id shows its smarts again in this area by knowing when to innovate and when to not mess with success, and the result is very similar to what you might have expected had Quake II been titled Doom 3.Īll in all, the important thing is that Quake II is great fun, and definitely the best deathmatch title we've seen in a long while. The weapons in Quake II reprise many of those from the winning arsenals of id's previous titles - the shotgun, chaingun, rocket launcher, and BFG are all back (as well they should be), plus there are railguns, lasers, and grenades for added long-range and area attacks. The AI in Quake II has clearly learned much from some of the 'bot patches that were written for the original Quake, and you will be amazed sometimes to see the guile with which your enemies approach you. For the first time I've encountered enemies that know when to duck, know when to slink away when they are wounded, only to stalk you when you think they are gone. Their abilities, style of attack, and intelligence are really remarkable. The enemies will, as in other id titles, make you jump when they pop out of the shadows. This is not to say that it in any way is an interactive movie or gets bogged down in plot - the day id turns to rail shooters or point/click/kill "action" titles is the day I choose a different occupation this game is pure adrenaline.Īs for the level design, Quake II brings back much of the more linear style of the Doom series and concentrates on making the enemies plentiful and clever, and the weapons and powerups much more realistic and varied. These objects and the ambient input and comm chatter from your fellow marines makes Quake II seem much more like a movie than game. Yes, it is a plot that would do any science fiction B-movie proud, but it frames the combat in a way that few other 3D shooters do (the exception being LucasArts' Outlaws). However, what is most exciting about Quake II is that there are coherent and logical mission objectives for each level as well, and that these fit into a larger plot. GameplayĪs in most 3D shooters, the basic objectives of Quake II are to blast the bad guys, get the keys, find the doors, advance through all the levels, and finish off the Master of All Evil, thus saving the world. It is, frankly, what the original Quake should have been, and it is worth every penny you'll pay for it if you have any love for this kind of game. Quake II is about combat, and about using your brain as much as your guns. In essence what id has done with Quake II is to return to their roots, but with 1998 technology. The beauty of Quake II is immediately evident from the opening scene - this game has spectacular ambience, graphics to match (especially in 3Dfx accelerated mode), and level design so good that you'd have to go back to the original Doom to find this kind of balance between clever tricks and traps and a low frustration level.
0 kommentar(er)
