There's something to say about a game that becomes a classic before it even ships. Revolutionary and incredible are two other adjectives you could use as well. But for those of you who joined in the frag-frenzy of the game different versions and mods, this comes as no surprise. Forget being highly anticipated, Quake 3 Arena is, and will be, the game of 2000-****(Never seen a game like this till now {2005}); and we have only entered into four years of gaming!!
To say that Quake 3 Arena is an evolutionary progression of the Quake series brought up to today's technological standards is a gross understatement. Everything from the graphics engine to the gameplay is so advanced that Quake 3 Arena doesn't just raise the bar, it takes it and breaks it over its knee then scatters the pieces, much like what happens to your opponents when you hit them with the BFG.
Quake 3 Arena is all about deathmatch. There's no traditional single player game, virtually no story line, no worlds to save or girls to rescue. What the game does have is the most intense action ever to cross any first-person shooter, or any game for that matter, coupled with a whole lot of killing.
Deathmatches, or multiplayer games where you go up against a small number of equally equipped (but not necessarily equally skilled) opponents, are what made the first two Quake games such a success. In fact, it's still easy to find a multiplayer Quake 1 game on the internet. But unlike Quake 1 and 2, where the multiplayer game seemingly played second fiddle to the long drawn out single player game, Quake 3 Arena's multiplayer-focus makes the game incredible refined.
Quake 3 Arena's levels have all been painstakingly crafted for the best multiplayer experience. Most levels are relatively small, ensuring a constant and high amount of action, while various platforms, spring boards, alcoves, and wide open areas keep you on your toes and on the look out for where the next threat is coming from.
The single player game consists of going up against computer controlled bots that provide more than a sufficient challenge for practicing your stuff before you go up against other human players. In fact, the top two difficulty levels are so challenging that if you manage to finish all seven tiers at either difficulty level, you'll most likely rock over the internet as well. The standard single player game allows you to play various multiplayer games, including Capture The Flag and Tournament, although the focus is primarily on Free For All. The computer bots don't play very well when they're on your team and giving them orders with the correct syntax, especially in Capture the Flag, is a hassle.
But enough about the single player game, the multiplayer game is where the heart of Quake 3 Arena resides. Perhaps most welcoming is how balanced the weapons are; there's no longer a need to scramble around trying to find a rocket launcher before another rocket launcher-equipped opponent blasts you across the screen. Apart from making the rocket launcher less effective by reducing the damage of its blast radius, other weapons prove to be better tools at both long and short range.
The rail gun, which fires a super concentrated laser beam that cuts through numerous enemies, can be devastating but takes time to load and must hit the target dead on, which puts keyboard players at a serious disadvantage for using that weapon. The plasma gun, which is essentially a far more powerful version of the machine gun, is choice for both close and medium distance combat, just don't get too close to walls or other players as the plasma has a small but damaging blast radius.
Then there's the BFG-10K that, apart from its devastating power, has little resemblance to the gun that made its debut in Doom. The BFG is similar to the plasma gun but the shots pack a serious punch and much larger blast radius. If you hit someone dead on chances are they won't survive, and a handful of well placed shots at the floor in a crowded room will send your opponents up in a brilliant display of flying blood and limbs before they get a chance to train their sites on you.
Other weapons include the grenade launcher, shotgun, and lightning gun, all of which have their places in the game but will most likely be passed up for more effective weaponry.
One or two powerups can generally be found in each level and last for thirty seconds. Regeneration gives you back five health points each second while haste allows your character to move in double time. Quad Damage also makes its return and causes your player to glow a brilliant blue. The beauty of the powerups is that if you kill someone who has one, you can pick it up and use the remaining time yourself.
Quake 3 Arena is a monster of a game. IT admins will fear the added bandwidth the game will put on their servers, CEO's will cringe at the lost productivity of their employees, and university students' grades are bound to plummet, all in the name of some fun. Strap yourself into Quake 3 Arena and be prepared to waste countless hours. So..........
What are you waiting for?
