- Shooter.
- Hell.
- Demons.
- Quake.
- PC.
Product description
-------------------
After successfully completing a mission in space, your
ship was hit by a stray laser blast. You c landed on an alien
world, filled with countless buildings and cities. As you look
around, you realize that the only way you're going to escape is
to fight your way through it all, crumble this alien empire and
ultimately destroy their hopes for advancement throughout the
galaxy. The world is depending on your skills as a space marine
to save all of mankind. Are you up to the task? Quake II is the
sequel to the smash hit Quake. The sequel features a brand new
adventure that will have you swimming through the dark, murky
cesspools of the alien world, entering and conquering various
-like bases and eliminating any resistance. You'll need a
powerful arsenal of weapons, and luckily, you're supplied
generously. Rails, hyperblasters, grenade launchers and even a
BFG (we all know what that means, don't we?) are all waiting to
be found as are various items and armors to help you along the
way. And of course, there is a multiplayer feature which adds so
much life to this game, that people will be playing it for years
to come.
Review
------
Whatever else may be said about Quake II, one thing is
certain: It is the only first-person shooter to render the
original Quake entirely obsolete. Within moments of starting the
game, it is safe to say that all but the most irrationally loyal
players will acknowledge that Quake II is better than the
original in every respect, and that no one who can afford to
upgrade will have any reason to ever load Quake again.
Considering the countless hours invested by countless players in
the game, that's a remarkable achievement.
It's also significant because since Quake shipped 18 months ago,
we have seen a steady stream of challengers, games that have been
trumpeted by press and players alike as the successors to the
first-person throne. But none of these games has actually come
through on that count - not Hexen II, not Jedi Knight, and
certainly not any of the half-dozen "Quake Killers" that have yet
to make it out of alphaland and onto store shelves. But Quake II
does come through, delivering at least incremental and
occasionally monumental improvements over its predecessor.
Many gamers describe playing Quake II in semireligious terms,
and when immersed in the 3Dfx version of the game, it's easy to
understand why. The visual effects are awesome, as in
awe-inspiring. The masterful weaving of subtle graphic effects -
colored hues that blend seamlessly into one another, intricate
textures cast over complex and beautiful architectural features,
and realistic transitions between light and shadow - creates a
graphic environment that is without peer on the PC. Of course,
Quake II supports many graphics modes and 3D cards (it utilizes
OpenGL), and players will surely find a combination that works
well on their system (even if it's a now-ancient Pentium 150).
But none approaches the 3Dfx version, and it is the only way
through which one can fully appreciate the technological
achievement of the game.
There are gameplay achievements, as well. Most notable, of
course, is the inclusion of a well-crafted, mission-driven
single-player game. As players of its previous titles know, id
has never been much for storylines, and while Quake II won't win
any interactive fiction awards, it does make a credible effort to
pull you into the game emotionally as well as viscerally. As you
advance through Quake II's multisection levels, an increasingly
ominous sense of purpose takes hold. And by the time the prison
doors are opened and the factory is breached, it is difficult not
to experience a certain tinge of horror, and perhaps even fear -
both of which spur you on in a way altogether different from the
deathmatch adrenaline rush that made the original Quake so
famous.
Not to worry - the deathmatch rush is still there. And although
the territory is now quite familiar to most players, Quake II
offers a compelling multiplayer experience, due in large measure
to a much-needed recasting of available weapons. No more does the
player with the rocket launcher hold all the cards in deathmatch
levels. Devastating alternatives now exist, especially in the
form of a new electromagnetic rail and more versatile
grenades, which may be picked up and thrown in addition to being
used with a launcher. Realistic machine and chain s also pack
a powerful punch, with the latter capable of cutting an nent
to shreds within a second or two. The weapons have also been more
acutely balanced, making more powerful weapons more difficult to
use. For instance, the deadly rail takes nearly full second
to power up and fire, and requires precise . The damage done
by rockets has been lessened, and the rocket launcher takes a few
moments to reload between s.
The deathmatch experience also benefits from always interesting
and occasionally ingenious level design. Not only are the levels
tremendously varied in terms of architectural composition, style,
and setting, they include boundless rtunities for ambush,
sniping, and close-quarter encounters. The omission of a
cooperative multiplayer mode is notable and puzzling (especially
in light of the enhanced in-game communication capabilities).
This issue will surely be addressed in the very near future, if
not by id itself, then by any number of aspiring Quake II mod
designers.
Other aspects of the game are more subtlety improved and fall
short of being state-of-the-art. The sound effects, especially
when set to the high-quality mode, are superb - so good, in fact,
so as to render the rather monotonous musical soundtrack
irrelevant (if not downright annoying) by comparison. But the
sound effects of the original Quake were also first-class, and
one might have hoped for the employment of more advanced
technology, such as surround or even positional sound in the
sequel. Enemy animations are much better (taking a clear cue from
the N64 shooter Turok: Dinosaur Hunter), but in general the base
character designs are somewhat nondescript and certainly not a
match for those of rivals such as Hexen II. And while the enemy
AI often delivers what id promised, and creates nents that
are more tenacious and more cunning than before, there is still
something very mechanistic about their movements, almost like if
one could look closely enough, the strings connecting them to
some cosmic puppeteer might be seen glinting in the light.
But none of these are substantial criticisms. Given all of the
strengths outlined above, one must conclude that Quake II is
nothing less than a remarkable game, and we recommend it without
hesitation. Compared with the original, everything in Quake II is
better, nothing is worse. But still... there is a lingering sense
- especially after spending dozens of hours with the game - that
something is missing, that somehow things aren't quite right.
What's missing, in fact what is altogether absent - the sense of
true surprise, novelty, and even fun that once existed in the
first-person shooter. Or to put it another way: Although it's
never been done better, it's all been done before, and that casts
a shadow on the experience that no a of technology can hope
to penetrate.--Vince Broady
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review
