Quake 4 Hands-On

The guys from Activision loaded up the 4th and final level we would be playing in single player and I found myself standing in front of, for lack of a better word, a mech (I was told later this is simply called a Walker), sporting a machine gun, rocket launcher and a recharging shield. I had flashbacks to my MechWarrior days as I mounted up and stomped off towards an underground bunker. It was a hell of a good time blowing up Strogg infantry and swatting aircraft from the sky like flies. I felt like a minor deity raining destruction down upon my enemies this way. All my delusions of grandeur fled as I soon encountered another mammoth spider bot. This time I did not have the nimble hover tank at my disposal and my previous bob and weave strategy did not work very well with my lumbering walker. After my fourth reload I finally figured out how to take down the spider while keeping my skin intact. So as not to spoil the fun for you, I won't reveal how I finally did it. You'll just have to figure it out on your own.

Ah, the old Strogg assembly line. Kind of like a Ford factory.

The marine on the right will be just another statistic in a few seconds.

By the time I was done with the spider bot, the rest of the group was ready to try Quake 4's multiplayer. After joining the server, I noticed the familiar symbols from Quake III indicating which weapons were available at the start of the match. While I only got to play with the pistol, machine and shot gun in single player, the multiplayer map we were on had those, plus the lighting gun, rail gun, grenade launcher and the nail gun. Yes it's back. And while the nail gun has been slightly updated from the last time I used it, it felt good to use and proved to be very effective up close.

We started with a simple death match game. I'll admit it took me a few minutes to get used to the speed and fury I found upon entering the game. Quake death match has always had its own unique style and feel. It had been a while since I had experienced it and it took me a while to get my bearings. What a great experience it was to see the mixture of updated Doom 3 graphics with Quake III Arena elements that the Quake 4 multiplayer is comprised of. Elements like jump pads that launch you high into the air, the announcer who tells you your ranking each time you frag someone and the *BONG, BONG, BONG* that resonates throughout the level when someone picks up the quad damage. It took me 3 games consisting of Death Match, Team Death Match and Capture the Flag before I found my groove and clawed my way to the top of the pile as the first to 40 kills in the final game. That's right; TubbyLumpy, grizzled old veteran (emphasis on old), kicked some multiplayer tail. All in the name of ActionTrip.com. (Witnesses say he was drunk well before the MP game kicked off, and passed out before it even started. - 2Lions)

The play test went by way too quickly. I supposed that should be a good sign that I wanted to keep playing both the single player and the multiplayer sides of Quake 4 but alas, I will have to wait a little bit longer before I play it again. Activison said Raven are taking the "It's ready when it's ready" approach id has made famous, but they are confident that we should all be playing the game later this fall. Yep, fall is my favorite time of year. With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Quake 4 rapidly approaching, how can anyone not love this season?