A remaster of Quake
In addition to support for modern systems and improved rendering techniques, this remastered version includes both mission packs, Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity. It also includes two episodes created by MachineGames: the previously-released Dimension of the Past and a new one called Dimension of the Machine.
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Thank god this has bot multiplayer. It made me be able to imagine how life would be like if I had friends willing to play with me.
Yep, I definitely prefer Quake II. (ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? t. Future Me) I'm not so fond of how tanky the small enemy roster is. The environments have great vibes, but coupled with Trent choosing an ambient style, the encounters feel far slower and less intense.
Dimension of the Machine is a great addition to the canon. I particularly dig the visual fidelity on display in the hub world. I want more games with this crunchy style and nice lighting effects. There's an above average level of environmental details in the hub that I wish carried over to more of the rooms within the levels, though that's a luxury that the action carries on just fine without.
I'm docking a point for no LAN in this port.
Dimension of the Machine is a great addition to the canon. I particularly dig the visual fidelity on display in the hub world. I want more games with this crunchy style and nice lighting effects. There's an above average level of environmental details in the hub that I wish carried over to more of the rooms within the levels, though that's a luxury that the action carries on just fine without.
I'm docking a point for no LAN in this port.
I’ve really found my love for this genre again in the last year or so, so it was nice to try one of the OGs for the first time. I’m glad to say it holds up well, the level design was a bit different than what I was expecting compared to Doom or Blood, there were far less instances of wandering aimlessly because the pathing seemed a lot more straight forward, which I appreciated. The guns all feel good and there is a nice mix of enemies, definitely a classic of the genre for a reason.
The OG 3D FPS reaches near perfection with this 2021 remaster.
Despite Quake's influence on the genre, this was my first foray into the series. Likely due to being only a toddler when it originally released and having more of an interest in Unreal Tournament as I got older. Nevertheless, its hard to deny how impactful Quake was on the genre. Being the first true 3D FPS (in the sense as we know today), Quake sheds the restrictions associated with the Doom engine and allows for much more interesting level design and game play overall. Unfortunately, Quake would experience a somewhat tumultuous development cycle and this is reflected in the end product, at least in regards to the single player.
The 2021 remaster contains Quake and all 4 expansions, including a brand new expansion released in tandem. The original Quake campaign is broken up into 4 episodes each beginning with a similar sci-fi themed level before taking a slip gate into a series of levels loosely connected by theme, all of which draw heavily on dark fantasy aesthetics. The atmosphere of Quake is unique not just to the genre, but to its own series as it would swap to a much more sci-fi centered theme in later titles. These levels are well made though the lack of any end episode bosses outside of episode 1 is disappointing.
Expansion 1: Scourge of Armagon introduces new weapons and enemy types and utilizes more interesting level design with the entire first episode consisting of sci-fi themed levels. Unfortunately it seems that these levels were not designed with the new 50 health cap Nightdive has placed for nightmare difficulty where some sections involve near unavoidable environmental damage that can be very hard to survive.
Expansion 2: Dissolution of Eternity features an even wider selection of new enemies and a slew of new ammo types rather than new weapons. Split into 2 episodes, the first episode is mostly more of the same as the original Quake, but episode 2 has an ancient civilization theme and some very interesting levels such as the elemental trials. The end boss of this expansion was the most difficult fight in the entire game, ironically given that the rest of the expansion is pretty forgiving due to how overpowered some of the new ammo types are and how much ammo you are showered with.
Expansion 3: Dimension of the Past is probably the weakest point of the game featuring no new features and having levels that feel mostly like remixes of original Quake levels. There's no actual end boss leading to a rather anticlimactic experience overall. It's not bad, but I struggle to think of anything memorable about it when standing next to the rest of the content.
Expansion 4: Dimension of the Machine is new with the remaster and my personal favorite. While not including any new weapons or enemies, these levels showcase detail and complexity far beyond that of the base game or other expansions. The enemy counts on some of these levels are quite high making for some challenging but fair combat sequences. Cthon returns as a final boss for the expansion though is more engaing as a fight here than in base Quake.
Beyond this, Quake is known for having a vibrant modding community and the remaster features a dozen or so officially supported mods. Slave Zero X stands out as a complete overhaul of Quake to facilitate the cyberpunk theme these levels are designed around. Weapons and enemies are all new though sharing similarities with the default Quake.
Multiplayer seemed dead from what I could see, unsurprisingly, but you can setup matches with bots if you are looking for some classic arena shooter fun. There's also a new Horde mode that can be played with bots or other players in beautiful new maps designed by Nightdive.
This is probably one of the most content dense classic shooters I've played thus far. 30+ hours of single player goodness before you even entertain the thought of custom maps or mods. Not all the expansions hit a home run, but even the least memorable levels are solid. Quake holds up surprisingly well, at least partially thanks to Nightdive's excellent work on the remaster.Being the first FPS to be fully 3D but this revolution only served to make it more adventurous and imaginative in its design.
Despite Quake's influence on the genre, this was my first foray into the series. Likely due to being only a toddler when it originally released and having more of an interest in Unreal Tournament as I got older. Nevertheless, its hard to deny how impactful Quake was on the genre. Being the first true 3D FPS (in the sense as we know today), Quake sheds the restrictions associated with the Doom engine and allows for much more interesting level design and game play overall. Unfortunately, Quake would experience a somewhat tumultuous development cycle and this is reflected in the end product, at least in regards to the single player.
The 2021 remaster contains Quake and all 4 expansions, including a brand new expansion released in tandem. The original Quake campaign is broken up into 4 episodes each beginning with a similar sci-fi themed level before taking a slip gate into a series of levels loosely connected by theme, all of which draw heavily on dark fantasy aesthetics. The atmosphere of Quake is unique not just to the genre, but to its own series as it would swap to a much more sci-fi centered theme in later titles. These levels are well made though the lack of any end episode bosses outside of episode 1 is disappointing.
Expansion 1: Scourge of Armagon introduces new weapons and enemy types and utilizes more interesting level design with the entire first episode consisting of sci-fi themed levels. Unfortunately it seems that these levels were not designed with the new 50 health cap Nightdive has placed for nightmare difficulty where some sections involve near unavoidable environmental damage that can be very hard to survive.
Expansion 2: Dissolution of Eternity features an even wider selection of new enemies and a slew of new ammo types rather than new weapons. Split into 2 episodes, the first episode is mostly more of the same as the original Quake, but episode 2 has an ancient civilization theme and some very interesting levels such as the elemental trials. The end boss of this expansion was the most difficult fight in the entire game, ironically given that the rest of the expansion is pretty forgiving due to how overpowered some of the new ammo types are and how much ammo you are showered with.
Expansion 3: Dimension of the Past is probably the weakest point of the game featuring no new features and having levels that feel mostly like remixes of original Quake levels. There's no actual end boss leading to a rather anticlimactic experience overall. It's not bad, but I struggle to think of anything memorable about it when standing next to the rest of the content.
Expansion 4: Dimension of the Machine is new with the remaster and my personal favorite. While not including any new weapons or enemies, these levels showcase detail and complexity far beyond that of the base game or other expansions. The enemy counts on some of these levels are quite high making for some challenging but fair combat sequences. Cthon returns as a final boss for the expansion though is more engaing as a fight here than in base Quake.
Beyond this, Quake is known for having a vibrant modding community and the remaster features a dozen or so officially supported mods. Slave Zero X stands out as a complete overhaul of Quake to facilitate the cyberpunk theme these levels are designed around. Weapons and enemies are all new though sharing similarities with the default Quake.
Multiplayer seemed dead from what I could see, unsurprisingly, but you can setup matches with bots if you are looking for some classic arena shooter fun. There's also a new Horde mode that can be played with bots or other players in beautiful new maps designed by Nightdive.
This is probably one of the most content dense classic shooters I've played thus far. 30+ hours of single player goodness before you even entertain the thought of custom maps or mods. Not all the expansions hit a home run, but even the least memorable levels are solid. Quake holds up surprisingly well, at least partially thanks to Nightdive's excellent work on the remaster.Being the first FPS to be fully 3D but this revolution only served to make it more adventurous and imaginative in its design.
I want a Shambler fur rug to lay on during cold winter nights.
Quake is a good game that overstays its welcome. Movement and shooting feel fantastic, and I really enjoyed the tense atmosphere. Surprise enemies actually made me jump a few times. The level design is a bit hit or miss. Some of them drag on too long and make you spend too much time taking potshots at ogres then ducking out of the way (rinse, repeat), but others are spot on.
The final boss is legendarily terrible but at least I knew that going in so I wasn’t too disappointed. Telefragging a boss is at least more fun than a standard shoot it till it dies deal.
For my first outing with an Id Software game, I enjoyed myself and am excited to try more.
The final boss is legendarily terrible but at least I knew that going in so I wasn’t too disappointed. Telefragging a boss is at least more fun than a standard shoot it till it dies deal.
For my first outing with an Id Software game, I enjoyed myself and am excited to try more.