Announced in 2007, Quake Live (formerly Quake Zero) is id Software’s web browser-based first-person shooter inspired on Quake III. Running on an updated version of the id Tech 3 engine, it’s supported financially by in-game advertising. The closed beta period is over and the open beta began on February 24, 2009. Just in time for polishing our shooting skills.

Quake Live can be played in the browser window or full-screen, and there are a lot of graphical resolutions to choose from. Registration is a breeze, with an email link (or code) working as the activation key. Picking our avatar among the dozens is as simple as it gets, as is selecting the crosshair, weapon colours and controls – make sure you adjust mouse sensitivity. Then it’s off to the tutorial, learning (or remembering) the basics as the game downloads everything it needs in the background.

Our host is Crash, and since this is a beta the name fits just right. Expect some crashes to the desktop and a variety of bugs that are mostly related to the backoffice experience, not the action itself. Statistics are being tweaked and may not update for most players, but expect something complete, including the number of frags, accuracy and percentage use for each weapon. You can add friends and earn different medals, and Quake Live’s skill-based matchmaking engine finds players of identical skill levels, all in the name of a more entertaining experience. Average players will meet their match through the recommended maps (with a green check-mark), but nothing forces you to stick to those. Feeling brave? Pick a more powerful arena and good luck!

Your skill level is determined through the tutorial, about 10 minutes in a corridor and then fighting Crash in an arena. Then it’s time for the main game, choosing to practice some more or playing online. There are 5 game modes: Capture the Flag, Clan Arena (two teams compete to eliminate each other), Duel (1 vs. 1 test of skill), Free For All and Team Death Match, spread over more than 25 maps. These are based on originals from Quake III Arena and Quake III Team Arena but improved with some new additions.

The weapons all Quake fans know and love are back, and although some of them are clearly more powerful than others, a well fired shotgun can be deadlier than a couple of rocket launcher shots. Maps are filled with ammo and weapons spawning points and the mythical Quad Damage bonus will leave everyone except the carrier in panic.

Quake Live’s triumphs are its speed and simple but challenging gameplay. What looks like a straight multiplayer game actually has a lot of techniques to learn, one of the most known being the rocket jump. Time just flies while playing, the servers are growing and starting a match is pretty fast.

Graphics may look dated but that’s an obvious compromise to offer high frame rates on a browser-based game, and id Software completely succeeds. Even older computers manage to run it with more than 100 fps at a decent resolution.

Quake Live is basically Quake III: Arena on a browser. It retains all the quality from the original game and remains playable in machines of that time. id Software still has some bugs to fix and tweaks to make but the game is already looking like the massive time killer it should be.

The Good: Fast gameplay - Very addictive - Different maps allow different strategies

The Bad: Dated visuals - Nothing particulary new


Review by Alexkayl, Freemmogamer.com - Posted Mar 4, 2009