Preview

Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: id Software, Inc.
Publisher: Activision, Inc.
Previewed by Justin Fassino on 2007-07-14

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is getting close to release. The developers have still not announced an exact date, only that it will be ready "when it's ready." But I can tell you that it appears to be pretty far along in development, and at this year's E3, the game was shown off at Activision's booth in Santa Monica.

If you're not familiar, Quake Wars is an online, team-based multiplayer first-person shooter that takes place in the Quake II universe. Players will either be a part of the Global Defense Force, the heroes protecting the planet, or the Strogg, an invading force of cyborgs. The game is class-based, meaning the player will choose one of five different character types, each with their own special abilities and weapon sets. Some classes have some very cool abilities, like the Covert Ops, who can disguise himself as an enemy soldier, or the Engineer, who can repair vehicles or deploy auto-turrets.

What separates Quake Wars from other multiplayer FPS games is the use of objectives for each map. One team will be in charge of defending their own base, while the other team will have a series of objectives on each map, like destroying a certain structure, building a piece of equipment that will harm the enemy, or blowing open doors to gain entrance to the enemy base. Further adding to the strategy is that certain objectives will only be achievable by certain classes, ensuring that team play is necessary for victory. When objectives are completed, control of the map switches to the leading team, allowing them to spawn closer to the next objectives and enemy base. By completing objectives, players' characters will also gain experience, which will allow them to gain gameplay bonuses, such as more ammo.

But classes aren't the only differences between players. The GDF and Strogg will also play differently; the Strogg don't actually have ammo per se, as their life is linked to their ability to fire. Players will actually be able to reallocate health for more ammo or vice versa in order to stay ahead of their aggressors.

The maps themselves are enormous. Like the Battlefield series, Quake Wars features gigantic areas to explore and fight in. But they aren't just huge, they're also very, very pretty, especially the water, which is some of the best looking liquid I've ever seen. Each multiplayer session is a three-round "campaign" across different maps; experience accumulated on a character is kept from map to map, but not from campaign to campaign. Each team will switch off between objective-oriented offense and defense. Also similar to the Battlefield series, vehicles will play a big part in the conflict.

As I mentioned, the game still has a little ways to go before release, but from what has been shown, it looks like it could be one of the most fun and dynamic multiplayer shooters in a while. The game will be available on the PC, 360, and PS3, and the Austin, Texas-based Aspyr will make it available to Mac and Linux users as well.

We'll have more information on Enemy Territory: Quake Wars as it gets closer to release.

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