Quake II was heavily criticized that it was much slower paced than its predecessor. Players ran slower, rockets moved slower, and it took too long to switch weapons and reload. Well, id has heeded out calls and has improved on them all... vastly. Most noticeable is the addition of classes: light, medium, and heavy, each with their own advantages and disadvantages in speed and armor. The light class moves at the speed of Hexen II (really fast) but can't take much damage before dying. Meanwhile, the heavy class is the exact opposite and can really dish out the damage. The medium class is an all around player, perfect for newbies.

The speed at which weapons move and fire has also been increased. The rocket now moves at somewhere in between Quake and Quake II speed, while the other weapons have an equally increased fire rate. Weapon switching also takes less time, now almost instantaneous, taking a mere 6 frames to switch. Ladders are now a thing of the past. To speed up gameplay, they have been replaced by "jump pads", which propel you skyward just by jumping on one. And the last complaint was the physics in Quake II... they were just too... stiff (for the lack of a better word). Movement through air was impossible, and the kickback from weapons and damage just wasn't enough. Both of these complaints were also addressed, allowing for Quake maneuverability through the air as well as the proper feedback from getting shot by a rocket, depending on your class (light players will really FLY!).

Contrary to popular belief, Q3A isn't an "online only game". Although the majority of buyers will play it online, you don't need an Internet connection to play the game. Similar to Unreal Tournament, you can play against AI controlled bots if you decide not to play over the Internet. The objective, online of offline, is to make your way up the ladder by killing others more than getting killed yourself with some of the most destructive firepower ever seen.

So just how are the weapons? Most of them are well known remakes from their past games. There are 9 weapons included in Q3A, each enhanced with speed in mind. Weapons balance is extremely important in a game such as this, where no 1 weapon can dominate, and 1 can't be much weaker than another. I think they did a great job.

Machine Gun - This is the weapon that all players start with. It is quite powerful and has a faster firing rate than Quake II's. It resembles Quakes nailgun at best.

Super Shotgun - Both powerful and fast, it really packs a wallop. Best used at close range.

Grenade Launcher - Fires quite fast and does a bit more damage than a rocket. It also travels much farther than in Quake II.

Rocket Launcher - The king of all weapons (at least in previous games), the RL can fire much faster than before. Its travelling speed is very close to that of Quake.

Flame Thrower - Not much is known; it might be taken out. It is best for laggers, since it requires little aim.

Railgun - We all know what this is. An instantaneous projectile; it fires a bit faster than in Quake II but does less damage.

Plasma Gun - Resembles DOOM's plasma gun, but improved! The post-fire delay is gone, giving you another speed advantage.

Lightning Gun - Although it is not implemented yet, it is rumored to be even more powerful than Quake's.

BFG 10k - Imagine a stream of rockets, and you know this weapon can gut in seconds. The most powerful weapon in the game, it takes some skill to hit your target since it's an instant hit weapon. Just make sure to stay away from someone holding this baby.

A grappling hook might be added for CTF, but it is still unknown. What about a melee weapon? Most indications are of a mace-style weapon. It should be much more powerful than the previous axe and certainly better than Quake II's blaster. But I was still hoping for another chainsaw...