If you've played one id game it seems like you've played them all. That still doesn't stop Quake 4 from being quite fun.
Still, in this day and age, with games like Manhunt 2 and Condemned out there, Doo... Err, Quake 4 seems like it's trying to up the ante and try harder. Back in the 90s, Doom was the goriest thing out there, but now that type of id gore we all know and love seems more like sesame street than anything shocking. Still, Quake 4 steps it up a lot, simply going crazy with the horrific imagery. Torsos pulsate in the walls. Mutilated humans are butchered like meat before your eyes. People are graphically crucified and tortured, and in the typical id fashion, you are unable to save them or put them out of their misery. It feels like a cheesy snuff film.
Still, the only real shock comes when you are placed on a conveyor belt and forced to watch yourself be mutilated in the first person a million times in what can be best described as a human going through a car assembly plant. The biology geek inside me fumed at that scene, as there's no way in John Romero's name a human could survive something that traumatic, but I let it slide, as somehow, minutes later, you're running around killing things- which usually makes me not complain about the scientific improbability of this and focus on not dying.
The action in the game is pretty well rounded, providing a good, smooth fragfest, the likes that you expect from id. The music is decent for what it is, but not memorable. The sound is fine, and all around, it's a decent game.
My main complaint is that I've played this game before. I played this game when I first played Doom. Now, id is great. When I need well balanced ultraviolence to make my day a little bit brighter, there's nowhere better to go than id. However, after how many years, you'd think there'd be something a bit more innovative in the mix. I played through this game, and while it was fun, I just kept on thinking, "This is all strangely familiar."
I think of id like I do George Romero- most of his movies are just more of the same. However, that doesn't mean it's a bad thing, as I know what to expect when I see a George Romero flick- A cheesy zombie flick. I know what to expect when I buy a game from id- A ultraviolent game where I kill some variation of robozombies, demons, or whatever with a shotgun and a chainsaw. It's fun, and in 1995 it was innovative, but there are times where I really want to be surprised by id. I will always remember Doom because it was original, fun, and blew me away at the time. Quake 4 doesn't- in fact, it's hardly memorable. It's more of the same in an time where gameplay is emerging as a true storytelling artform, and in that way, I am really disappointed and frustrated. Id led the videogaming world in 1995, but Quake 4 is a sign that it's time to try something new- it is the epitome of what I come to expect from Id, and it's probably not going to get much better than this, so move on and try something different.
Once you get past the id fixation, Quake 4 really isn't a bad game. From a plot standpoint, it's decent- not amazing, not horrible, just decent. There's no amazing moment in gameplay storytelling, save for the assimilation scene, which, frankly, was a bit too over the top for me to take seriously. Still, it provided a compelling enough story to keep me interested enough to finish the game, so in that way it succeeds. The action is fun, and while it requires little use of gray matter, it's intense enough to keep you on your toes. The weapons are fairly typical id fare, with a plasma gun, a shotgun, and of course, a gun akin to the BFG 9000.
Outside of combat and the fact that this is an id game, there really isn't that much to this game. It's an overall fun slaughterfest that offers nothing new, but retains the id feel that comes together to make a overall fun, albeit unoriginal game.