Quake 2's base mechanics served as a scaffolding for this - a set of fun, smart, modern levels with themes, escalating tension, incredible level design, and great environment art. Something of this scope can only be achieved in the modern era by looking backwards to what made games like Half-Life 2 and the modern Dooms great. The only thing holding it back is Quake 2's gunplay and spongy enemies, but Call of the Machine easily earns a place at the top of the great modern boomer shooter campaigns. Easy to recommend over the base Quake 2 campaign.
Damn some of these missions look g o o d. I'm especially fond of Darkest Depths and Firewall. A few of the boss encounters felt far more frustrating than anything else across the entire remaster though.
The tracking on some of the beefed up Tank Commander missiles also felt kinda mean. The few times I died outside of a boss encounter often involved their missiles whipping around two sets of 90 degree corners to reach me. Be advised that Call of the Machine effectively implements even more dickish Vores back into Quake.
I wish the crossover elements were utilized more thoroughly, and the final encounter was rather underwhelming.
Overall I did really dig the tight mini-campaign anthology format that MachineGames elected to follow for their new expansion. Arguably this expansion alone makes the remaster "worth it".
The tracking on some of the beefed up Tank Commander missiles also felt kinda mean. The few times I died outside of a boss encounter often involved their missiles whipping around two sets of 90 degree corners to reach me. Be advised that Call of the Machine effectively implements even more dickish Vores back into Quake.
I wish the crossover elements were utilized more thoroughly, and the final encounter was rather underwhelming.
Overall I did really dig the tight mini-campaign anthology format that MachineGames elected to follow for their new expansion. Arguably this expansion alone makes the remaster "worth it".
I always liked Quake 1 more than Quake 2 but this is potentially swaying me over to 2. Great from start to finish, uses the annoying enemies from other mission packs in actual fun ways. No annoying backtracking. Makes the SSG feel good by having you fight waves of grunts, feeling like you're using the DOOM double barrel.
Bigger and bolder than the original in every way, yet somehow, navigating these hour-long labyrinths feels far more cohesive and comprehensive than anything before.
Weaving back into old battle arena’s with new toys only to be ambushed by an insane number of enemies lends it an almost Metroid-quality; but the game never pushes back, never says ‘maybe later,’ it always meets you where your at in the moment
Weaving back into old battle arena’s with new toys only to be ambushed by an insane number of enemies lends it an almost Metroid-quality; but the game never pushes back, never says ‘maybe later,’ it always meets you where your at in the moment
It could've been better than the og campaign, but using same bosses over and over makes it even with the og experience.
I enjoyed the MachineGames take on Quake and was not disappointed with this one either. Call of the Machine is practically its own campaign and is enjoyable for the most part. The levels are not as breathtaking as the Quake ones, but they're still much more interesting than anything in Quake II's other expansions. The final boss battle was a hair better than the Quake expansion, but still left a lot to be desired.
machinegames once again releasing a slew of incredibly high-quality levels and one somewhat lacklustre final boss
MachineGames should make one of these!
A lot better then their Quake 1 expansion pack but like with the final boss in that one. The final boss is a real letdown. Outside of that, this is pretty good.
So much better than the vanilla Q2 campaign, thanks to all the years that have passed where players and designers both have come to understand the best ways to use monsters and design level geometry around them. Feels like a Quake mapping jam / Doom community project, there's a solid variety of map types and I was particularly happy to see more than one map with slaughter DNA very upfront. Would recommend Operation Corpse Run in particular if you're not sure that you want to spend time playing the full thing yet - Really impressed me with its aggressive action.
An absolute top-quality mission pack making use of everything Quake II and its mission packs had to offer - It's only elevated further by the incredible level design and variety throughout; you're thrown into a hub in the beginning featuring six choices of operations.
The highlight would have to be the Ruined Earth operation. Everything has a gritty, disgusting early 20th century aesthetic which somehow also evokes Quake 1 vibes.
The only real misstep would in my opinion be the sixth mission, the darkest depths; as pretty as the level is it really feels lacking compared to all the others. This mission pack also claims to "bridge the gap" between Quake 1 and II, however I didn't really get that feeling whatsoever, (Apart from a certain Quake 1 enemy appearing) not that it really matters.
Highly recommended!
The highlight would have to be the Ruined Earth operation. Everything has a gritty, disgusting early 20th century aesthetic which somehow also evokes Quake 1 vibes.
The only real misstep would in my opinion be the sixth mission, the darkest depths; as pretty as the level is it really feels lacking compared to all the others. This mission pack also claims to "bridge the gap" between Quake 1 and II, however I didn't really get that feeling whatsoever, (Apart from a certain Quake 1 enemy appearing) not that it really matters.
Highly recommended!
Mejor que la campaña original
This, genuinely, might be better than the base Quake II campaign. Six brilliant, huge, imaginative, challenging and devious maps that hold more than a few surprises for fans of all things Quake. Feels more of a sequel to Quake II than Quake 4 did.
Not quite as great as Dimension of the Machine, but still an improvement on the base game. Corpse Run and Darkest Depths are especially awesome designs with good environmental storytelling. The last boss is frustratingly difficult but I honestly love the way it (spoiler alert, I suppose) incorporated enemies from Quake 1 to tie the Q1 and Q2 stories together. Not 100% sure the explanation they settled on makes the most sense, but it feels right.
Final Quake 1/2 rankings:
1. Q1: Dimension of the Machine
2. Q1 (base game)
3. Q2: Call of the Machine
4. Q2 (base game)
5. Q1: Dimension of the Past
6. Q2: The Reckoning
7. Q1: Scourge of Armagon
8. Q1: Dissolution of Eternity
9. Q2: Ground Zero
Final Quake 1/2 rankings:
1. Q1: Dimension of the Machine
2. Q1 (base game)
3. Q2: Call of the Machine
4. Q2 (base game)
5. Q1: Dimension of the Past
6. Q2: The Reckoning
7. Q1: Scourge of Armagon
8. Q1: Dissolution of Eternity
9. Q2: Ground Zero
Shockingly good expansion that is on par with the quality of the original Quake II campaign. The levels all have unique designs to them, for a large expansion like this it helps keep you engaged since you'll just keep seeing new stuff every level you enter. The updated lighting of the KEX Engine really shines since the levels make use of techniques the original engine probably couldn't do. Enemy encounters are really frantic and fun, very creative in how they use encounters to either make you feel vulnerable or powerful when you use the powerup you've been storing. The weakest part of the expansion is the bosses, since the final boss fight especially is really frustrating due to lack of cover and lots of enemies spawning in.
DOOMATHON entry #13/20
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
After being thoroughly impressed by MachineGames's previous Quake effort, I went into Call of the Machine expecting it to be a proportionally worthwhile addition - but I wasn't expecting it to be every bit as fantastic as its predecessor. Seeing as the scale of Dimension of the Machine's elaborate levels had more in common with Quake 2's units than the original game's mazes, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the same formula works just as well here.
What's more surprising, however, is the extent to which this is a love letter to the entirety of Quake 2, largely forgotten mission packs included. The Reckoning's Phalanx and Ground Zero's plasma beam are briefly included, the godforsaken medic commander is implemented in a genuinely enjoyable manner, and Quake 2 64's ominous Aubrey Hodges soundtrack is put to great use as well. My personal highlight of the entire campaign, once again about as lengthy as the base game, was thinking to myself "Seems like they couldn't figure out a fun use for the turrets from Ground Zero" within minutes of encountering the setpiece that did exactly that! Although I certainly don't think that Dimension of the Machine was worse off for not attempting to salvage the horribly annoying spike mines from Scourge of Armagon, Call of the Machine almost made me wish that it had.
Then again, the only reason that these once obnoxious elements work so well is because this campaign fully commits to the aggressive combat that shone brightly in the base game. The enemy counts here are obscene, often putting you in positions where a single super shotgun blast can wipe out an entire group of grunts, and where hesitating for even a moment will subject you to the railguns of multiple gladiators at once. While some near unavoidable damage inevitably results from this approach, it's remarkably well balanced on the whole.
The only time I felt that I had to succumb to my save scumming ways was in the final battle, which is more cramped than pretty much any other combat arena up to that point and was kinda deflating to experience after just how good almost everything that preceded it was. The battle is also quite underwhelming as what's ostensibly a conclusion to the hilariously disorganized Quake lore that these two new expansions were intended to tidy up. This obviously isn't gonna be a dealbreaker for anyone in their right mind (John Carmack's infamous "story in a game" quote is more pertinent to Doom and Quake then I'd like admit) and does little to undermine the excellence of what's on offer here, but it's a shame that neither MachineGames offering could break the series curse of underwhelming boss fights.
Both of these campaigns are easily the best official Quake content available as well as secretly among the best releases of 2021 and 2023 respectively; it's criminal that so few people are aware that we've functionally received two new games in the series within two years of each other! I've successfully fed some of my friends the Halo and Half-Life pills, and now Quake is next up on the agenda.
Cross-posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariofan717/status/1756583440470995030
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/
After being thoroughly impressed by MachineGames's previous Quake effort, I went into Call of the Machine expecting it to be a proportionally worthwhile addition - but I wasn't expecting it to be every bit as fantastic as its predecessor. Seeing as the scale of Dimension of the Machine's elaborate levels had more in common with Quake 2's units than the original game's mazes, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the same formula works just as well here.
What's more surprising, however, is the extent to which this is a love letter to the entirety of Quake 2, largely forgotten mission packs included. The Reckoning's Phalanx and Ground Zero's plasma beam are briefly included, the godforsaken medic commander is implemented in a genuinely enjoyable manner, and Quake 2 64's ominous Aubrey Hodges soundtrack is put to great use as well. My personal highlight of the entire campaign, once again about as lengthy as the base game, was thinking to myself "Seems like they couldn't figure out a fun use for the turrets from Ground Zero" within minutes of encountering the setpiece that did exactly that! Although I certainly don't think that Dimension of the Machine was worse off for not attempting to salvage the horribly annoying spike mines from Scourge of Armagon, Call of the Machine almost made me wish that it had.
Then again, the only reason that these once obnoxious elements work so well is because this campaign fully commits to the aggressive combat that shone brightly in the base game. The enemy counts here are obscene, often putting you in positions where a single super shotgun blast can wipe out an entire group of grunts, and where hesitating for even a moment will subject you to the railguns of multiple gladiators at once. While some near unavoidable damage inevitably results from this approach, it's remarkably well balanced on the whole.
The only time I felt that I had to succumb to my save scumming ways was in the final battle, which is more cramped than pretty much any other combat arena up to that point and was kinda deflating to experience after just how good almost everything that preceded it was. The battle is also quite underwhelming as what's ostensibly a conclusion to the hilariously disorganized Quake lore that these two new expansions were intended to tidy up. This obviously isn't gonna be a dealbreaker for anyone in their right mind (John Carmack's infamous "story in a game" quote is more pertinent to Doom and Quake then I'd like admit) and does little to undermine the excellence of what's on offer here, but it's a shame that neither MachineGames offering could break the series curse of underwhelming boss fights.
Both of these campaigns are easily the best official Quake content available as well as secretly among the best releases of 2021 and 2023 respectively; it's criminal that so few people are aware that we've functionally received two new games in the series within two years of each other! I've successfully fed some of my friends the Halo and Half-Life pills, and now Quake is next up on the agenda.
Cross-posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariofan717/status/1756583440470995030
Two words: Corpse Run.
Really good-ass Quake II, the only real disadvantage being it’s still Quake II
The dichotomy of quality between Machinegames recent Quake episodes and Wolfenstein reboots is mindboggling.
Best Q2 mappack Ive played, and blows the older xpacs out of the water
Best Q2 mappack Ive played, and blows the older xpacs out of the water
Those bastards did it again...
Like with Quake's Dimension of the Machine, Quake 2's Call of the Machine takes everything that worked in the base game some 25+ years ago and adds said 25+ years of game development knowledge to deliver something truly special. The ultimate Quake 2 challenge. I've made it clear that with the base game I wasn't fully satisfied with my run through it. Finding it to be very dull and kind of lacking in atmosphere and thrills at points. Well, Call of the Machine made the fuck sure I was never bored in any missions and even made Quake 2's every now and then generic space marine Sci-Fi aesthetic really shine by having most levels not be brown and puke green. Which then makes the ones that are actually like that genuinely unique and unnerving now. Really I think my only problem with this is that it can maybe get a bit too chaotic at times? But you are given exactly the gear you need to succeed and all the tools needed to survive the new massive Serious Samesque encounters is right there, it's the jump button. The big enemy spawns are kind of cathartic too as there's usually a Quad or double damage laying around and bullets or to top off the god like Chaingun and Hyperblaster (my beloved...). I know if nobody got me the Quake 2 Hyperblaster got me. What a perfect video game gun.
Some really nice callbacks to Quake I missed with how fast I was blitzing through some of these levels, but there's one specific mission that may be one of the most gigabrain uses of Lovecraft in media inspired by his work. Connecting the dots had me grinning ear to ear and the ending is so mean it reverts back to hilarious. Also, one of the missions in this may actually be the best shooter Alien game since Aliens Vs Predator 2.
Glad Nightdive and id are bringing these back I never knew how much I needed these games in my life after only playing mission 1 of the first Quake on a friends laptop back in high school. Don't know if this all releasing is sign of things to come or if it is just me having massive copium for a new shiny modern Quake game. Especially with how Doom has currently kind of taken its shtick of being the fast jumping shoot game, but man I really hope we get something sick soon. This shits too cool to keep buried as an MP only Hero Shooter.
Like with Quake's Dimension of the Machine, Quake 2's Call of the Machine takes everything that worked in the base game some 25+ years ago and adds said 25+ years of game development knowledge to deliver something truly special. The ultimate Quake 2 challenge. I've made it clear that with the base game I wasn't fully satisfied with my run through it. Finding it to be very dull and kind of lacking in atmosphere and thrills at points. Well, Call of the Machine made the fuck sure I was never bored in any missions and even made Quake 2's every now and then generic space marine Sci-Fi aesthetic really shine by having most levels not be brown and puke green. Which then makes the ones that are actually like that genuinely unique and unnerving now. Really I think my only problem with this is that it can maybe get a bit too chaotic at times? But you are given exactly the gear you need to succeed and all the tools needed to survive the new massive Serious Samesque encounters is right there, it's the jump button. The big enemy spawns are kind of cathartic too as there's usually a Quad or double damage laying around and bullets or to top off the god like Chaingun and Hyperblaster (my beloved...). I know if nobody got me the Quake 2 Hyperblaster got me. What a perfect video game gun.
Some really nice callbacks to Quake I missed with how fast I was blitzing through some of these levels, but there's one specific mission that may be one of the most gigabrain uses of Lovecraft in media inspired by his work. Connecting the dots had me grinning ear to ear and the ending is so mean it reverts back to hilarious. Also, one of the missions in this may actually be the best shooter Alien game since Aliens Vs Predator 2.
Glad Nightdive and id are bringing these back I never knew how much I needed these games in my life after only playing mission 1 of the first Quake on a friends laptop back in high school. Don't know if this all releasing is sign of things to come or if it is just me having massive copium for a new shiny modern Quake game. Especially with how Doom has currently kind of taken its shtick of being the fast jumping shoot game, but man I really hope we get something sick soon. This shits too cool to keep buried as an MP only Hero Shooter.
Insanely great expansion pack that does everything you could not an expansion would do in terms of building on what the base game (and it's older expansions) get right and get wrong, keeping the high points and adjusting the things that hold it back. The highlight is definitely the level design which is a huge improvement on the base game, there's a great amount of variety and creativity that makes every level memorable in a way the original game doesn't have. Ruined earth is a major highlight but I want to shout out corpse runner for while not being as aesthetically interesting has some really great moments that again is something the base game just doesn't have. The weapon selection is great, taking the best of the previous dlc and cutting out the lackluster ones and unlike the previous dlc it gets raising the difficulty right, it's hard for sure but never feels unfair, I think largely a benefit of modern game design. The reason I can't quite give it a perfect score is the final boss leaves a sour taste in my mouth, it just reuses bosses from previous levels in a very bland arena that just wasn't very fun. But aside from that unfortunate ending this is a near perfect expansion to a game I already loved.
Honestly pretty amazed at how good this is, I would argue that this is probably the best piece of official Quake content out there.
It manages to differentiate itself from Quake 2 by having a completely different mission structure, as well as higher difficulty, more weapons and even, occasionally, having more atmosphere.
Ruined Earth is probably my all time favourite Quake level and maybe even favourite level from an id Software shooter. It manages to convey a real sense of place and feels so lonely a lot of the time, combined with an awesome use of music and enemies.
This is on top of the many changes brought to Quake 2 through the Nightdive Studios re-release, remaster, port, whatever you want to call it, where they've added brand new enemy AI, new enemies and even new weapons.
If this was the Quake 2 we had back in 1997, I would think that there would be a much greater argument for Quake 2 being the best Quake. Please give this a shot.
It manages to differentiate itself from Quake 2 by having a completely different mission structure, as well as higher difficulty, more weapons and even, occasionally, having more atmosphere.
Ruined Earth is probably my all time favourite Quake level and maybe even favourite level from an id Software shooter. It manages to convey a real sense of place and feels so lonely a lot of the time, combined with an awesome use of music and enemies.
This is on top of the many changes brought to Quake 2 through the Nightdive Studios re-release, remaster, port, whatever you want to call it, where they've added brand new enemy AI, new enemies and even new weapons.
If this was the Quake 2 we had back in 1997, I would think that there would be a much greater argument for Quake 2 being the best Quake. Please give this a shot.
This review contains spoilers
After MachineGames' awesome Dimension of the Machine expansion for the enhanced Quake 1, as someone who's favourite Quake game is Quake II, I had high expectations for this new expansion after Quake II Enhanced was announced. I found Call of the Machine to be great, but not as good as Dimension of the Machine because of a few annoyances, but nowhere near as obnoxious as The Reckoning and Ground Zero expansions which CotM had the easy job of surpassing.
Starting with the good, the enemies and weapons from the previous expansions are back which mostly puts them to better use here. No turrets thankfully, those can stay in Ground Zero. If you liked the Plasma Beam and Phalanx but wish they weren't imprisoned inside the other garbage Quake II expansions then it's probably you're best day ever.
The level design is probably the most beautiful Quake II will ever look. Gone are the same sci-fi base aesthetic that takes up pretty much all of Quake II's base campaign. Some levels look like they are straight from Quake 1, which is neat considering this expansion ties Quake 1 and Quake II together at last. One level that takes place mostly in underground structures reminded me of Thief's Lost City level too. There are even secret "trial" levels that'll give you ammo, weapons and items should you find them and complete them if you like secret hunting.
CotM is much harder than the base game which is relatively easy even on Nightmare (which is the same difficulty I played through this expansion). Weapons are slowly handed out to the player and the power shield which makes the entire base game a cakewalk once you get it is practically nowhere to be seen. It's nice to play something that's paced differently that's not easy or complete bullshit like Ground Zero.
The great stuff about this expansion really speaks for itself but the negative aspects unfortunately stop CotM from being even better than DotM. Firstly, a lot of the encounters feel like a Doom Slaughter Map more than an average Quake II combat encounter. Quake II and by extension every Quake game has not been about mowing down hordes of enemies like Doom or Serious Sam, but CotM does not hesitate to throw dozens upon dozens of enemies at once which is as far removed from Quake II as it can get. A few big hordes is nice every once in a while, like when you get an explosive weapon, but during almost every encounter, it feels more like a Serious Sam/Painkiller/Doom Slaughter Map battle. On top of that, most of these Slaughter Map-like battles happen in areas that are way too congested and it's not rare to get boxed in and cornered by dozens of enemies rushing you. It's odd because not every level plays like a Slaughter map, some are more in line with Quake II's structure and others are not, which may make it seem like levels were handled by completely different people and slapped together like a fan-made map pack.
By far my biggest issue is the overuse of recycling awful boss fights. You mostly fight the same three bosses over and over again in each level. Sometimes they throw in a boss rush which should sound fun, but almost every boss fight relies on spawning a fuck ton of enemies which makes you focus more on them than the actual boss. Don't get me started on the final boss. I wish terrible things for whoever at MachineGames thought it was a good idea to throw in several pouncing mutants while you fight not one but TWO Shamblers. Yes, they brought back Shamblers from Quake 1 with their hitscan lightning attack. This one sentence is why this review was spoiler tagged to begin with. Thanks MachineGames I had to spoiler tag a review for a 90s FPS of all things.
Despite lacklustre boss fights and slaughter map-like battles that don't fit Quake II's gameplay, Call of the Machine is easily Quake II's best expansion and the best extra campaign that came with the enhanced edition of Quake II.
Starting with the good, the enemies and weapons from the previous expansions are back which mostly puts them to better use here. No turrets thankfully, those can stay in Ground Zero. If you liked the Plasma Beam and Phalanx but wish they weren't imprisoned inside the other garbage Quake II expansions then it's probably you're best day ever.
The level design is probably the most beautiful Quake II will ever look. Gone are the same sci-fi base aesthetic that takes up pretty much all of Quake II's base campaign. Some levels look like they are straight from Quake 1, which is neat considering this expansion ties Quake 1 and Quake II together at last. One level that takes place mostly in underground structures reminded me of Thief's Lost City level too. There are even secret "trial" levels that'll give you ammo, weapons and items should you find them and complete them if you like secret hunting.
CotM is much harder than the base game which is relatively easy even on Nightmare (which is the same difficulty I played through this expansion). Weapons are slowly handed out to the player and the power shield which makes the entire base game a cakewalk once you get it is practically nowhere to be seen. It's nice to play something that's paced differently that's not easy or complete bullshit like Ground Zero.
The great stuff about this expansion really speaks for itself but the negative aspects unfortunately stop CotM from being even better than DotM. Firstly, a lot of the encounters feel like a Doom Slaughter Map more than an average Quake II combat encounter. Quake II and by extension every Quake game has not been about mowing down hordes of enemies like Doom or Serious Sam, but CotM does not hesitate to throw dozens upon dozens of enemies at once which is as far removed from Quake II as it can get. A few big hordes is nice every once in a while, like when you get an explosive weapon, but during almost every encounter, it feels more like a Serious Sam/Painkiller/Doom Slaughter Map battle. On top of that, most of these Slaughter Map-like battles happen in areas that are way too congested and it's not rare to get boxed in and cornered by dozens of enemies rushing you. It's odd because not every level plays like a Slaughter map, some are more in line with Quake II's structure and others are not, which may make it seem like levels were handled by completely different people and slapped together like a fan-made map pack.
By far my biggest issue is the overuse of recycling awful boss fights. You mostly fight the same three bosses over and over again in each level. Sometimes they throw in a boss rush which should sound fun, but almost every boss fight relies on spawning a fuck ton of enemies which makes you focus more on them than the actual boss. Don't get me started on the final boss. I wish terrible things for whoever at MachineGames thought it was a good idea to throw in several pouncing mutants while you fight not one but TWO Shamblers. Yes, they brought back Shamblers from Quake 1 with their hitscan lightning attack. This one sentence is why this review was spoiler tagged to begin with. Thanks MachineGames I had to spoiler tag a review for a 90s FPS of all things.
Despite lacklustre boss fights and slaughter map-like battles that don't fit Quake II's gameplay, Call of the Machine is easily Quake II's best expansion and the best extra campaign that came with the enhanced edition of Quake II.
An okay DLC but a good addition to an already great game! Bethesda and Id could have just remastered Quake 2 on its own and called it a day, but they took it a step further and had Machine Games make new offical content for the game, as they did with Quake 1.
Structure wise this DLC feels more like Quake 1 where your on a space station and you going on different missions, to collect data discs, so you can go and stop the strogg maker. I will say the level design visually is really awesome, with some great large scale enviorments for you to explore. If you grew tired of the drab, brown looking military bases of the base game, then your in for a treat here. Also some of the enviromental storytelling is great too, especially on the level "Ruined Earth" which was my favorite. Also the final boss room was a great way to cap off the DLC.
In terms of negatives, although the level design is great, the enemy placement is terrible in this DLC. You will constantly be thrown into situations where there are DOZENS of the hardest enemies in one room all trying to kill you at once and its ridiculous. I like to call these "BFG moments", and they can be fun when you have the BFG, but other times when you don't have it, your kind of screwed. I don't know how your supposed to get past these moments on higher difficulties if your not god moding your way through it.
Overall, worth playing if you have the quake 2 remaster, or got upgraded to it for free like I did (since I owned the original game), but its not the best expansion for me.
All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Structure wise this DLC feels more like Quake 1 where your on a space station and you going on different missions, to collect data discs, so you can go and stop the strogg maker. I will say the level design visually is really awesome, with some great large scale enviorments for you to explore. If you grew tired of the drab, brown looking military bases of the base game, then your in for a treat here. Also some of the enviromental storytelling is great too, especially on the level "Ruined Earth" which was my favorite. Also the final boss room was a great way to cap off the DLC.
In terms of negatives, although the level design is great, the enemy placement is terrible in this DLC. You will constantly be thrown into situations where there are DOZENS of the hardest enemies in one room all trying to kill you at once and its ridiculous. I like to call these "BFG moments", and they can be fun when you have the BFG, but other times when you don't have it, your kind of screwed. I don't know how your supposed to get past these moments on higher difficulties if your not god moding your way through it.
Overall, worth playing if you have the quake 2 remaster, or got upgraded to it for free like I did (since I owned the original game), but its not the best expansion for me.
All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Very well designed maps that are honestly elevated by the fact that they're for Quake II, we don't have nearly as many quality community maps for Quake II as the original Quake and having an official modern expansion, which also feels like a very high quality community project like we get on other games, filled with varied maps that with exploring take way longer to finish than the main game, it's a great deal.
Some of the maps take more from the original Quake, having mostly ambient sound and a horror atmosphere. I'm honestly not as big of a fan of this as most, but you Quake I lovers may appreciate it a lot.
I managed to find all the secret levels and they're great fun, most of them are labeled as "Trials" where you're thrown into a small map full of enemies to take on a big firefight or two, with your reward for going through them being ammo upgrades and power-ups, making it very worth it.
If I have to complain about something it'd be the boss fights being about as unremarkable as those in the base game, although having a visible health bar does make it feel like they drag way less, so we have that. I'm also not really a big fan of what they do with the ending, if you know you know and probably think I'm insane for this.
Overall though this was a good amount of fun, while this expansion is considerably challenging and does throw more enemies at you than the base game ever would, you're never missing the tools to deal with them and this pack would be something I'd be willing to pay for on its own, worth your time if you like the game.
Some of the maps take more from the original Quake, having mostly ambient sound and a horror atmosphere. I'm honestly not as big of a fan of this as most, but you Quake I lovers may appreciate it a lot.
I managed to find all the secret levels and they're great fun, most of them are labeled as "Trials" where you're thrown into a small map full of enemies to take on a big firefight or two, with your reward for going through them being ammo upgrades and power-ups, making it very worth it.
If I have to complain about something it'd be the boss fights being about as unremarkable as those in the base game, although having a visible health bar does make it feel like they drag way less, so we have that. I'm also not really a big fan of what they do with the ending, if you know you know and probably think I'm insane for this.
Overall though this was a good amount of fun, while this expansion is considerably challenging and does throw more enemies at you than the base game ever would, you're never missing the tools to deal with them and this pack would be something I'd be willing to pay for on its own, worth your time if you like the game.
de super puta madre socio