Quaking good game! (Quake 3 Arena (DC))

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Product:	Quake 3 Arena (DC)
Date:	09/01/01 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing DC On and Offline Shoot 'Em Up

Disadvantages: None

Quake III is a near perfect conversion from its former version on the PC.

Quake 3 Arena looks almost as good as its PC brother, the only real difference being screen resolution, which can't be helped.

The graphics engine in the Dreamcast really comes to life in Q3A; it performs as well as a PC with a Voodoo3. With smooth textures and rock solid polygons, you'll quickly forget that this is just a console system.

Aside from looking great, Q3A is fast. The big upshot of consoles is perfect compatibility. Since Q3A was designed around the Dreamcast, there are no crashes, setup, or compatibility issues, just stick in the disk and frag away.

The biggest concern in the transition from PC to DC lies in control. You can change the controller to suit your tastes, which is helpful.

If you're used to playing Quake on the PC and just can't seem to get the hang of fragging with a controller, Sega has a keyboard and mouse that plug right in to the controller ports of your Dreamcast and work great.

The single player version of Q3A is structured in tiers. There are five tiers, each with four arenas; the fourth arena of each tier contains a Boss. To advance tiers, you must take first place in each of arena. As the game progresses, the arenas get more elaborate and the bots get smarter.

The Artifical Intelligence of the bots in Q3A is impressive. Especially when you consider the multi-player. Joining an online game has never been easier.

Whether online or off there are the three standard types of game to join: Deathmatch, Team Battle or Capture the Flag. Another noticeable difference between the PC and Dreamcast versions is that the Dreamcast only supports four players in an arena at a time, where the PC supports up to sixteen. Those familiar with Quake on the PC will find this a pain, but if you've never played the PC version, it won't make much of a difference.

There are
over thirty skins to choose from, each with it's own look but no statistical differences; and nine different weapons. Ranging from the gauntlet to the BFG-10K, the choice is yours. There are also a variety of power-ups to help you in your quest for final victory.

Quake 3 Arena is a great game; it brings to the table strong online gaming for dedicated console gamers. The sharp graphics and fast-paced gameplay will keep your thumbs busy for hours on end. While PC owners will probably stick with their PCs, it's brilliant of Sega to offer this kind of experience to console gamers.

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