Recent reviews by Smuggy

Happy to say that the multiplayer is alive and well. Though grab it on a sale since $30 just for multiplayer is a bit much.

Emulate it on xbox. Volition is dead and the patch is never coming out.

I would like to start by saying Quake II is a fine game by itself. Nothing extraordinary, but it keeps my attention throughout the entire game.
However, the re-release version of Q2 is absolute dogwater. Too many intentional changes have been made that take away from the experience especially in regards to enemy AI. Without going into too many specifics, all I'll say is: perhaps things on the cutting room floor weren't cut for time. The new attacks were very clearly not designed with Q2's levels in mind. Every attack in Q2 either has a wind up, or the attack doesn't do very much. One particular new attack has absolutely NO windup and has such a wide radius that 90% of the time, it's unavoidable.

The things that they've made to YOU, the player, are also neat, but isn't really Quake II. Things like boosting weapon switch speed and reducing Machine gun spread are neat, but it makes the re-release feel like a mod of Q2 rather than Q2. The weapon/equipment wheels and compass are also neat, but weren't really a problem since originally, each power-up usually had a hotkey assigned to it which would instantly activate the one you wanted.

But the biggest deal breaker is on the user experience. Having learned precisely nothing from the Quake re-release; sensitivity is once again locked to .5 intervals. So if your sensitivity lies between .5, you're screwed unless you enter it into the console or edit configuration files. This is a console port through and through and it shows. It's not designed for mega fans such as myself who have been playing off of Yamagi for years. But the biggest deal breaker is the constant crashing. The game crashes constantly throughout, but it's especially bad at the end of the game. It's gotten to the point where there was one guaranteed crash in every level once you reach the final unit. Average Keks engine moment.

I recommend you buy the game, but take the baseq2 files and throw them into a source port of your choosing. The music comes with the re-release so you can take it and throw it into the source port. The re-release is not worth your time.

Terrible mouse input: Doesn't use Raw mouse input as well as mouse dampening aka reverse mouse acceleration. It would be one thing if this was the original release, but it isn't. If you want to have good mouse input, then grab the files and run this through eduke. You'll have a much better time that way.

incredibly unoptimized. 30 fps is basically the standard throughout the entire game. Content means nothing if you can't play it.

Game is entirely unfinished and lacking far too many features of the previous entries. Game doesn't even meet the standards the series itself set. Play MCC instead or rather any other game where the devs are both competent and have a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ plan.

Absolutely fantastic. It takes the original game, adds its own refreshing twist, and makes it look gorgeous. Best looking Source engine game to this date!

An absolutely fantastic VR game and an even better half life game. This is absolutely a headset seller.

Fantastic game that perfectly captures the aesthetic of games the likes of the original Quake. It's complete with low poly models and zero texture filtering; and that's a good thing! They even went as far as to include a hidden movement mechanic. While it's clearly intentional, they make it seem as if it was an oversight as were many movement mechanics back in the day. Everything about it is emanating soul. The music is fantastic and perfectly captures the dark themes that were used back in the 90s and is easily one of the best parts of the game. This is a must if you love old school boomer shooter genera or are just looking for something fast in general.

There are more bots in this game than there are employees at valve who care to do anything about it. Though to be fair, It's not hard to be greater than one.