Reader Review: Quake Live

Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Andrew does, as he gets pwned on the Longest Yard.

Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.

And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD or Blu-ray releases.

This review was submitted by Andrew Low. If you’ve played Quake Live, or just want to ask Andrew more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Quake Live (PC)

Essentially Quake 3 reborn in your web browser as Quake Live. Complete with Stats, achievements and friends lists, Quake Live attempts to bring the hardcore game play of Quake to the masses. It’s free to play, there are local servers… and it’s bloody Quake 3 in your web browser!

Loved

Technology: Back in the day, a new id game was met with reverence, and for many would be the reason to build a new PC. When I saw Quake Live running in my browser I was humbled. This beast of a game, the cutting edge of technology in it’s day, was now running on my laptop in my web browser.

Clan Arena: Essentially Rocket Arena built into Quake Live, Clan Arena is the duck’s nuts. Played in rounds, it’s the pure-est form of death match. You spawn with all weapons, so there’s no weapon control nonsense. It’s all about your skill with the game system against your opponent’s.

Hated

Re-Learning curve: Rocket Jumping? Strafe Jumping? Holy crap, I’ve got, like, 10 weapons!? Having moved over to consoles some years ago, I immediately noticed how far FPS game design has moved away from the genre conventions Quake helped to establish. Quake Live is a game play relic, and requires some getting used to.

No Casuals: Having passed the mandatory skill tests, I was feeling pretty good about myself… and then I went in to a match on Longest Yard. Ouch. This was a map I knew from the first Q3test, and I was well and truly pwned. Age has been kinder to Quake 3 than to me.

Although Quake Live shows it’s age, it wears it proudly on it’s sleeve. Yes, it’s crusty and antiquated, but still refined and revered.

Reviewed by: Andrew Low

You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 300 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.

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