Quake 4 Single Player Impressions
- September 16, 2005 15:27 PM PST
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The Doom 3-powered sequel puts much more love into the single player than its predecessor.
If there's one thing Quake hasn't been known for in the past, it's for a memorable storyline. Battling wave after wave of red-eyed mechano-grunts, the single-player aspect has been eclipsed by the multi-player frags--which is set to change for Quake 4.
From Two to Four
Taking place immediately after Quake II, the game drops you into the marine boots of Matthew Kane, a new member to the elite Rhino Squad. With the planetary defenses taken down by the protagonist in Quake II, you start off with a planetary assault on Strogg fortifications. No game would be complete without "something's gone awry" plot twists, and Quake 4 starts off with your assault transport crashing, leaving you briefly separated from your squad mates.
While the cinematics aren't as gripping as say the first time you experience Half-Life, they're well executed. The plot advances much like to Doom 3, with the story driven by in-game voiced dialogue and linear objectives. Similar to the set-on-rails approach to Doom 3, Quake 4's levels are interspersed with scripted sequences: Stroggs pounding through the ground and piping to ambush you, and the plot unfolds without taking you completely out of the game. It's not as trite as demons leaping out of ducts, but the canned sequences may impact the replayability of the single player experience.
Nail Guns and Rocket Launchers
Quake 4's core gameplay strikes a resemblance to Doom 3, from the Kuchink sound of reloading assault rifles to the cyborg abominations that demand you to rip through ammo magazines. Of course, as similar as they look in screenshots to demons and zombies, their origins are different--think of Borg with slightly more refined interior sensibilities. One distinguishing feature from id's Doom was that some weapons have a zoom feature, allowing you to play a more precision-based firefight. The assault rifle, for example, switches to semi-automatic mode, enabling you to shoot as quick as your mousetaps can allow. And those close-up headshots are oh-so satisfying.
Another feature (which wasn't shown at the demo) gives the player superhuman abilities. According to Activision, somewhere along the way Matthew Kane gets captured by the Stroggs. Before the mechanizing procedure could be completed and your brain subject to Strogg dominion, you're bailed out--while still reaping the benefits of super hero-like strength and agility. How this exactly plays out, however, remains yet to be seen.
We also caught glimpse of the simple but effective squad based combat. Most notably, medics can heal you back to full health, which is essential for survival, especially in the higher difficulty settings.
Taking cues from other high profile shooters such as Half-Life 2 and Halo 2, Quake 4 has--you guessed it--drivable vehicles. The two showcased at the event, hover tank and walker, each had completely different pacing. The hover tank was arguably the more enjoyable of the two, having a devastating main cannon, a backup machine gun, and surprisingly agile maneuverability, allowing you to dodge incoming missiles by strafing. The walker is the more slow-paced experience of the two, relying upon sluggishly-reloading rockets and a machine gun. Both have rechargeable shields and armor, generously borrowing from Halo (here's hoping that shields won't be the latest trend for all FPS titles).
Whether due to the early build or to level design, the walker section seemed a bit monotonous--the enemies slightly varied between fly-looking drones that drop Metroid ball-looking drones, and floating obese Stroggs shooting guns and guided missiles. The boss battle with a giant spider walker, however, proved intense and challenging, forcing you to hide behind obstacles and shoot down guided missiles to stay alive. Overall, the outdoor areas still feel confined and linear, which is likely a deliberate decision by Raven to keep the story flowing.
More to the Story
Reservations aside, the game so far seems like a more than worthy addition to any PC junkie's FPS repertoire. And it's all too easy to compare Quake 4 to Doom 3 with their cosmetic similarities. However, all comparisons to Doom fly out the window when you consider that Quake 4 has a robust (and fun) multiplayer as well--be sure to read our hands-on impressions of Deathmatch and Capture the Flag in action.
