Quake 4 rumbles retail

It's been five years since the last new Quake game, Quake III: Team Arena, stormed onto PCs. Today, though, the series returned from hiatus in force, with the release of Quake 4. Published by Activison, the PC shooter is rated M for Mature and sells at the premium price point of $59.99.

Unlike previous Quakes, Quake 4 was not developed by id Software. Instead the game was hammered out at Middleton, Wisconsin-based Raven Software under id's supervision. It will retain much of the flavor of an id game, however, as it is based on the engine from the studio's best-selling shooter sequel Doom 3.

Like previous Quakes, Quake 4 concerns a far-future conflict between humankind and the Strogg, an interstellar army of ghoulish cyborgs. This time around, players take the role or Matthew Kane, a human space marine who is part of the invasion of the Strogg homeworld, Stroggos. However, much like the botched attack on Klendathu in Starship Troopers, the invasion goes badly, and Kane soon finds his landing zone overrun by Strogg shock troops. Things go downhill from there...

GameSpot's previous coverage has more on the PC Quake 4's gameplay and multiplayer modes--check back later today for a full review. An Xbox 360 version of the game is also planned for the console's "launch window," but a final date has yet to be determined. When queried by GameSpot, an Activision rept said. "In true id fashion, the answer is currently 'When it’s done.'"