Quake 4

Back when this game came out, it was not well received. After the success of Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament, I guess people was hopping this game to continue the trend of multiplayer focused shooter, and instead they got "more of the same". Fast forward 16 years and if you are hopping for a "blast from the past", action focused shooter, mixed with some nice graphics, well, you are in for a ride. I bought it like 2 months ago, finished in Lieutenant difficulty, and it was such a blast, that I had to try it again, but in the General difficulty. It was just addicting for me. I finished the second time, and I will probably will play it a third time once I get an EAX sound card to get the absolute most out of it. As for what it is, well, it's Doom 3 but better I think. I enjoyed Doom 3 a lot back then, but it really feels for this game, they took note of everything people hated about that game. The lantern is now attached to the weapon, but only 2 of them which is annoying, the action takes off like right away, no wandering around unarmed for a good chunk of the first level. There is a great variety of enemies, and almost all of them will try to avoid your fire. And the biggest one for me, you fight alongside other marines, which will make your live a lot easier (specially medics and engineers), but if they die, that's fine, but will have to do all the job yourself. The only thing I think Doom is better at is story. Here is kind of there, but is basically an invasion to the enemiy planet to take on their leader. The game also looks pretty damn good, if you get the configuration right, but I recommend playing it on a 4:3 aspect ratio, for a more authentic experience (1400x1050 is what I used). Also DO NOT turn on antialiasing from the within the game, as it will hurt performance even on modern systems. Force it through your driver instead.

Great (sort of) final version of this classic. Action packed, a bit console-y linear but good fun. Amazing that thay managed to get all these graphics in 6 GB. A wothy and of the one that started it all, with 3D enemies, when hardware could just barely support that.

Quake VI is an FPS born from the 2000 era of video gaming (that I personally hate) and it shows in its gameplay and design. The game, compared to its predecessors (not takin in consideration Quake III for obvious reasons) is well behind them, with a really slow intro ( you need to wait until a certain plot point before starting to really enjoy it) and shallow design: basically they taken the interesting design of the second title and make it bland, uninspired. The story is completely forgettable and sometimes even annoying, but that's not really why one plays these games, so you can give it a pass. However, after that kind of long ''intro'' said before(basically when you start to be alone against the enemies and without companions), the game starts to show the classic gameplay and feeling of a true ID software game, for most parts. So, do I recommend it? yes! absolutely, even being the weakest of all the other Quake, it is STILL a Quake!

Context: I played Doom 3 first, then went back to this game. If that's you, this info will be useful. Imagine Doom3 except that the graphics are 1 grade lower, the horror gameplay (ie slower and more methodical and things jumping out of cupboards) is 2 grades lower, and the gameplay is cranked up to be much more of a traditional shooter (ie fast and satisfying gunplay) then that's what Quake 4 is. So, Doom 3 but faster? Kind of. There is still very much a 'horror' environment, some rather gruesome stuff, very well executed. But the gameplay is more of a shooter. So instead of moving from one section of the facility to another via a cutscene, you run outside and get into a tank or mech and shoot stuff. You even get a scene where you are shot into the enemy base in a landing vehicle (cutscene) but it's very impressive for the day. Also, you often have squadmates. So you get a sense of being a part of a major military operation, which is exactly what Quake 2 was all about. Therefore, whilst I would say I really enjoyed both this game and Doom3, Doom 3 was a poor sequel, in that it deviated too much from the source. Whereas Quake 4 really expanded on what Quake 2 had done before. If you can get past the aged graphics, I would say definitely give this a go, very underrated.

It's alright. I enjoy it a good amount, however, I feel like a lot of it is very stock and standard. Space marines, banter, alien threat. The story is a pile of cliches in a trench coat that failed to interest me at all. I can see why the previous Quake games barely had a story. It doesn't enhance the game at all. You play Quake to shoot stuff and fortunately Raven delivered. Good weapons, good sound effects and feedback, varied enemies that require different tactics to kill, and weapons upgrade to get better throughout the game. The vehicle sections are decent to kinda bad, the boss fights are decent, I wish I didn't have squad mates in cramped hallways so they block me from moving so I get hit, the music was nothing standout, and the atmosphere was tense but not really scary. I'd recommend it.