We had the pleasure of speaking with the Bethesda UK branch and obtaining an early code for the Beta of Quake Champions. Right now, this is only available for PC, but we jumped right in and had a first look of what is to come.
Game Tested and Impression Supplied by
Clayton John Jooste
First off, the graphics are awesome. I have a 4K TV and 4K graphics card, so there is a small amount of lag. I am sure that when the game comes out, hopefully with full 4k support, that the graphics are going to be epic. The potential is there.
At first I was wondering why there was no Xbox control support, but as I played further I realised why. It is a fast paced game with no time to look for hidden walls to avoid being killed or to find secret entrances. For me with decades of experience with PC gaming, this means I can dominate the Quake arenas with my keyboard and mouse. The controls are easy to master, leading to some quick gameplay and savage killing.
I’ve been testing the online servers, but up until now I still cannot find any servers to play on. I will keep testing them, hoping to play against others soon to compare my skill, but for now I have only been playing against the A.I. bots.
The last online shooting games I played were Call of Duty and Battlefield. I prefer FPS like Call of Duty Zombies, with horror and fantasy elements, which is what Quake Champions is more akin to. Dark games like this will keep me playing for many months to come, where I can switch from a shotgun to a rocket launcher at will. Call of Duty online began to feel like chess, with teams either side attempting to take land from each other. Rather give me a frag counter!
In essence, what I love about Quake Champions is the running around old castles and the mystic themes. I’ve missed this and I am so glad that Quake has returned. This feels like the old Quake, but with much better graphics. There are many places to run around in with many turns, affording me many opportunities to create havoc in.
For a first impression, I would easily give Quake Champions 8/10. I look forward to the full release of the game to see if 4K graphics have been included, and hope the servers will begin to fill up soon.
A special thanks goes out to Clayton for testing Quake Champions on his PC and for giving us his first insight into what looks to be a fantastic shooter. I personally hope that Bethesda will find a way for this to be supported on PS4, so I too can enjoy causing chaos everywhere!
Author, Poet, Screenwriter, Gamewriter, Journalist,
….and Elemental Mage Supreme in his spare time
