Activision and Raven let loose some teaser info about the latest in the classic Quake series.
With all the attention focused on the development of DOOM 3 over the past few years, the team at Raven Software has been able to enjoy some peace and quite working on Quake 4, which is also using the cutting-edge DOOM 3 technology. To date, there's only been a few nuggets of information released about the game,
which is actually a sequel to Quake II.Today, Activision passed along a slightly expanded synopsis for the game written by Raven's Eric Biessman, along with one of the few screenshots we've seen to date:
Earth is under siege by an alien race. The Strogg are cybernetic warriors -- a mechanical frame and decaying body parts stabilized by flesh consumed in a systematic annihilation of other species and civilizations. In a desperate attempt to survive a Strogg attack on Earth, an armada of Earth's finest warriors is sent to take the battle to the Strogg home planet. Earth's initial assault force is nearly annihilated immediately, but one marine manages to infiltrate the base, bring down their planetary defense systems, and kill the Strogg's collective brain and leader -- the Makron. Earth assumed the destruction of the Makron would end it all, but it didn't.
That's where QUAKE II leaves off and QUAKE 4 begins.
The Strogg are quickly regrouping. However, with the Strogg's planetary defenses still destroyed, Earth's forces can deliver a full and final assault. This time, you're not alone. You are Matthew Kane, an elite member of Rhino Squad, and part of Earth's next invasion wave. An army of soldiers are fighting with you and an arsenal of weapons and vehicles are at your disposal in this heroic and epic battle between worlds.
The mechanized Strogg race are once again your main opposition in Quake 4. Considering we already knew the game would continue the Strogg storyline from Quake II, there's not a lot of new information in this synopsis, although we now have the name of the man behind whatever guns Raven can dream up for the sequel: Matthew Kane. It's also hard to miss the similarities between this screenshot and most of DOOM 3 -- it'll be interesting to see if Quake 4 has a similar focus on dramatic lighting and indoor areas, or if we'll get to spend a little more time outdoors with the vehicles announced to be part of the action.
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/quake-iv/611006p1.html