Enemy Territory lovers and team-based shooter fans can rejoice - Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is as good as advertised. It was one of the many games available to play at the E3 exhibit at Barkar Hangar in Santa Monica, and it was the first title I sought out on Thursday.

In fact, I got to play Quake Wars twice, both on the PC and the Xbox 360. Sadly, the PC version wasn't running on Windows Vista with DirectX 10, but the game still looked amazing on a Dell XPS running XP. And the Xbox 360 version, while darker and less detailed in many areas, was no slouch in the appearance department. Much has been written about Id Software's new MegaTexture graphics rendering technology, which helps create large outdoor environments with unique and detailed visuals instead of bland, repetitive imagery.

View the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars E3 07 Slideshow (8 images)

How much of a difference does MegaTexture make? A big one, without a doubt. The PC demo I played, which was not part of the beta and was a specific build for E3, featured a level that took place in the scenic region of Yosemite Valley, Calif. The background visuals were stunning, and the environments couldn't have looked more realistic. Enemy Territory: Quake Wars has to be one of the best looking games I've seen in a while.

Visually, Quake Wars didn't let up once the action began; developer Splash Damage has done an excellent job making the huge, sprawling conflicts between the human Global Defense Force (GDF) and the alien Strogg look sharp, even with tons of simultaneous action. Players begin as a member of the GDF, parachuting into a GDF stronghold in the Yosemite Valley. Soon enough, a conflict breaks out with Strogg near a strategic point with a bridge that's under repair.

The gameplay is similar to the original Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, except without Nazis and Allied soldiers, and the first-person shooter mechanics are flawless. There's some exciting weaponry and a few deployable vehicles with which to battle the Strogg. At first I had some difficulty using the vehicles, which can be used in both third- and first-person perspectives, but I eventually got the hang of it. By the time I was done with the demo, I was begging for more. I can't wait to see more of exquisite maps Quake Wars will have to offer.

For more Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, check out our previous coverage of the game with more screenshots.

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