OpenArena (Quake3e)
Version: 0.8.8 Web: www.openarena.ws
Another blast from the past. As long-time Linux gamers know, OpenArena, the once-popular Quake III-inspired first-person shooter, has been in a state of limbo for over a decade. While game development hasn’t been renewed, a developer has put up a version of the game with the Quake3e engine. Quake3e is pipped as a modern Quake III Arena engine that’s faster, while still being compatible with all existing Q3A mods. More importantly, it has optimised OpenGL and Vulkan renderers and high-quality textures to give the graphics a much needed upgrade. The game is available on Flathub and can be installed with the following command: flatpak install flathub io.github.ec_.Quake3e.OpenArena . Remember to head to the game’s setup to configure the controls and customise your character. The gameplay is similar to the original and mirrors that of Quake III Arena, with some differences. It can be played offline against bots and includes all the genredefining gameplay modes, such as deathmatch, capture the flag, tournament, elimination, CTF elimination, last man standing, and more.
Click on a stage, choose your difficulty, and off you go. The objective is simple: frag as many of the opponents as possible using an assortment of weapons, from a shotgun to a rocket launcher, each with its own characteristics and use, depending on the situation.
OpenArea is fast-paced and takes some getting used to, even if you are familiar with the genre. And it’s as violent as you’d expect any FPS to be. It doesn’t ask much from your hardware, so you can run it without a hiccup on any computer that can run any of the modern Linux desktop environments. Sure, it doesn’t look as neat as the newer FPS games, like Xonotic, but it’s just as entertaining.