Quake III: Arena (PC, 1999)

Some have heard of it, others have not. I think of it as the computer version of Halo. It's basically the same concept; to kill the opponent using weapons around you and certain "stunts" that keep you from being fragged. One of the biggest virtues to keep in mind is to "Frag everything that isn't you".

There are 2 different ways of installing the full version via CD - full install (roughly 520MB) or short install where you have to pop in the CD every time you want to play (roughly 50MB). I STRONGLY recommend the full install, that is of course if you can spare the hefty amount of space on your computer, if not and you don't mind keeping the CD handy, then go for the short install method.

The demo version can be found at a lot of places on the net, but you only get 4 different arenas to play in and no story mode, which is fine if you're only looking to play multiplayer with some friends, or want to practice against the computer, or what the game calls "bots". But if you really want experience, and have the upper hand then I recommend buying the game, then coming back at your friends with a surprising comeback and extensive knowledge of each map and it's "extras".

Quake III Arena is available for Dreamcast, IRIX, Macintosh, PC (Linux/Windows), PS2, and Xbox Live Arcade. The game, being a lot like Halo, is a first person shooter, and specifically designed for multiplayer, but also includes single player. It has an ESRB rating of M for Mature, but that rating is based on the amount of gore and violence placed in the game. There are no spoken words said in the game except for the ominous voice that tells you the players names, as well as how many frags are left towards the end of the game. There is also an option to chat, but unless you're a bot, then I don't see the time or the need to even worry about it.

When it comes to the bots, each of them have their own kind of personality. Mostly humorous, but still being computers, they only have so much that they can say. Different things trigger the appropriate comments like when someone accidentally kills themself, or getting fragged with a certain weapon.

The "extras", as I mentioned before, include things like:
Quad Damage - greatly increases the amount of damage inflicted onto the opponent when fired.
Battle Suit - protects you from things like lava, slime, drowning, or "splash damage"(a weapon being fired close, but not at you like a rocket launcher or grenade) from weapons.
Flight - an antigravity generator that lets you propel yourself through the air with a small amount of effort.
Haste - in short, increases your rate of fire for weapons, and speed when walking/running.
Invisibility - self explanatory
Mega Health - increases your health by 100 points even past the maximum preset of 100, giving you 200.
Regeneration - your health will gradually increase to 200 untill time runs out.

Even with the game being copyrighted in 1999, and now being almost a decade later, the graphics are still quite impressive. I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching the blood and body parts spew everywhere after being hit with something such as a rail (or laser) gun or perhaps a rocket launcher.

Quake III Arena (also known as Quake 3; abbreviated as Q3A or Q3), is a multiplayer first-person shooter computer and video game released on December 2, 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly. Quake III Arena is the third in the series and differs from previous games by excluding a traditional single-player element and focusing on multi-player action. The single-player is instead played against computer controlled bots in a similar style to Unreal Tournament.

Notable features of Quake 3 include the minimalist design, lacking rarely used items and features, the extensive customizability of player settings such as field of view, texture detail and enemy model, and advanced movement features such as strafe and rocket-jumping.

Quake 3 is available on a number of platforms and contains mature content. The game was highly praised by reviewers who, for the most part, described the gameplay as fun and engaging. Many liked the crisp graphics and focus on multiplayer.

Quake 3 has also been used extensively in professional electronic sports tournaments such as Quakecon, Cyberathlete Professional League and the Electronic Sports World Cup.

Quake III Arena is a very cool online first person shooter game i highly recommend to any body that enjoys playing online games very fast pase and very competitive their are at least over 1000 servers for the Quake III arena and half that much for Quake Open arena very cool games tons of maps to play on and mods so get it and start fagging.

well it may be an out of date game but it's still one of the cooliest and funnist pc games out there! With it being one of the first optional live multiplayer fighting games online I can keep up with old friends and make new enemies.The Quake Trilogy paved the way for all these new combat to combat war games you see today.

i remember playing this for hours on end when it first came out, and at the time this was state-of-the-art graphics, fast paced edge of your seat action and heart pounding gameplay. this was the best first-person shooter at the time in my opinion. i ordered this game from ebay today to bring back memories as well as the fact that its an awesome game!!