Quake 4 - Special DVD Edition (PC, 2005)

I had been away from the Quake PC games for awhile but recently bought a beefed-up computer and decided to revisit one of my favorite titles. This review covers "Quake 4 - DVD Edition" and features single player and multiplayer. It also comes with a bonus disk that I could NOT get to run even though I have a valid cd code. It probably features mods, maps, cut-scenes etc. Anyway, in the single player mode, its you and a few commrades battling through enemy strogg territory. I set the game to normal difficulty. The game sets you up with a series of missions, some easy some rather difficult. Theres a decent balance of health and weapons throughout although some additional health would have helped in many areas. (thank God for quik saves) Lots of eye-candy throughout. I noticed that if you have some commrades with you when entering a new area, you are usually best off to let them handle most of a shootout and then proceed. Very often, you are assigned to protect a specialist who is with you. He is no help when the bad guys butt in so beware. I think that many players would give up on the game due to the difficulty in some areas so if you are considering buying this game, you might want to set it to easy. Also, when there is a lot going on, my gameplay got slow and clunky. (I have graphics and screen res set to default settings on a Dell Dimension E521 with duel-core processors and an N-Videa G-Force graphics card) After multiple saves in the course of the game, it eventually would not load. A hugh patch on the Activision web page fixed this. Also, the multiplayer feature does not always work which was very dissappointing as I enjoy an occasional death-match. If you should see me (Mr. Robot) in a multiplayer DM game, don't be alarmed, I'm easy pickins'. The game is ok but it is kind of like going to work. If you're a lunch bucket guy like myself and have to beat a level and see whats next then this game is for you. If you're a run n' gun, have some fun type of player, steer clear. I think that ID should make a retro Quake game that gets back to the basics of the original Quake. I'd really enjoy that.

If you're a die hard first-person-shooter fan, you might be a TAD disappointed with the latest in the Quake series. If you have a beefy enough system, it's really pretty- don't get me wrong. But pretty does not a good game make.

I actually bought this so I could try it out, but also to get the Quake 2 and associated expansion packs that come with it, which I played through most of before starting Quake 4. Going into Quake 4, I was annoyed that it didn't support the native resolution of my monitor (1280x720) and although you can make it work, there's no user-friendly way (you have to manually edit a configuration file)

The intro sequence is graphically stunning, although if you played through Quake 1 (which had almost no story whatsoever) and Quake 2 (which actually had a somewhat decent story) you start thinking that Quake 4 is actually a remake of Quake 2.

Once you're given control and start walking around, you immediately notice that you walk very slowly. This isn't actually true. You RUN very slowly. If you hold down SHIFT, which in most games means "run", you actually "walk". The running speed is ridiculous. Which makes it hard to dodge and escape- or just want to explore and see the pretty scenery. This unfortunately means I am not really interested in playing it much more. What's the fun of a game that feels slow?

But the graphics are good- so I appreciate that, and there's lots of cool stuff to look at, and poke, or blow up, and the detail on the level design is astounding. The enemies look great too, although they're so damn fast you barely get to see them before you shoot them and they dissolve into green mist.

Now, maybe I should go and explore the other DVD content (I assume there's some kind of "making of" video) but I just don't care enough. I had more fun with Doom 3, even though it wasn't quite as pretty.

The Quake 2 original game and expansions are the best part of this 2-disc set, in my opinion. If you're dead set on buying it, buy it used, because in all honesty, $10 is a fair price, but $40 would have me calling up for a refund. Okay okay, it's not THAT bad, but I was really disappointed it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.. as good as it SHOULD have been.

Average Quake game from Raven Software. Not bad but not good, so it's average.

A special DVD Collectors Edition also exists, including promotional material and the game Quake II with its expansions. The Xbox 360 version of Quake 4 is based on the Special Collectors Edition, and therefore also includes Quake II.

Comes with cool black case!

I purchased Quake 4 when I bought a new computer but I found I had to update my Video Card (also purchased on Ebay. I finished Quake 1, Quake 2 and didn't really care for Quake 3 but I read reviews that Quake 4 was sort of a continuation of Quake 2. I wasn't sure if my original video card that came with the new computer could handle it, and it could but not very well. I ordered it knowing I could always upgrade my video card by purchasing one on Ebay and I did. I like these shooter type games because they let me get my agressions out. Quake 4 has excellent graphics and I enjoy playing it.

This is what you buy when you know that person on your list wants Quake 4. Suprise them with super bonus content and other goodies that are found within this Special Collector's Edition. The designers and workers of this game really have taken the genre to another level and this version is a celebration of that. SSSIXXX