Enemy Territory: Quake Wars [PC]

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With Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, developer Splash Damage is finally following up on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, one of the finest team-based Nazi killing shooters you could play. This time, they've taken id's gorgeous Doom 3 engine and used it to create vast intricate playgrounds for fast and frantic battles between humans and cybernetic alien invaders. Quake Wars are on!

As far as team-based shooters go, this is one of the more frenetic. Don't get too attached to any given situation. It's going to change. Like Quake itself, Quake Wars is hyperkinetic, deadly, and nimble. There's always a vehicle to hop into, the respawns come every thirty seconds, and the location of the fighting is liable to shift in the blink of an eye. This is a game that barely gives you time to breathe. Don't even think about trying to scratch your nose, much less get up and grab a drink from the kitchen.

That's not to say there isn't a lot of strategy in Quake Wars. Each class has a variety of functions, and none of them are at the back of the battle (in fact, accomplishing many objectives requires a particular class to come forward). Unlike the Battlefield series, important functions like radar and artillery are associated with a class rather than a commander. Engineers make a huge difference in terms of building and maintaining defenses, as well as laying mines. The covert ops radar is a must, and their ability to assume disguises makes for some delicious backstabbing. Classes and loadouts are flexible enough to fight in a number of different ways. The mission system keeps everyone informed about what needs doing, as well as what tasks your class can contribute at any time. Quake Wars does a great job of not being confusing.

It's disappointing that the maps don't have more variety. At first blush, they seem distinct, but the more you play, the more the maps blend together. One city or one indoor area feels like any other, and the sci-fi gobbledygook objectives don't add much character. There's room to maneuver around the battlefield, but not to roam or stray. At any point in a match, there's always one attacker and one defender, almost always squaring off over a single location. While this does a great job of giving the gameplay focus, you can't help but sometimes feel a little hemmed in. This is a game about being on the front lines of battle, and not about sneaking around in the enemy's rear to wreak havoc.