Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Demo

The Enemy Territory: Quake Wars demo can be downloaded from here, or a little faster here. It is around 740mb big. ATI users need to download and install this, in order to avoid frustration.

The demo does not include this lovely map.

The demo includes the map from the beta test, Valley, which, while being fairly representative of the action from the game as a whole, is not the finest map the game has to offer. I can say this with some certainty because I've played Splash Damage at the entire game, including a run through each of the four campaigns. My PC Gamer review will contain my thoughts on that experience in a week or two. I'll link to it when it comes online. Meanwhile, for information on a more exciting map, take a look at this spoiler-packed preview. I'm calling "spoilers" on this one because I honestly can't think of another multiplayer FPS where the maps could be spoiled by being talked about beforehand - ETQW's maps are huge and surprising.

If you're going to have a crack at the demo - and you're going to be a miserable sod if you don't - take a few things into account:

- The Strogg and GDF experience is quite different. GDF have to attack on this map, and Strogg defend. The GDF must build a bridge, move a mobile base, kill a tower thing, launch a bunker-busting missile, and then assault an installation. Meanwhile the Stroggs must fight a retreat. Although the classes are paralleled on either side, they are not mirror-images of each other, and every single class has a wide range of different equipment. Try everything.

- Check out the mission system, I think the key is 'm' to select a mission. The HUD information for it appears top left on your screen. The missions will change dynamically depending on your class and the situation of your team. Both the game and your team will generate missions for you. Tell me this won't be in the next Battlefield game - it's an awesome feature.

- Chuckle as the guttural Strogg shock troops politely say "Thankyou" and "You're welcome" in the voice bind menu.

ETQW will arrive on 28th September, although there's no word as to whether it'll be on Steam, as far as I know...

EDIT: Other places to try and get this demo are listed here. And there's an offical torrent here.

Also, there's a detailed guide to the demo's map here.