We had spent the entire previous Friday playing Unreal Tournament. Our conclusion was that nothing could come close (youive got to play it!). Then came Monday n the day we experienced Q3A in its full glory, and we stood corrected. Sat mesmerized. Left four solid hours later, our eyeballs melted.Insofar as Deathmatch is concerned, we might still argue that UT holds its own. In fact we prefer it in some ways (read the UT review for reasons). Q3A, on the other hand, is the game you tried to imagine years ago when picturing the future. Rather than appearing as though the arenas are constructed of pixel wide panels, the arenas in Q3A look to have been built from concrete and stone.
You may gasp at the terrific Galleon in UT, but wait until you stare slack-jawed at the magnificence of The Place of Many Deaths in Q3A. The latteris twisted beams, and misty stairwells present an atmosphere like no other. Similarly for Demon Keep, diabolical as the name suggests, where inverted stone crosses swing like pendulums above a narrow ledge. One wrong move and you are biffed smartly into the lava pools below. Yet you are compelled to charge about the place like a kid let loose in the wickedest wonderland he ever set eyes upon.
We are still full on the anti-gravity outer-space stage in UT, Xendance (alien planet) in Opposing Force. Thing is, we nearly puked with giddy excitement at our first exposure to Q3Ais Apocalypse Void n platforms floating in outer space, some of the smaller ones with rockets beneath them, raising and lowering the floor making it a necessity to time jumps just to get around.
Quake 3 Arena is the ultimate theatre of carnage. You do a lot of dying, but it really doesnit matter at all n you know you looked damned good getting there. The wonder doesnit wear off. You just get used to it.
Behind all this glamour is a revitalised presentation of what makes id's stuff famous n the solid uncomplicated Deathmatch, with unlimited scope for improving your skills. No new weapons, just one hell of a modified BFG, but these are all the tools you need. And anyway, youive never seen or heard these weapons act so cool. The BFG has changed big time n itis now a rapid-fire pulse rifle, albeit utterly intimidating with its head-sized bolts.
One-player Deathmatch is a spectacular event. Though a lot of people are warming more to Unreal Tournamentis bot AI, itis the atmosphere in Q3A that draws you in as much as anything else. It was important for id to get the one-player game spot-on, since it is still the case that only a small proportion of PC players n yes even those who love FPS games n play online. Sure enough, from the moment you check yourself out in the full-length mirror in the anteroom, then spy your first opponent through the portal, this is something you very much want to be the best at. Somehow you feel more at peace with your bad self, hammering legions of Quake dummies than you do with UT. But thatis idis monster reputation and seal of cool as much as anything else. Maybe UT will turn this around for Epic in time.
