Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 30th June 2008

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Enemy Territory invades the console formats.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Details:

Goto Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Game Page

	Action
	PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
	Nerve/Z-Axis
	Activision

12+

Out Now

N/A

There was a time when any game with Quake in the title would have caused a flurry of activity from its publishers marketing department with constant new updates, screenshots and videos. However, with this console version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars there was barely a whimper in the weeks leading up to the games release, which is a shame as many may over look this multiplayer shooter.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is set in the year 2065 and serves as the prequel to id Software’s Quake II: Enemy Territory. In the game the Strogg have set their sights on Earth invading with a vast fleet and only the Global Defence Force (GDF) can stand against them in this winner takes all battle for the planet.

If you haven’t heard about Quake Wars, like Unreal Tournament 3 the game is very much a multiplayer experience, however don’t expect to be able to go on random rampages in death match as this game is rather different focusing on team play. One team plays as the GDF whilst the other the Strogg. Each map has a set number of objectives to complete in order for your team to be victorious. Typically the game places one team in the role of attackers and the other defenders.

As you would expect from any team based shooter, Quake Wars features five different character classes per team, each with different abilities that offer a fairly different playing experience. Soldier, Field Ops, Engineer, Covert Ops and Medic make up the GDF classes whilst the Aggressor, Oppressor, Constructor, Infiltrator and Technician make up the Strogg ranks.

Each character class has a unique set of skills and abilities, even the equivalent classes of each team have different abilities, for instance medic and technicians play the same role on the battlefield which is to revive fallen team mates, however, the medics on the GDF side are able to air drop supplies in the battlefield, whilst the Strogg Technicians can turn the bodies of fallen GDF troops into spawn hosts. The different classes and abilities of each class within the two teams offer a lot of variety and this really adds a lot of replay value to the title.

As mentioned already Quake Wars places one team as the attacker and the other as the defender, objectives are relatively simple and often require your team to defend or capture a structure before moving on to attack an enemy position, however depending on how well organised the other team is that success can be limited and epic and exhilarating battles ensue.

The games battlefields are fairly extensive and are usually made up of open spaces and various sized building which you can navigate through, the game also offers the use of a large number of different vehicles, various land and air craft are available for both teams and offer a good amount of variety as each teams are vastly different and each one employs a unique control system, which furthers adds to the challenge and variety on offer in the title.

As you play through Quake Wars you gain experience, which leads to promotions, this allows you to unlock new abilities for each class, although experience has to be earned separately for the different classes. The game also tracks a huge number of stats that allows you to track your performance as you play through the games various missions.

As with most multiplayer orientated game Quake Wars also includes a single player mode, but unlike similar games it does actually provide a pretty good playing experience with excellent bot AI. It can also be fairly enjoyable instead of simply serving as an introduction to the games online element, of course it’s also an excellent way to familiarise yourself with the games missions and units.

As enjoyable as it is to play, the game isn’t without its problems. Quake Wars employs a fidgety control system that takes time to get use to, also throwing grenades something which is pretty simple to do can be a bit of a problem mainly due to the fact, it’s near impossible to throw them far enough so as not to injure your own team mates or yourself. The game also suffers from some serious lag issues at busy times, which slow the action down to a near stand still.

Quake Wars looks a little old mainly due to the environments being a little bland, which is a shame as the game does feature some nice graphical elements. The game also seems to have a hazy look on some of the maps which can make it look a little blurry. However, character models are generally good, with excellent animation. Vehicles also feature a good amount of detail, whilst weapons effects have also been done well.

Sound for the most part has been done well, the game features sounds that fans of the previous games will recognise, however it can be a little absent at times. Some of the vehicle sounds haven’t been done quite right as the GDF ATV’s tend to sound like grass cutters. Weapons fire for the most part is excellent, especially the Strogg lightening pistol.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars may not be the greatest looking multiplayer orientated game, but it does provide an excellent playing experience, which for me is a better measure of a game. The action can be intense which can lead to epic battles between the two warring teams, keeping you hooked as you battle for Earth.