I’ve now played the AI version ofQuake, and it’s…bizarre, to say the least.
It feels like playing a video game in a dream.
Not because it’s good, but because it’s everything about it feels unstable and ephemeral.
Other than the purely for the novelty, I’m really not sure why this thing exists.
Consider this your first warning that something is off.
The game loads in a small window in the center of the screen.
Immediately, it’s possible for you to tell it’s not quite right.
You have a health bar, an ammo counter, and a weapon indicator.
(More on that instability in a moment.)
The game plays a bit likeSuperHot, in that when you stop moving, nothing happens.
Enemies don’t attack, and in fact just freeze up entirely.
The game doestryto stay consistent.
This, really, is what gives it the feeling of being in a dream.
Things fall apart
Sometimes, you run into a room and encounter an enemy, firing away.
But if you run past it, then turn around, it’ll be gone.
Youdon’t have the same problem, as it’s impossible to die.
When you are attacked, your health counter appears to track downwards at a reasonable rate.
However, you’ll notice the numbers start to bounce around at random.
Game-breaking bugs
The game can simply break on a moment’s notice.
When I walked up to the elevator button, I triggered a loading screen that never finished loading.
Should video games be fun?
I’m not so sure I agree.
For one, thisQuakeexperience isn’tfun.
you’ve got the option to kill enemies, sure, but they can’t kill you.
With time, I’m sure Microsoft will present a more polished version of this experience.
