Quake II

There is not much to be said about Quake 2, it is an all-time classic among FPS. A clear development from the first game with a more fleshed out story and levels that are not abstract labyrinths, but more realistic. But they can still be tricky to navigate, the newly added compass that shows the way to the next goal is really helpful, as is the wheel for items, similar to a weapon wheel on console fps. The two official Addons The Reckoning and Ground Zero as well as a port of the Levels of Quake64 into the engine are included, which offer more, solid gameplay. The Addons add some new enemies, but most of them are just variants of already known foes. The new weapons also don't do anything groundbreaking. All are also relatively short with about 2-4 hours of gameplay (beaten on normal difficulty) The graphics seem similar, although many of the assets (like textures and models) have gotten some work, but I can only see the differences in side-by-side comparisons. They aren't many and if, they can be subtle to spot. Music and Sound stay the same. Another addition is the Archives, which include goodies like concept art or models from the game to view. Also, some early versions of the game, that were demoed at tradeshows are available to play, showcasing the rapid progress during the game’s development. Nothing that is an absolute must-have, but pretty neat. The clear highlight of this release is the new "Call of the Machine" episode. It consists of six mini episodes and a final boss fight; the structure reminds me more of the first game of the series. The environments range from the known futuristic styles of the base game to some very different. All the levels are well designed, I rarely needed the compass for orientation. There are no new weapons or enemies, but the developers take advantage of everything developed for the older addons. Overall, while I think the other addons can be skipped, this is must-play for fans.

It's got music, its got visuals, its got a compass. The helpful compass points the way so you won't get lost hopefully. That was in my opinion the biggest problem with this game, which might be why it took me 20 years to finally finish it. It's fun, challenging, and gets better the further in to it you get.

I purchased Q2 on GOG a long time ago and just heard about the update. After watching a YouTube video about the update I was ready to buy the game again. Lo and behold GOG is letting owners of Q2 have the updated version without paying anything extra. I played the N64 version of Doom when it was made available for the PC and I really enjoyed that. I was looking forward to playing the N64 version of Q2 and I'm very happy with it. I like the smaller levels in that version. The PS2 port of Q2 was good but the levels were really big. The N64 port has short levels and brutal gameplay. The only drawback is the bigger download. Pick this game up if you don't own it already, whether you have played Q2 or you're new to the game.

Q2 improved immensly over its predecessor. The weapons look killer (unlike in Q1), enemies and locations are way more diverse and interesting and it has more colours and sometimes it looks really beautiful. Level design is complex with a lots of backtracking but you somehow always find the right way very quickly even thanks to monsters spawns that lead you in the right direction. It also has some kind of story and a cool badass factor. The first Quake is a creepy survivor horror FPS while Q2 is more action like and it feels like you have it under control. Mission packs are as usually sub-par but the main game is amazing.

For anyone over 30, this game is essential ownership. Who could resist buying this classic under $10? And with a heap of mods? Not me, at any rate. And what a treat, just stepping through the first few stages was like a step back in time, and I have to say, that gut wrenching feeling of walking around the corner and hearing "Get him!" is still there. The level design, music, controls, all just timeless. The fact of what makes the game still so appealing is the simplicity of the game itself. Hunt them down, clear the levels. Yes this is a legacy of its tech era, but not having constant distractions or side-quests coming up, you can lose hours on this game and it still feels like minutes. The weapon selection is simple and straightforward, but man, it's still so much fun to fire that double-barrel shotgun. The movement and animation is still fluid, the controls are minimal but effective. Strafing and shooting just work brilliantly as they ever did. The puzzles are still challenging, and the AI, now some 20+ years old is still hard-as-nails to beat especially on the higher levels. Can't wait to break out some multiplayer action. (A side note: to get this working on Windows 10, I had to load the Yamagi client. Once I did that, the full screen sizing worked properly with 1920x1080 resolution and the mouse worked.)