Developer: Splash Damage with id Software   
Publisher: Activision    Platforms: PC
Genre: Online First Person Shooter (FPS)
Release: Q3 2006    Players 1-24
Rating: Pending

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars has quite a pedigree line.  Not just one, but two.  The first is the most beloved FPS series of all-time, Quake, and the second is the critically acclaimed Enemy Territory, which are being melded in a completely new direction for both.  Can it work?  Well, after playing it, I for one say it can and has.


The Enemy Territory prefix originally comes from the failed Splash Damage expansion pack for the popular Return to Castle Wolfenstein game.  Splash Damage was not pleased with the progress of the single-player portion of the add-on, so it was scrapped, but the multi-player was coming along well enough that it decided to continue work and finish up that portion of the game for release as a free standalone product for fans. 

On May 29th, 2003 Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was released and it was an undeniable hit.  Critics as well as fans welcomed and embraced a free slice of gaming nirvana in what is still one of the most played online PC titles to this day.


Id Software was impressed with Splash Damage's work with the original Enemy Territory, even though the success of the project came about in an unexpected way.  As a result, id Software has given them the reigns to a new project and one of their biggest franchises. 

Splash Damage has struck gold once again with Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, a game which takes the epic battle with the Strogg to a whole new level.  The game is set before the events of Quake 2 in the year 2065.  It features the original Strogg invasion of earth giving players the ability to play the evil alien invaders or the human Global Defense Force desperately trying to save their planet.


The game plays just like a combination of the original Enemy Territory and Battlefield.  Each side has five different classes and each of those classes have their own rock, paper, scissors effect to counter each other.  You also gain experience with kills and completed objectives which promotes your character.  It is an simple yet eloquently well-designed setup. 

The highly detailed multi-tiered objectives that come from the Enemy Territory namesake melded with the huge Battlefield series maps.  Large maps mean nothing if the locations aren't varied and interesting.  Quake Wars has 3 main environments that you will see: temperate, arid, and arctic.  Each geographic location has its own set of missions, each containing a sub-plot with unique mission objectives.  Night-time conflicts also occur frequently, making for some tense and at times creepy battles.  With varied climates, missions, and environmental conditions, it is not unusual to play a forest map, a desert map, then on a glacier map right after that.


Some people question how the Doom 3 engine running Quake Wars can handle such large and detailed maps.  The original Doom 3 engine was universally mocked and ridiculed for supposedly not being able to handle large open areas very well.  This highly modified and optimized version of the engine changes all that with the introduction of the new MegaTexture technology.  With MegaTexture, an entire battlefield can be can be textured with a single massive ground texture.  Instead of tiling textures over and over, a single giant one is used.  Also many added details are coded down to the inch level these MegaTextures.  Sounds made when stepping on different terrains, friction levels on tires while driving vehicles, etc. are all coded directly into the MegaTextures streamlining a lot of the work allowing for larger and more detailed levels.


Having already played a bit of the game, I can honestly say that it looks and plays fantastically.  Everything flows well and just feels right.  I only played one side though, the Strogg, and had loads of fun.  My favorite moment from the game was taking one of the Strogg hoverpacks, which everybody remembers from Quake 2, and using it to get to the roof of a building.  I was a sniper so I pulled out my classic railgun and popped off a few humans.  I hopped down and ran up to one of the human bodies, skinned it, and put on my new suit.  I then became one of the Human soldiers and was able to sneak into their base.  If I tried to fire a weapon the effect was ruined, though I could still use a blade. 

One of the developers told me that though not been implemented yet, they are going to have the human suits actually decay over time.  So after a minute or so people will notice that you don't look quite right and after even more time passes you will end up looking like a zombie.  I can't wait to see the effect in action because frankly it sounds cool as all hell.  The one thing I was disappointed about not seeing was the Strogg technician's ability to turn dead human bodies into Strogg Spawn points, making them burst forth with new Strogg soldiers.  However, everything I did see was very impressive nonetheless.


Enemy Territory: Quake Wars should be released sometime between third and fourth quarter 2006.  This game is going to be a hit; I can tell you that much now.  Having the Quake and Enemy Territory namesake attached to it will only help bolster its popularity, but frankly it doesn't need either.  This is a solid quality title and that's all that it will need to prove itself.  If you liked Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory or Battlefield 2 then keep an eye on this one folks.


Trailer

P.S.  Oh I'd also like to thank Activision for the great Quake Wars setup they had this year and for giving out one of the best chackies at E3, a custom USB thumb drive attached to a set of Quake Wars dog tags.  Very nice!

It is actually a really awesome game.

wish i had a box capable of playing those kinds of games