Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars (PC)

Though I've never been a fan of the Quake series, I was nonetheless looking forward to this release. However, being a tight son of a... Well I downloaded the demo.

My first impression of the game was "Why can't I change the resolution?". I assume in the final version you can have a resolution higher than 1024x768, so I won't really count that (Still, it was an oversight in the demo really, since having a low resolution will impede the graphics). So ignoring that, I'll base my opinion on my first 5 seconds of combat.

Here it comes: I was run over by my team-mate - a bot in a tank. N1.
After respawning, I discovered that this is a pretty hard game, you can take only a little bit more punishment than you can in CS:S, and anyone on a vehicle is probably going to own you.

It's actually quite similar to Battlefield 2: a huge open area, both teams have classes that they can pick from (rifleman, medic, etc.), and your spawn area changes depending on what objectives have been completed (i.e. repair a bridge, get a vehicle to a certain position, etc.). There are ridable land, sea and air vehicles. However, unlike Battlefield 2, Enemey Territory is actually fast paced. I didn't think they'd be able to keep the old Quake pace going in such an open battlefield, but they did. So well done Splash Damage.

Both the teams have access to 5 classes, rifleman, engineer, medic and someone who calls in airstrikes. The unique classes are (for the GDF) sniper, and for the Strogg: Infiltrator (can turn into the enemy). Both teams also have the capacity to lay mine fields.

The game itself is pretty solid. All the voice commands are clear and you won't need to do any reading HUD text while playing the game, the teams look pretty well matched, and the only map I played made it impossible to get lost in.

There are different game times, including multi level campaigns that I assume include forked roads so that victories actually make a difference. You earn xp while playing, which rewards you with rank increases and possible rewards.

My main problems I had with the game were the AI (Your bots don't work together at all, like I said one even ran me over. They do wait for you if they're in a vehicle that's not full, but that's about it), and the fact that I could never see who was shooting at me, because (again the AI) the bots are programmed to be able to see through bushes.

All in all the demo did not do it justice in the slightest. I can see a great game in the making here, voice acting is a little... unusual, but a great game in the making. If you think this has ruined Quake; then tough. Running down a corridor blazing away had to get old at some point (though there are indoor areas in Enemy Territory anyway, so they really did think of everyone).

There's not really a lot else to say about Enemy Territory. If you like Quake, you should like this, though the gameplay is different from what you'll be used to. If you like Battlefield, you'll deffinately like this; it's what Battlefield should have been. If you haven't played either before, I reccomend you give this game a try. The good graphics, vehicles, and very different looking characters will at least keep you visually interested, and you might develop a real liking to the game. Unfortunatley, like all online team-based fps', having a crap (bot) team will drastically reduce your sense of satisfaction.

Final Impression: Quite good. Don't know if I'd personally play it instead of CS:S, but worth your time. Might get frustrating if you're not in a clan. Deffinately a good buy if you don't want Halo 3.

Cheapest I've found it: http://www.play.com/. £17.99, Free delivery.

Live-D