If Quake 3 was released as a platform only,.I doubt it would sell well for the simple fact that most mods would basically suck. Even vital elements such as player control wouldn't feel as tight and polished as id's version. So, while Quake 3 makes an excelent platform, it does so because Quake 3 is a great game underneath. Tim Sweeney of Epic stated, proudly, in an interview online, that Unreal was made primarily as a way to show off the engine to developers in the hope that they would port ongoing projects to it. Quake3 is fantastic for so many reasons.
Nothing speaks more truth.
My faith in the literacy and intelligence of our readers increases with every editorial. Now my feedback. I have no idea what the game's like. But he was so sold on my description of Q3A that he went out and bought it, and he likes it a lot so far. The reason I like Q3A so much is not so much of the game, but the engine.