The ultimate PC first person shooter, Quake III, has now been ported to the PS2 console under the name of "Quake III Revolution."  This concept of crossing platforms brought out some mixed emotions in me, as I'm sure it will for many others.  First of all, how can you play such a game without the classic mouse and keyboard control setup?  At first glance it may seem impossible, but after a few rounds of fraggin' with an analog controller, beware, you may be sucked in.

Okay, but isn't Quake III supposed to be an online-based game?  Traditionally yes - if you're a Quake III (PC) veteran then you're most likely into the online multi-player aspect of the game - because that's what the Quake series has been famous for!  Id™/Bullfrog™ tried to add a more complex story line for this PS2 version, hoping to promote the game partially as a single-player title (rather than simply the multi-player powerhouse it has always been famous for).  They actually didn't do too much different, but you'll hear occasional taunts from your opponents in this "...fight for freedom" - give me a break.  Everyone knows it's simply a fight for the sake of fighting, violence, and destruction.

Anyways, the single-player mode initially consists of 25 arenas, and once you complete these arenas you are able to challenge "Vadrigar" - the arena master.  Many of the arenas (there are actually 30 total) are brand new in the PS2 version and haven't been seen before.  Theoretically, the single-player mode seems like it would be boring and monotonous.  Surprisingly, it's actually pretty entertaining, mostly due to the intelligence and skill of the AI players.  The bots seem fairly life-like in this version, as they don't typically hit you with impossible shots, which some bots have been known to do.

There are five levels of difficulty that pertain to the single-player mode and also to the bots in multi-player mode, and they all greatly vary in necessary skill level.  You'd better know what you're doing if you step into an arena with a bot on nightmare level, it is definitely a challenge.

You can select from five character types, most of which are found in the PC version.  Each has their own individual attributes, including: health, armor, speed, and attack power.  When you progress in the game, your gladiator will become more powerful, since these attributes increase as a result of completing levels.  You can also receive awards for impressive fraggin' and these can result in character power-ups and additional armor/weapons.

There are various modes of play for single-player action, including: deathmatch (DM), kills vs. time, possession, one flag capture the flag (CTF), elimination, and skirmish.  They're are all actually pretty fun, but I think possession and CTF are the best, and most challenging of the bunch.  While repetitively killing enemies is fun, adding another element (flag capturing / holding) makes the game a bit more interesting.  I like the idea that you must complete all these different modes of play on the way to fight "Vadrigar" - rather than it being all DM.

After the single-player gets boring, you'll be far from done with the game because the multi-player mode is very well done.  In Quake III Revolution you are able to have up to four players with a multitap, which divides the screen into four equal squares - it's pretty intense for a console first person shooter!.  While they may be quite small on some TVs, it's still a lot of fun (especially when playing with your friends who take a while to get the hang of it - newbies!).  You can even save your character on a memory card, pop it into your friend's (or enemy's) PS2, and have access to your blood-thirsty gladiator in order to annihilate him.  The available modes of play are: DM, team DM, single weapon DM, single weapon team DM, one flag CTF, CTF, team possession, and possession.

You can also add bots to the multiplayer action, which can also offer some pretty entertaining game play.  Playing two on two CTF with a friend, against two bots is my favorite multi-player mode because with only two players the individual screens aren't extremely tiny.  The major downfall in multi-player mode is that you can only add one bot for three-player games and you can't any for four-player games.  I was hoping to be able to play CTF with four humans vs. four bots, but no luck.  This is pretty disappointing, and I assume the problem is in lack of processing power for all these different characters.  Also annoying in multi-player mode is the fact that you can't pause the game.  A menu comes up when you hit start, but you're still in the game (and you'll die fast), oh well.

Let's talk about weapons.  First of all, I'd like to proudly announce ... the chaingun is back!  I didn't realize how much I missed this weapon since id™ yanked it from the game for Quake III (PC) until now.  It's not exactly like the Quake II chaingun, but it's actually more fun to use in battle than the previous version.  Also reintroduced was the nail gun, but in totally different form.  The new version shoots a cluster of nails when fired, rather than successive shots like the original Quake nail gun.  It works very well for close-range combat, and is a great addition to the game.  The rest of the weapons are essentially the same as those in the PC version of Quake III.

The video in Quake III Revolution was initially extremely dark, which made it very difficult to spot enemies.  Luckily, id™/Bullfrog™ took into consideration that all TVs are different, and they incorporated a brightness control - I had to set it to 100 (the max.).  Overall though, the graphical quality is rock solid and for the most part it yields smooth game play.  The textures, lighting effects, and environmental effects are all without flaw.  When a lot of players get onto the screen there may be a minor slowdown, but it's not bad at all, and it doesn't noticeably affect game play.  When more than three people join in on the action I noticed that items in the game are converted to simple items, an option that is in the PC version.  If you're familiar with Quake III for the PC, and you're used to playing it on a very powerful machine, you may not be too impressed with the graphics, but they aren't anything to complain about.

The sound seems to be exactly like the sound in the PC version, which was well done in every respect.  The weapons' sound effects are realistic and so are the rest of the various noises in the game.  The music is appropriate for the action-packed game play.  The arena-master, or whoever he is, still announces the status of the fragfest in this version - "you have taken the lead", "excellent", etc.

Finally, here's the scoop of the controls for Quake III Revolution.  The best controller setting is definitely 'advanced mode' (for those of you who are used to the mouse and keyboard, just take a deep breath...).  In this mode both analog sticks are utilized, one is for movement (forward, backward, and strafe left/right), and the other is used to look in all directions.  The R1 button is used to fire, L1 is jump, R2 is zoom, and L2 is crouch.  The other buttons are for cycling weapons, viewing the scores, and using items.  Sounds pretty complicated, huh?  Well, it is, and it does take a fair of amount of time to get used to for the average gamer.

The main problem with the controls (compared to the PC version of Quake III) is the inability to make precise movements with the PS2 analog sticks.  Minor aiming adjustments are extremely hard to make, and this means the rail gun can't be utilized as easily as it can with the mouse.  Oh well, even despite this shortcoming, Quake III Revolution is still a blast to play.

Even though it takes a little while to get the hang of, it's definitely worth the time invested.  This game brings great FPS action to the PS2, and for those who don't have a very good computer / internet connection, it's a must buy.  Even for those who are Quake III veterans, I'd still recommend adding Quake III Revolution to your collection.  If you take the time and play this game, without letting your bias towards the PC/online version get in the way (as I almost did), I think you'll find that it's a great game overall.  Plus it's easier to play with a bunch of friends sitting around your TV - opposed to scheduling a LAN party for a similar experience.

Quake III Revolution requires 77KB on a PS2 memory card.  It is rated "M" (Mature) for blood and gore violence.

Gameplay: 9.0
It's Quake III as we all know it - a lot of intense fraggin' action.  Both single-player and multi-player modes are great to play and the bots seem very human-like.

Graphics: 8.5
Smooth and crisp.  Very similar to the PC version (on a mid-range computer system).

Sound: 8.5
Well done and appropriate to the game play.

Difficulty: 9.0
The five levels of difficulty will allow most to learn the ropes and then step it up and play with the big boys.  Getting the hang of the controls is the hardest task.

Concept: 7.8
A great FPS for the PS2 console, but it doesn't do much to differentiate itself from Quake III for PC.

Multiplayer: 9.4
A lot of fun and among the best multi-player games on PS2, but the inability to play 4 humans vs. 4 bots is a bit of a letdown.

Overall: 8.7