Quake 4 for Xbox 360 launch

By Tom Bramwell Published 14 November, 2005

US slipgate opens Nov 18th.

Quake 4's been confirmed as an Xbox 360 launch title by publisher Activision, and will start shipping in the USA on November 18th - four days ahead of the console's official go-date, the 22nd.

Expect to see it on shelves when the European launch rolls around on December 2nd.

The Xbox 360 version was developed in tandem with last month's PC version by Raven Software, and sees players take on the role of Matthew Kane, a hoooo-man! who has to stomp around Stroggos shooting Stroggs before they can get up in his face.

Expect shotguns, blasters, in fact all the usual Quake weapons, as well as one with a toggle-able torch, cybernetic nasties who duck and weave and, er, a few too many "take A to B" missions early on.

As well as eight-player Xbox Live deathmatch modelled on Quake III Arena, Quake 4 will also ship with a copy of Quake II supporting four-player co-op and eight-player deathmatch.

You can read our review of the PC version of Quake 4 elsewhere on the site.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • doc-yipee #1 6 years ago

    Does it have AA?

    Is it better than Halo?

    Do graphicswhores dream of anti-aliased sheep?

  • symmetry #2 6 years ago

    Well I bet every 360 pre-orderer is just jumping for joy at this new.

  • Fatfish #3 6 years ago

    @ doc - "Do graphicswhores dream of anti-aliased sheep?"

    LOL! Very witty! ;)

  • beep #4 6 years ago

    Well I bet every 360 pre-orderer is just jumping for joy at this new.

    Yep, add aonther pretty but mediocre game to the line up :)

  • gamesb*tch #5 6 years ago

    'Slipgate' slips until Easter 06 anyone?

  • bootsy_NL_30 #6 6 years ago

    hey the first 360 reviews are up at www.1up.com

    ......................both seriously underwhelming

    and 1up are not even half as tough as Eurogamer when it comes to scores...

    poor bastards that have to make games that live up to the hype of next gen

  • redd #7 6 years ago

    no news yet about the backwards compatability?

    slow EG, maybe if it was a nasty rumor it w'd have been posted already.

    ...

    i do love conspiracies :)

  • Talha #8 6 years ago

    So that a mediocre-at-best PC shooter can be peddled to FPS-hungry 360 early adopters like a Godsend?

    Clever.

    @bootsy: thanks for the tip-off, I was dying to read some 360 reviews.

    Edit: sorry for sounding so cynical - I am not a big fan of id anymore..
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 11:52

  • bootsy_NL_30 #9 6 years ago

    well if you watch this ...(you dont have to watch it to the end ...its kind of boring)

    http:/ /media.putfile.com/Xbox-360-Being-Opened

    I'm guessing that there are going to be a bunch of reviews coming out in the next weeks.

  • lennon #10 6 years ago

    Amped 3 and the NBA game reviews are hardly the reviews most of us are waiting for though. Wasnt exactly expecting these to be better than mediocre.

    And they both goy 7 out of 10 which means if the first party titles score even 1 point more it will make the launch line up pretty decent for me.
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 12:01

  • Gurgeh #11 6 years ago

    Initial XBox 360 backwards compatability list

    http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompat ibilitygameslist.htm

  • Talha #12 6 years ago

    @lennon: Hey Amped 3 was a pretty highly anticipated one. Haven't played it (naturally) but I feel it falls between various stools trying to imitate SSX On Tour - I would have expected better from them.

    Still, 7/10 is not BAD as such, it is just that games are generally getting very good and 8-9 is currently the threshhold for a really good game.

  • bootsy_NL_30 #13 6 years ago

    @lennon

    what also isnt suprising about the reviews is the sky high expectations of the next gen hardware and the ensuing disapointment.
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 12:04

  • Talha #14 6 years ago

    @bootsy_NL_30 : Considering the hardware spec, you cannot blame them. However, dev talent should also be taken into account, which means the difference between a decent game with no load times and a true spectacle.

  • lennon #15 6 years ago

    Yes but who sets that expectation? And disapointment is sure to follow if you buy into all that crap. Thats why I hate the term next gen. What does it really mean? It basically means improved visuals as far as I can see. Although at least with the 360 we should see a marked improvement with High Def and also in the Live service which is my main two reasons for being optimistic.

    I am waiting for reviews of PGR,PDZ and Kameo (+ COD2) and would hope that each of these can reach at least 8 out of 10. If so it will meet my expectations and therefore not be disapointing.

  • bootsy_NL_30 #16 6 years ago

    @talha and lennon

    yeah I agree with both of your points, I guessI'm just kind of putting my feet on the ground for the first time after reading pages and pages of superlatives about how " next gen" visuals etc are going to blow us all away , developer interviews,screens,movies etc etc

    and then it finally comes and.....well its almost disapointing a 7 ....

    time to start ignoring the hype machine

  • Talha #17 6 years ago

    @lennon: Again I would agree that currently next gen means just better graphics. A better USE of those better graphics will emerge gradually. I for one is not clamoring for new exotic modes of gameplay - they will come over time and have little to do with hardware advancement.

    And yes, all the launch titles reaching even a 7 or 8, let alone 9, will mean that the lineup is solid if not spectacular. For a launch lineup, you can't ask for more.

  • dbeamish #18 6 years ago

    whats a better single player - this of perfect dark?

  • lennon #19 6 years ago

    @Bootsy

    It doesnt really matter if everybody else thinks a game is the worst game on earth if you enjoy playing it then its a good game. You just need to remember that the most important thing is playing the games and not reading other peoples opinions or for that matter what they look like.

  • bootsy_NL_30 #20 6 years ago

    @dbeamish

    funny that you ask , reports up to now say that both those games are quite similiar ....or more to the point the AI of both games is about the same

  • Talha #21 6 years ago

    @lennon: But sometimes you HAVE to consider reviews before you make a purchase decision, innit? That's where reviews come in - not telling you how good the games that you enjoy really are, but telling you whether to buy a game that you don't know much about.

  • lennon #22 6 years ago

    Thats what the games look like and not the people commenting ;)

    @Talha I couldnt put it any better. Solid is all you can ask for. As I love the PGR series that is enough on its own to sell the new system to me but I have been hearing good things of Kameo as well. I am prepared to take a risk on PDZ and COD2.

    Yeah reviews are useful but you can miss out on some decent games if you dont take into consideration a reviewers potential bias.

    Reviewers can get it wrong for better and for worse. Anyone remember Driv3r?
    Edited by 2 at 14/11/05 @ 12:29

  • Freek #23 6 years ago

    Ofcourse next gen means better graphics, that's the least that people expect. Problem is Quake 4 isn't that visually impressive. It's running on the Doom 3 engine, a game that ran on the Xbox1.
    They weren't demoing Doom 3 in all those press presentations either, that was Unreal engine 3 that was wowing everybody and Gears of War is not a laucnh title.
    So the expectations aren't unrealistic, some of the launch games are just a bitt mediocore.

  • lennon #24 6 years ago

    And in 6 months time some of the games released will be mediocre...

    Expectations have been set to high by some people and I dont especially blame MS or Sony for this.

    To end up disapointed what were you expecting?

  • bootsy_NL_30 #25 6 years ago

    I guess I'll have to wait and see, to be honest Amped and NBA2k are franchises I've never followed anyway (little bit too american for my taste)

    I guess thats the double edged sword of game sites...on one hand you get up to date info about the games world etc and it saves you from buying a dud.On the other side obviously they (and their sponsors)have to generate enthusiasm and excitement for new products (and new product reviews/previews etc) so sometimes they get a little bit carried away.
    I guess reading game sites you have to be optimistic and cynical at the same time.
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 12:48

  • Freek #26 6 years ago

    People saw things like Kameo and Gears of War and were amazed by them, those games will be released and people get exactly what they expected. And there'll be a bunch more games like it.
    Ofcourse there's going to be bad games, nobody is expecting every game to be a tripple A title.
    Except that won't be dissapointing, that'll be normal.
    There's allot of hype, but hype resulting of real games, games that have been playable for a long time and still look as amazing as the early released screenshots. There's no unrealistic expectations at all.
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 12:53

  • Genji #27 6 years ago

    The transformation of the Xbox into a PC is almost complete!

  • lennon #28 6 years ago

    Ermmm. I could swear bootsy is eluding to the fact that his expectations have been set unrealistically. Im not sure you can categorically say that expectations have not been set high.

    Personally mine are set at a level where I believe I know what I am getting. That said if PGR 3, PDZ, Kameo and COD 2 are not very good then my expectations will have been set to high and I will be disapointed.

    @Genji Thats maybe so but the xbox360 will only cost the fraction of the price of a well speced PC. I was looking at a new GFX card the other day and that alone is more than the premium 360 system.
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 13:08

  • Talha #29 6 years ago

    @lennon: Fully with you on the PC issue. PC gaming is stinking more and more by the day, mainly because the main stream (ie. us poor gamers with average income) is being systematically alienated. A new 7800 GTX cost $600, and suddenly the moneymasters at ATI and NVidia realized that you need TWO of the bastards to get good performance.

    I have a 6800 GT and I definitely cannot upgrade for at least 18 months. I will take a 360 or a PS3 ANY FREAKING DAY, for I know that at least for the next year or so they will perform better than any PC.

  • lennon #30 6 years ago

    And I have noticed that there is increasingly less space devoted to PC games in the shops. It took me a while to spot the PC Section in gamestation the other day. Trouble is if you want to enjoy the best new games in all their visual glory you have to have the latest card.

    Its why I have pretty much converted to consoles as you dont have that worry or the issue of drivers not working etc (as happened with the latest ATI drivers for me at least).

  • Fatfish #31 6 years ago

    @ Talha - Isn't this the trade off between consoles and PC's generally though? We buy consoles knowing that we will never be able to upgrade them. Therefore, we rely on the skill and ingenuity of the developers to milk as much out of the machine as is possible. With PC's however, consumers rely on the hardware manufacturers to continually improve chipsets and performance - this then allows the developers to achieve increased performance gains with little adaptation of their existing programs (I'm not saying that's the same in all cases). Ultimately, you are going to get better performance out of a PC because it has that ability to be customised and upgraded. The down side to this of course is the cost, hassle and compatability issues. This relentless necessity to upgrade and 'tinker' with your PC just to get the best possible performance out of it is what pushed me away from the PC market in the end - when it comes to gaming, would much rather throw a disc in the tray and know it's going to work first time and the way it's meant to without needing to alter config files, start small thermo-nuclear reactions by over clocking your CPU and re-mortgaging the house in order to buy a brand spanking new bit of kit only to find out the following day it's already obsolete - ok, bit of an exaggeration there, but you know what I mean.

  • Feanor #32 6 years ago

    "hey the first 360 reviews are up at www.1up.com"

    Other sites already have reviews of better 360 games up.

  • dbeamish #33 6 years ago

    @bootsy_NL_30

    ta matey

  • bootsy_NL_30 #34 6 years ago

    @feanor

    do you have any links?


    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 13:58

  • bootsy_NL_30 #35 6 years ago

    @fatfish

    I'm a pc gamer and personally I'm enjoying the games without going nuts on my system.I think alot of PC gamers think they can only enjoy the product if theyve maxed out all the settings ....I'm loving F.E.A.R. and playing it a medium settings and its looking better than any console game I have.

  • lennon #36 6 years ago

    Full official Launch list

    http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/xbox360launchgames.htm

    For the US at least.
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/05 @ 14:19

  • kangarootoo #37 6 years ago

    "Edit: sorry for sounding so cynical - I am not a big fan of id anymore"

    id didn't make Quake 4.

    /pedant

  • bootsy_NL_30 #38 6 years ago

    @feanor

    still waiting .......

    I've checked every major game site I can think of and 1up is the only one with paid journalists writing reviews on 360 games...or are you counting blogs as reviews?

  • Xerx3s #39 6 years ago

    "Quake 4 will also ship with a copy of Quake II supporting four-player co-op and eight-player deathmatch."

    This will be my reason for getting q4 tyvm. Q2 was ace in mp, adding 4p coop will make it brilliant. Might even play Q4 after that.... ^_^

  • admir #40 6 years ago

    Quake 4 sucks and its out for the PC anyway. dont like line up at. there is only 1 game that might be for me

  • Talha #41 6 years ago

    @kangarootoo: True, but they sure as hell were behind it. In fact if you boot up the game the first logo you are faced with is that of id. They make every effort to remind you that they were involved. My point is, they cannot just shrug off the responsibility because they clearly dictated the direction - or lack of - for the game. Don't let them get away with it!!!!

    @Fatfish: Fair points all. No one denies that PC games are still the innovation drivers and will always be, but the cost for a little innovation becomes very high once you factor in not only the wads of cash but also the downtime, delays, and sheer frustration. There is no reason to alienate general public from PC gaming, but that's what's being done.

    @bootsy: Of course that is the obvious thing to do. Sadly, nothing brings out the graphics whore in most of us like a spanking new PC game and I, for one, find it difficult to settle on less than the highest settings - of course that is my own idiosyncracy, you can't blame PC games for that!! Although one pleasant surprise you get is that most games do not feel MUCH different between 'Very High' (32.1 FPS) settings and Ultra (32.1 Seconds per Frame) settings.
    Edited by 1 at 16/11/05 @ 05:33