Quake 4 mod False Dawn released just in time for QuakeCon
Released yesterday to commemorate the start of QuakeCon 2014 , the Quake 4 mod False Dawn is a non-linear, multiple-goal mission with up-to-date graphics, overhauled health and damage systems and even a story that actually has some meat on the bone.
I can't vouch for any of these claims because I haven't actually played it, but False Dawn does sound promising. It takes place an unspecified number of years after Quake 4 and puts players in the role of a Stroggified Marine, perhaps not the most creative twist ever but presumably necessary to the story, which involves intercepting Strogg communications as a significant plot device.
False Dawn updates its visual elements through the use of the Sikkmod and also offers original, if maybe a bit dodgy, voice acting. More intriguingly, it promises a "meaningful story" about a plot to destroy humanity "that is not as black and white as it may first appear."
The trailer playing above was actually released in December 2012 so how much similarity there is to the final release is hard to say, but it looks pretty cool anyway and, more the point, the developers haven't seen fit to release a newer one. There are an estimated 90 to 120 minutes of fresh Strogg-shooting action in the mod, which of course requires Quake 4 to play, and while that's not a huge amount of gameplay, it's free, and it's not like you're at QuakeCon, right? Pick it up at ModDB.com .
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.
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