzzles situations. Essentially if there’s a path for you to follow, it’s likely that following it will make decent progress towards completing the chapter, while on the way shooting down hordes of aliens. Let’s say something is preventing you from moving forward, like a locked door or un-powered elevator... what do you do? Well, your best bet is to listen to the advice given over your character’s communications system, which will often steer you towards another path where some sort of switch or device awaits at the end. Turn it on and do whatever it is that you have to do and make your way back to the area you first came from to open up the once blocked path. The gameplay situations are pretty simple and straightforward. Any real challenge found within the game stems from firefights with enemies, which can be rather difficult in later portions of the game due to the sheer number of powerful Strogg aliens tossed at you. In the final chapters of the single-player campaign enemy encounters are likely to become very frustrating, since all you’re really doing is blasting away through wave after wave of the game’s strongest enemies, many of which have extremely powerful and (seemingly) unfair attacks.
While runnin’ and gunnin’, annihilating dozens of hideous and zombie-like Strogg aliens, you’ll notice that you will be joined in battle by a few fellow Marines. Fortunately, for those of you who can’t stand squad-based gameplay, like myself, there isn’t much dependence on these NPCs. They’re really just there to help you get immersed within the game’s atmosphere, providing some interesting dialogue that moves the plot further. This is not to say that these NPCs aren’t of any other use. Most of them can get killed in battle and this will not affect the mission at all, however, if you manage to give them cover fire or help them against coming Strogg enemies, they’ll follow alongside you on the mission, helping you take out a few more Strogg aliens in the meantime. Additionally, medics can heal you up fully at any time during battle and techies can repair your body armor as well.. so there are quite a number of benefits when trying to keep fellow marines alive. Not all of these NPCs are expendable though. A handful of them are key to gameplay situation, mostly those which require some sort of demolitions expert to take out some sort of Strogg machinery, or some tech soldier who can deactivate a shield or open up a locked door. If these guys get killed, then you fail the mission, but they usually hold their own in battle quite well, so you don’t have too worry too much about keeping them alive. In fact, I only had to restart a portion of a mission twice due to the loss of a key NPC. Unlike most squad-based games, the inclusion of NPC characters assisting you in the heat of battle is not a frustrating burden.
As for the AI of the game’s enemies, it’s not the most impressive, but it gets the job done. While you will take some precautions while playing the game, such as hiding behind walls and peering out carefully looking for enemies, or crouching behind boxes and debris to avoid enemy fire, it’s not needed for most of the gameplay scenarios. A simple "run ’n gun" approach will work well for the most part of the game, since enemies often stay right in the open for an easy kill. You will be going through hordes of them, possibly making you believe that you’re some sort of super marine and that these Strogg are nothing more than cannon fodder, which they are, incidentally. Although, I’m not really disliking this characteristic of the game, it’s rather fun to run into a room filled with bad guys and just starting taking out dozens of them while standing stationary with a machine gun, simply panning from left to right dropping them all like flies. It’s almost recreating a scene from some over-the-top 1980s action flick.
If you’re a fan of variety in your action games, then you should be pleased to hear that Quake 4 has a good amount of gameplay content that takes place in a mech and tank, and some on-rails gunner missions. The mech and tank portions of the game are fairly enjoyable but nothing too spectacular. It’s all been done before and it’s just as linear as the game’s single-player shooter portions, but with a lesser challenge due to the inclusion of infinite primary and secondary ammo and regenerating shields. The game’s controls in this situation do not take much of a hit and while they do feel a bit more sluggish, the controls don’t feel as clunky or as unresponsive as other action games which toss in this type of vehicle based carnage. As for that on-rails gunner portion I mentioned earlier, it’s just as forgettable as the vehicle based missions in the game. When it’s all said and done, a little variety never hurt anyone and it is pleasing to break away from the sometimes mundane act of running through alien corridors with guns blazing.
I think it’s rather obvious that Quake 4’s biggest strengths aren’t necessarily found in the gameplay department. You have to admit that it isn’t very
"the traditional shooter element of Quake 4 is pretty bare bones"
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innovative or unique and much of what is experienced has all been done before, and in somewhat better form in games such as Halo. However, in what many of you may find a bit surprising for me to say, while the game’s plot is basically revolves around the whole save the human race from invading aliens gig, the cinematic way in which it is told is very impressive and enthralling. The game’s plot moves at a methodical pace and without much use of in-game cinematics. Most of the dialogue between NPCs and the action portrayed on-screen depict a fantastical image of intergalactic war that just has to be experienced to fully comprehend. It’s almost like the Call of Duty of sci-fi first-person shooters. It’s not often that a game makes me cringe out of disgust (not even Resident Evil or Silent Hill does that to me) but at the mid-point of the game you’ll witness something that is likely to give you goosebumps. I won’t spoil it the event, even though many of the game’s trailers have, but just take into consideration that many of the Strogg soldiers are comprised of what seem to be the various body parts of humans.
Interestingly enough, I haven’t spoken much about the character you play as, Matthew Kane. Well, there isn’t much to say about Mr. Kane. He’s your run-of-the-mill FPS character and he’s pretty bland, to say the least. However, as you progress through game, you’ll see that Kane is quickly becoming the soldier who can possibly give the human race the upper hand in this intergalactic battle for our survival. He’s a super soldier and everything rests on his shoulders.
Quake 4 has this dark and almost horrific atmosphere to it at times and you better believe that the game’s graphics have much to do with this. The use of lighting, or lack thereof, is key to portraying corridors and locales. Fighting enemies in the darkness is truly suspense, often due to the fact that you cannot see where a baddie will pop up. In fact, the game’s use of lighting effects is without question its most admirable graphical trait. If you thought DOOM 3 utilized lighting effects well than you should be pleased to hear that Quake 4 runs on a tweaked and enhanced DOOM 3 engine and is just as impressive.
Of course, since Quake 4 is a "next-generation" videogame, there’s a certain quality of graphics I’ve come to expect from a $400 gaming machine like the Xbox 360. Don’t get me wrong, Quake 4 is an incredible looking game.. the textures are of impressive quality and clarity, and the detail of all the various structures, pipes, and wiring featured in each of the game’s levels are truly awe-inspiring to those gamers who have yet to witness something of the sort on a home game platform. However, I do believe that during cut-scenes in-game characters animate a little funky at times and that the frame rate could use some improvement in some of the more intense gameplay situations. While frame rate drops don’t happen to often in the game, during one of the on-rails missions in the latter portion of game, where you’re on a tram firing away at enemies, the game’s frame-rate took a tremendous dive, as if everything had all of a sudden gone into slow motion.
As you would expect, sound also plays an important role in delivering the game’s atmosphere but I cannot say that Quake 4 takes strides over previous games in terms of sound effects or with its soundtrack. Actually, there isn’t much of a musical soundtrack, since the sound of gunfire; screams of Strogg aliens and dialogue of fellow marines dominate the game’s aural experience. This isn’t a bad thing, however, since a musical score isn’t necessarily needed in a game of this type. The gunfire, explosions, screams and whatnot are the game’s music. I am also impressed by the game’s voice-acting. It’s superb; thanks to the talents of some recognizable faces and the talents of some DOOM 3 regulars reprising their roles as non-important marine characters, such as Steven Jay Blum, the voice of "Spike" from the immensely popular "Cowboy Bebop" anime.
Some readers may find it a bit disappointing that I haven’t said much in regards to the game’s arena multiplayer modes. Well, I have to say that I played a handful of rounds and can say that I’m not a big fan of this type of multiplayer setup... Playing multiplayer automatically switches down most of the graphic effects from the single-player campaign and the movement of character is sped up considerably, making things more hectic. Multiplayer modes include regular Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Capture the Flag with Quake 3 Team Arena classes. If you’re a fan of Quake 3, you should be pleased to hear that Quake 4’s multiplayer is basically a tweaked version of the previous game’s. It’s chaotic and based on fast-twitch reflexes and impulses. It’s not my cup of tea but I’m quite aware that many others love it.
"the inclusion of Quake II is definitely something that’ll be worth your while"
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Since most third-party Xbox 360 launch titles carry a $59.99 price tag, many of you may be reluctant to drop such a hefty amount of cash for a game that you may not enjoy. This is the risk that you take with the purchase of any game but Quake 4 tries to justify its value by not only offering a fairly lengthy single-player campaign (approx. twenty hours) but by also being packaged with a Bonus Disc that includes some behind the scenes footage, artwork and a complete version of Quake II. The inclusion of Quake II is definitely something that’ll be worth your while, especially since its multiplayer modes are even playable over Xbox Live.
When it’s all said and done, Quake 4 is a good addition to the Xbox 360’s quickly growing library of first-person shooters. It’s not the most original of games, nor does it offer anything particularly unique or innovative; it’s fun and that’s what matters most. Quake 4’s single-player campaign is really entertaining and the atmosphere will suck you in just as id Software’s DOOM 3 had before it. I enjoyed this game more than Halo and its sequel, so take that for what you will.
