During this year’s Quakecon, Bethesda not-so-stealthily dropped iD Software’s seminal Quake II onto modern consoles and PC’s. This re-release of one of the defining FPS’s of its generation shared in the same level of love that Bethesda, iD Software, Nightdive Studios and MachineGames have lavished on iD’s shooters since the re-release of DOOM and DOOM 2 a couple of years back for modern machines.
Bethesda weren’t content to simply throw out up-scaled versions of the games, instead choosing to let the developers jump into the games and modify them to suite modern gaming standards and technologies without sacrificing any of the game design and identity that have made iD Software’s ground-breaking FPS’s so iconic and relevant. And now Quake II, which we were all expecting after last year’s surprise Quake stealth drop, has received that same love, care and attention to detail.
Quake II isn’t a remaster, as much as it is an enhanced edition of the original game now running on Nightdive Studios KEX Engine. The visual flourishes you expect are all here. First, there’s the higher resolution that the game is running at, along with a 4K 120hz mode. Then there are the higher resolution textures and models that at once look gorgeously updated and still somewhat pixelated. You’ll understand what I mean when you look at a door.
Nightdive dove into iD’s archives to improve enemy animation, restore cut content while also improving the enemy A.I. Visual upgrades, beyond the higher texture resolutions, belong to improved lighting, dynamic shadows, glow maps and more. You’ve got DoF, Bloom lighting, Motion Blur and a FoV slider along with other numerous enhancements that makes this twenty-six year old game look rather gorgeous and crisp.
As with those other iD releases, this version of Quake II comes with more than enough gameplay content to keep you hooked for ages. You’ve got the original campaign, its two expansions; The Reckoning and Ground Zero, along with an entirely new expansion created specifically for this by Machine Games, Call of The Machine. And finally, from a gameplay perspective for me, there’s the piece de resistance of Quake II 64 along for the ride as well. As with DOOM64, Quake II 64 is an entirely new campaign and was my first port of call once I’d booted up this release.
Worry not if you prefer to game with friends as Quake II comes with both local and online multiplayer that includes co-op, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag modes. And if you don’t have any friends to jam with, or possibly just a few, you can chuck in AI opponents for both Deathmatch modes. Oh, and there’s full cross-play support too!
Rounding out the package is a dive into iD’s development vault that features plenty of behind the scenes material from Concept Art to Promotional Material for enthusiasts to dig through.
All in all, it’s a pretty stuffed packed coming in at a ridiculously low price. But does jumping into the shoes of some gaming’s unluckiest marines (seriously, who crashes behind enemy lines this much!) taking the fight to the Strogg stand up today?
The answer to that is a resounding hell yes. Quake II is just as fast and furious as it’s ever been and, quite frankly, puts many modern FPS’s to shame with its sheer, addictive playability and excellent level design. Enemies are aggressive, the sound effects amazing and the weapons, especially the Super Shotgun, utterly fantastic. Hell, those mini nuclear polygon explosions are still just as amazing as ever.
Quake II and its original expansions are still fantastic. Call of The Machine drops you into the deep end right from the get go so you better be prepared. And Quake II 64, which is still my favourite version of Quake II, is jaw-droppingly fun even if it’s smaller levels makes it seem more compact today.
That these games still hold up as well today as they did on release is a testament to iD’s design genius and Nightdive Studios understanding on just what needs some TLC and where. The new coat of paint over the visuals, small as they may be, makes the game look rather lovely, while the tweaks to the basement A.I. breathe new life into combat, both in the campaign and multiplayer modes. Throw in stunningly smooth technical performance and gameplay and a wealth of content and you have the definitive version of Quake II in one easy package.
Quake II Trailer
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