Today the Cyberathele Professional League announced that Quake 3, yes Quake 3, is going to be THE one-versus-one game for the 2006 World Tour. 80% of CPL gamers polled voted for Quake 3 to be the one-versus-one game. With new mods for the game, Quake 3 is going to offer the "best tournament experience for both competitors and spectators" according to the CPL.
At first I had to check the date of the news post from the CPL to make sure this wasn't an old post from 2003. But after some thought, Quake 3 is the best game for one-versus-one. It has a huge saturation among FPS gamers. It's widely accepted as one of the best FPS of all time. It's playable on many platforms. New GPU drivers have this game being played at INSANE graphical resolutions. New mods offer high caliber gameplay and awesome spectator features for those watching from home or the gaming venues.
When I get some time, I'm going to write about how sequels to games (like Q4 or UT2004) don't guarantee a successful following and often divides the FPS community. I want to write about gameplay theory and gamer retention as it pertains to game sequels. I'm about three trips to the lake and 10 Starbucks from getting that epic post ready.