Product Description

Returning at last to the video game arena, developers id Software creators of classics such as Wolfenstein and Doom have announced the latest in the Quake series of first person shoot 'em-ups.

The game is being developed by Raven Software, makers of X-Men Legends, Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Soldier of Fortune and Star Trek: Elite.;Quake IV will mark a return to id Software's trademark single player gameplay experience set in the Quake II universe, one of the best selling franchises in PC gaming history. Quake IV will use id Software's advanced new Doom game engine, which will ensure it is one of the most graphical advanced video games ever made.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4201 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Released on: 2005-10-21
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP

Amazon.co.uk Preview
The Quake series has always been a schizophrenic one, with the odd numbered games being primarily multiplayer affairs and the even numbered ones being focused on single player – with very little connection between the two. As maths fans will have already realised that means that Quake 4 picks up from the ending of Quake II and once again chronicles the battle between humanity and the alien Strogg.

Although it is not developed by Id Software themselves, but by Soldier of Fortune creators Raven Software, Quake 4 does use the Doom 3 graphics engine. In fact if there’s one early criticism of the game it is that it looks altogether too much like Doom 3, with very similar art design and darkened levels - and little of the orange hues and angular architecture of Quake II.

In gameplay terms an early plot twist has you being captured by the Strogg and assimilated as one of their nasty looking cyborgs. The process is interrupted just before the end though, allowing you to retain your human mind (phew!) and yet also make use of various new superpowers, which, along with your weapons, can also be upgraded as the game goes on.

With some pilotable weapons, including a nifty looking mech, this looks set to be an explosive, if unoriginal, first person shoot ‘em-up. The nature of the multiplayer mode has yet to be revealed but fans will certainly be interested in the multiplayer only spin-off Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, which if anything looks even better than this. -- Harrison Dent

This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.

Customer Reviews

worth playing but far from essential
To sum up the essence of Quake 4 in a sentence: Quake 2 single player plus Quake 3 multiplayer plus Doom 3 graphics. That is to say the game features a fairly straightforward, you might even say oldschool campaign with the emphasis on moving from point a to point b while killing enemy after enemy. And while it lacks the uniqueness and variety gamers are increasingly demanding from their games, especially in the overcrowded FPS genre, this actually works to its advantage in many ways as, while it feels a little like a flashback to 1997, it gives the game a pretty refreshing feel, especially if you missed out on Quake 2.

The game follows on directly from Quake 2 with references to ‘some soldier taking down the Strogg leader’, allowing for a fullscale military invasion of Stroggos. You’ll immediately notice two things: firstly this game looks absolutely beautiful; the enhanced Doom 3 engine looks fantastic, the environments are delicious and the character models look much better – the whole plastic looking faces are gone, and secondly, the game starts in an almost painfully cliché way as you’re separated from your squad, forced to go it alone: but that quickly changes as you find yourself surrounded by fellow soldiers, sometimes fighting alongside them. It’s nowhere near as expansive as, say, Call of Duty 2 – but it does detract from the one man army feel FPS games tend to have. The outdoor sections also add to the feeling that you’re fighting a war as droids and tanks roll past to the chorus of machinegun fire.

The combat is bread and butter FPS stuff, enemies jumping from around corners with the classic Strogg ‘gyanchin’ type sounds, which I translate mostly as ‘Good day sir, might I interest you in a spot of DEATH!’ – then either shooting at you or charging in close to melee. You have no melee abilities yourself, which both forces you to keep your distance from the enemy and perhaps conjures fond memories of your pre-Halo days. The weapons available are pretty much the same as Quake 2 with a few additions – there’s a neat nailgun, a very fun-to-use lightning gun and a few other additions. I found myself thinking there were too many weapons in the game – and since only the blaster and machine gun have an attached torch, you’ll find you use the machine gun for most of the game anyway. But at least with so many weapons available (about 12), everyone will find a favourite in there.

To be blunt, absolutely nothing sets this game apart from the crowd, there’s nothing special – no neat features, nothing particular about this game – there’s no slow motion, no amazingly advanced artificial intelligence (the enemies hop from side to side, forcing you to adjust your aiming occasionally but that’s about as good as they get) and no neat set pieces or scripted events which are really memorable. But what Quake 4 does, and does excellently, is offers a no questions asked straight-forward killfest. Compared to recent entries into the FPS genre, ranging from last year’s FarCry and Half Life 2 to this year’s FEAR and Call of Duty 2, this game is bland and uneventful, linear and mainstream. But games don’t have to revolutionise the genre to be good games, and games don’t have to pass a two hundred point list of credentials to qualify as worth playing – Quake 4 is fast paced action with fun combat and top-class visuals. And while certainly not as good as the abovementioned games – it is nevertheless a fine addition to any games library and worth playing through.

The game mostly takes place indoors and looks absolutely amazing – the Strogg structures look great, and as you stalk through processing plants where human corpses hang on hooks, or power facilities where limbless, headless corpses have been integrated into power production, you’ll learn to hate the Strogg. Being a fusion of technology and biology, the Strogg buildings often have strange organs merged into the very structures, pulsating and making ominous moaning sounds when shot at. It adds an incredibly creepy atmosphere to the game – and although you’ll use your machinegun-mounted torch for most of the game, it’s when you turn it off and let the environmental lighting take over that the game really becomes something special.

The outdoor areas, which are thankfully few and far between, are bland and it’s clear the doom 3 engine is made for indoor environments. There are also a few vehicle moments, but they’re poorly implemented and nowhere near as exciting as those found in Half Life 2, or Escape from Butcher Bay, though they are pretty fast paced and one vehicle level features a very neat giant robot-spider boss.

The single player campaign lasts around eight hours, split down into around thirty levels each lasting about fifteen minutes each, meaning you can play for very small periods of time while feeling as though you’ve accomplished something – which may make the game stretch out and feel a lot longer than it actually is. The multiplayer plays exactly like Quake 3 did – but the player limit is sixteen rather than thirty two, and of course it looks a lot better.

The bottom line with Quake 4 is that it’s a game which offers a solid but straightforward single player experience and – if it’s your type of thing – a solid multiplayer experience. While the game is by no means essential, nor even highly recommended – it is worth a play and a decent addition to anyone’s games library.

rock and quake
Best FPS I have played so far this year. The torchlight atmosphere has you quaking. Just when you have finished a level and wiped the sweat from your brow there is....more! Not just Doom 3 slogging through the basement but on rails, in vehicles, in robots. Not just F.E.A.R. which has you slogging through the same corridors, and facing the same demons but original and powerful enemies.
It is the variety and imaginative settings that set Quake 4 apart.
Anticipation and choice of the right weapon will see you through, but you need to use cover and dance on those keys to duck the opposition. The satisfaction of being up against a formidable and capable enemy is complete when you take down your opponents with your heart in your mouth most of the time.
It is a full length FPS for fans of FPS who enjoy different locations and scenarios with constant upgrading of weapon power. Mainly intuitive it is possible to get lost but not difficult to get back on track.

Stunning!
I've been into Quake since the original game. I even upgraded from a 486 DX2 66 to a Pentium 150 just to be able to play it. I found II a little dull in comparison, and III a too focused on multiplayer action. With IV, I reckon they've got it just right. It's using the same graphics engine as Doom III, so you'll need fairly hefty specs to run it with all the bells and whistles turned on. You'll also have to be prepared for some lengthy loading times in between levels, but I reckon it's just about worth the wait. All the old Quake baddies are back in their new ghoulishly rendered glory, plus some new and terrifying adversaries that have to be seen to be believed. Borrowing from Halo and Far Cry, Quake IV also allows you to enter vehicles to complete some levels. The mech/Aliens-style combat walker is particularly good fun with its high-power machinegun and rocket launcher. Some have commented on the brevity of the game, but I'm a fair way in afer a solid weekend's play and have yet to finish it. Others are keen to compare this with FEAR. Both are great games, but I've found myself firing up Quake IV more often. All in all, good old-fashioned blasting fun!