The sequel to id Software’s classic shooter returns, with developer Nightdive creating one of the best remasters gaming has ever seen.
Quake is a very strange franchise. The 1996 original was one of the most important technical milestones in gaming, beginning the modern era of what was then called 3D acceleration and becoming the first shooter to be rendered solely in 3D, with no 2D sprites. It also helped to pioneer the concept of online gaming and esports, and yet it’s a series far less well known to the general public than its antecedents Wolfenstein 3D and Doom.
There are multiple reasons for that, key amongst them being that Quake did not easily translate to consoles (not just because of their technical limitations but because the game relied heavily on mouse and keyboard controls) and that while the single-player campaign was fun there was even less story than Doom and it all tended to be rather brown and gloomy, putting off more casual gamers.
That unappealing atmosphere was due to influences from H. P. Lovecraft and Gothic horror, but the sequel has nothing whatsoever to do with the first game, other than it’s also a shooter and still very brown. It later transpired that it didn’t start life as a Quake game, but in the ultimate proof of just how highly id value story and continuity they decided nobody really cared and so instead of Lovecraftian horrors Quake 2 is all about evil cybernetic aliens called the Strogg.
The complete lack of narrative or thematic connection between the two games is disorientating at first but storytelling was never id’s forte, and while this does feature a bit more plot it still doesn’t involve anything more than making your way to the alien boss and shooting him in the face. (Quake 3 was a purely multiplayer affair, while Quake 4 was a lacklustre follow-up to Quake 2 by Raven Software.)
Despite the change in setting, Quake 2 still didn’t have the impact it might of, again largely due to the limitations of consoles at the time, and before playing this remaster we were all ready to say that, since it lacks the innovation of the original, there’s little value in returning to it now. But, to our surprise, its clear that Quake 2 was far more influential than it’s usually given credit for.
Quake 2 launched only a year before Half-Life, which is widely acknowledged as ushering in the modern concept of the narrative-driven shooter, which went on to influence everything from Call Of Duty to Halo. GoldenEye 007, released only a few months earlier, was also key to that evolution and yet even at the time Quake 2 never really entered the conversation. But playing it again now it’s apparent that in terms of structure and gameplay it was well ahead of its time.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear this is a game caught at the exact midpoint between old school Doom gameplay and more nuanced modern titles. Doom and Quake designer John Romero had famously left id Software by this point and the level design is noticeably different, in that it’s no longer arena-based but more linear, with optional exploration – but it’s still almost equally enjoyable.
Enemies do more than just run at you screaming and, while they’re still very simple, there are actual puzzles, that involve more than just finding the right colour keycard for a door. The game looks exactly how you remember it from back in the day but in reality that means an awful lot of work has been done to the textures and lighting, as well as greatly improving the shadows and adding fog effects (although all this is optional). The character models are still amusingly low detail but since this isn’t a remake the balance between old and new seems perfect.
You could argue that Nightdive is mudding the waters here, since they’ve not only improved the graphics and added accessibility options, but they’ve also improved the AI and added Doom weapons such as the chaingun, railgun, and BFG. There’s also a super useful new compass, which makes it a lot harder to get lost. You can turn off all the new stuff, if you want to see Quake 2 as it used to be, but there’s no denying it’s a lot more fun this way.
The game does run out of tricks long before the end, especially as there’s little real variation in the setting, but that was the case originally and changing that is the one thing that’s definitely outside of Nightdive’s remit. To make up for this, the remaster (which, oddly, doesn’t have a name like Remastered or Enhanced Edition, it’s still just Quake 2) is absolutely stuffed with content.
You get the two original expansions, plus a full recreation of the N64 version, and on top of that a brand new expansion by Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, who provided something similar for the Quake remaster. The environmental detail is notably more complex than the original levels but otherwise it fits in perfectly and once again raises the question: is MachineGames practicing for a new game or is this just them getting Quake out of their system?
That question is impossible to answer but what we can say is that this is one of the best remasters ever, if for no other reason that it includes all the original multiplayer options – something remasters of modern games *cough* The Last Of Us *cough* never do. Not only is there split-screen local multiplayer but also online multiplayer with cross-play. Plus, because of the improved AI, playing against bots is actually fun.
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As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a catalogue of concept art, 3D models, and promotional material that shows far more effort than most dedicated retro compilations, that are many times the price. There’s even a playable demo from E3 1997, which is exactly the sort of behind the scenes extra that should be commonplace but never is.
Nightdive has already made a name for themselves with remasters of System Shock, Turok, Doom 64, and others but this goes beyond even those efforts, to the point where it actually made us feel differently about the original game. We went in expecting to dismiss it as outdated and ultimately unimportant, but this presents Quake 2 in such a positive light we enjoyed it more now than we did over a quarter of a century ago.
Quake 2 remaster review summary
In Short: One of the best remasters ever made, that actively improves the original game, in terms of graphics, AI, and the enormous volume of content.
Pros: The additions and improvements are all perfectly judged, and still retain the look and feel of the original. Mountains of content, including an excellent new expansion and a suite of multiplayer options. Great museum features.
Cons: The original game always did get old before the end and this is no different, with inarguably shallow and repetitive gameplay.
Score: 8/10
Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: £7.99*Publisher: BethesdaDeveloper: Nightdive and id SoftwareRelease Date: 10th August 2023Age Rating: 18
*Permanently on Game Pass
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