The wars take place on very large and somewhat visually impressive maps, seemingly based on an Earth of the future, including various recognisable parts of our planet. Weapons are mostly the same as those from Quake 4, with humans sporting futuristic versions of standard weaponry such as assault rifles while the strogg are endowed with alien weapons such as the lightening gun. Maps are also littered with a wide array of vehicles which should make for some epic contests. Again, each race boasts its own set of ‘tools’ and again the strogg seem to get the more interesting deal. Though we are assured that games will be well balanced, it seems that the strogg will inevitably be the more attractive option in this aspect. Global Defence Force troops can command various futuristic versions of today’s land and air fleets such as tanks and choppers, but they will no doubt envy the strogg’s more glamorous arsenal of giant walking mechs and individual jet packs. Despite Battlefield 2 Modern Combat’s flaws, nobody can deny the sheer fun that was to be had by occupying the seat of choppers, so one can only imagine and anticipate the laughs and exhilaration that is to be had in Quake Wars; where the developers have a license provided by the futuristic and alien setting, to innovate and create bigger, better and all round more ‘bad-ass’ (I believe that’s the technical term) vehicles.
With the prospect of this being released after, or at least around the time of Halo 3, the developers really have their work cut out to make sure this doesn’t dodge under the radar. The likes of Battlefield have attempted to make a real impression on the Xbox user base with some success, but if Id Software desire for this title to make a lasting impact, the likes of which only really Halo 2 and Gears of War have achieved, Enemy Territory must deliver on all fronts and capture the spirit of tactical war combat like no other Xbox Live game before it. If current impressions are anything to go by, and the recent delays are an indication that the developers will only released a polished and perfected product, Quake Wars may just pull it off. Watch this space.
