Most games don't age well. The few that do are rightly considered classics, and Quake is undeniably a classic. With it's sci-fi, high fantasy, Lovecraftian fantasy set among rocket jumps, awesome weapon design (Take the grenade launcher, which is something most modern shooters have now is astounding for back then), not to mention the lightning gun and the super nail gun) and an unbelievably creepy soundtrack by Trent Reznor, and an game changing multiplayer. One could say it holds up well. Or you could say that they don't make games like they used too. And you'd be right on both fronts You are armed with only an array of weapons, a gravity-defying jump, and some twitchy fingers against the hordes of Quake. I like this better than Doom,because this feels like what Doom was trying to go for, but ended up looking like a cartoon. And the enemies? They are your worst nightmares. Id wasn't content with just the hordes of hell this time. There's an ogre that looks like Leatherface's child, a yeti that shoots lightning, 8 foot tall demon knights that shoot....something that hurts, bouncing demons with scythes for arms. And all of these enemies are low-res poly textures. And they still scare the shit out of me. Those low grunts, moans, shrieks, and roars make those poorly textured enemies larger than life. Even choosing your difficulty makes you cringe as the difficulties range from boring creepy walls to jumping over a lava bed with writhing, crucified zombies (or people? I could never tell) to tell you whether your game will be easy or hard. And nightmare difficulty is hidden, so yeah. And by the way, you are just a lonely little ranger with paper mache for armor. This is 1996's FPS dark soul's. This is where the modern mechanics for FPS was born. As a screaming, festering, repugnant baby that came out of the womb armed with a chainsaw and a rocket launcher. God save your soul, ye who enter the realm of Quake.
Sid Meier has outdone himself. This game, I would argue, is a work of art. Though the graphics have not aged that well, the gameplay is still intact enough to for great replay value. The level of customization is beyond what most modern games do. The story, although meager, is plenty enough to keep you engaged, but does not overwhelm you with detail. Take my last playthrough; I started as the University faction, but ended up doing more conquest than actual research. I had enough planet busters to stand as a lone superpower. In the end, I swindled my way to becoming the supreme leader though conquest, manipulation, bribes, and, oh yes, research. Machiavelli would be proud. Have fun Earthlings
