Quake Live for Mac

Why the disinterest in Quake Live? To be honest until I gave it a whirl and a dance, I wasn’t really sure why I was so against the title. After a frag here and a frag there, the uncertainty cleared – I was in love with Quake Live!

Perhaps that seems like an oxymoron, but as many of you know love is a funny thing and not something that plays by rules. In a completely different article (that I have yet to begin to write) I discuss what I believe was my golden age of gaming, a time when dreams became games, graphical wizardry was akin to black magic, and genres were defined. Anyway, the article I have never written isn’t of great importance, what is is that during this time, Quake III: Arena did something special for me, it really blew my friggin’ mind. The original Quake was all sugar and spice without a story. It really pushed things like envelopes and stuff, and I mean that in the most over used sense of the term. Quake II tried to do the same thing but added a story. While Quake II should be forgotten, the lesson learned should not: id should never, ever, even when asked with a “pretty pretty please”, create a game with a story. I mean that. Don’t. Never. Let me reinforce that by providing another example: Quake IV. Convinced yet? Quake III: Arena took what was great – shooting things – sped it up, and added humans. What came forth was/is one of the greatest creations of video entertainment. Countless hours that could have been spent solving some of life’s greater mysteries were lost to Quake III’s frag fest.

Many a year has passed since I last walked the halls of Quake’s arenas. I have long since laid down the rocket launcher, stowed away the shotgun, hidden thoughts of “quadruple damage”. Good things come to an end, and so did Quake III: Arena. And then I realized that my reluctance to delve into Quake Live was because of my past with the previous titles. There was no need to rehash something so good and so pure. It wouldn’t be the same. It couldn’t be the same. Things have changed; graphics, play styles, game concepts. 

That is where I was wrong. Quake Live is everything that Quake III: Arena was and then some. Here is how it works: you sign up at the Quake Live website. You install a plugin for your browser of choice. It downloads some data. You hit play, and there it is, living and breathing in a new browser window (or fullscreen), Quake III: Arena, with a new name and a fresh coat of 21st century polish.

The beauty lies in the browser experience. I previously may have wondered why anyone would want to play a full fledged game in the window of a browser, now I have no such questions. Log in anywhere from any browser, pick a game, and you are playing in under a minute (after the previously mentioned install). It allows for quick ten minute gaming breaks when you are supposed to be doing something else at the computer, such as writing an article. While I played hours back to back of Quake III: Arena, I find myself playing Quake Live more casually, logging in for a match or two, enjoying myself, leaving it for a day, and then coming back. I believe only the most ardent Quake fan would view Live as a fully engaging experience. Most people will use it as a casual time waster. It stands as the most polished and impressive game available to play through a browser that I am aware of.

Quake Live integrates a host of social features: leaderboards, friends lists, stat tracking, ability matching, profiles, etc. It’s these new features which make it an extra pleasure to play. 

I haven’t mentioned it yet, though it really is quite important: Quake Live is 100% free. Actually free. No annoying ads, no partnership emails, just free. So what you have now is a previously award winning game, newly polished with features added, accessible through a browser, for free. It makes for a pretty convincing argument that you should at least give it a whirl. Alex did. He assured me he had never played before, but was curious as to its allure and draw that I had been describing to him. I promised that I would take it easy on his fragless newbie self. While he maintains that he has never played it before, I believe the results make him a liar (I’m DrJykill for reference):

I was beaten so badly and so thoroughly I felt French. The pre-game ego I had was my Maginot line: all flashy, loud, and up in your grill about things, but completely misdirected and useless.

Alex thought I should write up our match like this:

I am not sure if that was really necessary, but alas, that is how he felt about it, and he is the boss.

As you run off to sign up for Quake Live, keep in mind that it is still in Beta and has numerous issues. Disconnects from games can occur seemingly for no reason, friends that are online might not show up, and controls can get wonky if you leave the window you’re playing in and return to it. By no means does it break the game, but do keep in mind you are not playing a finished product.

The way I see it, there is no reason you shouldn’t give Quake Live a go. If you were a fan before, or all together new to the series, it’s free and packs a pretty impressive experience. You have nothing to lose, except perhaps your reputation and/or dignity, minor losses in the grand scheme of things. It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.