I don't really even wanna talk about it.
Quake.
Quake 2.
Quake 3 Arena.
Quake Wars.
Quake 4--
Wait. Hold that thought. Isn't Quake 4 supposed to be...uh...sorta revolutionary for its time? I mean, its predecessors were in their own times. But this...this probably started the whole trend for "hardcore" military shooters, didn't it? Well, it certainly WAS revolutionary in a way. A...bad way.
Gameplay--Come on now, Id software...this isn't the Quake from 1996, so don't treat it like that. The gameplay is way too basic. You shoot. An enemy pops out of a vent. You keep shooting, and you reload. Then, you meet up with your squad. Hell, you can't even bash an enemy in the head with the butt of your rifle. There are no melee mechanics, and NO challenges along the way.
Save it. You needn't ask me about puzzles or anything. You have to meet up with teammates, escort them, and backtrack for new objectives. You do this while shooting. And shooting.
And, as unsurprising as this may seem, you fight the same enemies. Just with maybe a different weapon each time. But, of course, new weapons don't make a difference.They don't do CRAP. Why kill a a Strogg trooper by blowing him up into the air with a grenade launcher when you can just machinegun him to death?? 'Cause you know how it ends anyway--he dies.
What I actually DO like about this game is its atmosphere, though it could be ruined sometimes when the game gives you a maze to go through in order to complete an objective. It's dark, and it seems as if anything could happen inside the Strogg HQ. Then, there's the Hannibal, the humans' ship. It's very complex and futuristic, and it captures the sense of...having teammates around you. It's safe, which is what that kind of a ship should be like.
Sound + Graphics--I love this game's soundtrack, and I wouldn't have minded if the makers made the music volume deafening.
Graphics are pretty nice for a game released in 2005. I'm impressed, because even Quake Wars's graphics make me hurl. The textures aren't too bland, and everything else looks fine.
Multiplayer--I don't usually review the multiplayer components of most games, but I'll say this: Why do players move so fast on multiplayer maps? Why? I mean, I can see how fragfests like Unreal Tournament and other Quake games can have this, BUT WHY KEEP IT THERE??
Seriously, I can't even catch opposing players with the alien weapons. In singleplayer mode, you move slowly, realistically. In multiplayer, you're a cheetah. It really takes out the whole purpose of having a multiplayer component to me.
Overall, this is just another regular military shooter. It's a shame, though. I thought Id could pull off something "new" like they always do.