Posted by
Mattc0m in
Computer,
Games Journalism,
Gaming,
Review on
Oct 4th, 2007 |
2 responses This is my first review I’ve written exclusively for this blog! I’ve been playing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (ETQW) for a couple months now in the Beta and the Demo. Now, I’ve played the full retail game for about 10 hours, and I’ve played through all the maps and have some fairly extensive insight into the game. Here’s my thoughts! Also, be sure to check out the ETQW Gallery!
Note that I break it up into three major parts. Gameplay tries to break down the game, combining facts and thoughts into one. Opinion is less fact, more thoughts about the game. This is mainly what you would call my impressions. Technical discusses graphics, sound, performance, in-game menus, and any bugs that are present.
Gameplay 85/100
A lot of people try to classify Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Is it like Battlefield 2142? Or is it like Quake 4? Maybe the original Enemy Territory? In the end, it’s a bit of a combination of all three. The gameplay and infantry combat will be most familiar to Enemy Territory veterans, whereas vehicles will feel at home for Battlefield gamers, and the game looks and runs similar to Quake 4, as it uses the same (albeit modified) engine. Combining all these elements into the game, giving it a solid UI, and adding some additional gameplay elements such as deployable artillery and turrets, the game is really achieving a scope that is far more grand than anything else you have played before.
Infantry gameplay is hard to compare. While it somewhat feels like the original Enemy Territory, it’s also a bit different. It’s also very different from any Battlefield game – it is far more fast paced and infuses some Quake movement into it – such as bunny hopping. The movements, aiming, and weapon spread all feel different, so for people familiar with other FPS games this new formula could feel a little different at first. However, the more you spend learning the ropes, the more rewards you get as you understand how aim your weapon, move your position, and overall become better at infantry. Infantry can also be a bit overwhelming – with lots of different types of weapons, grenades, equipment, and deployables for each class to use.
The variety of infantry classes add a rock / paper / scissors element to the game. The Soldier class can explode certain objective, as well as outfit themselves with heavy weapons that do the most damage. A medic can call in supplies, heal and revive teammates, and as a Strogg can create spawn hosts. An engineer can repair and construct objectives, vehicles, and deploy turrets for defense. A field ops can call in airstrikes, deploy artillery, then call in that artillery, deploy ammo (as GDF), or toss down a shield (as Strogg). Finally, a covert ops can outfit themselves with a sniper, use their EMP grenades to disable turrets or vehicles, deploy radar, use a third eye camera as a bomb or short range radar (GDF), use their teleporter to reach high places (Strogg), or use a suicidal attack drone to attack teammates from a distance (Strogg).
The actual class you pick is important, but also important is utilizing the deployable turrets, artillery, or radar they come with. As an engineer, you can select either an anti-infantry, anti-vehicle, or anti-artillery turret. All of these are fully automated, you just place them down and they do the work for you. Field Ops can deploy one of three artillery types – a standard artillery that fires a salvo of rounds over a small duration of time, an anti-vehicle artillery that locks onto a target as well as being able to be retargeted, and a single shot artillery that does a massive amount of damage over a fairly large radius. The only way to counter these types of artillery is with an anti-artillery turret placed by an engineer. Then, covert ops get radar, which place enemy turrets, infantry, and vehicles on your teammates mini-map.
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A lot of people try to classify Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Is it like Battlefield 2142? Or is it like Quake 4? Maybe the original Enemy Territory? In the end, it’s a bit of a combination of all three. The gameplay and infantry combat will be most familiar to Enemy Territory veterans, whereas vehicles will feel at home for Battlefield gamers, and the game looks and runs similar to Quake 4, as it uses the same (albeit modified) engine. Combining all these elements into the game, giving it a solid UI, and adding some additional gameplay elements such as deployable artillery and turrets, the game is really achieving a scope that is far more grand than anything else you have played before.
Good review Matt. I just bought the game yesterday, but I do feel it opening itself to me as I play more. Also, one influence I see in this game is that of Tribes. The deployables and such really have me getting that vibe.
@SlapBone – I definitely agree on the Tribes parallel! I actually didn’t think of that game (which was actually my first online shooter) when writing this, but it’s a pretty fair comparison. This isn’t quite as complex as some of Tribes’ elements were, as ETQW feels far more streamlined and polished. And thanks for the comment.