Quake 4 is Activision's latest PC port to a console. This time we have the highly anticipated 'Quake 4' on the equally anticipated Xbox 360 platform. I will take a look at the latest Quake offering to see if it can revolutionize gaming like its predecessors.

If you have been playing games over the latest ten years then you no doubt would have played, or at least heard of Quake. The Quake series is pure nostalgia to us older gamers, and a milestone in first person shooters. The original broke new grounds in 1996 with its 3D engine, spooky ambience and flawless gameplay. The next year Quake II came along and did the unthinkable topped the eerie original. 'Quake II' has become one of my most influential games of all time and I know a good chunk of the gaming population can agree. Quake II with a new direction and superb multiplayer setup helped bring FPS multiplayer gaming over to a wider audience base. 'Quake III' in followed and was a little less involving because it only focused on online multiplayer gaming. Although Quake III had competition it still made a mark with its new graphics engine and fast paced Deathmatch fun. Now in 2005, the Strogg have returned in Quake 4.

Expectations!
Quake 4 has a lot to live up to, and in this regard Quake 4 fails. Quake 4 had to break the mold and really push gaming forward to live up the hype of their older games. Although this might have been impossible, gamers sure expected it. Quake 4, like Doom 3 is an excellent shooter that keeps the old style pacing and action intact, but that's about it. No revolution, no brilliant ideas, just a recycled effort of its former self. Now, you might think that I didn't like the game. But that's not it at all; I thought Quake 4 was a great experience. It just didn't measure up to the high standard that other games have achieved, and the competition isn't a cakewalk this time. I would want to go against recent hits like Half Life 2, Halo 2 and Far Cry, that's a tough roster and Quake needed a little more. So, enough about Quake history and expectations, lets have a look at Quake 4.

Return of the Strogg
Quake 4 was developed by 'Raven Software' using ID Software's Doom 3 engine, and if the two games seem similar in graphics, that is why. The plot continues with the Quake II story of the humans vs. the alien race of the Strogg. You play Matthew Kane, a member of the Rhino Squad who is headed to combat the threat of the Strogg on their home planet. You're not alone in Quake 4 which was a surprise, and for certain parts of the game you will be teamed up with the rest of your squad, or mish matched solders. This helps make the experience seem more real and it varies up the action, thankfully the team AI is pretty efficient. In Quake 4 your team actually helps take out the enemy without getting too badly shot up, and they can also heal your health and armor status. I liked the direction Raven took with the larger scale assault on planet Strogg, and overall 'm glad they used the Strogg content along with a more team based approach.

Playing it Safe
The action is fast in Quake 4 and plays very similar to Doom 3. Right from the start you are put in the middle of action and Quake doesn't let up until it's over. The pace of game is frantic with some sequences of talking, but it never lasts to long before you're back to the headshots. Quake 4 always has your trigger finger itching, keeping in vein with the old school philosophy, shoot first screw the questions. The only draw back to the action that it is just that old school right down to the simplistic controls. Quake 4 could have gone in a new direction, but they decided to play it safe. Also, for a Quake title you expect to have the fear running through your veins, but overall Quake 4 is pretty tame. It took me until a little over half way through the adventure before I was spooked. Don't get me wrong the Strogg are a bizarre bunch, but didn't seem too creepy despite their attempts.

I won't ruin the main story for you, there is a plot twist thrown in although it's not too shocking. The problem with this twist is that it really doesn't change the game when it should. Sure, the HUD is a different colour, but the movements and gameplay remains the same. They could have varied it up a bit for this part, you'll see if you make it that far. Speaking of varied, this is the first Quake game to involve vehicle combat. You have a few levels of using, or riding on a vehicle in large open environments, two new features to Quake. These sequences really don't add too much to the overall impression of the game, but help break up the action.

The Bad
A few bad points about Quake 4 is that the could of used more of the open battles like in the first section of the game. The story is too typical giving all the bizarre situations the could of used with the Strogg. The gameplay is pretty basic and they didn't included melee attacks, or alternative fire on the weapons except zoom. It's pretty much run and gun and that's it. All these problem areas don't ruin the experience, but it could of used some tweaks. Quake 4 is a basic animalistic shooters, and this could have worked with other title, just not from an icon franchise like Quake.

The Good
To round out the negative, I'll skim over a few good points about Quake 4 that I didn't already mention. First, the Multiplayer aspect of Quake 4 is your typical affair, but the reason why I didn't slag it is because it's a lot of fun and the game runs smoothly on Xbox Live. The experiences I had online where generally good, and its obvious to me that I've lost my frag skills from 97/98. Other cool aspect of Quake 4 is the weapons. I'm glad they kept selection from the Quake predecessors. Besides the new impressive Dark Matter Gun we have the fan favorites from Quake of old included like the Lighting Gun, Nail gun and the precise Rail gun.

Its Quake baby, and that scores some mojo even if it was horrible, which its not. I still get a sadistic grin on my face when I hear the sounds of shotgun shells running through Strogg brains. Quake 4 is pretty cool for at least one run through, I know most of you will dig the sawing of limbs, giant mechanical spiders and the fast rate Nail gun. For the mojo bring it up a notch if you have the Special Edition with Quake II included. Yes, Quake II not on the 486, but the 360! Reliving this old school shooter is fun for us nostalgic gamers, and it is a interesting to see how far the game has come over the years.

It's great to fight the Strogg again in Quake 4, but the overall experience fails to live up to this Quake fans expectations. Quake 4 is a good shooter, if you wanted that old school Quake feeling. Although, Raven doesn't revolutionize the genre like we are used to our Quake games doing. I'm a little disappointed in Quake 4, but I would still give this one a recommendation. Quake 4 looks great, runs smoothly, and is filled with some fun alien killing action. Offline or on you should check take a sample of Quake 4 for your Xbox 360.

Gameplay: 7, Graphics/Sound: 9, Innovation: 6, Mojo: 8. Final: 7.5 / 10

Reviewed by Tinnanski - 11.18.2005

Similar Games: Singularity (7.7) | Wolfenstein (7.9) | Doom 3 (8.0)