Quake II is one of the N64's underrated masterpieces

User Rating: 9 | Quake II N64
By J-Man2244 | Review Date:
Quake II for the N64 is generally regarded as a fairly 'average' console first person shooter for its time period, and while that may be true from some aspects, I think Quake II is actually one of the system's best games. Maybe it's because I'm a huge sucker for nineties' FPS games, but I must confess that not a whole lot of other games from this era have satisfied me quite as much as this one. While it's not flawless, Quake II is a terribly underrated and downright phenomenal game.

The Nintendo 64 version of Quake II is actually different from the PC and PSX versions, so people who enjoyed those games may still want to check out the N64 version anyway. Like most FPS games from this era, a storyline is virtually non-existent. All you really need to know is that you're a dude in space who has to blow stuff up and collect keys to advance to the next level - the gameplay is pretty similar to early FPS games like Doom and Heretic, but with more modern graphics and gameplay design.

The graphics and sound are both pretty excellent, and the ambient soundtrack is especially cool. The framerate does suffer from a few issues when you use machineguns, but it's rarely a crippling flaw - all in all, this is a good looking game that still holds up well today.

Control-wise, Quake II takes some getting used to on the Nintendo 64. The controls do feel a bit awkward at times, and the aiming mechanic rarely feels 'just right'; however, I did find myself getting used to it after an hour or so of solid gameplay. Shooting a rocket launcher accurately was still a bit of a hassle, but I did eventually learn how to master the controls pretty well.

Although Quake II is aesthetically pleasing, its main selling point lies in the stellar level design. The levels are quite challenging at times, but it never feels unfair in my opinion. If you look hard enough, finding the keys isn't too difficult, and many of the puzzles are pretty excellent in my opinion. The combat is also pretty challenging at times if you're on a normal difficulty setting (that final boss battle is killer!), but it rarely feels frustrating. A manual save system still would've been nice, however.

All in all, Quake II is an immensely fun title that should be played by every retro FPS fan with an N64. Although a manual save feature, slightly better aiming system, and small framerate improvements would've made the game better, they're pretty nitpicky in the long run. This is one of the best games that I've played within the last few months.

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