Quake 4

aka: Q4
Moby ID: 19650
Windows Specs
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Special Edition

Description official descriptions

Quake 4 is the true sequel to Quake II, continuing the Strogg vs. Humans storyline from the point where Quake II ended. The Strogg is an alien cyborg race which, much like the Star Trek Borg race from which they seem to be partly inspired, wander the galaxy conquering planets and wiping civilizations. Their sole purpose is to collect organic body parts with which to swell their ranks. After a prolonged war, the united armed forces of Earth decided to launch a desperate counter attack on the home planet of the invaders, Stroggos. By some twist of fate a sole marine was able to disable the Strogg main planetary defense (aka The Big Gun) and kill Makron, their leader. That was the end of Quake II. The second wave of attack is meant to land on Stroggos and take advantage of the brief disorder, ending the threat of the Strogg forever. Of course it will not be that easy...

This time the lone soldier theme (of Quake I, II and the Doom series) is replaced by a war. Not as large scale as a military FPS or even Halo, but close enough. There are squad mates, some of which are important to protect, some vehicles (a hovertank and a mech) and frequently changing objectives to achieve. The arsenal contains elements from all Quake games (nailgun, rail gun, lightning gun) and the classic BFG has been replaced by the Dark Matter Gun. Weapons can be improved later in the game, making them much more effective. The game uses a somewhat improved version of the Doom 3 engine to good effect. Multiplayer options are rather limited, offering only the standard Deathmatch modes and CTF.

Quake 4 was developed by Raven under the guidance of id Software.

Spellings

  • 雷神之锤4 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

225 People (212 developers, 13 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 77% (based on 64 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 118 ratings with 8 reviews)

It just grows old very fast

The Good
Basically, to me, this game is the party version of Doom 3. Same graphics, linear plot etc, only easier to stomach and less scary. Blowing stuff up and filling strogg with holes is still fun(-ish), but not anywhere near as rewarding.

Other than that I did really enjoy firing missiles in the mechwarrior type thing for a while. Meh. The operation cut-scene was pretty good. Sorta.

The Bad
This game just didn't grab me. At all. I didn't really care how it was going to end, and gave up about 3/4 of the way through. It was just so damn repetitive and uninteresting.

There's the odd novel moment, or nice design along the way, but that's all you have to go on. Even the pretty graphics get old after a while. It all just adds up to B-grade action.



The Bottom Line
I'd say stay away. Don't waste your time. This game is by no means revolutionary, important or even fun to play. There was no immersion/atmosphere for me.

I expected a lot more from this game but really, it's all been done before.

Windows · by phorque (123) · 2006

Meh. The Best is the Enemy of the Good.

The Good
See below.

The Bad
See below.

The Bottom Line
I'm not going to review the game by spending as much effort as the other reviewers. I'm too busy for that and my time is worth too much money. Instead I'll give an alternate way of looking at the game.

The complains seem to fall under two categories:

  1. The game is not innovative.
  2. There is little to no plot.

Moving forward with complaint #2, I have to say that this game had more of a plot than just about any FPS I've ever played. You actually have a series of tasks and objectives that make sense in the context of a war. There's even a little bit of character development. Not just plot... I'm talking character development, a whole different ball of wax from plot (I'm sure the distinction will go over the head of the stupid).

It's still a FPS, so don't expect gobs of plot and character development, but it's there. It's no Half-Life 2, but then again, no other game is Half-Life 2 (except for Half-Life 2).

Now for complaint #1: the game is not innovative. True. But why exactly does every game have to be innovative? Why can't a game just be a game? Why do we have to push the envelope each and every time?

Is the game the most interesting game in the world? Probably not. But again, why does it have to be?

Does a game have to be stellar in order to be simply good?

Frankly, I kind of liked this game.

Windows · by null-geodesic (106) · 2007

A fun, violent yet dated FPS.

The Good
Quake 4 is a great game. Id has collaborated with Raven Software to produce a very engaging FPS. While the story isn't the primary focus of the game some FPS titles have forsaken the story in order to further the shooting ("Black") and it's nice to see one here. Players take on the role of Matthew Kane, who is the supposed mythical Marine who took down the Strogg Commander; The Macron. Kane is now assisting in the invasion of the Strogg homeworld; Stroggos. You'll be delighted at how visceral the shooting is. The Machine Gun in this game is probably the most enjoyable gun I've ever used in a game. It's not the damage it does or the way it looks it is the meaty cracks it emits when you fire it and the way Kane seems to be struggling to hold it still while he is firing. Other weapons in the game are interesting like the Nail Gun which fires projectile nails that burst on impact and the Dark Matter gun which fires little black holes. Enemy AI is passable but it is the enemy design which is the star of the show and the level of detail Id has put into making the Strogg seem like a ruthless, desperate force is fantastic. The Strogg shout orders in their own language or mutter disturbing tidbits of Stroggian dialect. They move like Cyborgs, ducking and rolling in a totally inhuman fashion. Light and Shadow are employed very well in Quake 4 and the soundtrack is top notch mixing over the top, heroic military like tracks with deeply atmospheric tunes that would sound at home in Doom 3. Unlike Doom 3 you have a small squad assisting you most of the time. You have access to medics and tech support who heal you and repair your armor. You want to keep these guys alive. In addition to squads you can also drive tanks and use turrets mounted on the back of trucks. I'm not really a fan of throwing these vehicular combat sections in for the sole purpose of shaking things up but at least they break up the shooting.

The Bad
The first time I was playing Quake 4 a friend of mine came up to me and said "Hey, is this Doom 4?." Because Quake 4 uses Id Tech 4 and Id was obviously happy with the engine as it was you'll find Quake 4 and Doom 3 look almost identical at times. While the way light and shadow works has been refined the games look a little too identical. While the squad based system is a welcome addition it is too simple. You have no control over your squad and if they die they are dead, thats it. Other times Quake 4 places too much significance on your squad. At some points if they die whether by friendly or enemy fire you fail the mission. Overall Quake 4 feels too simplistic. Doom 3 was great as a graphical showcase for a revolutionary engine developed by Id. With other Xbox 360 games like Advanced Warfighter eclipsing Quake 4's atmosphere and graphical prowess you realize that Id Tech 4 was great in Doom 3 but becomes less exemplary as time marches on.

The Bottom Line
Quake 4 is a great game. Although it is dated in almost every aspect it features some of the best plain shooter mechanics you'll find at this time. The inclusion of simple squads, vehicular combat and more expansive environments fail to take emphasis off the dated graphics and game play style that threatens to become boring after a few hours. The story is simple yet satisfying and manages to keep everything moving at a fair pace. Don't come to Quake 4 expecting a revolution in the genre of First Person Shooters but expect a nice, stylised FPS experience that will satisfy you eventually.

Xbox 360 · by AkibaTechno (238) · 2009

[ View all 8 player reviews ]

Trivia

Development

Being the first time Raven Software has designed a game based on a id license, id required overall approval of all design.

E-Sports

On 14th September 2005, prior to the release, The CPL (The Cyberathlete Professional League) announced Quake 4 as the one-versus-one competition game for 2006. With major cash prizes at stake, this is the duel game all the top gamers will be playing in 2006. 2005's duel game was Painkiller. In the past, The CPL also supported Quake, Quake II and Quake III: Arena.

German index

On November 5, 2005, the English version of Quake 4 (Windows) was put on the infamous German index by the BPjM. For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.

Rifts

Kevin Long, the lead artist for Quake 4, was a longtime staff member at Palladium Books and was one of the original artists for the Rifts roleplaying game. Many of the designs in Quake 4 resemble his earlier work with Palladium. Some examples include Quake 4's Blaster, which resembles the early Coalition energy pistols from the Rifts rulebook and Quake 4's machinegun, which resembles the Triax Railgun from Rifts Sourcebook 1.

Version differences

The German version of Quake 4 is intensively cut, particularly bloody scenes (Strogg Medical Facility, as marines are going in the cage), some bodies, body parts are deleted or blacked out. You cannot fire at your team members.

Awards

  • GameSpy
    • 2005 – Most Disappointing Launch Game (Xbox 360)

Information also contributed by Edward Beezy, Independent Scott Monster and Xoleras

Analytics

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Related Sites +

  • Official Webpage (Mac)
    The official product page for the Mac version of Quake 4 on the publisher's website, which provides a trailer, a short article by Aspyr tech support employee Andy Brazell, patches, a demo, and purchasing information, among other such things.
  • PlanetQuake
    The biggest Quake series related site.
  • Quake 4
    Official game website
  • Quake 4
    Official game page on id Software's website
  • Quake 4 on Schnittberichte
    Here you can see the difference version from quake 4 USK 16 with the uncensored europe PEGI 18+ version, in german indexed.
  • Quake IV GNU/Linux FAQ
    Overview, download location and instructions for the Linux version
  • Quake4.euro
    European Quake 4 community.
  • The Humans Strike Back
    An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of Quake 4 (March, 2006).
  • X360A achievement guide
    X360A's achievement guide for Quake 4.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 19650
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

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Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Silverblade.

Windows Apps added by Plok. Macintosh added by Sciere. Xbox 360 added by Kabushi. Linux added by Iggi.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Sciere, UV, Yearman, Independent, Zeppin, Patrick Bregger, Starbuck the Third, Titan10.

Game added October 23, 2005. Last modified March 14, 2024.