PixlBit

I’ll be the first to tell you how awesome Quake III Arena was back in the day, and still is even today. Fast-paced, twitch shooting, simple-but-effective weaponry, and small close encounter maps made for some of the best multiplayer shooting ever. However, Quake Arena Arcade, which is extremely similar to said game and a port of the ad-driven browser game Quake Live, is a waste. This is not because it's a bad game, but because the essence of the Quake III Arena experience isn't perfectly captured without the use of a mouse and keyboard.

Regardless, there is definitely an audience for the game out there. For those who have made the full blown switch to console gaming that still have a love for Quake III Arena, Quake Arena Arcade won’t disappoint.

The game features both a single and multiplayer mode, with the single player mode most closely resembling the single player mode from Quake III Arena, though it has clearly been tweaked for this release. At best, the mode is great for beginners trying to learn how to be competitive at the game, as it offers a number of different bot challenge levels and a variety of different challenges to compete in. Additionally, players can create their own matches with up-to-four bots. Even veterans should probably spend a little bit of time here in order to get acquainted with the clunkier controller experience and learn how to modify their play style to what's possible with the control sticks.

Thankfully, Pi Studios, the port team responsible for Quake Arena Arcade, invested quite a bit of time in providing totally customizable controls and stick speeds that are conducive to the twitch gameplay Quake is known for. One particular control I found massively helpful was the 180 degree turn button as it allowed me to whip around quickly when I heard enemies behind me. At first it’s a little disorienting because the screen instantly changes, but once you grow used to it, you can play far more competitively.

Competitive play is truly the core of the Quake experience, and as such, players will be spending most of their time online competing against random strangers or friends who have also grabbed the game. The multiplayer mode of Quake Arena Arcade is very similar to Quake III Arena, though it does offer twelve new maps, which is a nice addition to the already solid 30 map repertoire.

Players can compete with up-to-fifteen players in a variety of different modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Harvester. The same weapons once found in Quake III Arena are also available here including the Rocket Launcher, Plasma Gun, Lightning Gun, Shotgun, Machinegun, Grenade Launcher, and Rail Gun. Power-ups like Quad Damage and Haste, among others, make an appearance here as well. Life and armor still comprise player’s health, and various pick-ups are available throughout the levels for players to keep themselves alive during matches.

While I had fun playing Quake Arena Arcade, I couldn’t help but think how much different the game felt without the use of a mouse and keyboard. The gameplay was originally made around that control, and though Pi Studios has done their best to match it, it’s just not as quick or precise as it was on the PC. This changes the game's entire strategy and morphs the experience in a way that doesn't quite capture the essence of Quake.

The best example I can think of is Rocket Launcher usage. So much of the Quake III Arena experience revolved around pinpoint accuracy with said weapon, and thanks to the fact that it fired rapidly, players could quickly and easily dispose of a number of enemies in quick succession. This is also evident with the Rail Gun. Because it takes so much longer to line up and execute a shot, the weapon is basically useless.

Regardless of these changes, the game will undoubtedly still appeal to some, and being a well-constructed game, it's still worthy of a purchase for that crowd; however, at this point you’re probably better off grabbing a used copy of Quake III Gold and installing it on your PC. It’ll run just fine, and look just as good, but play and control in the intended way.