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Quake 3: Arena

Quake 3: Arena

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Quake 3 is NOT a game!
Review: No-one admires Id more than me. When I first played DOOM back in the mid-nineties it really made a massive impression on me and like many others I have since followed Id's work with great interest. Quake3 however, is NOT a game at all. Its just a way for Id to showcase their latest and greatest graphics engine. If all you want to do is run around like a lunatic, constantly firing in all directions then you'll like this game. If however, you enjoy stealthily creeping around levels, picking off enemies, and leisurely taking in the atmosphere and wonderful 3D visuals, then forget Q3. The graphical detail is amazing, but you barely ever get a chance to look at it as you cant stand still for 5 nanoseconds without getting blasted. To be honest, Id-Software have been going down this road for a long time now. Its too hard nowadays to think up an original game and takes too long and too many people to turn it into a reality. I think Id-Software have pretty much given up now on trying to create games and compete with the big publishing houses, and I dont blame them. It seems to me they've decided to just concentrate on what they do best - pushing the boundaries of graphics technology. Then they can licence their graphics engines to whoever they want and these other people can have the headache of creating an actual game with it. So you'll have to look elsewhere from now on, to the likes of Half-Life etc. But forget about anymore games from Id, they're not in that business any more.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Quake III Arena
Review: Quake III Arena is a first person shooter, Unlike the first two quake games it is a single player deathmatch game with AI players and ofcourse a really good multiplayer deathmatches. Quake3 has the best graphics i have ever seen in a computer game, Environments look breathtaking, Charecters look really great and the multiplayer maps design is excellent. Sure there are very few orginal weapons but the weapon detail is superb, The firing makes us forget we have already tried them before and the way they shine after picking up the quad-damage is really beautifull. The single player gameplay is good enough to tell players who have never experianced an online or lan deathmatch "This is how a multiplayer deathmatches experiance would be", with an excellent single player deathmatch with AI players. But sadely it is not that much fun for players who have played online or lan multiplayer deathmatches. Quake3 has the best multiplayer deathmatch ever, There is not a single dull moment as you keep seeking and destroying your friends or enemies before they get you. Finally a quake game not having a great single player experiance is ok, But i hope Doom 3 has a great single player gameplay and not just a Doom 3 Arena. Quake III Arena is not that disappointing, It has great graphics and an excellent multiplayer deathmatch and that what gamers expect from a quake game.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fight!
Review: Quake III Arena provides an awesome gaming experience, no question. The game engine is very impressive - the player models, architecture, dynamic atmosphere (stormy skies, water, lava, mist), power-ups, weapons and weapon effects are all rendered quickly and in amazing detail, even with the lower-end graphics settings selected.

The interesting option that id software have taken with Quake III Arena is that they've created a game uniquely orientated towards groups of gamers, playing together via Internet or (preferably) LAN. This group gaming experience is amazing - I play quite regularly with four or five friends, which makes for a lot of fun. When you get bored with the traditional free-for-all killing-everyone-in-sight style of play, you can opt instead for team-based play, which adds a whole new dimension to the game - "Capture The Flag" is the best, in my humble opinion.

To cap it all, id have created and provided an impressive variety of levels with the game - gothic style, high-tech, space-based, traditional lava-heavy Quake-look - every one is markedly different, and this range makes every level feel like a separate game. When you add to this the high-quality custom user-designed levels that are popping up every day on sites like planetquake.com, it makes for a gaming experience that can't be beaten.

I highly recommend Quake III Arena - and I can't wait for the new 'Team Arena' mission pack that id are due to release soon!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 5 Stars for me, for others.............
Review: So much to say, so little space (and time). Quake3 embodiesthe greatest deathmatch action period. For me, this is the best gamearound. I will give you some pros and cons for this game. First the pros:
1) The graphics engine is top notch. Written by the man himself, John Carmack, it possess the best graphics engine created, up until Carmack creates his new engine. Unreals engine does come close, but I believe the Quake3 engine would win in a "duel of engines." (I just hate the water effects in the Quake3 engine!) 2) The player models are the best. Period. There are models for everyone's tastes: monsters, humans, one-eyed cyborgs, the whole 9 yards. Each one has its own animation and sound. Very cool when "fragging" (killing) someone. The level of detail up close is astonishing. My hat goes off to Paul Steed, the creator of the models in Q3.. 3) The gameplay is the best around. Unlike Unreal Tournament, I feel like I'm in control of the environment. Games for Q3 are designed for less people (around 10) than in Unreal Tournament, in which about 20 or so would work well. It's pretty hard to explain the gameplay, but the best way to put it would be to say, "it just feels right." The control, weapon firing, is much smoother. I also like the stability of Q3 more than in Unreal Tournament. 4) The MOD (modification of the game. To add depth to the game that was not originally added) community for Quake is the best in the business. So many great MODS are being released, with many more to come. MODS like Alliance CTF (www.planetquake.com/alliance) Quake3Fortress (www.q3f.com) and JailBreak (http://www.planetquake.com/modtopten/jailbreak.shtml) just to name a few, are cropping up to make the Quake3 experience that much more enjoyable! The teams spend months adding to Quake3. They add models, sounds, textures, and just about everything to essentially change the game. I am, however, looking forward to more great MODS in the future. (one note: Unreal Tournament has great MODS lined up, but Quake is the clear leader in the MOD community.) 5) The network code is top notch. Players with 56K and...EGAD!... 28K modems will love the new code. Obviously, having a cable modem makes the experience much better, but the game is very playable with dial up connections.
Now for the cons: 1) Gameplay types. With Domination, Assault, and Last Man Standing, UT is the clear winner in the variety category. In a nutshell Q3 offers straight deathmatch, with 4 CTF maps, for kicks. I believe more attention should have been made to CTF. 2) The bots: boy are they bad. I know a lot of time was spent by the Quake team, but it just didn't work. The bots in UT are much better. Try playing capture the flag with these bots. You'll be heading for the Multiplayer arenas in no time. 3) There is no classic style single player in the game. There is a "ladder" match, but I completed that in about 2 hours. Playing this may help beginners, but there is nothing like playing online, with other human players, and ping times in the 200's. As they say, you'll need real life experience.
In conclusion, Q3 is by FAR my favorite game. With great deathmatch and CTF (it could have been better, but hey, it's still fun) and the MOD community hard at work to essentially add to the game, I give this game 5 stars. I do believe Q3 is geared towards avid fans. If you are a beginner, check out Unreal tournament. That too, is a great game. But for me, I will always be a Quake aficionado. To finish the line in the subject area: 5 Stars for me, for others.......... 1 star. END

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great potential but rushed delivery.
Review: The technical side of quake 3, such as the graphics, sound, and overall feel of the gameplay are superior. However compared to Unreal Tournament, the game looks like it was rushed together to release before Xmas, it does have less maps than UT, but these levels are amazing in architecture and all of them are fun to play in. In UT you can easily get lost and disoriented, in its large overwhelmingly boring levels. However unreal offers more types of built in play modes, quake3arena offers a gigantic array of beautiful character models, the graphics for this game are far past anything that has come out yet for a 3D shooter. The bots feel more human and have unique styles of play than UT's. Quake3Arena is a more hardcore "competitive" 3d shooter while UT is a more just for a casual fun game. Q3A is like the mortal kombat of 3D shooters. However I rate them badly for a rushed product.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic
Review: This game is famous for it's fast engine, and great online multi-player gameplay. Also very user-friendly, very editable, and theres many great modifications that have been released by Quake players that make this game much more entertaining. Pick it up today, it's best to order it off Amazon though, it's impossible to find in stores these days since it's a little old.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I don't have a cable modem!
Review: this game should marketed as a MULTIPLAYER ONLY!!!

The graphics are gorgeous, however there is nowhere to explore and nothing to find.

I only have a 56k modem - absolutely not fast enough. One has to have a super fast cable modem to play this "deathmatch" game online

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I don't have a cable modem!
Review: this game should marketed as a MULTIPLAYER ONLY!!!

The graphics are gorgeous, however there is nowhere to explore and nothing to find.

I only have a 56k modem - absolutely not fast enough. One has to have a super fast cable modem to play this "deathmatch" game online

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Supreme - Quake 3 Arena rules
Review: This is an incredible, beautiful game. I have also played Unreal Tournament, and I'm going to compare the two. But the final result is this: overall, Quake 3 is better. Quake 3 has many strong points: weapon balance is extraordinary, map design is inspired, and the skins and bots are jaw-dropping. Q3A has over 20 skins to choose from, and many bots for you to fight. The bots in Q3A put UT's bots to shame. They are much (emphasis on much) more distinctive, they have things that they say in the chat box that are unique to each one, and each one has tactics it uses! Unlike Unreal, where the level of skill just determines how well the bot can frag, in Quake each bot has tactics it uses. For example, the highest level bot, Xaero, is the master of the railgun and will shoot you out of the air. However, the bots are not perfect, and they miss, making them sometimes seem very human. Next, the graphics are unbelievable. They set a new level - the effects, animation, curved surfaces - it's awesome. Two place where Q3A falters slightly: one is map design. Now in how the maps are set up; that part of the map design is flawless. However, they are all either alien castles or platforms floating in space. A couple are a little different (such as a futuristic space outpost) but more variety, as seen in Unreal, would have been nice. Also, Unreal has more modes, such as domination and assault. But Q3A's deathmatch and team deathmatch are so incredibly fun you won't care. As for the heart of the game, the multiplayer - it's spectacular. I have a cable modem so I don't represent the majority, but I've heard that play is incredibly smooth with 56k. I experienced NO lag at all, Unreal had a little (very little though). Multiplayer deathmatch is flawless - the purest deathmatch experience there is. It blows UT out of the water. The other modes work very well too. Quake's system requirements are not terrible, but they are slightly more than Unreal. Mostly you must have a Glide 3D card. They're not too bad though, most people will be able to run this game very well. Bottom line: buy Quake 3. I also reviewed UT and made it sound better than Quake 3, but that was when I'd just played the demo and wasn't able to appreciate the game. Sorry. Unreal is a very nice game, don't get me wrong. But Quake 3 is king.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Feels more like a spinoff of Quake 2 than a true sequel
Review: This time around, ID has taken a different approach in developing their latest installment of the Quake series. Quake 3 abandons the traditional find-the-key and navigate-the-maze format and adopts a strictly death match oriented style of play. That's right, there's no plot here...just a frantic and messy race to kill or be killed. While the graphics are stunning and the gameplay is solid for the most part, it doesn't feel like there's much strategy involved. I often found myself just scrambling around the arenas shooting everything and everyone in sight to stay alive, when I expected to be able to strategically place myself for an ambush, ect. In addition, some of the guns have unbalanced power. The gun you start with, an automatic machine gun, is extremely weak and is therefore useless against opponents in most cases. Unfortunately, Quake 3 was meant to be enjoyed online with other players, so the one player mode of the game gets stale after a while (the AI is cheap and the ending is a joke). Still, if you have a PC with a 3D card and love first person shooting games, Quake 3 is worth looking into.


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