Developed by: id Software
Distributed by: Activision
PREFACE
Although Quake 2 was released over a year and a half ago (sometime in December of 97 I believe) and has thoroughly proven itself to gamers, being called "The Best Game Ever!" by PC Gamer UK, I still feel the need to review it. Mainly because most reviews are as old as the game and therefore don't give an accurate basis for comparison with the newer games on the market. The second reason for reviewing a game that has already proven itself time and again is that it still offers the best multiplayer experience available to gamers, which is what most of this review will focus on.
SINGLE PLAYER
The weakest aspect of Quake 2 is... oddly enough... its single player game. It wasn't impressive at the time of Quake 2's release and is hardly worthy of the title when measured by the standard Half-Life has set for the FPS (First Person Shooter) genre. The weak Artificial Intelligence is mainly responsible for the low scores in this category, and makes the graphics engine and stunning architecture of its well crafted levels struggle to keep the single player game enjoyable.
Unlike the player model, which is a relatively realistic representation of a marine, the monsters in Quake 2 don't look very realistic, and give the single player game a bit of an unnatural feeling.
Quake 2's single player game is not a complete failure, it provides adequate training grounds for beginners and prepares them for multiplayer. I would recommend playing through the game to any beginner before trying their hand at a multiplayer match, partly because it will give them a better knowledge of the intricacies of the single player levels that double as multiplayer levels, and also to give them a feel for the weapons and which situation each is best suited for.
On to Multiplayer
