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Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Review
Jon Wilcox
01/10/2007
Splash Damage brings the Strogg to Earth in this multiplayer precursor to the events of Quake II...
Announced by id Software's Todd Hollenshead back at E3 2005, the Strogg invasion of Earth finally arrives on PC this autumn in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions due in 2008. A prequel to the events of Quake II, Quake Wars is the first commercial version of the Enemy Territory brand, following the release of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory back in 2003. Like its predecessor, Quake Wars has been developed right here in drizzly Blighty by Splash Damage and sets out to deliver the most compelling online multiplayer PC titles since Battlefield 2.
It's been one of the most anticipated games to hit the oft-maligned platform in 2007, and with good reason. Four years on, and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory still has entire groups and clans of hardcore players fighting online day and night, with Quake Wars not only a spin-off of the Quake franchise (attracting one set of gamers), but as a spiritual successor to its World War II-set cousin too. Earlier in the year, FASA Studio's Shadowrun was widely criticised for offering a limited multiplayer-only game on Xbox 360 - so does Enemy Territory fall into the same trap? And is it little more than a visually revamped Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory?
Despite featuring Bot support for offline play, the heart and soul of Quake Wars of course rests with its online gameplay for up to twenty-four players at a time. Away from single set piece battles, Quake Wars also includes two additional modes, variants on a theme: Campaign, three individual battles linked together according to continent, and Stopwatch, which sees players go head-to-head in a race to complete mission objectives the quickest. Between the three similar gametypes and multiplayer-only gameplay at first glance it's easy to draw comparisons. Once in the game however, it takes no time at all to see how Enemy Territory goes far beyond what the now defunct Seattle developer achieved thanks to its multiple objectives, expanded class system, and large-scale environments.
Even from the very first battle, it's clear that Splash Damage has worked hard to deliver a much more rounded experience for Quake Wars than Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. This time around, Enemy Territory is a complete gaming experience, with the object-based gameplay of its predecessor pushed firmly to the fore. Forgoing the tired and traditional fare of Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, even the wildly compelling gameplay of DICE's Battlefield franchise, every person in every encounter in Quake Wars has a purpose - to help secure, defend, or destroy key positions. Whereas Splash Damage's previous title made clear separation between the always defending Axis and the attacking objectives of the Allies, Quake Wars offers much more of a balance.
Splitting GDF and Strogg forces into five distinct classes from standard grunt (Soldier/Aggressor) to a special forces role (Covert Ops/Infiltrator), Quake Wars ensures that the dynamic of any battle in the game is different for every player, far more than its predecessor ever managed. Besides different weaponry, each of the classes has its own special equipment, from the Engineer's pliers (used to repair disabled machinery including radar and anti-personnel turrets, and vehicles) to Covert Ops' capabilities to disguise themselves and infiltrate enemy positions. A significant addition to the disparate Enemy Territory series is the introduction of vehicles, enabling gamers to ride in everything from the GDF Husky ATV and Anasi gunship, to the Strogg Desecrator tanks and personal Icarus jetpacks. Most allow multiple personnel on board, ensuring quick access to the heat of the battle and objectives, though ensuring the security of the perimeters on maps is one of many additional uses.
With the twenty-four players on the battlefield and an endless slew of 'reinforcement' spawning, the action in Quake Wars never lets up. Each battle lasts twenty minutes by default, with a few key objectives to achieve within that time for both sides along with additional secondary missions. Primary objectives tend to be class specific and are in a pre-set order. For instance in the Area 22 map, Strogg forces have to destroy a slipgate that's being experimented on by GDF. But in order to do that they have to destroy a Jamming Generator, and construct a Mining Laser first. Engineers (or in the case of the Strogg, Constructors) are the only ones capable of attaching and triggering explosive devices so they alone are responsible. Other mission objectives may see Covert Ops hack and disable a shield generator to enable an air strike against Strogg defences, but these class-specific orders aren't alone in the game. Pushing the battle lines forward is also a key part of the game like DICE's Battlefield, whilst support units (the GDF's Medics and the Strogg Technicians) always have to be prepared to run into the middle of a fire fight to resurrect a fallen ally.
Enemy Territory also offers a persistent ranking system and achievements, with players beginning their campaign against the GDF or Strogg as conscripts, with the potential to rise through the ranks to the upper echelons of power as Supreme Commander. Rewarded by completing objectives and accruing XP, the system is extensive to say the least with the difficulty to rank up becoming increasingly steeper as players rise through the 39 Enlisted, Field, and General ranks in the game. Additional persistence is added with the two dozen achievements (in the form of medals) that are awarded when a group of tasks are accomplished. For instance, a Bronze Engineering Shield is awarded when players earn 800XP as an Engineer or Constructor and two Engineering objectives have been completed. But a Gold Engineering Wreath is awarded when a massive 12,000XP has been earned (of which at least 2000XP by using Repair Tools and a further 2000XP with mines) and when 200 Engineering objectives have been completed. The achievements alone demonstrate that Quake Wars gamers have to be in it for the long haul, in a similar manner to MMO fans.
Quake Wars builds upon the elements of its predecessor to deliver a compelling objective-heavy arena experience that will satisfy the hardcore, though the simple truth is that newcomers to this ilk of PC game will find it particularly difficult to begin with. The fact that each copy of Enemy Territory comes with an Advanced Guide that defines the very meaning of the word 'comprehensive' is proof enough - this isn't a title for the Wii-hugging newcomers that have recently venture into the world of gaming.
As Quake Wars is such a team-based title (the manual actually provides a neat if damning description of poor team-play), communication is paramount. No doubt some of the more adept teams and clans will use VoIP to great effect in the heat of battle, forming strategies and tactics on the fly. But Quake Wars also includes a substantial branching communication system, with drop menus that call for back up, vehicular support, and yell to the others in the team that they've spotted a group of enemy infantry in the area, all quick and easily accessible via the mouse wheel. Though it's a bit of a distraction if you're caught in the middle of a firefight, as the chances of relaying a message before you hit the ground and yell for a medic is pretty slim. Which is where the cries of "I'm a Medic!" once again ripple across the battlefields of an Enemy Territory title, a nod to one of the most heard soundclips in the series, this time expanded upon with the addition of the Strogg and their Technicians.
Produced with id Tech 4 - formally the Doom 3 engine - and debuting John Carmack's MegaTexture technology to produce wide-scale maps with less strain on a PC's resources, Quake Wars offers the next benchmark for id and its portfolio of titles - at least, until the future release of Rage built with id Tech 5. The technology also means that Quake Wars is accessible to a wider audience, with a minimum requirement of a GeForce 5700, a whole generation of GPU earlier than many of the newer PC games. Taking advantage of the fact that the Strogg have invaded more than the four corners of the world, including Australia, New Jersey, the UK's Lake District and a South Atlantic island, the range of terrain in the game's maps is varied to say the least. Semi-demolished buildings, underground bases in the middle of the desert, and one map set in both Africa and Antarctica (linked through a slipgate) give the most contrasting environments in the game, and is a far cry from the largely samey maps of its predecessor.
Beyond that however, Quake Wars is lacking in some of the detail that perhaps we'd expect in PC gaming today. Despite both sides being armed to the teeth with all sorts of explosives and artillery, the fact that only objects linked to achieving objectives (such as destroying blast doors or generators) can be blown to smithereens is disappointing - likely a constriction of id Tech 4. With such an emphasis on tactical team play, the fact that additional inroads into the battlefields can't be achieved with - for instance - the strategic placement of an explosive charge on a wall leaves Quake Wars feel slightly dated around the edges. Likely a platform for Splash Damage to build upon in the future, this will be one aspect of a future 'Enemy Territory 3' that they'll hopefully succeed in producing.
Class-specific objectives.
Lack of a destructible environment.
Extreme Gamer
Date Added:Thu 22nd May 2008 12:53
Anonymous
Date Added:Thu 17th Jan 2008 17:44
..yeah...
Anonymous
Date Added:Mon 15th Oct 2007 15:09
Sega Boy
Date Added:Thu 11th Oct 2007 02:17