Quake II | Id Software
Before Quake II was released, most of us were expecting a sequel which would outfit the original Quake in a similar fasion to the way Doom II improved Doom. Although better in almost every way, Id Software had merely cashed in on the Doom phenomenon in a way which would bring them down in everyone's estimations. Luckily however, this is not the case with Quake II.

Id knew of its past mistakes, and luckily the idea hit home that once reputation got out that Quake II was just another sequel akin to Doom II, sales would invariably suffer. So work began on a sequel so radical, so different from the original that upon first glances it would appear to be another game. Although Quake II uses the original Quake engine (this time with coloured lighting and 3D hardware support straight out of the box), the game, in terms of plot and style, is a world apart.

Quake II's ultra-realistic 3D world, containing just one common enemy species, is a far cry from the mismatched band of ogres and fiends which made up the original. This time, earth is under attack from a race of bio-mechanical aliens (not dissimilar from The Borg in Star Trek), who are building a huge gun on their home planet of Stroggos. As the usual battle-hardened marine, you are sent as part of an army to the planet's surface to take care of the Stroggs and dissarm the gun before earth is destroyed. As usual, however, all of the human resistance is almost instantly wiped out the moment they touch down. Luckily for you, your attack pod is knocked off course in mid-descent and you end up in a relatively safe part of the Strogg main complex. Typical.

Above: Some in-game screenshots from early on in development
Id tried valiantly to give the public the Quake sequel that they invariably deserve for their continued support for the company, and the result was more than anyone was expecting. The level structure is a lot more true to life than in Quake, and you are now able to blast through weak spots in walls to reveal secret areas. There is also now an inventory where you can store much-needed powerups like the infamous Quad Damage for when you really need them. The level objectives are also more contrived, with specific and varying obvectives to complete, such as flooding a reactor with sewage in order to destroy it, rather than merely pressing a button and then being informed that "The reactor has been destroyed" after the level has ended like Quake.

This clever level design gives you a greater sense of purpose than in Quake, and the coloured lighting really adds to the mood, as long as your 3D hardware supports it. Enemies are also a bit more intelligent, and they now take visible damage before they die, with skin being blasted away to reveal metal skeletons, and heads being shot off with the decapitated body continuing to shoot for a few seconds afterwards. Nice.

Basically, this is a must-have game for anyone and everyone who enjoys a good blast. Id have truly proven themselves once again to be kings of the genre. Hats off to them.

Download the Demo (Requires DirectX. Download DirectX 6.1 here.)

RATING: 86%