Positives:
- That this game was able to improve and innovate so much just a year after the first game is magic.
- Deeper amount of narrative influence in the game compared to the first one.
- Visual design is fantastic, made even better by the excellent remastering by Nightdive Studios.
- Music is pretty awesome.
- Gunplay feels smooth and fast-paced, separating itself nicely from the first "Quake."
- You can kinda see here how the groundwork was laid for other shooters to come along.
- Level design remains incredibly compelling stuff.
- New weapons and items help make this even more rip-roaring fun.
- This remaster includes the base game, all the expansions, the entire campaign of the Nintendo 64 version, and a brand NEW expansion...and it's only $10? Take that, Rockstar.
Negatives:
- There is a fair bit of backtracking that can be a bit much.
Consensus: Much like the remaster of the first "Quake" several years ago, this is my first experience with "Quake II." After hearing one of my friends practically beg for a re-release of the game for a long time, I'm happy the wish has been fulfilled, especially because this is a fantastic game. It's crazy how much id Software was able to change and improve the first game in such a short time. What's more, this remastering job is one of the greatest I've ever seen. Beyond how much love and care was put into updating the base game, the fact that Nightdive Studios went and included everything they did here alongside new stuff while making it as cheap as it is ($10, also available on Game Pass, also a free upgrade on PC if you already own the game) is incredible. Meanwhile, Rockstar is trying to charge $50 for a barebones port of "Red Dead Redemption," I hear? Yeah, save your money and give it to someone who *actually* puts love and care into their re-releases. "Quake II" is a phenomenal game, and its remaster should be a benchmark that the rest of the industry should follow when it comes to re-releasing legacy titles.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"