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ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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Wolfenstein:
Enemy Territory had made waves as one of the
first free team-based shooters that generated
huge base of shooting fans! In it, the Axis and
Allies had been pitted against each other in
maps that revolved around objectives. Though
that game didn't look quite polished, the
gameplay had delivered an addicting euphoria.
Now, the king of fast-paced team-based shooters
receives a multi-platform title, Enemy
Territory: Quake Wars. Being a team-based
shooter, the story takes a backseat and leaves
the gameplay to do the talking. Simply put,
there are two groups at war – the ugly Strogg,
and the human Global Defense Force. The Strogg
have come from space to try to wipeout
humanity's existence, and humanity fights back.
This sets up the battlefields you wind up
playing in, from North American settings to
African territories.
The gameplay is similar to that of the original
Wolfenstein – if you’re on the attacking team,
you complete objectives such as blowing up gates
or escorting a massive APC around city streets.
The defending team simply tries to prevent the
attackers from accomplishing these objectives –
the victor is either the team that plows through
the defense, or the team that holds the
attackers off until the end of the game. Players
are rewarded for playing their part in the game
with not only points but experience, as well.
The experience points count toward better
equipment, and are signified by a change in your
inventory and stars in your experience bar. What
Quake Wars brings to the table are some of the
much-needed tweaks to the formula. First and
foremost, the maps are huge! Not just big in
scale – but rather these are of continental
proportion! Secondly, as necessity is the mother
of invention, vehicles have been thrown into the
mix; these are mainly land-based, but some
aerial vehicles are featured as well.
Finally, the gameplay has been fine-tuned and as
a result, you now have a more balanced combat
sequence compared to the original Wolfenstein.
In addition, the teams here are now almost
identical to each other in terms of strength,
with minor weaknesses between them. Of course,
this being a Quake game, the pace is extremely
fast – you’ll feel like you are constantly
sprinting, and the jumping portion is still as
insane as ever! One quirk to look out for
between the PC version and the Xbox 360
translation is that Quake Wars supports a total
of 16 players instead of the usual 32 found on
PC. Since Quake Wars is limited to 16
participants, the action is not going to be as
quite frantic in providing a multiplayer
shooting spree; though that may be the case, the
pace still remains true to the Quake experience. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 7.7 OUT OF 10 |
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Another one
of Quake Wars' little snags is the fact that
you’re not told what the experience points
actually represents; you have the usual reminder
that you’ve leveled up, but you have to figure
out what that reward is for yourself. All of
this applies to the single-player and
multiplayer modes; the single-player is
generally just a series of multiplayer games
with bots lined nicely up for you. The graphics
are quite excellent, but not as advanced in
details as we had hope it would be, especially
living by today’s standards; but what’s nice is
that the engine that was used for games such as
Doom 3 and Quake 4 is featured here, though,
with minor tweaks. Surprisingly, the Xbox 360
version has exhibited a few noticeable frame
rate hiccups. Quake Wars occasionally chokes in
heavy combat or sometimes just looking at the
horizon.
The textures for weapons and characters are
relatively sharp and the lighting effects such
as shadows are relatively decent for the most
part. However, the different environments are
one of the game’s great spectacles. Fighting in
snow is an amazing experience, and so is the
moment you realize that the terrain is not all
one texture simply repeated over and over. Quake
Wars features “MegaTexture” technology, which
means that the terrain’s texture has been
essentially painted on, and not repeated through
recycling process. In the audio department, the
same mixture of remarks could be said for the
sound effects. While they’re crisp and have
distinct environmental noises, the qualities are
somewhat similar to the PC version with slightly
enhanced properties. At least, they project a
more wholesome discharge, where the guns and
other featured weaponries make a respectable and
realistic impression.
The voiceovers, on the other hand, are
interesting to say the least, with a bag of
amusing scripts that help create a more
laid-back atmosphere for casual players, such as
humans screaming “I’m in disguise!”
Unfortunately, the music is somewhat lacking in
context. You'll listen to significantly budgeted
score. Overall, Activision's move from the
original PC to a more futuristic translation on
the Xbox 360 console is a good one. Quake Wars
features a lot of the same addicting gameplay
found in the classic Wolfenstein, but presented
in a much smoother, much refined, incredibly
detailed presentation. Don’t expect any real
storyline here. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is
build on one thing, which is about straight up,
hardcore shooting and does a fine job at it.
Anyone looking for great kick in one of the best
team-based shooters out there shouldn't look any
further. This is a must have for Wolfenstein
fans! |
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