I have played a ridiculous amount of Quake III Arena, the action-packed gorefest of a shooter.
I would only ever pick one character to play as though, and that would be Doomguy. It was the only character I recognised and the only one whose history I cared about.
After reading through Quake Champions, though, that has changed.
Quake Champions, published by Titan Comics and written by Ram V with artwork by Alan Quah, is all about the bloody history of some of the characters in the universe that haven’t had as much love. It’s tied together with a storyline of typical violence we’ve come to expect from a Quake Arena property.
Starting off with Ranger’s story could have been dull if it wasn’t for the action. What can I say – Ranger’s story is as original as his name. But it’s great to see Quake’s weapons and items used in crafty and original ways. The comic does a great job throughout of painting the game’s trademark carnage into a deeper narrative form, showing the extent of the damage caused to the character. I also love the fact that Ranger does a rocket jump that was made infamous online.
Quake Champions is filled with brilliant yet gruesome action pieces, all sprinkled with familiar faces, weapons and items. The histories of the characters explored in the comic vary in the degree of originality and interest, but they get far better than Ranger’s basic beginnings. The backstory of Vision especially made my hair stand on end. I even audibly gasped at some of his actions.
Titan Comics has done a great job at bringing more life to Quake’s cast of characters. Mixed with a huge dollop of blood, and Quake Champions is brutal and fascinating from start to finish. If I was to ask for anything more, it would be more time in the actual arena and what that holds for these champions. But in the meantime, I think my bloodthirst has been quenched.
