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[Draugoth]

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Game Information​

Game Title: Quake II

Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch (Aug 10, 2023)
• PC (Aug 10, 2023)
• PlayStation 5 (Aug 10, 2023)
• PlayStation 4 (Aug 10, 2023)
• Xbox Series X/S (Aug 10, 2023)
• Xbox One (Aug 10, 2023)

Trailer:

• Quake II - Official Trailer (2023)

Developers: Nightdive Studios, MachineGames

Publishers: Bethesda Softworks, id Software, Activision

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 91 average - 100% recommended - 6 reviews

Critic Reviews​

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CGMagazine - Andrew Farrell - 9.5 / 10

While it may be missing the visual improvements that came with the RTX version of the game, the quality of life additions, amount of content, and jaw-dropping new campaign make this remaster a must-play for fans new and old.

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Destructoid - Zoey Handley - 9 / 10

It’s an oppressively brown shooter, but it still carries the speedy, lightweight combat that makes older FPS games still pop today. The changes that Nightdive brought in for the remaster make it even more enjoyable and accessible.

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Merlin'in Kazanı - Samet Basri Taşlı - Turkish - 90 / 100

Presenting the unforgettable game of my childhood as a complete experience, Quake II Remaster is a near-perfect package. With a price tag of 10 dollars, it is a game that anyone interested in the FPS genre should try.

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Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 8 / 10

One of the best remasters ever made, that actively improves the original game, in terms of graphics, AI, and the enormous volume of content.

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Nintendo Life - PJ O'Reilly - 10 / 10

Quake II arrives on Switch in the form of one of the very best remasters we've ever had the pleasure of digging into. With enhanced graphics and audio, refined AI, all-new animations, the iD Vault, a brand new episode, and all previously released DLC in the mix - plus the N64 version - this is an exhaustive package that Quake fans are absolutely gonna eat up. Add in crossplay support, gyro controls, and lots of co-op and competitive ways to play locally and online, and you've got an absolutely outstanding release.

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WayTooManyGames - Leonardo Faria - 9.5 / 10

This is possibly the best remastering effort by Nightdive I have ever seen. This isn’t just “a means to play Quake II on modern platforms”. Just like how a remaster should be, it is the ultimate way to play Quake II, the one version to rule above any other, the port that makes every single previously released iteration feel like unplayable garbage as a comparison.

 

[Punished Miku]

I've got it on Gamepass, but may pick it up for Switch instead for the gyro controls.

 

[Fake]

ND once again did. I not a fan of Quake 2, but I respect a good work.

 

[acm2000]

great little remaster, dont think i can be arsed to play through the old campaigns but will give the new one a play through when i have time.

 

[Killer8]

It's a new benchmark for remasters. The list of features they crammed into the package is dizzying and makes a mockery of shit like the Red Dead Redemption remaster.

 

[Fuz]

Yeah, I don't agree with that.

 

[Dream-Knife]

Tons of fun. My only issue is not enough people play multiplayer, and fewer still play instaGib.

 

[Cattlyst]

Grabbed the GamePass release but I already had the original release on Steam on PC and got the free upgrade. Can't imagine playing it with a controller on console after getting reaquainted with the mouse and keyboard controls though. Edit: forgot to add, the new campaign is excellent!

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Tons of fun. My only issue is not enough people play multiplayer, and fewer still play instaGib.

Tons of people are now on the remaster. I get an online match in seconds. Quake 1 tho is dead.

 

[Andrew Evenstar]

I may have to buy this. Even me, and older old school gamer - never played this !

 

[splattered]

Whoa what the hell lmao

 

[twilo99]

Does anyone want to play some multiplayer?

 

[Bloobs]

Another Nightdive classic.

 

[Pakoe]

Yeah, I don't agree with that.

What don't you agree with?

 

[Ulysses 31]

Another Nightdive classic.

Sucks that they still haven't released Sin Reloaded and King Pin Reloaded years after their announcements.

 

[Walter Matthau]

This or Quake 1? I've never played either.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

This or Quake 1? I've never played either.

Two very different games, can't go wrong with either one.

 

[Sojiro]

This or Quake 1? I've never played either.

Personally I think both are worth playing. They both have their own unique strengths and weaknesses to them.

 

[Fuz]

What don't you agree with?

The reviews. It's not a good remaster, they changed too many things were they should have changed none.

This or Quake 1? I've never played either.

Q1 if you only intend to play the campaign.
Q2 for the greatest multiplayer in history (esp. duel)

 

[Robb]

I just started this one, been enjoying it thus far. I never played the original though so I have no reference point.

It does seem very content rich though.

 

[twilo99]

10/10

 

[Dacvak]

How does this run on Switch? Anyone know if it keeps 60?

 

[Trunx81]

How does this run on Switch? Anyone know if it keeps 60?

In SP, yes. MP has some dips, from what I´ve heard in reviews.

Really tempted to buy it for split-screen MP, though.

 

[poppabk]

Was playing 3 player co-op with my kids. So much fun, even on controller. They just need to fix the invert issue.

 

[Dream-Knife]

Tons of people are now on the remaster. I get an online match in seconds. Quake 1 tho is dead.

I was playing Quake 2 remaster this weekend. There didn't seem to be a ton of people playing, and most servers aren't running instaGib.

I hosted a server for a little bit. We had a few players but it petered out after about an hour.

 

[Elder Legend]

A certified old school banger. Time for a real Quake reboot,

 

[Bloobs]

Sucks that they still haven't released Sin Reloaded and King Pin Reloaded years after their announcements.

Thats because uncle Phil came with the bag.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

A certified old school banger. Time for a real Quake reboot,

Each Quake game is so different, I wonder what aesthetic a potential reboot would go with…

 

[Ulysses 31]

Thats because uncle Phil came with the bag.

Phil is not someone you wanna disappoint so now I can see how they had no choice.

 

[MiguelItUp]

As a Q2 praiser, this remaster is extraordinary. Especially in terms of the extra content it includes. Sure, there's some things that I think are strange and unnecessary. But the good/great VASTLY outweigh that. Really looking forward to how it's supported and what they add to it.

 

[Elder Legend]

Each Quake game is so different, I wonder what aesthetic a potential reboot would go with…

My fear is that Quake reboot would be too similar to the DOOM reboot. I feel like Quake would need to heavily rely more on HP Lovecraft type aesthetic. If I am not wrong, wasn't there a ton of Cthulu inspired monsters in the first game? The last boss is even named after one of the old ones.

Quake Reboot needs to be the Bloodborne of FPS with heavy lovecraftian influences as it did in the original days. The Strogg are boring imo.

While DOOM need to stay more demonic as it always has been.

 

[Bloobs]

Phil is not someone you wanna disappoint so now I can see how they had no choice.

 

[RickMasters]

Each Quake game is so different, I wonder what aesthetic a potential reboot would go with…

Yeah, the first game had a kind of medievil vibe. 2 and 4 seem the most connected to each other, in terms of presentation. 3 was just an MP game.



Ad say 2/4 but maybe thats to similar to modern day doom games. So maybe the medievil style with lovecraft style monsters like the first would be a good way to go. A more...mecha-gothic sort of vibe? I dunno......

 

[Hendrick's]

Great package. Thank you Phil!

 

[Fake]

This or Quake 1? I've never played either.

Quake 1 IMO is a better game. Can't say for the quality of Quake 2. Quake 1 have perfomances issues on base PS4.

The reviews. It's not a good remaster, they changed too many things were they should have changed none.

I remember John from DF saying they changed a lot of stuff, including A.I behavior. They should made all this optional.

Quake 1 change the nightmare difficult without consulting the fans. Reduce the player health to 50%, mixed some foes into -fastmonsters and others don't have this protocol. Just to give you an ideia, you start the game with 50 de health and they block you to restore your health to 100, if you get the health bonus after a time they go back to 50 health. This make the game stupidy annoying instead of challenging.

I don't understand what is actually happening inside ND studios. They used to maintain the core aspect while giving new players an optional way of play their games.
They realease Rise of the Triad Ludicrous edition and change some of the stuff at the point of me canceling pre-orders. I'll stick with winrott.

 

[John Marston]

We're all revealing our age when contributing to this thread

 

[RickMasters]

Great to see this game score so highly. just goes to show a classic game ages like fine wine! the late 90s was a great time for FPS. for most of us who never had powerful voodoo equipped PCs, we had to make do with the console ports. at least now we too, can look back at these games with rose tinted lenses and experience them, better than we remember. My first encounters with doom, quake and duke nukem was on sega saturn and N64. they were always cut down versions of the PC games, though in the case of doom 64, quake 64 and quake II 64 they were different enough versions, that you kind of can appreciate them for what they were a bit more now.



All the classics need to be preserved and readily available, to all.



I feel like jumping on my xbox later and having a 90s themed FPS sesh ..... they need to bring the first two unreal games, hexen, heretic, SiN, rise of the triad and old school shadow warrior to me....and the old starwars FPS games like republic commando and dark forces.


And I wouldnt say no to a new orange box that runs at 60FPS on consoles and includes some form of counter strike...with console cross play between Xbox, PS and switch. and this time includes the first half life and its DLC.

 

[RickMasters]

they need to first put out the old games.....just to whet peoples apatite. from their a full blown reeboot.

I think Id like to see arkane have a go at it if raven are not up fot it. single player focused but I think the game could have a descent old school style class based MP PVP modes, if carefully thought out.

 

[Spukc]

Dude it's time for that team to reboot unreal tournament.. let all those fucking zoomers see what good shooters are ffs

 

[AltogetherAndrews]

Quake II was my first fps love so it’s neat to experience it again, but after playing Prodeus I’m not sure I’m really enjoying this as much as I thought I would. Feels like the only real value it holds is nostalgia.

 

[Sojiro]

We're all revealing our age when contributing to this thread

Lol very true. Listen to your elders kiddos, Quake is good shit.

 

[twilo99]

The weapons in Q3/QL feel better to me overall, especially the rockets.

 

[amigastar]

So i've played Multiplayer and Singleplayer and honestly i'm baffled.
In Multiplayer the weapons are to slow (the projectiles and their trajectories) and in Singleplayer enemies die unexcited. I really thought i would enjoy this game more.

 

[Apocryphon]

Sucks that they still haven't released Sin Reloaded and King Pin Reloaded years after their announcements.

Yeah, I do wish they were a bit more transparent with what their delivery schedule looks like. They have delivered 10 games in the past 5 years though.

Their work on the System Shock remake was amazing, and the effort put into Quake 2 appears to have been significant (though the new Quake expansion was developed by Machine Games, not Nightdive). They’re obviously capable of delivering excellent products with short turnarounds.

In the SiN update they posted earlier this month, they said the game is being reworked somewhat and that other games exceeded the expected development timelines, pushing projects like SiN Reloaded to the back burner. I suspect System Shock is what they are referencing.

I’m kinda hoping that they’re giving it a greater overhaul than initially expected because I never personally liked the game all that much. It felt and looked very dated at launch. I’d rather have Unreal Gold, AvP2, RtCW, or Hexen II instead of SiN

 

[Danknugz]

needs dedicated servers and a server list ala gamespy

 

[Danknugz]

Grabbed the GamePass release but I already had the original release on Steam on PC and got the free upgrade. Can't imagine playing it with a controller on console after getting reaquainted with the mouse and keyboard controls though. Edit: forgot to add, the new campaign is excellent!

you can still play on PC with the gamepass release but now that mentioned that, maybe I'll install it from steam just to be able to use a different handle

 

[Apocryphon]

Dude it's time for that team to reboot unreal tournament.. let all those fucking zoomers see what good shooters are ffs

I’d take a UT99 remaster in a heartbeat. That shot was top tier and basically all I played in the labs at uni. Bundle it with Unreal Gold and it would I sell boatloads.

Epic doesn’t give a fuck about Unreal though so it’s unlikely.

 

[Apocryphon]

So i've played Multiplayer and Singleplayer and honestly i'm baffled.
In Multiplayer the weapons are to slow (the projectiles and their trajectories) and in Singleplayer enemies die unexcited. I really thought i would enjoy this game more.

The game game out in 1997 dude. Quake 3 is the game that perfected the multiplayer gameplay.

In 1997, Quake 2 was amazing. It isn’t my favourite Quake game… the original is still my favourite FPS of all time… but many hours were lost to the sequel when it launched. Gibbing an enemy was amazing and not at all unexciting. What are you comparing it to? Doom Eternal?

 

[amigastar]

The game game out in 1997 dude. Quake 3 is the game that perfected the multiplayer gameplay.

In 1997, Quake 2 was amazing. It isn’t my favourite Quake game… the original is still my favourite FPS of all time… but many hours were lost to the sequel when it launched. Gibbing an enemy was amazing and not at all unexciting. What are you comparing it to? Doom Eternal?

Nah, man. Even Doom 1 and 2 is better than Quake 2 .
The death animations are lame in Quake 2 imo.

 

[VeganElduderino]

now time to reboot the OG Unreal!