Quake 4 (Xbox 360, PC)

ID is to first person shooters what Capcom and SNK are to fighting games. Not only have they practically invented the genre, their games have introduced several conventions that we take for granted today. Doom, Wolfenstein 3-d, and Quake were the top three shooter franchises for the company. While Quake didn’t have the impact on the genre that the other two games had, it still became a favorite among players, due to the fact that it’s open source code made it able to produce modifications and conversions for the game. Also, it was one of the first games to include multiplayer over the internet, and full 3-d movement. It was followed up by a sequel that eschewed the first game’s gothic textures for a more sci-fi plot, and again by a sequel that focused strictly on multiplayer combat. After reviving Doom 3 and Wolfenstein 3-d, ID dicided to bring back Quake as well, just in time for the next generation of console systems.

Quake 4 is a follow up to Quake 2. After a lone marine managed to infiltrate the Strogg homeworld and destroy the Markon during Quake 2, the battle picks up on the planetside as Matthew Kane (That’s you) joins the Rhino Squad in an attempt to finish the Strogg off once and for all. Unfortunately things go awry after the ship is forced to make a crash landing, and the team must do their best to survive the odds. Along the way, Kane is partially transformed into a Strogg and is forced to battle against former teammates turned into Strogg soldiers.

The game uses a slightly modified version of the Doom 3 engine, which is why the graphics look so similar to that game. The action moves fast and smoothly as you make your way through the levels. The weapons are standard fare, from the shotguns to the machine guns and railguns. The game throws in some vehicle segments to break up the action, and it’s fun to blow up strogg while walking in a mech. You also have your basic online multiplayer, although since this game is older, it may be a lot harder to find people playing this game online. The real draw of this game however, is the inclusion of Quake 2 on a separate disc. Although it can’t be played online, you can still play 16 player online battles through split screen and system link and the gameplay moves just a smoothly here as it does in the main game. It even has it’s own set of achievements to unlock, although they don’t give any gamerpoints.

Quake 4 doesn’t do much that players haven’t seen before, but it does what it can do quite well. Getting Quake 2 as bonus isn’t a bad deal either. So if you’re an FPS fan who is waiting for something to hold yourself over until Halo 3 arrives, then pick this up while it is cheap.