Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Hands-on

It's no secret that 2007 is going to be a big year for online shooters. Shadowrun, Unreal Tournament 3 and Team Fortress 2 are all to hit shelves before the year's end, and Splash Damage's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will likely see retail release as well. We say likely because during a recent play session with the title, neither id Software nor Splash Damage representatives were willing to specify an exact date. Rather, they repeatedly told us it'll be done when it's done, and were focusing on a 2007 release for PC. As for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, little information was available. Console gamers can expect the versions to be content identical to the PC, and be finished when they're finished as well.

While id Software and Splash Damage were hesitant to talk about their high profile shooter competition, they were more than happy to talk about the PC version of Quake Wars. The game is structured much like Splash Damage's 2003 free multiplayer download Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. As either Strogg or Global Defense Force, you pick one of five classes, each with its own special abilities, and fan out with your team over each of the game's large maps. Before hopping in you'll need to review the map objectives, since they're more complicated than going prone under a flag until it's captured. On a map called Sewer, the GDF need to break the Strogg's hold on a sewage facility in Japan, a process undertaken in stages. First, the GDF need to send an Engineer class to construct an EMP disruptor outside the facility to gain access. Next, a few Soldier class players have to swarm the facility and plant explosives on sewer grates to bust into an underground area. Finally, to secure victory, a Covert Ops class is required to hack the plant's main controls.

Full Article at IGN