Dropship Down Over Strogg Turf: Ten Minutes of Gameplay From The Awakening, Quake 4’s Canceled Expansion

Over the past two weeks, those of us who spent hours mulling over the Strogg combat from Quake 4 have been in for a treat, a 10-minute clip of the previously unfinished expansion. The Awakening has appeared on the internet. That’s right, Justin Marshall has now produced a clean version free of the obvious watermarks that were muddying up prior versions of the footage. Anyone viewing can now see a truly raw early prototype build straight from the creators, with all of the bells and whistles intact as they were when the team ceased working on it.

Ritual Entertainment was the team behind the project, and they had the Quake formula down pat after honing their talents with one of their previous mission packs. Unfortunately for them, the parent firm, Activision, canceled the entire project after Quake 4 sales fell short of expectations. According to reports, the expansion was 95% ready at the time, with a few scraps reaching users via the version 1.3 patch. The original game had a napalm launcher and eight new multiplayer levels, as well as a new team-based mode dubbed DeadZone, which sparked a lot of interest.

The new footage jumps right into the campaign, with cutscenes that use straightforward blocking and conversation to introduce the new group and task. It seems like a homecoming as we join up with the marines who have been through so much and hear their experiences as they trade them on the transport during Operation Sentinel. The squad joins up with Atlas walker forces and Hades infantry to take down one of Strogg’s oldest raw materials processing plants, as the aim is simple: get in there, grab some data, and then blow it up.


Naturally, not everything goes as planned. Anti-aircraft fire appears out of nowhere and whacks the dropship, causing it to take significant damage and rapidly lose altitude, with the crew calling out coordinates and warnings as the engines begin to shut down. You have to make quick judgments, and one of the team members must cut the harness so that the team can jump to safety or at least lower ground. It’s chaos, with shouts and the sound of metal ripping apart as the dropship battles to stay airborne long enough for everyone to escape.


When the crew hits the ground, the pace kicks up again, and we’re back in the Quake 4 groove, with Strogg turrets hammering the area and friendly walkers and troops locked down. You know the score; move low, use your cover, and wait for partner forces to call in reinforcements. There are supply tubes that provide a secondary route to the injured walkers for plate repairs. Clearing those tunnels and continuing the offensive are critical for progress.


Even though we are still looking at an early build, the level design maintains the tight flow of movement and shooting that defines Quake 4. The surroundings combine industrial Strogg architecture with the tight passageways and open kill zones that fans are already accustomed to. Of course, there are a few reminders that we’re looking at an unfinished prototype; placeholder textures and some weird animations here and there indicate that this is still a work in progress, not the finished product.
[Source]