Quake II

"The next Quake installment comes to a PS1 near you!"

Introduction

Ever since Doom was released, gamers were thrilled of a new generation of first-person shooters that give them frustration, enjoyment, and skills. Doom was basically a fast-paced action shooter where you have to enter a demon world saving humanity. Then, in 1996, id Software(creators of Doom and Wolfenstein 3D) presents you their masterpiece, titled Quake. Its sequel, Quake II, was then released in 1997.

What is this game all about?

Whoa, can't spoil much on that. You'll eventually find the storyline in the game manual. You have a mission to do, soldier!

How does this game play? What are the features?

The gameplay of this game is pretty long. If you are playing single-player, you'll blast through several missions divided into sub-levels. Given the fact that you have a arsenal of weapons at your disposal, before you get too excited, you'll have to find them in the game. Also, you'll pack a lot of ammo behind you, so there is no need to get leftovers that quick. You'll also come across a plethora of enemies who will gun you down quick if you don't react to them first. This game is about how quick you can strafe enemy attacks and avoid what they throw at you. Eventually, as you progress, you will encounter more tougher enemies who will rip you apart.

Apart from the single player side of the game, it also features multiplayer for you and your companions. As this game supports 1-4 players splitscreen on one screen, you and your friends will go crazy and try to rip each other apart. Certainly, there are quite a few multiplayer modes. You choose what all of you agreed upon and then the action starts.

The visuals, how do they look?

Graphics don't make a game. For Quake II, the graphics are pretty top-notch as of 1997. Everything is clear the way it looks. This port however does not look good as its PC counterpart, but its clear enough for you to enjoy the action. From the weapons, to the character models, and the background designs are very detailed. However, the watered-down graphics doesn't make this game slow. It's still pretty fast-paced in framerates.

The sound. Not bad though.

PlayStation is great when it comes to sound. In this game, you'll hear a lot of solo-talk, which means usually one enemy talks at a time. You'll either hear, ''Get Him!'' or ''Die!'' in some cases, but that's not a problem with me. The music, however, is good. A lot of good music are in this game, but they don't sound creepy-like(like in PS1 Final Doom). They sound more like techno-ish in a way. Playing without music, however, is a different story.

Controlling the game.

The controls are fully customizable. You get to choose between several different configurations. Pick one that suits you and you're on for some butt-kickin'! Good thing that this game supports both the Digital and the Analog controls, but the Analog control is preferred as you want the analog sticks to move around instead of the roughly stiff D-pad. That's just my way of playing anyways.

How long will this game last?

Replay Value is mediocre. Let's sum it up: A long single-player journey(depends how much experience you have), a few secrets, and the multiplayer aspect of it will get you going for about a couple of weeks or so. That depends on how much you're into this game. You'll probably finish the game in less than half a day or so if you're a hardcore gamer. But it's not how the game developer defines the replay value, it's how YOU can define it!

Old game, but if you don't own it, will you reconsider?

They probably sold out of new copies by now, so get a copy(whether its preowned or used) and give it a go. So don't get too mad if this game hates you or vice versa. You made your decision, live with it. The most you can buy this for is less than ten bucks.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/31/03