Dead Game Review : The Legendary Quake 3 Arena

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Not many ego-shooters can claim to be a milestone of the genre, but Quake 3 Arena certainly is one of those rare games!
Offering high octane action, a vast array of maps, playable characters and community creations and it being the primordial soup of many modern games which share their DNA with id Tech - there is no question - this is a legendary title!
But one question certainly remains: Should you play it today?
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[@Cheecken]

If you liked this video, you may enjoy this Addendum piece on my website! entropicdomain.net/formats/misc/dgr-quake3-arena-addendum/

[@bonkmaykr]

I think Quake 3 really strikes the balance between accessibility and high skill ceiling that I could never find in Unreal Tournament, it really is the perfect arena FPS

[@Cheecken]

I think there is just MUCH less to think about! In UT you have to deal with esoteric movement mechanics at times (Double Jump in 3 or sliding and wall running in 4) and then you got the alternative fire modes which change how the weapon is used, like using grenade or spiral mode for the rocketlauncher alt fire and then you got vehicles in some maps AND to top it off you got to worry about map control too. UT is an amazing game, but its complexity I think is a detriment for some players. It is a very punishing game. Quake also is punishing, but I think the basics are relatively quick to understand. I still get blown out all the time in Quake Live/ Champions, but many of the fundamentals I already have down somewhat, like weapon switching and kind of sort of knowing the respawn times of the mega health/ armour. But yeah, if you are a newb those games are just intimidating as hell, so the fewer hurdles you have the easier the entry could be. Would maybe explain why Quake had more players across the board in the last few years prior to UT getting wiped off the face of the earth haha Thank you for watching btw!

[@bitterman213]

UT2004 will always be my favorite for the sheer speed and variety in modes and maps but quake 3 is a more consistent tight knit package

[@VRchitecture]

@@bitterman213your name says it all ☝🏻

[@JenyaIsJustChilling]

7:52 - not to mention QC being on a non-Id engine (Saber 3d something), which doesn't have a lot of needed features, such as demo recording and dedicated servers (YES, if they close servers, QC will 100% die, which is one of the reasons some guy making a QC demake on Q3A engine called Blood Run, just to preserve the game in some form).

[@Cheecken]

I wasn't aware of it running on a non id engine! And yeah, QC is a bit aggravating to play. I played a duel against a friend of mine just today actually and the gameplay itself is pretty cool, (although I am not a fan of the Champions and abilities themselves) but the game not having a server browser or any hosting options is always the reddest of flags. It's sad to see that Quake 3 has like 900 servers active right now, while QC has a central server system that is much slower, aggravating to use and isn't future proof. A 25 year old game feels much more modern than one that released relatively recently ._.

[@logannosleep5]

Wiki says it's a hybrid engine of the 2, ID tech, and Saber3D. Also, I think if QC fixed all that it could, and went to console with classic graphics mode, only M&K, and no aim assist gyro controls, it would be a boomingly thriving game.

[@JenyaIsJustChilling]

Also, cool you're gonna do a separate video on QL. We need more Quake videos.

[@Cheecken]

Quake Live will 100% happen and the "stranger" games in the series too (Quake Wars Enemy Territory and Quake 4) other than that I would love to look at Champions and maybe the older Quakes too, although I am not sure yet how much there is to talk about for the Dead Game Review format. I think Quake Live and maybe Quake Champions too deserve longer videos (20 minutes+ ideally)

[@TheSupersmash97]

It’s crazy that the Dreamcast community is still playing this game on every Friday scheduled. Plus most recently they added in custom maps in the Dreamcast version to play online. Ps2 version lacks mouse and keyboard unlike Dreamcast but has rpg elements. While there’s a Xbox 360 version called quake arena arcade which adds in exclusive maps and music and player count plus it’s backwards compatible on Xbox one and series and it’s super cheap to get

[@melasauce9943]

*O R B B*

[@Cheecken]

the BEST character

[@MrMadXenomorph]

"you don't need to think about weapon synergies or wallrunning" "just point and click" dude, this contradicts everything you say afterwards lmao

[@GameTalesHQ]

Me and my classmates used to play Quake 3 during class in high school. We would install the game on the school's server, so we could play on any computer connected to that server. When the teacher would walk past, we'd alt-tab outta the game as fast we could. Amazing times 😂 I think FPS games are the best when there's little fluff to them. Just pure mechanical skill and knowledge. Call of Duty 2 was that game for me, but i still have a soft spot for Quake 3. Excellent video as allways!

[@Cheecken]

That sounds like it was fun! Call of Duty 2 is a game I should check out some time soon, I never played the older Call of Dutys but I am sure I would enjoy them more than the newer titles. Thanks for coming by :)

[@GameTalesHQ]

@@Cheecken Early Call of Duty was really, really good. Call of Duty 1 has aged quite a bit but CoD 2 has aged gracefully. I think you would definitely enjoy it!

[@austinblack7991]

It’s not dead people are still playing it on the sega Dreamcast

[@alexvidakovic]

It's not dead, lots of servers are still active and lots of mods are being played, Freeze Tag being one of them, also instagib, TDM, etc.

[@agrizn5337]

still hoping for a quake 3 remake / remaster and on console with keyboard and mouse support.

[@CatsOverdrive]

First played this when i was very young back in 2001, and given by where i am, online play was not an option. So of course, i quickly, and naturally gravitated towards the more feature and content rich, Unreal Tournament, the first second i got into that game in 2005. It wasn't until somewhere in 2009 that i just got that odd "itch". Despite its simplicity, Quake 3 has that gameplay flow, and control feel that's quite indelible, just like goldsrc games, idtech3 games have that particular feel that other games and engines simply cannot emulate, despite the obvious technical jump and improvement. So yeah, hunted and got my own boxed copy, downloaded the point release 1.32 patch, and the rest is pretty much history for me. Even i am surprised, how THIS game ever since, became my "THAT game". The game i always install first, and never uninstall whenever i get a new rig. Besides the gamefeel, the other big thing that got to me, is it's utter accessibility for moddability. Unlike ALOT of other moddable games, even most open sourced ones, Quake 3 with its QVM, you dont need some proprietary dev environment, some engine-specific modding suite, you don't even need some microsoft visual coding programs! Just get the from github, hack up those codes using notepad, then run a customized batch file included in the source code package. It has its own custom compiler. And the best part about QVMs, any gameplay code compiled, could be read by any quake 3 source port fork and derivatives. Meaning, the mod i made from and for my pc, can also be run on my android version of ioquake, hassle-free. Ever since, this basically became a weird part of me, of enjoying diving into Q3's codebase from time to time. See what new thing and function i could learn and discover, and see how i could tweak the gameplay and do something remotely interesting about it. This is why ever since i went back to it in 2009, this game never grew stale to me. Because the game is built to be molded to one's own liking. And even today, it's the most accessible game and engine to be modded so.

[@Cheecken]

That would explain quite a few things! The mods I checked out for Quake 3 were basically entire games in their own right. The most interesting mod, the one I eluded to in the video, is a musical experience where shot orbs create sounds in the 3D environment. I thought about installing it and getting a server running to try it out, here is a video on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHmuiZ2cbdmfaqc And here is the website: ccrma.stanford.edu/~rob/q3osc/ Quake 3 was in general a fun playground for new technologies, one example I have in mind too is a sound mod that implemented realistic sound reflection using raytracing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iom4hZp7otN3bLc God I love shit like this. Too bad we won't see much of anything near this cool in games that don't have easily accessible code/modding tools. Thanks for your comment! Was very interesting to read :)

[@DominikanYT]

This is an EXCELLENT GAME!!!! The foundation of today's FPS Multiplayer!

[@GameTalesHQ]

Hype!

[@buttery88]

Don't forget strafe jumping bruh...you definitely need to think about that lol

[@splashlemon2966]

Played quake 3 when i was super young on my school computer. Sank way too many hours into the bots in solo. I believe Quake 3's bots are amazing. I think the games simple yet polished design lends to also simple bot design that is super replayable. Amazing times. Quake is just awesome real talk. Not to mention all the playermodels in Quake 3. I loved playing as all the characters. I will say though this videos music feels a tad bit loud. Your beautiful voice isn't heard that well to my ears! Awesome video otherwise.

[@Cheecken]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@user-xj9et9qs6e]

bro i was wondering do u still read visual novals if so any good suggestions i herd `u and me and her' is good is it?

[@Cheecken]

I sadly did not read that one! A good recommendation I would say is higurashi no naku Koro ni, although that one is ultra linear

[@user-xj9et9qs6e]

@@Cheecken bro appreciate ur respond really liked ur review on Euphoria unfortunately i dont have the money to perchase that yet but i will soon nice channal btw

[@Addrum]

Played a lot of Q3A back in the day, but ended up falling in love with UT over Quake. Maybe there is no bhop speed and air strafing like in Quake, but the double tap dodge, the double jump in 2k4 and specially the movement in UT4 with all the wallrunning and wall dodging leads to a lot more expression of personal style. The weapons with two firing modes also gives another layer of complexity. Wouldn't put one game over the other as "the better arena fps", just personally stick to UT more. I hate to think Arena FPS is a dead game genre, but that fight just can't be won. A lot of people (if not the majority nowdays) have always gamed with controller and will use it for FPS games too. This means developers need to create games that allows those players to compete. Quake and UT are exclusive to MnK because you straight up CAN NOT reach the skill needed for those games with controller. No amount of aim assist with save you there. For that reason, games are more limited in weapons you can hold, use spray patters and aim down sights mechanics to slow the fights down, favor positioning and passive tactical approach rather than raw aim and skilled movement. It's simple. If you want your game to sell, you have to make it so console kids and controller players on pc can play it. If you don't, well, you will end up like Diabotical, which is the last game I remember that tried to appeal to the old Quake and UT players and was dead on release. Sad reallity of gaming we live in. I wish one day we have a big new arena FPS like in the old days, but I know thats not gonna happen. I'll stick to play my old games until there is no one else to play with.

[@Cheecken]

I agree with pretty much everything you said! I think the fight many people get into over "whats better Quake or Unreal" is a little bit silly since they both are rather different games. I also agree that when it comes to expression UT has far more to offer, its essentially more of a sandbox than Quake could ever be. In the meantime Quake is more of a sort of "core" experience where many of the more complex features and concepts are stripped away to essentially focus completely on movement, map control and how and when to use your weapons. I love both games and depending on the time I always switch between what games I prefer. I played a lot of UT4 (my favourite in the series and thank god the new master server exists) and for Quake I tend to play Quake Live and sometimes the older games, occasionally champions. And yeah, Arena shooters are just a really hard sale for players. I actually am in a niche of optimists where I think that many people could find appeal in these games and an arena shooter could come around and rekindle some kind of fire in the scene, but what I think makes it hard is just how punishing the experience for a newbie is when hundreds of veterans with legacy skill vaporize them in any scenario. This is the worst kind of problem to have since noone is at fault. The newb is frustrated since he knows he isnt good enough, the veteran shouldnt be expected to just play worse to accomodate new players; Its just a messy situation which I dont really know how to fix. I think arena shooters which are more focussed on a gimmick might have an advantage here. Ratz Instagib for instance is a pretty neat title and players do sometimes play it. Its a simpler game which only focuses on instagib, but a massive community wont ever spring up for that game... but thats OK for Ratz Instagib! Meanwhile many other games in the genre which had excellent excecution just seemed to not have a chance. Toxikk is the case which makes me really sad to be frank, it was an expertly crafted game. It looks good, plays good and sounds good, but the timing wasn't great as UT4 was just around the corner. Why play a UT immitator if you can play the real thing amirite? ANYHOW, thanks a bunch for sharing your two cents! Hope we see each other in Unreal or Quake some time :) (oh and forgot to mention, Diabotical for me is a sad case too since the gameplay looks fun but the game might have one of the worst artstyles I have seen. Subjective of course, but aesthetics do go a long way for me)

[@voxelvoid]

This is NOT a dead game and never will be

[@ryshask]

R.I.P. Games that require skill.

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

I think champions is the better arena game but it's a awesome live service... Should have just been a stand alone game like 3 and then kept the gameplay that champions is already good with. Also replace the tribolt with the classic grenade launcher.

[@InnuendoXP]

I just wish it had a real campaign

[@Cheecken]

Same here, its a shame it released without one :/

[@booyak6740]

Good stuff as always

[@Cheecken]

Thanks!

[@Noire-dev]

Make video about Quake Sandbox

[@Doom29008]

game is not dead servers still thriving go look. I played recently people still play.

[@beedeeuniko]

Best

[@JenyaIsJustChilling]

6:26 - how this mod is called?

[@Cheecken]

Urban Terror :) Gonna list the mods in a comment I think gonna do that later

[@VRchitecture]

Quake Champions is dead, Q3 isn’t

[@marko-gj1uj]

Do you have Discord

[@Cheecken]

I have a server yes! forgot to add the link to the video

[@Cheecken]

link is in description now

[@marko-gj1uj]

Thank you, Cheecken

[@nagiaoe2434]

Unreal tournament is the better franchise

[@esraeloh8681]

Quake 3 is not dead, wtf man, I mean, at least try not to be totally wrong in your titles

[@Cheecken]

The point of the series is to showcase that games that are often considered "Dead" are still worth playing, making the format's title a bit ironic. Sorry not sorry :)