The gameplay is on the cliché side, but the audio presentation is a surprising change of pace.
Quake 1 and 2 featured heavy rock and roll, guitar riffs and driving beats.
Quake 4
takes a more traditional approach, with a partially symphonic
soundtrack. The orchestral pieces lend an epic characteristic that
mixes well with the massive environments and overall war/conflict
theme. Each piece is significant of the whole, and sets the right mood
for each individual level. You have hectic, oppressive music for the
trenches, creepy tracks during the stealthy exploration segments, and
forceful, percussive arrangements to accompany the barreling vehicles.
The sound effects are noteworthy for their originality.
Weapons sound heavier and more powerful than Doom 3’s arsenal, which
came off as tinny and underpowered. Enemies make a good variety of
screams and grunts, but nothing unique or exceptional. The effects are
actually part of what makes
Quake 4 so dissimilar from
Quake 2; it sounds as different as it looks.
After a thorough play of
Quake 4,
it’s clear that the attention to the solo campaign was slightly
stronger than that paid to the multiplayer. Id and Raven hoped
Quake 4
would bring the Quaking community back together, and it has, but for
how long is anybody’s guess. The unwelcome tinkering the guns received
didn’t work well in the single player, but it definitely makes the
multiplayer more enjoyable than
Doom 3’s. No longer do matches
dissolve into “the guy who gets the rocket launcher first wins.” You
can theoretically become proficient with any of the guns, so the
berserkers will develop skill with the automatics and the snipers will
flock to the railgun.
That said, the magic of Quake
multiplayer doesn’t
feel as strong this time around. Arenas are well made for lots of
players, some of the new weapons are novel to fight with, but there is
a lack of variety. Character customization is disappointingly sparse,
and you can’t use the vehicles from the solo game.
I really wanted to love
Quake 4. There was so much
potential, and a good bit of it has been realized. This game simply
oozes production value, from the haunting environments to the majestic
score to the tightly polished gameplay. This dog just isn’t doing any
new tricks. The end result is a sequel that only mentions its
predecessor in passing; on a whole,
Quake 4 feels like
Doom 3
in Quake’s clothing. Yes, it shares the same engine, but the
presentation and gameplay have seen so little updating, we’re
ultimately left with old school shooting at its best. This will appeal
to the hardcore, but long time Quake fans looking for a revolution of
their favorite franchise will be let down.
Quake 4 does its job very well, and nothing more.
More On:
Quake 4 Companies:
id Software B | Quake 4 is probably the best example of an old-school shooter. It does all of the old tricks just right and adds a bit of spice for good measure, but gamers looking for a fresh experience will be left a little cold. Some of the gore is excessive and the multiplayer is lacking in a few minor areas, but on the whole Quake 4 is memorable. |
Page 3 of 3
