Right before QuakeCon kicked off this weekend, Bethesda decided to spring a not-so-surprising surprise on us – a remake of its classic first person shooter Quake II. But there was surprise to be found in it after all, as many are seeing the same thing we are – the kind of effort we want to see in remasters moving forward.
The port was handled by Nightdive Studios, who did their work on the first Quake a couple of years ago and the first two Turok games prior to that. And they’ve proven to be excellent when it comes to remasters. Quake II feels like their quintessential work, a game that gets so much right and very little wrong. In fact, we couldn’t find anything wrong to speak of. Even the price – a ridiculously low $9.99 – is something to appreciate. (And something Rockstar might consider with its lavishly priced Red Dead Redemption port.)
Seriously, even if you’ve never played Quake II before, there’s a lot of magic to discover with this port.
So Much To Do – and Frag
The first thing you’ll notice about Quake II is just how loaded it is. The game’s single player campaign has a lot going for it, especially on the higher-up difficulty. That’s because Nightdive overhauled the AI behavior, so these guys are absolutely relentless. Even on easy, they’ll put up a fight. Luckily, you’ve got enough sweet weapons to send them packing, including a gatling gun that’s wonderful once it’s filled with bullets.
But on top of that, there’s a new campaign, Call of the Machine, that’s absolutely awesome and worth checking out; there’s a bunch of online multiplayer support, including a co-op mode and a bunch of multiplayer shenanigans, including a nice variation of Capture the Flag; and even Quake II’s Nintendo 64 port is here, as perfect as you can get.
Of course, this would mean nothing if the gameplay sucked. But it doesn’t. In fact, Quake II is one of the most responsive first person shooters out there. The controls are pitch perfect and, outside of aiming up and down to shoot enemies above or below, we didn’t notice the least bit of sluggishness. Plus switching weapons is a breeze, and there’s a neat compass feature, in case you need direction in where to go next. (Don’t miss out on the secrets, though.)
Overall, Quake II plays wonderfully and has extras to spare. And, again, for just a ten spot. Wow.
Ports Don’t Look Better Than This
Along with sharp gameplay and abundant extras, Quake II also features one of the best presentations for an old-school game yet.
The game moves at a blistering pace, at a beautiful 120 frames per second with quick responsiveness. Even Quake II looks remarkable, despite its age. That, and the animations are sharp (and bloody), and the dark environments have never looked better. It’s also got exquisite lighting in some places, so don’t miss that.
As for audio, you’ve got a lot of enemy groans, heart-pumping music and explosive sound effects to bring the package to a whole. It’s really great, especially on a headset, as the surrounding effect is nothing short of remarkable. This is why I bought an extra version on the Switch, just so I could have this thing on the go. Who wouldn’t?
Quakin’ In Our Boots
Like the original Quake before it, Quake II is a masterful rework of the original. It’s loaded with goodies galore and looks and plays wonderfully; and its online content is definitely worth a look. Plus you get Quake II for Nintendo 64 on top of it, a neat little treat in itself. Honestly, the only way I wouldn’t be able to recommend this game is if first-person shooters aren’t your thing.
Still, this game just might be the best way to be introduced to the genre. If you can handle it, of course.
Wonderful work, Nightdive. So, Quake III Arena in 2025…?
GAMERHUB RATING: 5 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
