Quake II

I've no reason to repurchase Quake 2 here give that I already own two copies of it, one the original boxed edition as well as the Ground Zero expansion (also boxed) and another edition that was included with QUake 4's special edition which had Quake 2, Ground Zero and Reckoning. It's nice to see the full quad damage edition though which includes Netpack Extremities (also available as a VERY rare boxed edition). I do though still want to encourage others who might not have played the game to do so. After Doom's sci-fi horror and Quake's gothic rampage, Quake 2 went the sci-fi military route. Similar in some respects to the difference between Alien and Aliens. A new engine and (for the time) amazing features, new structure dynamics - interlinked levels forming hubs with shared mission objectives and a wider cast of opponents than Quake you had a solid foundation for one of the all time great FPS's. Add into the mix the oppressive and imposing architecture, the relentless combat and a truly awesome soundtrack and it just got better. Even then however there was still more to come. A slick and sublime multiplayer mode, strong modding support and some tweaks and variety provided by the mission packs and you were truly in for a treat - and now? It still plays brilliantly even if it does look rough around the edges. If you don't mind the visuals which are aged by contemporary standards you'll be in for an amazing ride. Once you're done with the original releases give the "1964" map pack a try and if you want something a bit more different then the "Citizen Able" series and "Love story of prince of Stroggos" are also definitely worth a look. And then, once you've gone through all that. Look for a map called "Small Pile of Gibs" and you'll have one of the slickest and most impressive single player Quake 2 maps made. Now leave me be. I'm going to play it some more with "Quad Damage" playing on loop. I hope you enjoy it as much as all the years of fun it has given me!

I'd like to point out that THERE IS MUSIC. GOG used winmm.dll to allow playing the soundtrack without using a CD, but the Anniversary Update of Windows 10 broke it. "How can I listen to the banger that is Quake II's soundtrack then?" I recommend you download the unofficial 3.24 patch and patch it (of course), then put the MUSIC folder included in Quake II to "baseq2\music". The game will handle the music correctly afterwards, playing the normal soundtrack on the base game, Mission Pack's soundtrack for The Reckoning, and the mix of both for Ground Zero. That way you can experience the game without using a bloated source port full of stuff you probably won't even use.

Quake 2 was my 1st game to introduce not only the Quake series, but also the Arena FPS genre. But does it still holds up today? This review will be divided for each additional content as well. Quake 2 Quake 2 offers a modified id Tech 2 engine which Quake 1 uses, allowing you to have new features in to give an easier time for new players to set up, as well as introduce the option to go back to the previous sections to the game, giving a small Metroid-like feeling. The gameplay is almost the same, go around and kill while doing objectives which your base sends. This time you have 10 guns to play with instead of 8 and the powerups don't use immediately on pick up, but rather on use, which somewhat makes the game easier. The graphics received some improvements, the software mode no longer requires DOS and the game makes a good use of OpenGL/3dfx. The animation is no longer choppy which Quake 1 has by default, while FX are very simple and didn't eat that much of the performance on older PCs. There is a problem though, on OpenGL the game is simply too dark, this is something which fits to Quake 1 rather than a sci-fi action game. The music IS present in this version, but it does not loop by default, however a fix exists for that. The Reckoning Despite having new levels and new weapons, most of the new enemies are just reskins with bigger HP and uses new weapons. Not bad, but it needs something better. Ground Zero The HARDEST mission pack ever made. Not only introduces new powerups while replacing some of them, it also introduces new weapons, new enemies and a remaded AI. Which means older enemies are more smarter and deadlier than before. The newer ones won't give you any mercy. This is reserved only for pros. Netpack: Extremities It contains a lot of popular mods and a bot configurator. It's nice to see it here Also worth mentioning, this version uses a fully customizeable launcher for you to play with. Against Steam verison, this one is just better.

Still one of my favorites, I played it first right when it came out. I like the atmosphere of hate throughout the game. I only do single player. Running around in the same map all the time with only other marines without monsters is not my thing. The monsters are good, here and in the add-ons. The all have their strengths and weaknesses, just like in Doom and Quake I. Take the mighty Gladiator: from a distance he will rail you with his railgun. If you get close he will hit you with his claw arm. If you get close but at the right distance he will miss you with his arm, and cannot shoot you. That makes it extra fun, because it is tricky to keep the right distance. AI is not that bad, I find myself trying out different strategies in tight spots. It is possible to trigger in-fighting: try to make the monsters shoot each other. Always fun to watch, and it saves a lot of ammo. One reviewer said "monsters duck right in a spacious area". The don't duck to hide, they bend over because of the pain! They can't move for a short while when being shot. Just like in Quake and Doom. Sounds in the game are very good. The Add-ons have some interesting new weapons and annoying new enemies. Some say the weapons are standard, but before Quake 2 I never saw a railgun in a game. Love the hate, get Quake 2.