Quake II

Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media , for $7.5 billion in March 2021. US tech giant Microsoft supercharging Israeli war machine in Gaza: Report American technology giant Microsoft plays a significant role and is complicit in the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip by providing the occupying entity with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, finances, and workforce, says a recent report. US tech giant Microsoft has been forced to terminate the Israeli military’s access to some of its services, which the illegal regime uses for espionage activities and data surveillance against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Microsoft’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith, confirmed in a blog post that the company had “ceased and disabled a set of services” to a unit within the Israeli ministry of military affairs in response to an August 6 joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call. The investigation revealed that following a 2021 meeting between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Israel’s Unit 8200 leader Yossi Sariel, an agreement was reached to collaborate on moving large volumes of sensitive intelligence material into the company’s Azure platform. The probe revealed that Unit 8200, the Israeli military’s notorious spy outfit in charge of carrying out clandestine operations and collecting signal intelligence, used Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to store phone call data obtained through mass surveillance in war-torn Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The joint investigation said the spying unit, equipped with Azure’s near-limitless storage capacity and computing power, had built an indiscriminate new system allowing its intelligence officers to collect, play back, and analyze the content of cellular calls of the entire Palestinian population. According to several sources, the enormous repository of intercepted calls – which amounted to as much as 8,000 terabytes of data – was held in a Microsoft data center in the Netherlands. Sources familiar with the matter said Microsoft told Israeli officials late last week that Unit 8200 had violated the company’s terms of service by storing the vast trove of surveillance data in its Azure cloud platform. The decision brings to an abrupt end a three-year period in which the spy agency operated its surveillance program using Microsoft’s technology. Although the initial focus of the spying system was the occupied West Bank, where an estimated three million Palestinians live under Israeli military occupation, intelligence sources were reported to say the cloud-based storage platform had been used in the Gaza war to facilitate the preparation of deadly airstrikes. The revelations highlighted how Israel, in cahoots with major US technology companies, used their services and infrastructure to bomb Gaza, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians, and creating a profound humanitarian crisis. Last month, Quds News Network said in a report that Microsoft is among the most prominent global technology companies that has established a strong and influential presence in the Israeli war on Gaza. Microsoft was reported to have employed over 1,000 former Israeli soldiers and officers in its offices within the occupied territories, with many also working in its global branches. Investigations based on leaked employee records reveal that more than 300 former Israeli spies currently work at Microsoft, according to the report. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip by killing, starving, and displacing Palestinians, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it. The genocide has left 65,549 dead and 167,518 injured, most of them children and women. Over 11,000 people are missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that has claimed more than 210 lives.

I would like to start of by saying "Night Dive Studios" is the Kings & Queens of remastering and remaking games. I have bought Forsaken, Doom 64 and System Shock remake and they are all great. Furthermore, I own Quake 2 on Steam and the full version here on GOG and I must say I am super thankful for this amazing remaster, "Night Dive Studios" have given new life to this game and the music is working again. In addition the self-shadows and dynamic shadows on everthing looks amazing and "Night Dive Studios" shows that amazing graphics can still be crafted with plain rasterization!

The remastered version of Quake 2 comes with every campaign ever made for the game and then some. The graphics look way better than the original, the enemy AI was improved and there are lot of quality of life features added. I absolutely love the addition of muzzle flashes and hitmarkers, it makes the gunplay feel so much better! The inventory and weapon wheels are also very handy, making item management less clunky. The only missed opportunity here I feel was the inclusion of a true centered weapon option, with model rather than making the gun invisible when 'centered'. Also, the new Berserker ground pound area of effect is a bit too large if you ask me, I was rarely able to avoid the damage when dodging it. For the multiplayer I love that they added crossplay and that nifty voice chat reader. I had way more fun than I was expecting while playing it. Well done Nightdive, you guys truly are the kings of remasters!

The kid notices that Quake2 has been updated with improved visuals and a new expansion. The kid also notices that they have made the update free to current owners. The kid downs a few beers, to get in the mood for some Q2, downloads the game, and boots it up. The kid is greeted with the accessibility options, all turned on by default. He disables all of them. He also chuckles at the aim assist option for gamepads. After a quick look through the options, the kid jumps straight into multiplayer. He checks the lobby, and all servers are running "The Edge". 'Good', he thinks to himself. Time to party like a LAN party in '98. The kid spawns, and dashes for the railgun. Frags a few opponents with relative ease, until he meets an unceremonious demise. He hasn't gone completely rusty, he thinks to himself. Next, he has a blast with the rocket and grenade launchers, because nothing says 'Welcome home' like a rocket to the face. The kid is pleased that the fast pace, high skill mechanics have not been messed with. After that match, the kid start the original campaign on Nightmare. Completes the 1st map in a few minutes, while finding all secrets. Before continuing on to the next level, the kid looks over to the fallen corpses of his enemies; flies are using them as airports. 'Good', he thinks to himself. The single player has not been messed with.

After Quake Enhanced, Nightdive studios nailed another cool remaster! Having a new episode AND porting Quake 2 64 is a wonderful bonus, kudos for handing it out for free to Quake 2 owners. I'd gladly pay for this, though, it's a wonderful remaster. I mean, the guns finally even have muzzle flashes!