Any store
that wants to convince a customer to by a 3D accelerator need only put Quake 2 on
the nearest PC, and that store will have two guaranteed sales. Quake 2 and an
accelerator--a match made in Heaven...or Hell, to keep with id's satanic themes.
There's no arguing it. Q2 looks amazing. Dynamic
lighting? Hah! Q2 has dynamic coloured lighting. It's dangerous, too. One,
because a lot of the weapon effects use some kind of coloured lighting, and if you can see
it, it was probably aimed at you. And two, those beautiful flickering and streaming red
and green glows are so gorgeous that you sit there gawking at it, giving an Enforcer
extended time to thump you.
There are a few Quake cynics out there who are
sneering "Yeah, but it's still the same old game, like Wolfenstein 3D Part VI.
That's not true. There have been some significant changes to gameplay, particularly single
player. You don't just shoot the monsters, hunt down the keys and find the exit. You've
got missions. Your very first task is to find a communications computer. After
that, you've got blow up a subway. And so it continues. They're aren't even episodes in
the traditional sense--each episode is more like a series of missions culminating in a
final goal--the destruction of the giant cannon that protects the planet from invasion,
for example. And like Hexen 2, many different "levels" are connected, and
occasionally you are called upon to revisit certain areas to complete a task. Single
player in the first Quake never did it for me, and I even heard some hardcore Q
fanatics call it "boring." Single player Q2 is much, much, much more
lively and interesting.
And cut scenes! There are some wickedly animated cut
scenes. Believe it or not, it's got a story now. Now, it ain't going to give the story
behind, say, Gabriel Knight anything to worry about, but the story does do a good
enough job at putting you in a kind of Aliens-like story that makes you wanna frag
the bastards some more.
There are also some really cool weapons and monsters to use
them on. Almost all the monsters are some kind of cyborg, but they are very different.
There's a world of difference between a Shotgun Guard and a Brain, for example. Though you
can tell the same force created them, everything about them is different. They have
different attack patterns, they die in different ways, and of course, distinctive sounds.
Speaking of distinct sounds, check out that grenade gun. It sounds just like the Arnie had
in Terminator 2. It fires with a phoosh-chunk!, a quiet, innocuous little
sound that Q2 multiplayer fans will soon learn to fear.
Some strange disappointments, though. This edition only
comes with deathmatch multiplayer. "Only?" you cry. It's not that deathmatch
play isn't cool, 'cause it is. It's fantastic. But since Quake's release,
multiplayer has become an essential part of gaming, and there are many different
variations on it. Capture the Flag, is just one example, and many companies automatically
put different varieties of multiplayer into their games. There isn't even any co-op mode
in Q2, and since single-player is mission-oriented, that's not a small shortcoming.
The Quake 2 online manual
says "This may be implemented at a later date." I've also no doubt that fans
already have plans for all sorts of new mods and things, but if Hexen 2 can do
co-op...
So what's the bottom line? Overall, this is one serious
kickass game, with something to please action fans of all stripes. If you were a Doom
fan and missed the atmosphere, it's back. If you're a Quake fan looking for more
fragging action with some new flavor, that's here too. And if you're a cynic, resisting
the temptation to give in, you're not going to be able resist much longer. Quake 2
is gonna getcha.
Audio/Video:
I'm telling ya, get a 3D card. Now. Acceleration gets you coloured lighting and many other
graphical improvements.
There's much more in the way of character movement, making Quake
2 the most graphically intense shooter yet. All monsters have distinct attack
patterns, die in different ways, and it seems like there all kinds of ways to damage them,
knock them about, or nearly kill them. If you knock one down with a fatal blow, you can
see him breathing heavily, struggling to get up, and then finally falling. Sometimes
they'll even try to squeeze off a few more rounds to try and take you with them.
Music is done a little differently this time. Instead of
the weird atmospheric music of Trent Reznor, this sound track be a little more rockin.'
Lots of electric guitar, and it really incites you to commit acts of mindless violence. I
recommend it heartily.
Some sound effects, such as various grunts and yells were
ported over from Quake, but there are lots of new sounds, and voices especially.
There's lots of radio crosstalk--sometimes you might think you're in a flight sim. But all
of this adds up to more atmosphere. In some ways, it's even more atmospheric than Doom,
and the original Quake environments look bare in comparison.
Storyline:
Some people have been going on about what a GREAT story Quake 2 has. One Other
Online Review MagazineTM actually said that they couldn't remember the last
3D shooter that included a story, apparently not being able to remember as far back as Hexen
2 and Jedi Knight. The story is not Best Original Screenplay material. But, for
the purposes of getting you into the action, there is a logical flow to plot thread, and
it does incite you to take action and start blasting cyborgs. And, since many of the
levels represent places (Communication rooms, ammo dumps, subway station, etc.), it's much
easier to get immersed.
What is great, is the cut scenes. Beautifully animated, and
even some decent acting, and that comes as a surprise from company that is not known for
this sort of thing.
Strategy and Tips:
Just because something fell down and isn't getting up doesn't mean it's not dangerous
anymore. Even when you've inflicted an obviously fatal wound (such as blowing something's
head clean off), many of them continue to fire until the last gasp of life is squeezed
out, some with the same degree of accuracy. On many levels, you can make a case for
shooting until it's been gibbed. Medic Stroggs have the ability to raise the dead. They
can't if there ain't nothing to raise. The flip side of this is that sometimes you can
conserve ammo by letting a dying Strogg just die. Retreat to a safe distance first.
Weapons have more personality, and more quirks. The machine
gun has recoil, so don't just hold down the fire button and let it go everywhere. Fire in
controlled bursts, or use the mouse to shoot low, and let the recoil gradually move the
fire up your target. Some guns also have a delay between shots, so take the time to aim
and duck out of the way instead of waiting for the next round to get in place.
You can confuse enemies that use both melee and ranged
weapons by skirting in and out of swinging distance. They will try to hit you with their
melee attack, but if you're fast, this won't happen. Be careful about wandering too far
away, or you'll be subjected to the ranged attack, close enough to take heavy damage. It's
a dangerous tactic, but it pays off if you can master it.
Playability:
I don't think that anybody need to be told what the CONTROL key is for, so let's skip the
basics and go for the new stuff.
Your player can now crouch, and so can the monsters. The
monsters will actually take lengths to do more than out-gun you. They act defensively as
well. There are more objects to play with for increased level interactivity.
In the case of power-ups, such as Quad damage, you no
longer have to time when you run over them so you can get the best out of them. You can
store them, and use them later. In multiplayer mode, you can even drop objects, so if
you're in a nice clan war, you can drop a spare quad damage to a buddy.
Since you are trying to accomplish a string of objectives,
you have a field computer to keep track of them for you. It's very useful, since it blinks
onscreen whenever something happens to alter these goals. It's also useful if you're just
plain lost and can't remember what to do.
Recognizing the significant female Quake fan base,
you can actually choose a male or female Quake skin (very detailed ones, I might
add) and a variety of different clothing configurations. My favorite is the female jungle
skin. You can even choose handedness!
Compare To:
You can see the influence of a lot of other games, including earlier id titles. The
premise is much more Doomish, and even uses some similar artwork and monsters (you
even get a map view once you complete an area). The levels are laid-out something like the
Hexen 2 hub system, and even the official add-on packs such as Armagon and Dissolution
of Eternity offer some inspiration, with much more colour and a more interactive look
at level design.
Nice Touches:
The physics model of Quake 2 is just astounding. Where you hit a creature will
determine how it reacts. Not only does the monster reflect battle damage, but it moves
with the force of your weapon's impact. An explosion will not knock something down.
It will throw it in the direction of the blast. A close-range shotgun blast to the arm
will spin an enemy. It looks just incredible, and always makes you feel like you're
dishing out major destruction.
By the way, look for a cool secret on the last level.
Not-So-Nice Touches:
You can make this gripe about many games with real 3D, and I admit that there's no easy
solution, but here it is--no automap. Yeah, I know it's not easy to map real 3D, and I
wouldn't say that Q2 levels are more confusing than some of the ones in TombRaider,
but I still would have appreciated it.
If I were to say "I found the multiplayer
disappointing" I would probably be strung up by thousands of rabid Quake fans,
so let me tactfully say that I am surprised that more multiplayer styles were not
included. Of course, amateur code-dogs out there should have that implemented soon enough.
Manual/Hint Book:
A nicely-design and written manual effectively organizes all information on playing and
setting up (nice one, Marc).
System Requirements:
Not out of control like some developers, but they're getting up there.
P90 with 16 MB RAM (24 recommended,
require for Win NT 4.0 play)
Sound Blaster or 100% compatible
25 MB free disk space or more
4X CD or better
Win95 or NT 4.0
Supports network and Internet play via TCP/IP
P133 recommended
For GL Quake: 24 MB RAM for all
operating systems, supports some OpenGL accelerators
Summary:
The Case For: Stunning graphics, out of the box acceleration, sophisticated
physics, and great action. But then again, what did you expect?
The Case Against: Only one
kind of multiplayer play.
The Verdict: Man, how can
long can id keep this up? A stunning action game, with all the right improvements over the
first.
Courtesy : GamesMania |
