Windows

Quake II

Quake II easily wins 5 lamps for it's overall gaming aspect. It is the most incredible game I've ever played and is definitely the best game this year. It was able to immerse me into the game in a way no other game has done before. Every detail looked and sounded perfect. The controls were simple and effective and the gameplay totally consuming -- definitely an excellent sequel to a popular original. In my opinion, Quake II is the best 3D shooter ever made. One thing is for sure, 3D games just got a whole lot better!

Quake II easily wins 5 stars overall. It is the most incredible game I've ever played and is definitely the best game this year. Considering that I generally don't like 3D shooters because I feel they're too limited and overall quite boring, I was truly amazed by Quake II. It was able to immerse me into the game in a way no other game has done before. Every detail looked and sounded perfect. The controls were simple and effective and the gameplay totally consuming -- definitely an excellent sequel to a popular original. In my opinion, Quake II is the best 3D shooter ever made. One thing is for sure, 3D games just got a whole lot better!

All in all, no particular bells and whistles, but a welcome return to the emphasis on skill, mouse co-ordination and reflexes that Doom so perfectly honed. Network Quake was, at best, a three-weapon game. Quake II is definitely eight to nine. This is not the death-knell for network Quake. The sequel and the predecessor (especially with all the TCs) will continue side by side for quite some time.

Quake II is the new reigning champion of 3D action gaming, period. There is not another title out there right now that can compare in terms of exploiting 3D technology, delivering incredibly solid AI and level design, and making the total gaming experience immersive, pulse-pounding, and sometimes downright frightening. Quake II gets multiplayer support down solid and reduces Internet latency to a minimum; id shows here once more why they have always been and continue to be the masters of the first-person shooter that they almost single-handedly invented, nurtured, and sustained. Over the years since Wolfenstein 3D, their competition has steadily grown, innovated and upped the ante, but they have never been able to overtake or outshine id's creations, and with Quake II that remains the case.

ID Softwaren pojat saivat ottaa vastaan huomattavan määrän kritiikkiä Quaken surkeasta yksinpelistä. Erikseen julkaistut Mission Packit auttoivat jonkin verran, mutta Quake 2 on vihdoin täydellinen korjaus asiaan.

Instead of a major overhaul, the developers at id have spent their time wisely altering small features, like the light sourcing, crouching, weapon kick, and about a dozen or so other small features. Quake was already a technological marvel when it was released, and Quake II is it's more refined brother. Single player mode has been enhanced, although still needs some work on aspects like color. The technology is certain to be put to better use by other companies in terms of single player mode, but Quake II is still a satisfying game that will not disappoint fans of the original. Lots of little changes from Quake make for a vastly improved game overall. Bottom Line: Lots of little changes to the Quake engine that really polishes what was fine technology to begin with. Intelligent mission objectives give single play mode an added boost. Much improved level design, although many of the levels do look similar. Colors are still drab, and map feature is still annoyingly absent.

Je hebt ondertussen wel al gemerkt dat ik van Quake 2 danig onder de indruk ben. Dit meesterwerk van ID software heeft dan ook alles om een 3D fanaat te boeien en je kan zien dat bij dit spel niets aan het toeval is overgelaten. Heb je nog nooit een 3D shooter gespeeld, dan is nu de tijd gekomen om daar iets aan te veranderen. Kopen of voor de rest van je leven in onwetendheid leven zou ik zeggen.

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.

So what do we make of these "best game ever created" claims? Look who they are coming from: the technoid Quake freaks. This is the best game technology on the market. But "best technology" is not equivalent to "best game." If "best game" is equivalent to "most fun" (and it should be, shouldn't it?) then Quake II may not be any "better" than the original Quake. If you are tired of Quake, fine. Get Quake II. You'll play the same fun game in a different looking environment, and it will get better as Quake fans start modifying it. But why not try Jedi Knight, where you use cool force powers and a lightsaber? Or Hexen II with interesting magic and different character classes? Why not wait for Daikatana, Half-Life, Unreal, Sin or Prey and see how these 1998 games compare? If you need something to tide you over while you wait for the next true innovator, why not pull out your old copy of DOOM. You might be surprised how fun it still is.

So merkt man Quake 2 jede Minute an, welche in die aufwendige Grafik statt ins Spieldesign floß. Ob es nun die zu lange Wartezeiten beim Waffenwechsel sind oder die hakeligen Stellen, an denen mein Bildschirmego wie auf einer feuchten Teerstraße hängenbleibt.

If not for the multi-player aspect, Quake II would just be another ho-hum corridor shooter. The game itself is good but lacks the inspiration needed to carry it above all other 3D corridor shooters released prior to 1997.

In the end, Quake II proves to be Quake-killer only in the sense that it is that game's follow-up. Like a sequel, it builds on the work of the original and remains familiar and faithful to its theme. Quake II doesn't break any new ground, so to speak, but it still shows that nobody does id better.