Quake Arena Arcade

At 1200 Microsoft points, Quake Arena Arcade may not be your ideal first-person shooting experience on Xbox Live – especially since other games run for 800 or even less. But if you're a Quake fan or need a fulfilling multiplayer experience that will keep you busy for hours, you owe it to yourself to enter the Arena.

This is undoubtedly Quake as it was in its heyday, and it's as playable as it always was. If a few more of you would just start playing it, we might all be able to enjoy it a bit more.

If you don't intend to play online, don't even bother. [Issue#68, p.102]

Deathmatch in pure, concentrated form.

The AI can be a bit dense in the team games, though, which end up feeling rather shallow and pointless as a result. Again, the hollow disappointment of finding so few random games to play will rear it's ugly head here and this, as a result, is likely to be the point at which you stop playing it.

Playing Quake on a console might seem like blasphemy, but this modern Xbox port of the 11 year old Quake III Arena plays much better than you'd expect. In a time where military shooters dominate the online space, playing some oldschool deathmatch is incredibly refreshing. Quake has aged well, and this version offers plenty of content and entertainment without having to rely on nostalgia.

At the end of the day, Quake Arena Arcade is a virtual ghost town, but if players are willing to give it a crack, it's one serious shooter that is worthy of your attention.

Quake Arena Arcade is filled with a gaming walk down memory lane but more on the bloody gibbs side.

It's merely a handful of people in a tiny room trying to blow the hell out of one another. And the sheer visceral simplicity of that experience, regardless of how dated it sometimes feels, is timeless.

It's hobbled by the joypad control. [Mar 2011, p.94]

If you choose to download Quake Arena Arcade, you need to understand that this won't compete with other multiplayer first person shooters on the Xbox 360 and that expectations need to be honest and reserved.

A fun game. There's little to criticize here, save a price on the higher end of the XBLA spectrum, but you really can't compete with free.

We enjoy QAA, but next to golden oldies(Doom, Duke)and modern epics(Halo, Call of Duty), it's less of a legend. [March 2011, p.81]

A wonderful game is available here, but no one cares. Unfortunately, they might not ever care.

Quake Arena Arcade is a more than decent adaptation, but it has certain flaws in the online experience that can't be overlooked.

Quake Arena Arcade is probably one of the best console porting of the unforgettable id Software's Quake 3 Arena. Good graphics, cool FX and frenetic gameplay: unfortunately, the netcode doesn't work as it should, bringing tons of lag and unexpected disconnections. A huge pity, for a so multiplayer-oriented FPS.

Quake arena didn't age very well, but still, if you are an hardcore fan of the original, you may still want to evaluate its purchase.

Despite the fact that I'm struggling to remaster the controller-bound action that I was once so fond of on the PC, this is an extremely value-ridden package.

Despite the number of maps on offer, 1200 Microsoft Points (£10.20 / €14.40) is too high a price for what has become, sadly, a niche title.

Quake Arcade Arena is fun and fast, just like fans will want, but I'm not sure they got the message about its release.

Quake Arena Arcade is a revival of the classic FPS Quake III Arena. Fast and frenetic, this XBLA game has a good online multiplayer, but it's so poor in single mode and has some problems like lag and disconnections.

The granddaddy of online first person shooters returns and although you could quibble over the price the classic gameplay is as solid as ever.

If you want to get back to your FPS roots and have a good time fragging with friends, pick this game up…no really please pick it up. I'd like someone to actually play online.

Quake Arena Arcade is Quake III: Arena again, except this time around there is no-one to play against. If you've already played Quake to death, there is no need to pick this edition up, even for the exclusive maps. The lack of players online is a clear sign that Quake fans would really like something new for a change.

Quake Arena Arcade may be the best console version of the game out there, but it's doesn't live up to its free PC counterpart. And the PC version already has an active community. Fun for casual shooting, but not for the pros.

This old franchise is showing its age and there's a reason the servers are half-empty.

Even at $10, the game feels overpriced for the amount of content that comes with the title. Adding in the fact that it's somewhat difficult to play with the controller, the visuals are uninspiring and the community is pretty much absent and we have a FPS that's never going to flourish.

Quake Arena isn't going to pull the masses away from other FPS games like Halo: Reach or Call of Duty Black Ops, but it is a nice change of pace to just jump into an arcade game where you know you're going to kill and be killed.

It is Quake 3 Arena and Team Arena in one package, and if you absolutely need to be on your couch to play, then it has you covered, otherwise keep in mind that there are cheaper and livelier options available.

My impression is that Quake Arena Arcade is a half-hearted reboot of a dying game.

Time hasn't been kind to Quake Arena. [March 2011, p.118]