Making arena type FPS characters more unique by giving them special abilities seems to be a new trend. Battleborn, Overwatch, even Call of Duty: Black Ops III, all give you some kind of powers based on the character you choose.
Though the game will feature all the cool stuff that made us fall in love with the Quake series (including rocket jumping, fast movement, scurrying around the map for different weapons), Champions will be the first game to adopt this unique ability format. Fans of the classic Quake experience have had a mixed reaction to this, however. Many want the old school experience in today’s high detail graphics.
“We want to make sure we give people what they want,” Project Lead Tim Willits said in an interview with Gamespot. “If you create custom game mode, you should be able to set the game up the way you want. If you need to turn off Champions, we’ll let you turn off Champions. That won’t be a problem.”
This means that the competitive mode of the game will still feature the champion abilities, with custom games being the only way players can play without them. It may not be the best, but it still gives the fans a chance to live the classic Quake experience. Willitis continues, addressing the concern, “I really do believe it adds to the experience, because you don’t fundamentally change the way you play based on the Champion you have,” said Willits. “You still run and shoot and pick up all the weapons. But the subtle variations add that level of strategy and depth that I think is the next step we need to take.”
In any case, the game sure seems worth a shot. And who knows, once you try the new abilities, you may end up liking it. Quake Champions is scheduled to release for the PC sometime in 2017, with an open beta to be available prior. Whether the game will be free-to-play or not is still unknown.
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