Quake II (1997)

Quake II Remaster by Nightdive Studios is the definitive way to experience id Software’s 1997 classic. It bundles the full base campaign with enhanced visuals, improved AI, modern lighting, and accessibility options, while also including every major piece of additional content ever released. Alongside the base game, the package comes with The Reckoning and Ground Zero, two classic expansion packs, the Nintendo 64 port, and a brand-new campaign called Call of the Machine developed by MachineGames.

One of it's biggest standouts in my opinion, when it comes to QOL improvements, is the Compass usable item, which will help you find your way to the next objective. This is one of the biggest problems of the original game, it's levels are very hard to navigate, and I can see a lot of people dropping the game mid-way through because of this. The Reckoning and Ground Zero are faithful to their original forms, offering new levels, weapons, and enemies. While they extend the Quake II experience, they are often regarded as less inventive than the main campaign, providing solid but conventional expansions that are more appealing to completionists and fans than newcomers.

Even though this was my first time playing this title (my first ever Quake was Quake 4) I absolutely loved it, not just the base game, but the expansions are amazing, especially Call of The Machine. The other two expansions are not bad, but they just feel like more content for the base game, no complaints here. But call of The Machine is the best in my opinion because you play different levels, starting from scratch on each one, and this shifts the game's dynamic enough to make it more interesting, especially when it comes to it's level design.

MachineGames expansion reimagines Quake II with more varied environments, creative encounters, and relentless pacing. Many people and critics consider it stronger and more exciting than the base game itself, with its large-scale battles and inventive map design capturing the essence of old-school shooters while still feeling fresh. So I'm absolutely not alone on this opinion, and I highly recommend not skipping this content if you are deciding which one you should play after finishing the base game.

Overall, Nightdive’s remaster is both a preservation project and a revitalization, the package is content-rich, affordable, and accessible, making it the best way to revisit Quake II or experience it for the first time. The classic expansions add historical value, but Call of the Machine stands out as the crown jewel of the collection, proving that Quake II’s formula can still shine with the right creative push. This is no doubt one of the best shooters of all time, and I'm glad I got to experience all of it's contents in one sitting, and I took a while since there are enough levels to play on this package that it can even tire you sometimes. This is one of the utmost "must-play" shooters of all time, if you like shooters to any extent, this is an obligatory title you should experience.

Full thoughts here: https://mastodon.sdf.org/@HunterZ/108241593495929166

Summary: Quake 2 single-player doesn't have many new ideas to offer over Quake 1, and to make things worse, it feels a lot more generic and awkward. Its design and gameplay are overshadowed/outclassed by contemporaries Jedi Knight (released just before) and Unreal 1 (released soon after), and then completely blown out of the water by Half-Life 1.

Boss fights and cinematics are underwhelming. Cutscenes, inventory, music, etc. feel tacked-on. Architecture is interesting for the time, but everything is still oppressively brown and dark. Weapons are just okay, except some are completely obsoleted by others, and none feel very powerful.

If you have no nostalgia for it but are interested in history, I can safely recommend playing only the first level or watching a let's play and then skipping the rest of the game.

I was always a big fan of the original Quake. It was a unique theme and a new kind of gameplay that went beyond what I was used to at the time. Back in 2010 or so, I played Quake 4 and was disappointed it wasn't anything like Quake 1. Not only that, but the gameplay in Quake 4 was infuriating at points. I knew Quake 3 was multiplayer only so I never really had any interest in it. So now in 2021, I finally decide to pick up Quake 2 and give it a shot. Can't say I'm a fan.

The game throws you into a space marines shooter with no discernible plot. I'm still not really sure who the Strogg are other than "the bad guys." Different areas of each level are somewhat maze-like and interconnected. You'll have to backtrack quite a bit in order to complete the objectives, which resulted in getting lost and having to reference video playthroughs at least three times. By the end I was starting to enjoy the variety of weapons and variety of things to shoot, but still annoyed it was totally unclear what I had to do with the "data spinner."

If you look at it as a sequel to the original Quake, it is awful. If you look at it independent of the original Quake (and with Quake 4 as a sequel), you might find some enjoyment in it. But, you really need to recognize it's a product of its time and in no way connected to the original Quake.