If you’re a fan of shooter games, surely you have some level of respect for Quake 3. iD Software developed the game over two decades ago, in 1999, and it made it available for the following platforms: Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast, Linux, PlayStation 2, Classic Mac OS, IBM PC compatible, iOS, Xbox 360, and IRIX.
You can now get your hands on Quake 3 for free from the Bethesda launcher, but you’ll have to act fast: the offer expires on August 20 at 9 am PT, 12 pm ET, 5 pm BST and August 21 at 2 am AEST. Quake 3 is still a fun-to-play game even in 2020, as the Steam description suggests:
Welcome to the Arena, where high-ranking warriors are transformed into spineless mush. Abandoning every ounce of common sense and any trace of doubt, you lunge onto a stage of harrowing landscapes and veiled abysses. Your new environment rejects you with lava pits and atmospheric hazards as legions of foes surround you, testing the gut reaction that brought you here in the first place. Your new mantra: Fight or be finished.
Unlike its predecessors, Quake III Arena doesn’t feature a plot-based single-player campaign. Instead, it features bots, which are computer-controlled players. The player has to progress through tiers of maps as it battles different bots that increase in difficulty, starting from Crash (at Tier 0) and ending with Xaero (at Tier 7). As the game unfolds, the battles are fought in more complex arenas and against stronger opponents. Up to 16 players can participate in Deathmatch maps, while tournament maps are for duels between 2 players.
There was also a sequel for Quake 3 – entitled simply Quake 4, the new game was released in 2005 after it was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. The platform availability for Quake 4 was obviously more interesting: Linux, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and Classic Mac OS.
