Although not bad, it is definitely a good thing that the expansions ended with this one.

User Rating: 7 | Quake Mission Pack No. 2: Dissolution of Eternity PC
I have had this and Armagon since release, and have never played fully through them until recently. I can say that even to this day, both have proven to be quite entertaining in their own ways.

There is no mistaking that this game is fun like its predecessors, but it isn't perfect. The level design for the first episode is very manageable and fun though it doesn't really add any new additions beyond random earthquakes that can potentially knock you into hazardous environments (I have fallen into lava a few times because of being to hasty in the middle of an earthquake). The second episode, while offering a much more unique theme with the levels, becomes very confusing to navigate. Though the Egyptian themed levels that were made for traps did this particualrly well, the second episode just feels like a more confusing, albeit prettier version of the first episode.

The new enemies are mostly fun though. Half of them are just look different to submit to the varying environs (like the statues that come to life, which essentially function exactly like Knights and Death Knights, the floating swords which function exactly like Knights without bodies and the new Hell Spawn which are merely a little more difficutlt to kill). The other new enemies, namely the Wrath (or was it Wraith?) are wonderful and fun additions that, combined with enemies like the Shambler can prove to be quite a challenge to overcome. I won't spoil what any of the new enemies can do, but I will say that while Armagon threw in enemies that added strategy, these enemies add power to the mix. Not to mention the boss of the first episode is pretty awesome and the last boss is so far the best, most fun and most challenging of the Quake games so far (regarding Quake and its 2 expansions).

As for the new weapons, they fare well. Other sources complain about them being remakes of online hacks, but that doesn't stop them from being fun. You only really have 2 new weapons, whereas the other 'new' weapons are really only upgraded versions of the others. And another of the 'new' weapons is basically a much slower version of the Rocket Launcher. So though there are 6 new weapons if I am counting correctly, only 2 of them are truly new. The good thing is that with all the weapons and ammo types, you don't have to worry too much about running out of ammo and fighting with your axe. The new powerups are underwhelming at best. The Power Shield is another version of a temporary extra armor and the Gravity Belt, while really fun to use, barely lasts long enough to properly enjoy.

Lastly, the extra Deathmatch Map isn't all that great, though the offering of a couple new modes is nice.

On the bright side, the game still looks great and the new themes add more variety into the mix to keep things fresh with this now aging (or at release time I mean) engine.

The sound effects are the same old thing, and fit in without complaints. The new music, while not quite as enticing as Armagon's new soundtrack, is definitely still good. Strangely enough though, even with the well-done music, it oftentimes feels a little out of place for some reason. Nonetheless, it IS good.

Overall, this is a good expansion pack that rounds out the original Quake series quite nicely and is very much worth getting in order to complete your collection. Unlike past iterations, I'm not quite sure you will be quite as willing to come back to this one, but I am sure you will at least enjoy it while it lasts. Enjoy.

Gameplay: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Graphics: 8/10
Value: 5/10

OVERALL: 7.0/10.0