(XBLA) QUAKE Arena Arcade

Posted 2 years ago By - Jay Acevedo

After being revealed at least year’s QuakeCon, Quake Arena Arcade has finally landed on Xbox Live Arcade; with Pi Studios responsible for bringing the ultra fast-paced shooter to Microsoft’s digital gaming platform.

If you’re a Quake fan, I’m sure you’ve already spent the 1200 Microsoft Points (roughly $15) for it. Or conversely, you may be hesitating to pick it up since you’ve been logging countless hours on the ad-powered Quake Live browser version. For those who are part of the Quake Live group, I’m not going to tell you that this XBLA version is a needed addition to your library, unless you have console friends that have been begging for your presence. As a whole, Quake Arena Arcade is better enjoyed with close friends in between games like Black Ops, Gears of War 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 rather than dropping money for it and expect a full blown community.

At first I thought that would be the case (remember, this game was apparently demanded by some fans) but as of this writing, only 1500+ players were registered on the Xbox Live leaderboards. I had a hard time finding matches where more than 2-3 fraggers were playing, leading to incredibly boring gaming sessions. I’ve also came across times where I couldn’t join matches where 8-9 players were playing, leaving me locked in a “Joining Session” screen for long minutes.

But, is it still a game an Xbox 360 user should own? For Quake gamers, its addition to their XBLA cataloge is non-discussable. This game wasn’t released with the intent of bringing new players to the franchise, but instead as more of a crowd pleaser much like DOOM, DOOM II, Perfect Dark, Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom 2 and the recently X-Men Arcade. These kinds of titles are better enjoyed in short bursts with your online buddies. If you feel like playing Quake, load it up, start an Xbox Live Party, grab your shotgun and show ‘em who’s best. Two, three sessions tops and then load something else.

Does Quake Arena Arcade pack enough content to justify the $15 price tag? With 30 maps from Quake III: Arena and 15 originals developed exclusively for this release, six game modes, twelve weapons and 16-player online support, its hard to find something to complain about but it would have been nice to see it go for $10...or even less, since there is a free version on the web. Visuals did receive a face-lift for HD purposes, but it does still look like Quake III: Arena from back in the day.

And no, this isn’t a single player-based game; its all about multiplayer. Actually, there is a single player mode, but just like its PC predecessors and the good old Unreal Tournament, it serves as a multiplayer training ground more than anything else. There’s also a four-contestant practice mode, with multiple customizable options but that’s no fun.

Conclusion

If you choose to download Quake Arena Arcade, you need to understand that this won’t compete with other multiplayer first person shooter on the Xbox 360 and that expectations need to be honest and reserved. Even though its a bit expensive for what’s being given, Quake die-hards won’t hesitate before opening their virtual wallets for Backbone’s port of the PC classic. For others...give the demo a shot. Oh, and remember, if its your first time, don’t be surprised by the game’s non-methological fast-paced nature. It will take some time to get used to.