Quake 4 Combat Tips and Tricks (Xbox 360)

In a desperate war for Earth's survival against an unrelenting alien enemy, the only way to defeat them is to become one of them. Armed with advanced weaponry and vehicles and aided by an elite squad of marines, you take the battle to the heart of the Strogg home planet and become Earth's only hope for victory. The fast-paced combat in QUAKE 4 will tax your reflexes and force you to think fast and shoot even faster. To tilt the odds of success in your favor, I've collected some useful tips from the war-torn battle trenches. Study these pearls of wisdom, soldier, and hit the Strogg where it hurts. Humanity is depending on you.

Blaster
The default sidearm is the trusty blaster. Contrary to popular belief, this pea-shooter packs a wallop. It has a rapid rate of fire; tug the right trigger in quick succession to unload a steady stream of projectiles upon your foes. Aside from being a handy all-around pistol, the blaster has unlimited ammo reserves-that means you'll use it quite often against common enemies, especially when your other implements of destruction are running low.

It also features an alternate fire: Pull and hold the right trigger to charge up a single shot and release a powerful ball of energy. This tactic is much slower than simply showering enemies with regular shots, so make sure your aim is true when using secondary fire. To shed light on dark corners, press the Y button to activate the flashlight attachment (no need for duct tape here).

Machine Gun
Not long into combat you encounter the trusty machine gun. Like the name suggests, this compact assault rifle fires a steady stream of hot lead out of the barrel with the pull of the right trigger. Each clip holds a good amount of ammunition so take on numerous foes without taking a break-just make sure your aim is fairly accurate, or you'll waste precious shots on decorating the walls with holes. The available upgrade doubles clip capacity.

The machine gun's secondary fire is a scoped single-shot mode that is both highly accurate and very deadly. A simple pull of the left trigger lets you peer through the optical magnification device and hit Stroggs between the eyes at great range. Like the Blaster, this trusty weapon also possesses a flashlight that can be illuminated with a press of the Y button.

Shotgun
Get up close and personal with your enemies when you wield this powerful boomstick. As expected, the shotgun sprays forth a cone of metal pellets which is deadly in close quarters. Don't waste errant shots if your target is far away-to do so, only waste what little ammunition the shotgun holds at a given time. The shotgun is slow to reload as you feed each shell into the reservoir one at a time. This can prove fatal in the heat of a wild gunfight.

Always reload after every encounter (and if engaged in a one-to-one, take cover before fiddling with restocking shells). The shotgun's reloading weakness can be counteracted with the upgrade, clips instead of individual shells, though this doesn't happen until later in the game.

Grenade Launcher
The grenade launcher lobs individually timed explosive shells in an arc that explode on contact with a foe. Rounds that don't impact a target will detonate on their own within a few seconds, sending forth a shower of blast damage that will wound-if not destroy-anything nearby. Do not use the grenade launcher in tight spaces; instead, employ its massive destructive abilities in outdoor fights as well as in roomy areas. You can also bank projectiles off of walls and send shells around corners if you're good at predicting where they ricochet. Lead your targets at longer distances, because bombs move slowly through the air.

Hyper Blaster
Like the machine gun, the hyper blaster fires in rapid bursts, but the projectile is a laser instead of a metal slug. Shots from this gun travel relatively quickly, though you need to lead your targets when they're a good clip away. In all, this is a good all-around assault weapon to have in your arsenal, especially in close quarters combat.

Nailgun
The nailgun first appeared in the original QUAKE. Like the name implies, it is a machinegun that spits out nails at high speed which do ample damage to ordinary Strogg. Like the grenade launcher, nailgun rounds cause splash damage; fire at the feet of shield-toting enemies to circumvent their defenses and dish out the pain.

Rocket Launcher
A fan of multiplayer fraggers, the rocket launcher is a devastating weapon. It fires self-propelled projectiles that detonate upon impact with anything, so it's especially dangerous to use in tight spaces. The splash damage caused by a shell's explosion is fierce, so aim your shots at the feet of your opponents rather than at their chests-not only will you be more likely to hit your target but you'll also damage anything close by. Don't use this weapon around clusters of friendly troops (especially those you are instructed to protect). The rocket launcher can be upgraded to fire three rockets at once.

Railgun
The railgun fires a high-speed projectile that, upon contact with a fleshy object, deals out massive damage. The weapon's ammunition travels long distances in a flash, so there's little need to lead targets, making this the gun of choice when fighting multiple foes spread out across big areas.

Lightning Gun
Like the nailgun, the lightning gun dates back to the original QUAKE. Its function has not changed since its inception. Essentially, the weapon fires a steady stream of electrical energy that, upon collision with another entity causes a healthy bit of injury. Because the lightning gun fires a continuous beam, it eats through ammo reserves very quickly. The available upgrade causes lightning to arc from the primary target to nearby foes, thus multiplying its effectiveness against groups of Strogg.

Dark Matter Gun
No id property would be complete without a signature "megagun" in its arsenal. QUAKE 4's answer to the BFG is the dark matter gun. Shots from this beast travel slowly through space, but anything within range of a dark matter ball will lose health. Upon impact, the ensuing explosion will crush any creature unlucky enough to cross its path. Due to its massive power, the dark matter gun is best used against clusters of enemies across great distances or in long hallways.

No matter which weapons you're toting at any given moment, it always pays to understand a gun's most effective uses. Grab ammunition whenever you find it, reload after every incident, and select the best tool for the job and you'll smithe your foes every time.

Basic Maneuvers and Tips
Because QUAKE 4 is a first-person shooter, it employs standard movements and tactics common to the genre. If you've played Halo 2, then you're already familiar with circle strafing and bunny hopping. Use both of these tactics to get the jump on the Strogg and your online enemies. For the uninitiated, here's a brief explanation of both concepts.

Circle strafe: The concept of the circle strafe is simple-simply lock onto a target and strafe around it to avoid taking damage while you pummel it with shots. Put a Strogg in your crosshairs and tilt the left thumbstick in one direction while moving the right thumbstick in the opposite one. The end result will have you circling an opponent while keeping him in your sight.

Bunny hop: It's harder to hit a moving target, so jump like a caffeinated jackrabbit when confronting multiple bogeys. Not only will you lessen (if not completely avoid) taking splash damage from projectile impacts, but you'll also make it very difficult for your foes to score a hit on you.

You often run into a fight with other marines. When you're not tasked with protecting an ally, concentrate on keeping your own hide alive. Your buddies can take care of themselves, so let them charge ahead and deal with opponents when you're low on health and/or ammunition.

Don't be afraid to fire up that flashlight. The darkness conceals many goodies-most of which are out of plain sight. Thoroughly explore the immediate area once you've dispatched the lion's share of enemies. Power-ups can take the form of ammunition caches, health packs, armor, and new weapons, so don't overlook some new toys by blazing blindly ahead.

QUAKE 4 automatically saves the game at checkpoints, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't manually save the game at key points. By saving early and often, you have the option of replaying particularly difficult battles over. This comes in handy if you wasted too much firepower on a weak enemy or you took too much damage in a fight; simply reload a saved game and learn from your previous mistakes.

Fighting the Strogg army is no small task, but if you learn and employ the tips and tactics listed here, you will have little problem mowing down your enemies. Keep a cool head under pressure and fight like there's no tomorrow. If you fail, reload your last save and try again.

Glitches anyone? These things happen all the time: