Game Play and Control

When one ponders what it is that causes a person to really like a game, it's usually things like graphics, storyline, or, -um, graphics that immediately come to mind. -Did I mention graphics?- Yet, perhaps the most important, and often overlooked factor is actually how the game "feels".

For me, the game that has the best feel to it also happens to be my favorite game of all time. That game; Quake III Arena by id software. This First Person Shooter fits me like a well tailored Italian suit. Once the keyboard and mouse are set up correctly, I feel almost as if I'm connected directly to the game without the aid of input devices. Running forwards (W key), backwards (S key), strafing left and right (A and D keys) are all tuned to the "perfect" speed for me. Also, the turning velocity of the mouse look is customizable, so it's also always just right for me. While the Mouse 1 button is "fire", I always set my Mouse 2 button to jump. I found it makes rocket jumping much easier.

Even the layout of the weapons keys has a sensible "natural" order to it. Starting on the left, key "1" is the the weakest weapon. As you move on to the right and go up in keys 2,3,4,5 etc. the weapons get progressively more bad ass. Furthermore, each weapon's key can be reached without having to stop in the midst of battle to switch weapons.

When it comes to game feel, the best analogy I can think of is a car. A car can be shiny, new, sporty and comfortable, but if I don't like the way it handles, I'm not going to like it. No matter how sweet looking it is. To me, Quake III feels like a well-tuned German Sports sedan. It's good-looking, comfortable and convenient to use, yet tight, responsive and very fast.