Yes I have a flashlight and a gun !

click above to download 8MB video file

With Quake 4, a few fundamental changes were about to happen. First of all, Raven was going to develop the game while ID would supervise them, so it obviously wasn’t going to be the same as the older series. The second, and most shocking, was that Quake 4 wasn’t going to be multiplayer based, but instead it will try to be more like Quake II, which was a singleplayer driven game. ID Software was clearly taking a big risk, and the question on everyone’s lips was, “Is it still going to be Quake?” Well, in October 2005 Quake 4 finally hit shelves, and I can easily tell you that this game is exactly like its predecessors, legendary.

Quake Galore
Available in stores for the PC, Quake 4 is also going to be one of the first titles available on the new Xbox360. The game itself runs on ID Software’s amazing Doom 3 engine, meaning it’ll really make you drool in disbelief.
Minimum System Requirements
• English version of Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP
• Pentium® 4 2.0 GHz or Athlon™ XP 2000+ processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4x Speed DVD-ROM drive and latest drivers
• 2.8GB of uncompressed free hard disk space (plus 400MB for Windows® swap file)
• 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers
• 100% Windows® 2000/XP compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers
• DirectX® 9.0c (included)
• 3D hardware Accelerator Card Required - 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible 64MB Hardware Accelerated video card and the latest drivers.

That’s a Strogg surgeon. He doesn’t look safe.

As you can see, this game does require a powerful system to run properly. Anyone still on a Pentium 3 can more or less forget about playing this game since 2 GHz is the minimum requirement! Still, having a system capable of playing Quake 4 is definitely worth it. I myself had no problems playing the game on ATI Hardware, and my experience was much better than what I had in Doom 3, which uses more or less the same graphics engine. Doom 3 was plagued with stuttering whenever a door opened or some new textures had to be cached in, but Raven tweaked the engine and I immediately noticed the stutter free gameplay. No tweaking was necessary at all, and come to think of it, this is becoming very rare nowadays with all the FPS titles on the market. Half-Life 2 and Battlefield 2 are just some of the games that come to mind when I think of premature game launches, and I’m glad to say that Quake 4 wasn’t part of that list.

That’s what the Strogg do… Evilness

So what is Quake 4 all about? Well, since the game is all story based I’m not going to ruin it for you, but simply put Quake 4 takes off where Quake II finished. For those of you who have never played a story driven Quake, it’s all about the war in between the Humans (good guys) and the Strogg (bad guys). The story itself in Quake 4 may not be Oscar worthy, but it’s pleasant and good enough to make sure you won’t stop playing the game.

The amount of detail in every level ...

... is just unbelievable

And now, onto the graphics! Well, I think it’s quite obvious from all the screenshots that this game is gorgeous beyond belief. This is just one of those games that will amaze you with its perfect lighting, great atmosphere and splendid effects. For the more curious readers I’ll be slightly more technical; you will see advanced shaders, high poly models, advanced stencil shadows, normal mapping, bump mapping, and much, much more. To be simple, this engine has everything you want for a game and Raven really put it to good use. The levels are amazingly detailed with lots of different textures being used throughout the game (levels never resemble each other). Each level is extremely well modeled, which creates different types of environments, ranging from small claustrophobic corridors to large open war zones. In addition, the characters in game look very real and very alive (unlike in Doom where they like plastic dolls) with great facial and motion animations. The whole game is expertly crafted, and you will immediately immerse yourself into this chaotic battle for the Human race. The best facet in the game must be the lighting, of course, and seeing everything being cast real-time is a special treat. The gore is excellent and the addition of rag doll physics makes killing astoundingly joyful. I could go on and on and bore you to death but instead I’ll let you admire the screenshots (and make sure to download the video file at the start of the review) so you can see this beauty for yourself.

That's just gorgeous

The sound in the game is also very good, though not as amazing as the graphics. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be disappointed, but you won’t be remembering it as much as the game’s visual prowess. The voice acting in the game is quite good, especially in-game when you’re on the battlefield and you hear the combatants screaming and shouting. The sound effects of your weapons are astounding and are simply a blast to hear. The level of bass used by Raven for some of the guns is surprisingly high, and it adds a certain punch to the procedings. In addition, if you own a decent subwoofer your entire house will shake with each shot adding to the atmosphere, however your neighbours might not agree!. The various guns all sound unique however, the music isn’t as great as the effects and voices. The background music slightly adds to the atmosphere, but it’s not a tune I can even vaguely remember. Luckily, the music is usually drowned out by the sound of the fragfest or the screams of the Strogg.

I fell in love with this tank!

The Experience
Quake 4 really excels in its single player gameplay department. I know it sounds strange to hear that Quake actually has good solo gaming, but it’s the truth because Raven really did do wonders to the franchise. It has everything Doom 3 should have had! To begin with, you will immediately be absorbed into the game due to the personal slant on the storyline. Never, during the entire game, will you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” since you’ll always be busy reaching a useful objective. Another great thing is that this game finally has variety, and that’s the most important thing in any video game of any kind. The problem with some of today’s games is that you’re always doing the same thing over and over again, and no matter how cool the game is, the repetitiveness usually ends up dulling the whole experience. Doom 3 was a perfect example of this boring cyclic gameplay in which the same events constantly reoccurred. You’d walk down an empty corridor, a door would open, and you would kill all of the baddies. That’s about all there is to remember from that game, but Raven made Quake 4 extremely diverse, i doubt anyone would get bored playing it. The game is always switching between large open battlefields, small cramped Strogg bases, and action-packed vehicle sequences, which makes the game extremely fun and very playable. The level design is also tremendously varied and different, so trust me, this game will keep you playing until it’s all over.

Let's hope you aren't afraid of spiders!

Quake 4 is a simple shooting game though, so you shouldn’t be expecting a more refined shooter experience (for that would not be Quake). If you’re expecting stealth or innovation, keep looking since this game won’t give it to you. I must admit, the AI is not brilliant (but not as dumb as in Doom), and there is nothing truly innovative here in terms of computer opponents. Still, Quake 4 separates itself from the rest of the crows because Raven finally made everything fit together perfectly. Nothing feels out of place, and the whole game just flows elegantly from one scene to the next. Your enormous arsenal of weapons, ranging from machine guns, hefty rail guns, and even an awesome dark-matter gun (awesome!) is extremely suitable. The beauty of honing such a large and varied array of weapons is that you’ll always be fighting differently (sometimes with brain and sometimes with pure brawn). I found the game a little short, although much longer than most released recently, perhaps it is because I became so addicted to the game i wanted more. Luckily though, the multiplayer mode gives Quake 4 a ton of replay value.

Railgun>Shield

The Fragging
To be honest, Quake is most famous for its multiplayer mode, but the online experience this time around isn’t as memorable as in past Quake titles. It’s still far from bad, but it’s obvious that Raven really put its focus into the single player mode merely because the fundamentals haven’t evolved much from Quake 3. I think they adopted the safe, yet boring, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” method, which is sad when you see how much some of Quake’s competitors have evolved (like Unreal Tournament). Most of the maps should be familiar to the veteran Quake player, and even they’ve all been given a facelift, it’s a pity not to see more new features in this installment. Another drawback is that the maps are limited to a maximum of only 16 players (even though there is a mod for more). I just have the feeling that this part of Quake 4 was slightly overlooked, and even though there is nothing bad with it (the multiplayer mode is certainly a blast), it just doesn’t give the same satisfactory feeling that the single player experience delivered. To be honest, it feels like a remake of Quake 3 with less mayhem and flashier clothing, but I must admit, I still found it extremely entertaining nonetheless.

He's as cold as ice

Conclusion:
Quake 4 is a legendary title and definitely won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Almost everything about this game is a win for me, and even though the end of this year has been great with popular game releases (Serious Sam 2, Call of Duty 2, F.E.A.R, etc.), I think that Raven really has outdone themselves with this title. Quake 4 is a work of art you have to experience to really understand just how special it is! I enjoyed this game immensely after the boring summer I had just endured. This is the first FPS in a long time that I didn’t put down until it was finished, and for me that’s rare. Of course, you might not all share my point of view and find the lack of innovation quite disapointing, however the feeling of quality and the totally immersive, yet intense gameplay, makes this a must have title.

It would be sad to miss out on such a quality title, and my only advice is that you go out there and buy this game. You certainly will not be disappointed.

Game play	19/20
Graphics	19/20
Sound	18/20
Value	19/20
Preference	19/20
Overall	94/100

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