I liked the beginning of the game where you're transformed into a cyborg. The rest was garbage.
A mediocre first half is mostly made up for by a stronger second half in this mid 2000s FPS.
Following the multiplayer focused Quake 3, Ravensoft takes a stab at the Quake franchise with a continuation of the story of Quake II in humanity's war against the cybernetic Strogg, taking place immediately after the events of the 2nd game. Using the id Tech 4 engine, Quake plays very similarly to Doom 3 though with much less of an emphasis on horror. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to debate.
Quake 4's biggest issue is that the first half of the game is a slog. The plot is very basic sci-fi military stuff and the game play isn't very engaging. The player character moves like they are walking through molasses and the experience is brought down by poorly implemented backtracking and hand holding. There is a specific event that occurs roughly midway through the game in which you gain improved movement speed, but more notably the plot becomes a bit more interesting and the game starts to actually feel like a Quake game. The latter half of levels are more varied and bring more interesting combat sections that almost make you forget the tedium you just went through.
Shooting feels pretty good though the explosive weapons feel noticeably weak. There's a decent amount of enemy variety as well even if some enemy types felt underused. Quake 4 can get very dark at times so the decision to make the flashlight only usable with the pistol or machine gun is just irritating. The biggest game play weakness, like many other titles of the time, is the over abundance of middling vehicle sections. There's multiple sections where you either pilot a vehicle or man a turret on one and while some are better than others, they all drag on too long and feel like a large step down from the main on foot game play.
Graphically the game has held up better than I expected probably thanks to the use of mo-cap and a darker ambience. The music and sound design is good as well, but for some reason is mixed awfully. Dialogue is often incomprehensible over background noise and with no subtitle options nor a way to adjust audio levels beyond a master volume control, you'll just need to deal with it. Voice acting is serviceable with a notable inclusion of Peter Stormare as one of the supporting characters.
I didn't play any multiplayer as the servers are pretty much dead, but from what I've researched it sounds like this is one of the weaker entries in the series for multiplayer. The lack of official bot support is disappointing as well given that it can provide an otherwise dead game a method to experience the multiplayer maps populated.
It may sound like I've little positive to say about the game, but I do believe the 2nd half of the campaign is quite good and the first half is fine if not a bit uninspiring. I don't think this is quite as good as Doom 3 and that is probably best showcased by how this game has been somewhat forgotten in comparison to the 3rd doom installment, but if you can grab this game on sale then I'd recommend it for a solid 6 - 10 hours of mid 2000s FPS gameplay.
Following the multiplayer focused Quake 3, Ravensoft takes a stab at the Quake franchise with a continuation of the story of Quake II in humanity's war against the cybernetic Strogg, taking place immediately after the events of the 2nd game. Using the id Tech 4 engine, Quake plays very similarly to Doom 3 though with much less of an emphasis on horror. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to debate.
Quake 4's biggest issue is that the first half of the game is a slog. The plot is very basic sci-fi military stuff and the game play isn't very engaging. The player character moves like they are walking through molasses and the experience is brought down by poorly implemented backtracking and hand holding. There is a specific event that occurs roughly midway through the game in which you gain improved movement speed, but more notably the plot becomes a bit more interesting and the game starts to actually feel like a Quake game. The latter half of levels are more varied and bring more interesting combat sections that almost make you forget the tedium you just went through.
Shooting feels pretty good though the explosive weapons feel noticeably weak. There's a decent amount of enemy variety as well even if some enemy types felt underused. Quake 4 can get very dark at times so the decision to make the flashlight only usable with the pistol or machine gun is just irritating. The biggest game play weakness, like many other titles of the time, is the over abundance of middling vehicle sections. There's multiple sections where you either pilot a vehicle or man a turret on one and while some are better than others, they all drag on too long and feel like a large step down from the main on foot game play.
Graphically the game has held up better than I expected probably thanks to the use of mo-cap and a darker ambience. The music and sound design is good as well, but for some reason is mixed awfully. Dialogue is often incomprehensible over background noise and with no subtitle options nor a way to adjust audio levels beyond a master volume control, you'll just need to deal with it. Voice acting is serviceable with a notable inclusion of Peter Stormare as one of the supporting characters.
I didn't play any multiplayer as the servers are pretty much dead, but from what I've researched it sounds like this is one of the weaker entries in the series for multiplayer. The lack of official bot support is disappointing as well given that it can provide an otherwise dead game a method to experience the multiplayer maps populated.
It may sound like I've little positive to say about the game, but I do believe the 2nd half of the campaign is quite good and the first half is fine if not a bit uninspiring. I don't think this is quite as good as Doom 3 and that is probably best showcased by how this game has been somewhat forgotten in comparison to the 3rd doom installment, but if you can grab this game on sale then I'd recommend it for a solid 6 - 10 hours of mid 2000s FPS gameplay.
Starts out as a boring ass game until you get chopped up into pieces and stuffed in a robot, and then you get faster movement speed, so it becomes a real Quake game at that point.
DOOMATHON entry #17/20
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
Doom 3 is known today largely as the black sheep of the series, and its sister series would receive a game in the same engine the following year with a much stronger identity crisis that I imagine was overlooked because of how much Quake's legacy has been defined by deathmatch. Quake 4 is by far the most forgotten main entry in this marathon, remembered today mostly for a single scene that I saw in a WatchMojo countdown a decade ago if it's remembered at all. Because of this, I was genuinely unsure what to expect for once, and what I got is a game that's as much a product of its time as Doom 3 and just as influenced by its peers, this time for worse.
This is a linear military shooter that's as grey and brown as they come, lacking in the grotesque body horror-driven sci-fi aesthetic that makes the Strogg stand out for a substantial portion of the campaign and severely limiting movement speed in the first half without having the mechanical cohesion of Doom 3 to justify it. That last point is especially important, as I'd argue that the preservation of the original game's movement is what allowed Quake 2 to work as a sequel even though it wasn't originally intended as one. What holds Quake 4 together during the first half is its surprisingly excellent gunplay - every weapon here feels fantastic, especially the shotgun and nailgun once they're upgraded. The encounter design isn't particularly varied, but the enemies are always fun to shoot.
Once the infamous Strogg transformation occurs, things pick up significantly. You move as fast as you should have been able to in the first place, fights become tougher to compensate, and environments become more varied and make better use of the engine's atmospheric lighting capabilities. There's a particularly great section in the latter half in which you're faced with the mindless, shambling remains of failed Strogg transformations, easily the most striking bit of horror in the series outside of the one scene everyone already knows about. This huge increase is momentum is unfortunately halted by a final stretch of levels that return to the more repetitive structure of the early game, but aren't without highlights such as a much-appreciated reinterpretation of the Iron Maiden.
Quake 4 is an odd sequel, one that's arguably less faithful to Quake 2 than that entry was to its predecessor. Its rock-solid shooting mechanics are bogged down by the trends of its era more than any other game in this marathon, but if there's one thing I've learned from this experience, it's that good shooting goes a long way in making even the jankiest time capsules palatable to me.
Cross-posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariofan717/status/1760796889761624405
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
Doom 3 is known today largely as the black sheep of the series, and its sister series would receive a game in the same engine the following year with a much stronger identity crisis that I imagine was overlooked because of how much Quake's legacy has been defined by deathmatch. Quake 4 is by far the most forgotten main entry in this marathon, remembered today mostly for a single scene that I saw in a WatchMojo countdown a decade ago if it's remembered at all. Because of this, I was genuinely unsure what to expect for once, and what I got is a game that's as much a product of its time as Doom 3 and just as influenced by its peers, this time for worse.
This is a linear military shooter that's as grey and brown as they come, lacking in the grotesque body horror-driven sci-fi aesthetic that makes the Strogg stand out for a substantial portion of the campaign and severely limiting movement speed in the first half without having the mechanical cohesion of Doom 3 to justify it. That last point is especially important, as I'd argue that the preservation of the original game's movement is what allowed Quake 2 to work as a sequel even though it wasn't originally intended as one. What holds Quake 4 together during the first half is its surprisingly excellent gunplay - every weapon here feels fantastic, especially the shotgun and nailgun once they're upgraded. The encounter design isn't particularly varied, but the enemies are always fun to shoot.
Once the infamous Strogg transformation occurs, things pick up significantly. You move as fast as you should have been able to in the first place, fights become tougher to compensate, and environments become more varied and make better use of the engine's atmospheric lighting capabilities. There's a particularly great section in the latter half in which you're faced with the mindless, shambling remains of failed Strogg transformations, easily the most striking bit of horror in the series outside of the one scene everyone already knows about. This huge increase is momentum is unfortunately halted by a final stretch of levels that return to the more repetitive structure of the early game, but aren't without highlights such as a much-appreciated reinterpretation of the Iron Maiden.
Quake 4 is an odd sequel, one that's arguably less faithful to Quake 2 than that entry was to its predecessor. Its rock-solid shooting mechanics are bogged down by the trends of its era more than any other game in this marathon, but if there's one thing I've learned from this experience, it's that good shooting goes a long way in making even the jankiest time capsules palatable to me.
Cross-posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariofan717/status/1760796889761624405
Resenha de Quake 4: Uma Experiência Sombria Revigorante
Lançado em 18 de outubro de 2005, Quake 4 é um dos jogos emblemáticos do gênero de tiro em primeira pessoa (FPS), desenvolvido pela Raven Software e publicado pela id Software, renomadas empresas do ramo de games. Ambientado em um universo sci-fi sombrio e repleto de ação, o jogo foi aguardado ansiosamente pelos fãs da série e pelos entusiastas de FPS.
Quake 4 manteve a tradição da série de oferecer uma jogabilidade intensa, com gráficos impressionantes para a época e uma atmosfera imersiva. A história se passa em um futuro distante, onde os humanos enfrentam uma ameaça alienígena conhecida como Strogg. Assumindo o papel de Matthew Kane, um membro da Força de Ataque Especial, os jogadores são enviados em uma missão para invadir o planeta Stroggos e derrotar a ameaça alienígena.
Em termos de vendas, Quake 4 teve um desempenho sólido, embora não tenha alcançado os mesmos patamares de sucesso de alguns outros títulos da série. No entanto, conseguiu garantir uma base de fãs dedicada e vendeu milhões de cópias em todo o mundo.
No que diz respeito à recepção crítica, Quake 4 recebeu elogios generalizados pela sua jogabilidade sólida, gráficos impressionantes e atmosfera envolvente. No Metacritic, um agregador de análises de jogos, o título obteve uma nota respeitável, refletindo a qualidade do jogo.
Particularmente, minha experiência com Quake 4 foi extremamente positiva. Apesar de não ter tido a oportunidade de jogá-lo no lançamento, fui atraído pela sua atmosfera sombria e pela jogabilidade desafiadora. A sensação de imersão proporcionada pelo enredo envolvente e pelos gráficos bem elaborados me cativou desde o início. Embora minha opinião pessoal possa diferir ligeiramente da média do Metacritic, ainda assim considero Quake 4 como um jogo altamente recomendado para os fãs do gênero FPS, especialmente aqueles que apreciam uma narrativa sci-fi envolvente e uma ação frenética.
Lançado em 18 de outubro de 2005, Quake 4 é um dos jogos emblemáticos do gênero de tiro em primeira pessoa (FPS), desenvolvido pela Raven Software e publicado pela id Software, renomadas empresas do ramo de games. Ambientado em um universo sci-fi sombrio e repleto de ação, o jogo foi aguardado ansiosamente pelos fãs da série e pelos entusiastas de FPS.
Quake 4 manteve a tradição da série de oferecer uma jogabilidade intensa, com gráficos impressionantes para a época e uma atmosfera imersiva. A história se passa em um futuro distante, onde os humanos enfrentam uma ameaça alienígena conhecida como Strogg. Assumindo o papel de Matthew Kane, um membro da Força de Ataque Especial, os jogadores são enviados em uma missão para invadir o planeta Stroggos e derrotar a ameaça alienígena.
Em termos de vendas, Quake 4 teve um desempenho sólido, embora não tenha alcançado os mesmos patamares de sucesso de alguns outros títulos da série. No entanto, conseguiu garantir uma base de fãs dedicada e vendeu milhões de cópias em todo o mundo.
No que diz respeito à recepção crítica, Quake 4 recebeu elogios generalizados pela sua jogabilidade sólida, gráficos impressionantes e atmosfera envolvente. No Metacritic, um agregador de análises de jogos, o título obteve uma nota respeitável, refletindo a qualidade do jogo.
Particularmente, minha experiência com Quake 4 foi extremamente positiva. Apesar de não ter tido a oportunidade de jogá-lo no lançamento, fui atraído pela sua atmosfera sombria e pela jogabilidade desafiadora. A sensação de imersão proporcionada pelo enredo envolvente e pelos gráficos bem elaborados me cativou desde o início. Embora minha opinião pessoal possa diferir ligeiramente da média do Metacritic, ainda assim considero Quake 4 como um jogo altamente recomendado para os fãs do gênero FPS, especialmente aqueles que apreciam uma narrativa sci-fi envolvente e uma ação frenética.
Başta Doom 3'den daha iyi bir oyun olduğunu söylesem linç yer miyim diye düşündüm de sonradan 2004 yılında olmadığımızı hatırladım. Güzel oyun.
Quite trauma inducing, since I played this when I was like 10
The stroggification sequence can only carry this snooze-fest so far.
Fiquei perdido, formatei o pc e perdi o save
Tem inimigos bons, variados e inteligentes , uma sandbox boa e variada, uma gameplay funcional e um level design merda com um cenário que parece o mesmo o jogo inteiro. Uma experiência positiva, mas esquecível. Desviou do resto da franquia, mas diferente de outros como DOOM 3, não realizou nada particularmente bom pra ter seu próprio valor.
Deus salve a Id Tech 4.
Deus salve a Id Tech 4.
A slightly improved Doom3 - Still not great and mostly remembered for an old meme video
A few days ago I was looking at the Quake games on Steam and realized something: I had not only not played Q4 since I was very young and I also happened to remember pretty much none of it, not even that much of the cutscene everyone knows this for. I was in the mood for something quick to play so I installed it and gave it another go.
From the beginning this game gives off DOOM 3 vibes more than anything, except the horror atmosphere isn't the focus, guns feel punchier and action is almost immediate.
Already an hour in I was feeling like this game was utilizing the idtech 4 engine way better, as it had a lot of pretty lighting in detailed areas with rich textures, but without making things overly dark and also making levels more fast paced. Sure, the initial walking speed is a bit annoyingly slow, but the levels are designed in such a way that I never felt too slow even while backtracking.
I think there's something to be said about the presentation of this game, the story continues right from the ending of Quake II and follows a silent protagonist alongside a squad of veteran soldiers. None of the characters are very deep or noteworthy, but they have some good voice work and the showing of different squads advancing through Stroggos in coordinated assaults gives a more natural tone of war that was absent in Quake II. The Strogg are designed in more interesting ways as well, giving us new foes with gruesome character design and a bunch of returning enemies a new spin, like the Berserkers having lighting attacks or the Iron Maidens being able to teleport and float. In general enemies use a wider variety of weapons as well, making them less monotonous when encountering the same enemy type. Unfortunately the Strogg still look too human like to my liking, with not many indications of them really being a galactic civilization that existed away from humans for a long time, but that problem is inherited from Quake II and not a particular issue with this game.
Unfortunately the AI isn't all that great, enemies have pretty predictable behaviors and ally squad members aren't always good at following you or finding a good spot, however levels are also designed well enough around this and will rarely show these weaknesses to a big degree.
Speaking of ally squad members, they're honestly nice to have around but aren't too much of a big deal. They do mostly stay alive without your supervision but can still die so it's a bad idea to let big enemies get a hold of them. A few sections with them are actually tricky to manage while trying to keep everyone alive which I welcome. They'll also provide you with weapon upgrades throughout the game, a system that's very clearly a last minute addition but helps the pacing as you get new reasons to use your weapons.
Weapons themselves all feel great, they all are good options during firefights and can still serve different roles. Of note are the lighting gun and nail gun which return, redesigned, from the first Quake game and the very versatile assault rifle and shotgun. Disappointingly the rail gun requires an upgrade to pierce enemies and the SSG is not here, but the arsenal is very robust and feels powerful which is what matters.
Going on, the game has a big moment in the middle which we all know as the Stroggification scene. I am not as impacted by it as others, but getting turned gives you a boost to player speed, health and armor. After this the game really picks up and gets more confident in throwing big enemies in higher numbers at you, which creates a lot of intense combat arenas that are very fun to get through.
The only points in which the pacing of the game is really bogged down is by the vehicle sections. I don't find them frustrating at all and at moments they're a good show, but they feel completely unnecessary and I would not miss them if they were cut. Polishing up the weapon upgrade system or getting more enemy variety could have been a better use of resources than the vehicles, but still, they're at least over quickly and I don't find them to ruin the game.
The final stretch of the game is the most fast paced and action heavy part and I really love it, it feels like the Strogg are giving way too much attention to you as an individual due to how much you're foiling their plans and it's great. The final boss is a pushover just like with Quake II, but at least it's harder to cheese as you can't just pop out a Quad Damage and Invulnerability to get through it quick.
Overall it's a pretty polished game that doesn't feel like it wastes my time. Despite being very derivative of Quake II and DOOM 3 I think it does a bunch of things better than those, particularly just being way better at pacing than DOOM 3 ever was, and is overall a very polished experience. It's maybe not one of the greats or as historically significant but it's still a good time and it has aged very well. Take it from someone that has a lot of nostalgia for Halo: it does not at all feel like Halo or CoD as some say, it really just feels like something that would naturally come after DOOM 3 mixed in with Quake II and I enjoy that a fair bit.
From the beginning this game gives off DOOM 3 vibes more than anything, except the horror atmosphere isn't the focus, guns feel punchier and action is almost immediate.
Already an hour in I was feeling like this game was utilizing the idtech 4 engine way better, as it had a lot of pretty lighting in detailed areas with rich textures, but without making things overly dark and also making levels more fast paced. Sure, the initial walking speed is a bit annoyingly slow, but the levels are designed in such a way that I never felt too slow even while backtracking.
I think there's something to be said about the presentation of this game, the story continues right from the ending of Quake II and follows a silent protagonist alongside a squad of veteran soldiers. None of the characters are very deep or noteworthy, but they have some good voice work and the showing of different squads advancing through Stroggos in coordinated assaults gives a more natural tone of war that was absent in Quake II. The Strogg are designed in more interesting ways as well, giving us new foes with gruesome character design and a bunch of returning enemies a new spin, like the Berserkers having lighting attacks or the Iron Maidens being able to teleport and float. In general enemies use a wider variety of weapons as well, making them less monotonous when encountering the same enemy type. Unfortunately the Strogg still look too human like to my liking, with not many indications of them really being a galactic civilization that existed away from humans for a long time, but that problem is inherited from Quake II and not a particular issue with this game.
Unfortunately the AI isn't all that great, enemies have pretty predictable behaviors and ally squad members aren't always good at following you or finding a good spot, however levels are also designed well enough around this and will rarely show these weaknesses to a big degree.
Speaking of ally squad members, they're honestly nice to have around but aren't too much of a big deal. They do mostly stay alive without your supervision but can still die so it's a bad idea to let big enemies get a hold of them. A few sections with them are actually tricky to manage while trying to keep everyone alive which I welcome. They'll also provide you with weapon upgrades throughout the game, a system that's very clearly a last minute addition but helps the pacing as you get new reasons to use your weapons.
Weapons themselves all feel great, they all are good options during firefights and can still serve different roles. Of note are the lighting gun and nail gun which return, redesigned, from the first Quake game and the very versatile assault rifle and shotgun. Disappointingly the rail gun requires an upgrade to pierce enemies and the SSG is not here, but the arsenal is very robust and feels powerful which is what matters.
Going on, the game has a big moment in the middle which we all know as the Stroggification scene. I am not as impacted by it as others, but getting turned gives you a boost to player speed, health and armor. After this the game really picks up and gets more confident in throwing big enemies in higher numbers at you, which creates a lot of intense combat arenas that are very fun to get through.
The only points in which the pacing of the game is really bogged down is by the vehicle sections. I don't find them frustrating at all and at moments they're a good show, but they feel completely unnecessary and I would not miss them if they were cut. Polishing up the weapon upgrade system or getting more enemy variety could have been a better use of resources than the vehicles, but still, they're at least over quickly and I don't find them to ruin the game.
The final stretch of the game is the most fast paced and action heavy part and I really love it, it feels like the Strogg are giving way too much attention to you as an individual due to how much you're foiling their plans and it's great. The final boss is a pushover just like with Quake II, but at least it's harder to cheese as you can't just pop out a Quad Damage and Invulnerability to get through it quick.
Overall it's a pretty polished game that doesn't feel like it wastes my time. Despite being very derivative of Quake II and DOOM 3 I think it does a bunch of things better than those, particularly just being way better at pacing than DOOM 3 ever was, and is overall a very polished experience. It's maybe not one of the greats or as historically significant but it's still a good time and it has aged very well. Take it from someone that has a lot of nostalgia for Halo: it does not at all feel like Halo or CoD as some say, it really just feels like something that would naturally come after DOOM 3 mixed in with Quake II and I enjoy that a fair bit.
Raven Software is a good developer, id Software is a good developer. Quake is a good franchise, id Tech 4 is a good engine. Quake 4 is anything but good, painfully average military shooter with glimpses at being a sequel to Quake II but feeling like something else entirely. I'm one of those who likes Doom 3 and Quake 4 in some ways feels like it was trying to remake Quake II in the similar vein Doom 3 was a horror redo of Doom. Quake 4 could have been interesting if it went more into horror instead of chasing the trends of much more interesting shooters at the time. At least the multiplayer somewhat resembles Quake.
mid game for mid yt shillers
Progress: Dohráno 100%
Quake 4 je docela odlišné od ostatních her ze série Quake, připomíná spíše Doom 3 s rychlejším gameplayem, příběh je solidní, ale přijde mi rádoby temný, jednou výjimkou je strogifikace, která je v skutku strašidelná.
Zbraně jsou různorodé, ale i nostalgické pro kohokoliv kdo hrál dřívější Quake hry.
Příběh přímo navazuje na Quake 2, ale hru si můžete užít i bez jakékoliv předešlé zkušenosti se sérií.
Edit: Režim pro více hráčů jsem hrál jen krátce, protože nebylo s kým.
Quake 4 je docela odlišné od ostatních her ze série Quake, připomíná spíše Doom 3 s rychlejším gameplayem, příběh je solidní, ale přijde mi rádoby temný, jednou výjimkou je strogifikace, která je v skutku strašidelná.
Zbraně jsou různorodé, ale i nostalgické pro kohokoliv kdo hrál dřívější Quake hry.
Příběh přímo navazuje na Quake 2, ale hru si můžete užít i bez jakékoliv předešlé zkušenosti se sérií.
Edit: Režim pro více hráčů jsem hrál jen krátce, protože nebylo s kým.
...did we all play the same game?
'cause generic soundtrack aside, i don't even need to hesitate - this is superior to quake ii in just about every way. sure, there's no rocket jumping, but that hardly matters in a corridor shooter; what's important is gunplay and Q2 wishes it had weapons half as good as these. the shotgun? nailgun? the fucking bfg that shoots black holes? get the hell out of town and don't let me see you here again
...that praise being said, i'll be damned if it doesn't put its shakiest leg first
unlike quake ii, the start here isn't slow because of its shooting - that feels fantastic from the get go - instead it's the aggressively invasive 'story' that's constantly trying to pull you from the action. let me shoot. the fucking. aliens! that's all i wanna do, man!!
"nah nah - i hear you", calls tim willits, newly appointed president of the Carmack Fan Club, "here, you can shoot again - in a turret section! and after that, ohoho, mission briefing!! and then - two more vehicle segments!!!"
with one swift motion i knock that shit out of his fucking hands. then i scream, "I JUST WANT TO SHOOT THE STROGG WITH MY SHOTGUN. THAT'S LITERALLY ALL I WANT TO DO. I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR SET PIECES (besides the mech one - that was pretty cool) OR YOUR SPACE MARINE STORY - I DON'T EVEN CARE THAT I COULD PERSONALLY WALK FASTER THAN MY CHARACTER WITH WEIGHTS STRAPPED TO MY LEGS. THE GUNS FEEL GOOD, TIM. PLEASE JUST LET ME USE THE FUCKING GUNS!!!!"
i think he took that bit about space marines harshly given the events that transpired shortly after, but all of my prayers had been answered nonetheless! no longer was i walking back and forth through areas i'd already visited just to report to some dumbass military man that the elevator got unjammed or steve blum #3 successfully completed filing his tax returns; i was actually playing the game - uninterrupted
when quake 4 gets its shit fully together after the first 1/3 or so, it shifts from stop-and-go into maximum overdrive. there's zero bad weapons, enemy types continue to vary enough (not to mention there's actually a couple decent bosses - a rarity for shooters) and ironically even the mission objectives become significantly more engaging when they're things you're doing and not just details off sgt. pvt. blum's shopping list
environments start looking a lot cooler too. Q2 toyed with body horror in small doses, but ravensoft went all-in here. call me simple, edgy, whatever - i think giant entrails breaching through space corridors and limbless (but still alive and wiggling) bodies being used as power supplies are pretty fucking rad. say what you will about id tech 4 - doom 3 looks fantastic and this is no different. hands down the most underrated shooter engine
misguided start aside, this is the best fps (barring quake 1, obviously) that i've played in a considerably long time. can't wait to receive matthew kane's next orders in quake 5!
wait fuck
'cause generic soundtrack aside, i don't even need to hesitate - this is superior to quake ii in just about every way. sure, there's no rocket jumping, but that hardly matters in a corridor shooter; what's important is gunplay and Q2 wishes it had weapons half as good as these. the shotgun? nailgun? the fucking bfg that shoots black holes? get the hell out of town and don't let me see you here again
...that praise being said, i'll be damned if it doesn't put its shakiest leg first
unlike quake ii, the start here isn't slow because of its shooting - that feels fantastic from the get go - instead it's the aggressively invasive 'story' that's constantly trying to pull you from the action. let me shoot. the fucking. aliens! that's all i wanna do, man!!
"nah nah - i hear you", calls tim willits, newly appointed president of the Carmack Fan Club, "here, you can shoot again - in a turret section! and after that, ohoho, mission briefing!! and then - two more vehicle segments!!!"
with one swift motion i knock that shit out of his fucking hands. then i scream, "I JUST WANT TO SHOOT THE STROGG WITH MY SHOTGUN. THAT'S LITERALLY ALL I WANT TO DO. I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR SET PIECES (besides the mech one - that was pretty cool) OR YOUR SPACE MARINE STORY - I DON'T EVEN CARE THAT I COULD PERSONALLY WALK FASTER THAN MY CHARACTER WITH WEIGHTS STRAPPED TO MY LEGS. THE GUNS FEEL GOOD, TIM. PLEASE JUST LET ME USE THE FUCKING GUNS!!!!"
i think he took that bit about space marines harshly given the events that transpired shortly after, but all of my prayers had been answered nonetheless! no longer was i walking back and forth through areas i'd already visited just to report to some dumbass military man that the elevator got unjammed or steve blum #3 successfully completed filing his tax returns; i was actually playing the game - uninterrupted
when quake 4 gets its shit fully together after the first 1/3 or so, it shifts from stop-and-go into maximum overdrive. there's zero bad weapons, enemy types continue to vary enough (not to mention there's actually a couple decent bosses - a rarity for shooters) and ironically even the mission objectives become significantly more engaging when they're things you're doing and not just details off sgt. pvt. blum's shopping list
environments start looking a lot cooler too. Q2 toyed with body horror in small doses, but ravensoft went all-in here. call me simple, edgy, whatever - i think giant entrails breaching through space corridors and limbless (but still alive and wiggling) bodies being used as power supplies are pretty fucking rad. say what you will about id tech 4 - doom 3 looks fantastic and this is no different. hands down the most underrated shooter engine
misguided start aside, this is the best fps (barring quake 1, obviously) that i've played in a considerably long time. can't wait to receive matthew kane's next orders in quake 5!
wait fuck
É um game muito bom e foi subestimado!!! Desafio do bom, perto do fim desse game!!!
it really just doesn't get better man
More like Quake: I Lost 4 Limbs!
I guess it's cool in how the conveyer scene is fucked up beyond words, but still, what in the actual heck, Quake 4?
I guess it's cool in how the conveyer scene is fucked up beyond words, but still, what in the actual heck, Quake 4?
When I think of the era this game released in, and, compare it with the FPSes of its era, like Medal of Honor or Call of Duty, and I think to myself.
"Which of these games would I want to re-play in the current day?"
Honestly...
The answer is obviously F.E.A.R but, this is definitely a top 5 contender!
It's a really fun game! Has a lot of the design philosophies of older shooters like Quake 2 but with a slower pace.
The weapons feel fantastic to use, the enemies are very fun to fight.
The horror aspects of it are incredibly well done!
But god, the dialogue and the story... it's like the game was slated for a T rating and thus there's basically no swearing, whatsoever.
As an example (and, minor spoiler for one of the levels): At one point you go through the under-belly of the Stroggification facility where you see the "Failed" Strogg experiments where they're distracted.
You see those utterly horrifying and disturbing zombified versions of your comrades, discarded as if they were garbage, in a genuinely awful shape, and on the inter-comm one of your buddies goes.
"Woah, those're freaking zombies!"
It sounds like a parody of what you think 90s dialogue is, even though this game was made in the mid-2000s, it's very weird and takes you out of the moment a lot of the time.
Still, very good game! Not as good as the other Quakes but that's a very high bar to try and cross.
I quite like it!
"Which of these games would I want to re-play in the current day?"
Honestly...
The answer is obviously F.E.A.R but, this is definitely a top 5 contender!
It's a really fun game! Has a lot of the design philosophies of older shooters like Quake 2 but with a slower pace.
The weapons feel fantastic to use, the enemies are very fun to fight.
The horror aspects of it are incredibly well done!
But god, the dialogue and the story... it's like the game was slated for a T rating and thus there's basically no swearing, whatsoever.
As an example (and, minor spoiler for one of the levels): At one point you go through the under-belly of the Stroggification facility where you see the "Failed" Strogg experiments where they're distracted.
You see those utterly horrifying and disturbing zombified versions of your comrades, discarded as if they were garbage, in a genuinely awful shape, and on the inter-comm one of your buddies goes.
"Woah, those're freaking zombies!"
It sounds like a parody of what you think 90s dialogue is, even though this game was made in the mid-2000s, it's very weird and takes you out of the moment a lot of the time.
Still, very good game! Not as good as the other Quakes but that's a very high bar to try and cross.
I quite like it!
"A man like Kane could get us killed" -Bitch ass Strauss.
Few games can depict such gore in extreme levels that it could cause trauma. Just the stroggification process is enough on it's own.
It's good for a nearly 20 year old game.
I hate Strauss. I just hoped that he would turn out to be a Strogg so that I could get the satisfaction of killing his blabbering ass.
Few games can depict such gore in extreme levels that it could cause trauma. Just the stroggification process is enough on it's own.
It's good for a nearly 20 year old game.
I hate Strauss. I just hoped that he would turn out to be a Strogg so that I could get the satisfaction of killing his blabbering ass.
its so bad. samey corridors, bullet sponges, WAY TOO FUCKING LONG, and all the cool stuff happens in like the last third of the game, just an awful experience really. also, i need to mention how long it is again, because that could be fine if it was fun(like fear) or had new mechanics added in, but really you've gotten the full experience in like the first hour of the game.
Gets better as it goes on but this is still easily the worst Quake game
It's not bad, it's alright. Kinda boring. The Stroggification is probably the most interesting part of the game.
Definitely a low point in the franchise but I have a soft spot for the Doom 3 Engine, the lighting in the 360 version is broken btw.
I'm doing my part!
The 21-year-old me liked this game more the first time I played it. Playing it again 18 years later, it's lost some of its magic. You can see the Quake II influence, but at the same time, you can see a pervasive influence from the popular FPS games at the time (primarily military shooters). After playing this, now I want to see MachineGames or the id team behind Doom (2016) reboot the Strogg War.
L'unica cosa bella di sto gioco è che usa lo stesso motore grafico di doom 3 e ha la stessa atmosfera. Basta.
È forse l'fps più lento che abbia mai giocato, terrificante.
È forse l'fps più lento che abbia mai giocato, terrificante.
Never thought I'd play something that had me wishing I was playing Halo instead.
that first hour or so of the single player is some magic go watch that on youtube or some shit do not play this game