"The Great Grandaddy of Grand Theft Auto"

I'm sure that when Grand Theft Auto first hit the shelves in the late 90's, old-schoolers everywhere (including myself) were cursing the unenlightened who were exclaiming that such an explorative and wantonly destructive driving game had never been made before: indeed it had, and it went by the name of Quarantine.


Lockdown

In the not-so-distant future, the definition of 'criminal' is somewhat lax, and, as such, jails are filled to overflowing. Not having enough space to accommodate all of these offenders, the government decides to throw them all into a heavily guarded city-state to fend for themselves as they will. As you might imagine, this city is not the most hospitable place in the northern hemisphere. How does one eke out a living in such an unforgiving environment? The character that you portray opts not to attract a lot of attention to himself, and decides to become... a cabby?!

Admittedly, the story is pretty weak. Thankfully, the atmosphere of the game itself is an excellent fusion of the post-apocalyptic and cyberpunk genres; the city streets are illuminated by flickering neon billboards and cracked street lights, and the high-tech gadgetry that you're exposed to sometimes feels like it was ripped straight out of Blade Runner. Fans of science fiction and its derivatives will feel right at home in Quarantine.


Spinning Your Wheels...

Quarantine is one of those games in which you have the option of playing to win the game, or playing to experience the game. Playing to win entails completing a whole bunch of missions and scenarios(much like GTA), many of which are repetitive and seem largely arbitrary. On the other hand, playing to experience the game is done by cruisin' around the massive play area, picking up the odd passenger that catches your attention, and generally living the life of the overworked, underpaid, heavily-armed cab driver. Both methods of play are satisfying, although aimlessly squealing through the streets can get somewhat boring, especially after watching the spectacle of a pedestrian splattering across your windshield for the fiftieth time. Thankfully, getting around the city is made painless by the precision controls and the excellent map interface provided by the developers.

Of course, travelling in a penal colony is not quite as simple as going from point A to point B. There are plenty of hostile citizens out there who are itching to reduce your cab to scrap metal, and they go to great lengths to scratch that itch. Roadblocks, land mines, heavy artillery, and the comparatively boring gunman are among the obstacles that you will quickly become familiar with in Quarantine. While this resistance is certainly expected, it is occasionally frustrating to have to deal with these 'nuisances' when you're nearing the end of a particularly difficult mission.


... and Letting Off Steam

Given that you are going to be facing some heavy resistance, you obviously need some means of holding your own. What is an enterprising fellow like yourself to do?

Accessorize!

That's right -- nothing tells those thugs that you mean business like a hood-mounted flame thrower and spiked fenders. While there is a large range of offensive and defensive equipment that you can equip your cab with, all of it is quite expensive, and a large chunk of your budget is usually devoted to repairs. However, penny-pinchers will feel well-rewarded for their efforts when they bear witness to the sight of the crackly and flamey death of their opponents in high-res VGA.

Indeed, considering the age of this title, the graphics and sound are quite good. Significant detailing has been done on all of the street signs and buildings (although it is sometimes too grainy to make out), and the MIDI music and digitized sound is about as good as can be expected. Unfortunately, you never get to see what the interiors of any of the buildings look like because you're confined to your car. This was my major beef with the game, and I think it's what made GTA so much more appealing to so many people -- your experience in the big city would be more immersive if you could actually leave your vehicle.


Know Your History

Quarantine is a spectacular game that, unfortunately, never really got much credit. If you desire a high-quality abandonware title to kill some time, or you'd like to play a precursor to one of the most controversial franchises of the past decade, you'll find that Quarantine will fit the bill. This isn't just a great game: it's a lesson in videogame history.

9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/03, Updated 01/14/03