Quake 3 Arena (Quake 3 Arena (PC))

Member Name: ray1952

Product:	Quake 3 Arena (PC)
Date:	03/07/01 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Addictive, Value for money

Disadvantages: none

"This is not a demo. This is a test" say the gaming gurus at id in a mantra-like consistency as you download - so be warned. Some machines may even run this version at a slower frame rate than the previous test, though to be fair there's a lot more going on here (and a fair amount of optimization to be worked on). Then again, other configurations will see a ten fold increase in performance. Time to upgrade again regardless.

Despite the fact that it's best played against real people, Quake III Arena isn't strictly multiplayer-only. In addition to being able to practice on any level in straight deathmatch or team modes, and capture the flag across four specially-designed levels, Arena also provides a 'tournament' with 30 different AI bots to fight against, spread across eight different tiers containing 26 unique levels. Some are small and self-contained, others are more complex architectural affairs. Progress further and you find a few experimental platform-driven arenas packed with huge areas of space ready to swallow you up if you make a false move or get too close to the fallout from a rocket blast.

So what's new? Special effects such as mirrored reflection mapping on surfaces are sure to make the hardcore eye candy fans salivate, and the weapons are slightly more balanced. It's a significant improvement over the last early release, and shows just how hard those nuts at id work at making the game perfect. Barring a few bugs such as lack of wheel mouse support (which you won't miss if you never tried, but is essential once you become accustomed to it) and some server connection issues, this is pretty darn close to the final game and is essential for any first person shooter fan. If you plan on spending your holidays fragging everyone in sight, you better get this and start practicing...

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