Quake III Arena | |
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Developer(s) |
id Software
Additional work by:
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Publisher(s) | |
Distributor(s) |
List
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Designer(s) |
Graeme Devine Tim Willits Paul Jaquays |
Programmer(s) |
John Carmack Robert A. Duffy Jim Dose |
Artist(s) |
Adrian Carmack Kevin Cloud Kenneth Scott |
Composer(s) |
Sonic Mayhem Bill Leeb |
Series | Quake |
Engine | id Tech 3 |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, iOS |
Release |
December 2, 1999
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Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Aggregate scores | |
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Aggregator | Score |
GameRankings | 84.13% |
Metacritic | 93 |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
Eurogamer | 9/10 |
Game Revolution | A- |
GameSpot | 9.2 |
IGN | 9.3 |
Game Chronicles | 9.6 |
Gaming Age | A- |
Quake III Arena is a multiplayer-focused first-person shooter video game released in December 1999. The game was developed by id Software and featured music composed by Sonic Mayhem and Front Line Assembly. Quake III Arena is the third game in the Quake series and differs from previous games by excluding a traditional single-player element, instead focusing on multiplayer action. The single-player mode is played against computer-controlled bots.
Notable features of Quake III Arena include the minimalist design, lacking rarely used items and features, the extensive customizability of player settings such as field of view, texture detail and enemy model, and advanced movement features such as strafe-jumping and rocket-jumping.
Quake III Arena is available on a number of platforms and contains mature content. The game was highly praised by reviewers who, for the most part, described the gameplay as fun and engaging. Many liked the crisp graphics and focus on multiplayer.
Quake III Arena has also been used extensively in professional electronic sports tournaments such as QuakeCon, Cyberathlete Professional League, Dreamhack, and the Electronic Sports World Cup.
Unlike its predecessors, Quake III Arena does not have a plot-based single-player campaign. Instead, it simulates the multiplayer experience with computer-controlled players known as bots. The game's story is brief - 'the greatest warriors of all time fight for the amusement of a race called the Vadrigar in the Arena Eternal.' The introduction video shows the abduction of such a warrior, Sarge, while making a last stand. Continuity with prior games in the Quake series and even Doom is maintained by the inclusion of player models related to those earlier games as well as biographical information included on characters in the manual, a familiar mixture of gothic and technological map architecture and specific equipment; for example, the Quad Damage power-up, the infamous rocket launcher, and the BFG super-weapon.