PC

When Quake 2 came out, we gave it a 96% review; now, it’s seen as ‘the worst id game’. Let’s reinstall it and figure out the truth

Reinstall

This article first appeared in PC Gamer magazine issue 391 in December 2023, as part of our Reinstall series. Every month we load up a beloved classic—and find out whether it holds up to our modern gaming sensibilities. 

Quake 2 has a fascinating legacy. Released only 18 months after Quake in December 1997, it was quickly celebrated as the best game ever made. And I mean the best. PC Gamer awarded it a score of 96, only the second game in the magazine’s history to receive such a dizzying number. A technological marvel, it offered a far more focused adventure than the original’s dimension-hopping escapades, with a distinctive setting and consistent enemy design. It even had something id co-founder John Carmack had previously dismissed as superfluous to a good shooter: a plot.

Over time, however, Quake 2’s reputation has diminished. The following year, its narrative ambitions were superseded by Half-Life, which told a better story in a more interesting fashion. More recently, critics have pointed out that its shooting experience is flatter and more sluggish than the 1996 original, while its setting and level design lack the same weirdness and imagination. David Szymanski, creator of the retro-shooter DUSK, has described Quake 2 as “the worst id game”.

Original Source Link

Related Articles

Back to top button