Quake III Revolution Hands-On

The PC game that started a phenomenon is back again in its latest incarnation, and it's finally making its way to the PS2. Quake III Revolution will include more improvements on id Software's acclaimed first-person shooter than any other version, with new maps, enhanced player models and environments, and brand-new play modes. We had the chance to sit down with a near-final version of the game to see just what UK-based developer Bullfrog is doing with the series.

The Doom character model's skin upgrades.

Quake III Revolution promises to play like no other version of Quake III. There are certain problems inherent in creating a new version of the game, which was largely dependent on Internet multiplayer play, for a console without Internet connectivity. Bullfrog is dealing with these problems by focusing on Quake III's single-player elements, and it's working on creating a version of Quake III that is more story-driven and caters more to the single player. The result is Quake III Revolution, a game that takes all the best elements from the Quake III games and squeezes them into a purely single-player experience.

The biggest change to the gameplay of the PC and DC versions of Quake III is the addition of the single-player campaign mode. The campaign mode takes you from a rookie combatant to the top of the ranks, and it's set up similarly to Unreal Tournament's campaign mode. At the start of the campaign mode, you pick one of five characters--Sarge, Anarki, Daemia, Doom, or Klesk. Each character has five vital stats--attack power, speed, health, and armor--and each of the five characters has different strengths and weaknesses. For example, Anarki is fast but not that powerful, Klesk is powerful but not that fast, and Sarge is only average in each category. As you progress through the campaign mode, your character will become a better, more hardened warrior and will receive upgrades to his or her stats. Additionally, as you become more seasoned, your character's appearance will actually start to change to reflect his or her battle experience. These changes range from scorched battle armor or more prominent veins in the character's skin mass to cybernetic implants that are visible on the character's face.

A new character model from Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper series.

The campaign mode is a series of battles that have different objectives and parameters. The campaign mode has eight different battle types, each of which is a variant of one of three basic game objectives: deathmatch, flag, and elimination. The deathmatch modes are fairly simple--kill a set number of other players before the time limit expires. The basic variants are kill vs. time, where the frag and time limit are the same number; single-weapon deathmatch, where you can only use one randomly selected weapon; and team deathmatch, where two opposing sides fight a team battle. The flag modes involve taking possession of a flag and either transporting it to your base or simply holding it for a set time limit. The elimination mode works similarly to a tournament mode--you fight a series of opponents with only a few lives to spare before you lose. After you eliminate one opponent, you're transported to a different part of the map to fight the next player. As you progress through the campaign mode, you'll be awarded various power-ups, medals, and stat increases depending on your performance.