Enemy Territory: Quake Wars bears an id Software logo, but its soul belongs to developer Splash Damage. It’s best to get this out of the way up front, because those who suspect this is another shallow, run-and-gun deathmatch game like id Software’s previous Quake titles are mistaken – it’s a tight, tactical team-based shooter developed by one of the best names in multiplayer gaming.

Splash Damage previously worked with id Software on Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, a free, critically acclaimed objective-based multiplayer game that encouraged effective teamplay. Now, for its first commercial foray, Splash Damage has clearly delivered the game it always wanted to, expanding on W:ET’s core gameplay and raising the bar for every other game in the category.

The premise is simple: The evil cybernetic Strogg have invaded Earth, hoping to eat humans and/or turn them into zombies, and the Global Defense Force (GDF) is trying to stop them. Each battle is round-based, consisting of linear objectives that each side must complete to win. For example, the GDF may be required to construct a bridge, move their mobile headquarters across it, set up a base and destroy a key Strogg facility.

Players select a team and character class, with each class differing in its weapon load-out and available ‘missions’. The latter are smaller jobs, similar to objectives, but are specific to each class – for example, an engineer may be required to repair a defensive turret. Similar to role-playing games, experience points (XP) are awarded for successfully completing objectives and missions, as well as killing an enemy. The more XP you get, the more abilities and weapons you have at your disposal.

This XP system is what sets ET:QW apart. Covert ops can snipe away on a ridge and wipe out enemies by the dozen, but it counts for nothing unless the objectives are met. Instead, the covert ops player will be better rewarded for completing missions such as deploying radar and hacking enemy defenses. Teams that focus solely on their objectives and play their class effectively will invariably win.

Such a team-based game requires effective communication, and while ET:QW provides a range of keyboard-based shortcuts, there are no in-game voice communications. Fortunately, this criminal omission is likely to be rectified by an upcoming patch, but we’d still encourage serious players to wait for confirmation before making the investment.

ET:QW looks, sounds and plays fantastic, which is no surprise given that it’s based on a modified Doom 3 engine. Sadly, there’s no single-player game aside from battling it out with dodgy AI bots, and there’s a steep learning curve for even advanced players. But the investment is worth it, and with Valve’s Team Fortress 2 and Portal released at the same time (all are available on Steam), online shooter fans couldn’t ask for more.