Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

E3 2006 First Look Preview

The long-running QUAKE series has had its ups and downs and has seen several different iterations. The series began with a strong single-player showing that successfully brought the FPS genre into the fully 3D polygonal realm, featured an entry that offered a focused multiplayer experience. The latest QUAKE game, Enemy Territory, doesn’t exactly fit within the series canon, but does offer some added insight into the battle between the human forces and the barbaric Strogg. The game plays out very similar to Battlefield 2, featuring epic battles with tons of players per map, many controllable vehicles, and different classes with their own specific attributes. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars will offer up a rich helping of online combat and intense battles.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars takes place on Earth in the year 2065, pitting the Allied troops of the GDF (Global Defense Force) against the evil Strogg. You’ll play as either the GDF or the Strogg as one of several different classes, with their own strengths dependent on not only the class, but also the team that you play on. For example, the medic class in the GDF is the healing class capable of healing units on the field and the closest Strogg unit to this is the technician who gives out ammo as well as health to ailing units. Not only can they do this, but they are also capable of taking life from fallen GDF soldiers, which is a trait that is unique to the Strogg. However, the GDF have access to vehicle drops and weapons, giving the two races their perks and disadvantages.

You have access to a fair amount of vehicles in Enemy Territory, ranging from four-wheelers to tanks to jets. The vehicles in the game will handle realistically in terms of physics, as a four-wheeled vehicle will feel noticeably different than a six-wheeled vehicle and so on. Aside from being able to call in a vehicle drop, you can also call in air strikes on certain locations, clearing out areas to allow you access.

Graphically, the game will use a technique known as MegaTexture technology, pioneered by id Software. MegaTexure is a rendering technology which allows the developers to put in realistic textures and special effects without causing too much strain on the video card. The results of this really show, as Enemy Territory has a great aesthetic to it and moves quite fluidly as well.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is shaping up to be another great addition to the QUAKE Universe, and should give fans the intense online battles that they’ve been craving since QUAKE III refined the deathmatch.

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