"Possibly the best deathmatch shooter out for Dreamcast!"

Graphics: 9/10

Quake III showcases some powerful graphics and lighting effects. There are plenty of interesting character designs in the game, and the weapons look cool, too. The levels are well designed, and some of the levels have some effects that help set the gory and violent setting of the game. There are some familiar faces in the game, such as Doom and Sarge, as well as some completely new (and rather strange) characters making their debut in this game. The one problem I have with the graphics is that, although they were nice, they don't push the Dreamcast hardware as far as some other games, but graphics aren't everything.

Gameplay: 9/10

The only thing that keeps me from giving this game a 10 in the gameplay department is the fact that the gameplay, despite how fun it is, can wear through quickly enough if you're not connected to Sega Net. The pace is fast and frantic, and you have to beat your opponents to the frag limit set at the beginning of the match using a variety of weapons, from the basic machine gun to the extremely powerful rail gun. The levels have plenty of twists and turns in them to keep the pace up, and power-ups are strewn throughout the levels to keep players in conmpetition for dominance. The characters each have their own attributes, and can come in handy in different situations. Fans of deatmatch shooters should look for this one and pick up a copy.

Sound: 9.5/10

The sound is great, fitting every explosion and bullet shot with excellent quality. The charcters make their own diiferent sounds went hit or fragged, and each weapon has its own different sound effect.

Challenge: 8/10

Quake III Arena's single player mode doesn't exactly excel in the challenge department early on in the game. I didn't lose a single match in the first four tiers, and I still haven't lost any matches in single player mode. The real challenge is in netplay, where you can fight people who can actually think, rather than just fighting pure fragging machines over and over again. This game is great as an online deathmatch game, and should be added to the library of any Sega Net subscriber. This greatly extends the game play life and allows you to enjoy fragging another player from across the country.

Overall Score: 9/10

Recomendation: High

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/01, Updated 01/06/01