Now I’m not the squeamish type. I like gory games with mature themes,
but this scene was just over the top. To put it simply, there aren’t a
lot of games that make me lose my appetite for pizza. And after the
fact, the whole “assimilation” process doesn’t feel worth the pain that
Corp. Cain is subjected to. Cain has a slightly increased capacity for
armor and health, he can access Strogg health stations, and interface
with a few previously restricted computers. The transformation plays a
large part in the story, but only in the sense that Cain can now
infiltrate areas that other marines can’t. He’s the obligatory
“savior,” but scorned by some fellow troops because of his appearance.
I would’ve liked some superhuman abilities, or at least a cool gun
built into one of my arms.
Sadly, it’s only at moments like these that
Quake 4 really
becomes graphically revolutionary. Only when it gets incredibly gory
and bizarre does it really stand out from the likes of
Soldier of
Fortune and
Postal. The bad guys are all suitably unnerving to look at,
and a few of the boss fights go for the gross-out factor—at one point
you kill a boss by overfeeding it and rupturing its stomach. Still,
it’s all for shock value, and artistic as it is, it doesn’t feel very
much like a sequel to
Quake 2.
Unfortunately, another incongruity comes in the form of
gameplay. First of all, I don’t have any problems with the way
Quake 4
plays. It is a very solid, satisfying first person experience. It has
little to no flaws in how it moves, flows and transitions from one
story arc to the next. It just doesn’t do anything new. It’s the same
shooter you’ve been playing for eight years, just very, very
eye-catching.
The weapons are well balanced, but to even them out, a few
have been toned down. The nailgun is a shadow of its
Quake 1
grandpappy. The Railgun, formerly a one-hit-kill badboy, has been
significantly weakened. The Dark Matter Launcher is hardly a worthy
replacement for the BFG 5,000, and the double shotgun is totally
absent. I could forgive the tweaking and neutering of the arsenal, but
the exclusion of my favorite double shotty of all time is unacceptable.
The power disparity between the various guns isn’t as garish in
multiplayer, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Another much-hyped feature was the ability to pilot tanks
and walkers. I was really looking forward to these bruisers, but in
reality the vehicle sequences would’ve been better served as rail
levels. You pilot each vehicle only once, and the stages themselves are
so linear that the free-roaming ability of the walker and tank is
almost unused. You can stop, strafe, turn and aim, but I’ve seen it all
before. It’s all much bigger than anything I’ve played previously—the
battles with the giant spider mechs were jaw-dropping. Squishing tiny
Strogg soldiers was also mildly amusing. I just can’t help but feel
that
GoldenEye’s tank levels did it better, and in 1997 no less. Again
it’s a case of been there done that, just with vastly superior
graphics.
One significant improvement is the addition of team-based
combat. In several levels you’ll be accompanied by other marines, who
possess impressive AI and contribute their fair share of firepower.
Each marine has a distinct personality and sometimes ethnic background
(the arrogant-yet-bumbling technician Strauss is especially
entertaining). The troops’ personalities factor into how they fight as
well; some will hold back and let you take point, while others will
charge in blindly, guns blazing. In addition, medics and techs can
replenish health and armor. Keeping them alive is sometimes your best
chance for survival, but at other times the bottomless supply of health
gets a little cheap. In short, the teammates make
Quake 4 feel more
like a war than its predecessors, and the one element that makes it
really stand apart from
Doom 3.
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