Quake III Arena

I still have Quake III Arena in my collection because they restored this game too!

It’s the only Quake game that I played before because people made it into a functional Dreamcast port that lives up to the popularity and makes me consider playing this one regularly for once.

Since this is a Dreamcast website, I’ll just state that I own it because it still works and plays well thanks to Dreamcast-Talk for bringing it back to life and is more played regularly than not.

Sure, I haven’t played the other two Quake games yet-maybe someday-but this is my first one and I’m happy to own a game still being played by people who own a Sega Dreamcast complete with a keyboard and mouse that makes the game play so much better for a home console video game.

The original companies behind it (Id Software, Activision, Raster Productions) deserve credit too.

Quake 3 is one of my favorite FPS games of all time. So when I heard about the Dreamcast port, I had to scoop it up for myself and see how well it holds up. The best feature by far about Quake 3 on Dreamcast is that it fully supports the mouse and keyboard. WIthout it, aiming without a second analog stick is a bit tricky. With no aim-assist, you’re playing at a significant disadvantage when up against human players with it (or even higher level bots).

The online is quite a feat for the Dreamcast. Compatible with the modem, up to three other players can duke it out on one of the many open lobbies online. Quake 3 is the easiest game to get up and running (no boot discs, no patches, just plug in your DreamPi and off you go), so I recommend using Quake 3 as the starting point if you’re just now getting your Dreamcast online.

My two biggest issues with this port of Quake 3 are the framerate and the netcode. While 30 FPS is acceptable for this game, you’ll often see the framerate on certain levels dip well below 15, especially when things get heated. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of dial-up connections, players are often seen jittering all over the place, sometimes warping in front of you, causing you to instantly die. At first I thought it was an issue with my DreamPi, but it’s actually just because of the high ping rate seen on the dial-up connection.

Overall, Quake 3 is a great pickup for any Dreamcast owner who wants to play something online. Every Friday, you’ll find at least one or two lobbies open, so it’s worth it to get a few good games in. The technical limitations do affect gameplay quite a bit, but it’s worth the tradeoff of playing a game as good as Quake 3 on the console.

At a time when the N64 gamepad was considered the definitive controller for FPS games, Sega offered Dreamcast players the opportunity to pick up their own Mouse and Keyboard for use in several titles. From easy text chat in titles like Phantasy Star, to making web surfing easier, to playing classics like Typing of the dead, the Keyboard and Mouse are essential tools for any Dreamcast player hoping to take their console online. However, the biggest game changer here is their use in first person shooters. Quake 3 on Dreamcast is a solid conversion, featuring graphics on par with what most PCs at the timewere putting out, all the stock maps, weapons and options from PC, and online multiplayer, but what I think sets it apart from most other FPS games is the ability to use a keyboard and mouse for PC perfect controls.

If you have access to the keyboard and mouse, that’s great! It’s remarkably easy to jump straight into fragging. Despite the game being over 2 decades old, the keyboard and mouse controls hold up perfectly, and allow you to customize them however you want. Best of all, the keyboard allows you to chat with other players in game. The community is super friendly and while gamemodes are limited compared to the insanely modable nature of PC, there are some fun diversions like rockets only, which gives you infinite ammo and encourages you to rocket jump to take down your opponents. There’s some lag, though it’s tolerable, especially given the fast pace. While limiting you to 4 players in a room is unfortunate and cuts off alot of the potential fun and chaos that crowded rooms can have, I understand that sacrifices have to be made, especially with most players connecting via 56k dial-up. It just sucks that oftentimes you’ll find yourself waiting for a slot to open up on the only populated server, or battling it out with some brainless bots.

However, the description I’ve given so far is only IF you own a Dreamcast Keyboard and Mouse. If you can only play the game with a stock Dreamcast controller it’s a completely different story. I loathe the N64 controller already for FPS games due to the lack of two sticks. But at the very least, the N64 had the C buttons. The Dreamcast has no such luxury. You can fiddle with the controls and customize them however you like, but regardless of what you do, moving and aiming will never feel quite right, there will always be essential functions relegated to some hard to reach button, and you’ll never be able to fully participate in the community without the keyboard to quickly type out messages to your mates. Worst of all, I can’t help but feel guilty whenever I play Quake 3 on Dreamcast. I can admit that I’m total garbage at Quake 3, so when I start doing well against an opponent whos using a controller, I can’t help but feel like I’m beating up someone in a wheelchair. It’s no wonder companies today rarely allow keyboard and mouse support in multiplayer titles. Even after Halo revolutionized shooter control schemes, the controller still can’t compete, and players using the default control method that came with their console would be at a massive disadvantage, albeit still much more competitive than someone using a Dreamcast controller.

My verdict? If you own a Dreamcast Mouse and Keyboard, Quake 3 is a must play among Dreamcast online titles, though you probably knew that already. It’s fun, fast paced, frantic action isn’t at all hampered despite the console and game’s age. But if you only have access to a controller I can’t recommend playing online unless you go in expecting to lose.

If you love fps, crazy fast action and also quite intenese this is the game for you. One of the best online games for your dreamcast definitely a must have.

Quake 3 Arena is one of the best FPS games i ever played. No modern BS like microtransactions for cosmetics, (*looks at any modern shooter game*) and overall simple game. If you saw the title, you may be thinking what’s the catch ? Well. If you’re lazy to buy a keyboard and mouse like me, you’re pretty much stuck to a controller with one analog stick. This isn’t fault of the game, more fault of the Sega if anything. But when you’ll master the controlls with a controller, you can pat yourself on the back and it feels like a huge accomplishment. I’m amazed that this game is played to this day, but quite sad that it doesn’t get as much recognition as it deserves. I still can’t wrap my head around that it ran on the 56k modem without a major lag, but today’s FPS games even with strong internet will lag sometimes. Didn’t played it much online, but a few times i did, i really enjoyed it. GG to all who’m i’ve defeated, and to all who’m defeated me. Overall excellent game, and the DC port is great.