Good day to you forum members. Since late October I have been using Ubuntu (which I've really enjoyed). Being a gamer, and having recently bought a shiny new PC, I naturally started searching for games to play on Ubuntu shortly after installing it. I slowly found my way to the various sites based around Linux games. Together, they have proven to be more than adequate at cataloging the thousands of Linux games. What they do not offer, however, are good, concise, reliable reviews of all those games.
Naturally, I had to do something to correct that. Below is my very first attempt. Constructive criticism is anticipated and even expected. I have already received a truckload from close friends, so feel free to pile it on. As you can see, the title labels this review as "#1," which usually implies there is more to come. Those additional reviews are coming whether you want them or not, but I'd prefer it if they did not fall on deaf ears (er, blind eyes?). So please tell me if you would like to see more. Thanks, and enjoy
If you have played Doom, Quake, Unreal Tournament, or any of their various free mods/clones, then you already have a good idea of what to expect from Nexuiz. Like all those games before it, Nexuiz is simple, dumb fun. Turn the game on and within twenty seconds you will be fragging people hundreds of miles away. Sure, this may not be the most suitable game for those who want a more involving story than just "You fragged Nutsack02," but it's perfect for just about everyone else.
When playing this game, words like "regular," "normal," and "standard" kept creeping into my head. One word that did not pop up, however, was "mediocre." What it set out to do it does very well, and the familiar experience has been polished to a shine. All the weapons we have come to expect from past games like the rocket launcher, rail gun, laser, etc. are in attendance, but they are very well balanced. The maps are also generally standard affairs, but amidst the recycled Quake maps you will find some truly fun and unique experiences that you can only get on Nexuiz.
When it comes to visuals, Nexuiz seems to have something for everyone, as the lowest settings will easily run on very modest computers, while the highest settings make for a very nice light show. These niceties do not compare to the visuals of their modern commercial counterparts, although most are willing to forgive this since the game is entirely free and is based on a modified version of the Quake 1 engine (which came out in the mid-nineties). The sound effects really help immerse the player in the action, and can be a ton of help during intense 1v1 battles. The music is weak, derivative techno that you will surely switch off in favor of your own tunes, or just the sound effects.
The community surrounding the game is not enormous, but the five hundred thousand plus downloads ensure that the servers will always be well stocked when you are ready to play. A small collection of North American clans have started to emerge, and the map makers always manage to keep a steady collection of maps flowing into the community.
You could spend all day bickering over which death match game is the best, and I bet most players would not choose Nexuiz. This does not mean Nexuiz is a bad game, only that the differences are minimal and the commercial games win out more for the small details than any major reason. My final word: for a good time, play Nexuiz.
Links:
Official Site
Linux Game Tome article
Linux Games article documenting the improvements made to version 2.4
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Originally Posted by atomkarinca
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