Quake 4 [PC]

Although it's been six years since the last Quake game, this epic series of first-person shooters still has one of the biggest reputations in PC gaming history. id Software, creator of the first three Quakes, handed off development of the fourth to the almost as eminent Raven, who came up with a derivative but slick offering that impresses in both single and multiplayer modes.

Skipping totally over the plotless Quake III, Quake IV picks up the second's storyline. The evil alien Strogg, undaunted by the loss of their leader at the hands of a brave, lone marine, are still fighting. You're another marine, named Matthew Kane, and you start the game, Aliens -like, riding a dropship into hostile territory.

In what has to be the worst guarded plot twist in history (it's even written on the box) Kane is, somewhat unpleasantly, turned into a Strogg a little way into the game. Thanks to his enhanced speed and health, this adds some welcome variety to the conventional run-and-gun gameplay. Beyond that, there's a decent number of surprises, like a few vehicles to play with and a handful of boss encounters, but nothing that's wildly different to things you've seen in other FPS titles.

Although you do occasionally need a flashlight to navigate the odd sequence with low-light levels, rest assured that Quake IV is a long way from Doom 3's gloom. Yes, you can use some weapons without having to put down the flashlight, and no, you're not constantly being surprised by enemies appearing out of nowhere. In short, all Quake IV shares with id's Doom 3 is its engine.

So you'll be unsurprised to hear it also shares the plastic, slightly unreal quality that Doom 3 displayed. Quake IV doesn't push the boundaries of graphical realism. But sci-fi geeks will enjoy picking out the movie references, and they'll love the imagination of some of the grander scenes. There's an atmosphere-packed early scene where you board the Marine mothership after the landings, and stroll through the corridors and chambers watching the great war machine at work. Players of Raven's earlier Star Trek -licensed work will already know what we're talking about.

Quake IV also benefits from a color palette that strays beyond the shades of brown and gray featured in the early games. Like Doom 3, there's plenty of mighty fine texture work on display. Behind the scenes, the game makes the most of modern high-spec graphics hardware to give an impressive depth and presence to even the most mundane and ordinary of objects. While it's not as photorealistic as Half-Life 2, the world it creates is almost as convincing.

Strong voice-overs serve to underline this immersive quality. The sounds your upgradeable weapons spit out are just as sharp, providing a feel to the gunfire that's as hefty and impressive as the damage they deal. Quake IV doesn't fetishize gunplay like F.E.A.R. does, but if you crank up the decibels and cut the lights, it's not too far off.

Most of the single-player game's interest comes from this convincing design, imaginative situations, and reasonable plot rather than from particularly convincing combat. Strogg aren't the smartest of foes, and require more in the way of high quantities of hot lead than outmaneuvering or tactical thinking.

Quake IV suffers rather in that it was released on the same day as Monolith's F.E.A.R. Or rather, it suffers in that the single-player is nowhere near as good as F.E.A.R.'s. Quake IV feels like it's from a different generation, seeming far more scripted and a great deal more mindless. Of course, that doesn't make it a bad game -- just not the best single-player shooter to hit the streets this week. Even without the finesse of F.E.A.R. (or Half-Life 2, for that matter) it's a smooth, well-executed and yes, highly enjoyable romp.

Multiplayer is surprisingly different. In fact, the look, pacing, and theme of the two are so distinct that they almost feel like different games. Whereas from time to time, the single-player requires caution, planning, and, yes, even tactics, the multiplayer is all about the action.

That action is set on familiar ground -- Quake veterans will be pleased to see the return of some old favorite maps. And weapons. And sound effects. Even the list of game modes -- deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag and a one-on-one tournament -- is decidedly 1999. In fact, it's so reminiscent of Quake III's excellent multiplayer mode that it almost qualifies as a remake.

While the new graphics are just as pretty as in the single-player mode, when playing competitively the flashy graphical effects and bells and whistles are the first things to go, in favor of maximum performance and minimum distraction. When you're thinking along those lines, what's the point of Quake III with a new engine? The old one does just as well, and there's still (arguably) no straight-up deathmatch FPS that can touch it. A remake seems a little superfluous.

Much will come down to the long-term reactions of a notoriously hard-to-please community, and as more and more FPS gamers move on to more complex games like Battlefield 2, there tends to be less excitement made about straight deathmatch styles.

Although Quake IV feels more like two different games, it's surprisingly easy to sum up. That's because while both halves of this schizophrenic shooter play very differently, they share many of the same general qualities: they're solid, immersive, and pretty, but suffer from a severe lack of originality. Still, there's worse crimes than that, and if you can put up with the shovelfuls of deja vu (or even relish the prospect!), you won't go too far wrong with Quake IV.