Western Quake

Mod for: Quake 3 Arena

Platform: PC

Available here: http://www.planetquake.com/westernq3/files.htm

The Old West hasn’t been exploited very well in the gaming world. True, LucasArts gave us Outlaws and Sierra released the funny Freddy Pharkus, Frontier Pharmacist, but for the most part gamers haven’t been given the chance to engage in the classic shootouts of Spaghetti Westerns and the likes of Unforgiven and Tombstone. Western Quake is a Q3A mod that gives players another reason to keep Q3A on their playlists. (And just like Q3A there isn’t a story, just non-stop action.) It’s not as slick or polished as Counter-Strike for Half-life but it does a good job of recreating the Wild West of the movies.

Start-up is a simple affair. The download isn’t that huge (37+ megs) but you’ll also want to snag the additional bot download (13+ megs) because finding an on-line game can be difficult. The weapons are varied and even include some innovation. The list of weapons includes the Colt Peacemaker, Bowie knife, rifle, double-barreled shotgun and sticks of dynamite. Innovation comes in the form of the dynamite. At first you might be puzzled with the dynamite. It’s not a hand grenade so it won’t explode after you throw it. You have to find some way to set it off, preferably from a safe distance. Shooting a stick of dynamite will make it explode (or you can use the lighter). This can make for some interesting strategies, especially if you have a rifle equipped with a scope. Attention has been paid to create believable looking weapons. And watch your ammo! This is no run and gun game. Ammo is very limited and you must reload your weapons. The shotgun can blast only two shells before it’s necessary to reload so don’t bother trying to spray the street in buckshot. Damage is realistic. One well-placed shot with the Peacemaker will drop most players. Falling off a roof will net you lots of damage and leave you open to an extreme amount of fast moving pieces of lead. The locations are done fairly well. There are more than a half dozen maps available ranging from train stations and saloons. There’s no mistaking it for anything but the Old West. (The sound is good too, although the walking sound effect gets annoying.) But there is the definite feeling that you’re about four feet tall. Everything seems just slightly larger than it should be. As mentioned above, you will want to download the bots because finding a server can be difficult, but the bots themselves are erratic. They get caught on corners and seem to avoid jumping at all costs, which allows for some easy frags. Set the bots to the highest setting for some challenge.

Most mods evolve over time, their creators tweaking them, taking suggestions from players, adding new character models and levels, etc. Western Quake looks to be one of those evolving mods. (Just watch the credits and see how many people are involved.) If it manages to catch on with Q3A players, Western Quake with its realistic damage, good weapon variety and Old West setting could have a long life ahead of itself.

NOTE: You must have Quake 3 Arena to run this mod.

- Omni