Quake II- Xplosiv Range

Fantastic, ground braking, FUN!!!

The graphics at the time were a revolution, it actually looked like a bad b-movie (which is what id games were hoping for) but played like a Cannes Gold medal winner. The graphics engine used for the game is still the blueprint for every new engine it was that good!

The thing that got me was the sound, orders being piped through to you as your comrades are begging you to kill them so they would be out of their misery was truly disturbing but at the same time its what you would expect to hear if you were a grunt in the field.

Buy it, play it, love it but never get tired of it!

Overview: In an apocalyptic future, humanity was besieged by a barbaric, unknown alien race known as the Strogg. However, this invasion was repelled, and the Earth was mostly saved. Thus, the time for brutal vengeance has come... This is where your character steps in.

Graphics: Very lame in software mode, with hideous pixellated textures on the walls, the enemy, and your weapon. But switch it over to opengl, and it's like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. The textures become smooth and pleasing to the eye, and the lighting effects become spectacular. My personal favorite enhancement are the lovely 3d rendered explosions from grenades, rockets, and such, seldom seen in the games of today. The only letdown are the blurry, blocky character models, which are terrible to behold. 3/5 for graphics.

Sound: Not too bad, but not great either. In the opening levels you will hear a lot of distant explosions and bombs dropping, coupled with the ambience of warplanes flying past. It sounds cool on paper, but these sounds are incredibly repetitive. There are many snarls, grunts, and warcries from your rather primitive adversaries, which are somewhat unconvincing, but add nicely to the overall veneer of fantasy. The gunshot sound effects are a superb quality, as you'd expect from id. In the levels set deep within the Strogg mines, there is an excellent hiss and bubble sound from the lava. But there is something which really irritates me. In all the levels, your commander will be relaying orders to you via what sounds like a microphone of some sort. These orders are absolutely incoherent. Perhaps id meant to instill the player with a sense of urgency through these nonsensical messages, but they are the only ones who know that. Besides, your objective computer is where to look if you want info on what you should be doing. 3/5 for sound.

Gameplay: This is where the game is very cool. There are quite a few strategies and techniques you can employ against your unwordly foes, all of which are excellent fun to experience. This is undoubtedly the shining point of the game. For instance, there are enormous, lumbering enemies called "Tanks", and in defeating them, not only is a strategy advised, but required. Otherwise you'll be full of holes and blown apart in no time. And the enemy ai was state of the art at its time, with a lot of clever behaviour from enemies. For example, in the first level, I tried to hit a grunt in the head with a slow moving shot from my blaster, and he crouched and avoided it. :) Sadly though, most of the ai isn't as smart as this, with enemies following bad paths to attack you, and sometimes not responding when shot, and just running around like headless chickens sometimes. Thankfully however, they are acceptable most of the time. Anyway, there are many other interesting things to do in the game, such as locate secrets areas and levels, which are filled with health, armor, and weapons, and often guarded by fierce monsters. They are well worth the challenge though. :) 5/5 for gameplay.

In conclusion, if you don't own this game, seek it out, because it's a pivotal piece in the history of the fps, and probably inspired many people like Valve Software to make the games that they do now. And at this budget price, there's hardly any risk either. Have fun quaking! :D

But it didn't exactly turn out the way Id Software envisioned it. The single player campaign, while good, was hardly the ultimate opus that people were expecting. And despite what the game originally set out to be, Quake II ended up being a multiplayer game afterall. It was faster, better, more fun than the original online or playing against friends and the many many custom models (a Bart Simpson character anyone ?) added a personal touch to the game.

So, if you have never played this game, it's a good time to do it now. It's hardly in the same league as Half Life when it comes to single player but the multi player is still fun and, hey, you're getting an important piece of gaming history for only a few pounds!