Quake III Arena - Dreamcast

The earth shattering Quake 3 Arena finally made it to the Sega Dreamcast. This is the massive PC smash hit that has been designed and optimised for on-line play. ID Software are responsible for the classic first-person shooter Wolfenstein 3D. They popularised the genre with the ground breaking Doom and continued the series into true 3D with Quake. Both Quake 1 and 2 had their gameplay balanced between the single-player and multi-player modes. The single-player experience was engaging for the first couple of times but it was the deathmatch experience that kept us going back for more. Quake 3 is concentrated solely on the multi-player aspect of the first-person shooter. The levels and weapons are structured to make Quake 3 an most amazing, balanced game.

The Dreamcast conversion is stunning. It is hard to imagine that this level of graphical excellence is possible on a console. Quake 3 supports up to four players at the same time, this can be either split-screen or over the Internet. Quake 3 is one the first games to support the Dreamcast’s Broadband adapter. If you have a cable or ADSL terminal you can enjoy low latency, always on Quake 3 connection. If you want to make the most out of Quake 3 you will need to buy a keyboard and the new mouse peripheral. This method of control is a lot faster and more natural. Quake is a quick, reaction intensive game that you could quite easily become addicted to.

The gameplay of Quake 3 is simplistic but complicated. The person that reaches the set limit of kills first wins. This is a game of skill where very little luck is involved, it is important that you develop your tactics. You must balance your attacks with strategy; sometimes you must retreat for more health and armour before returning to the fray. Accuracy, timing, learning the new 14 specific Dreamcast environments takes time but when you do you will be able to challenge PC users on-line. Quake 3 also boasts several variations to the gameplay like the two-on-two capture the flag mode. You must return the enemy’s flag to your base to score a point. Your opponents are not going to make it easy for you and you can only score when your flag is in your base. Using team tactics and co-ordinating attacks will help you on the road to victory.

Quake 3 is another jewel in the Dreamcast’s crown.
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