The first official mission pack for Quake II is a cohesive, if conservative, extension of the original, offering more weapons and opponents along with plenty of solid single-player and deathmatch levels. The question you need to ask yourself is whether you enjoy Quake II enough to merit playing it again, because The Reckoning is a supplement rather than an improvement. You're still just one marine up against the evil biomechanical Strogg, and though you'll take up a few new guns and see a few new sights, The Reckoning remains thematically identical to the original Quake II campaign. Though there are plenty of new graphics in this add-on, you'd have trouble picking them out of a lineup. The polished gunmetal walls, the crimson skies, the dimly lit corridors - all the sights from Quake II are back, albeit slightly different than before. Though you'll pass through a few all-new vistas, such as a canyon and a low-gravity moon base, they are not so different as to make you think you're playing an all-new game. Likewise, while the mission pack features a sizeable slew of new enemies just waiting to frag you dead, only a handful of these are original.

1. Quake 2 Reckoning Secrets

The most noteworthy of these new enemies is an amphibious ape-like creature with glowing, acidic blood. Instead, most are stronger variants of the original Quake II menagerie: slightly different in appearance, much tougher to kill, and far more potently equipped. Expect to face three new types of guards, an enhanced Tank, an Iron Maiden equipped with guided missiles, and more. Meanwhile, there are very few new audio effects worthy of note. The new weapons sound appropriate enough, the occasional instances of voice-over are effective, and the soundtrack is naught but the original Quake II distortion guitar mishmash. The new weapons you'll discover are well designed, but nothing too far out of the ordinary. The Phalynx Particle Cannon unloads two huge, explosive fireballs, but it's a little too slow to be effective in a heated firefight, let alone against a skilled opponent in an open deathmatch.

• So I had this working perfectly ages ago but now it decides it doesn't want to work. I have the original Quake 2 installed as well and every time I verify game files.
• For Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning on the PC, FAQ/Walkthrough by RMurtha.

The Ion Ripper, a design quickly becoming yet another first-person shooter cliche, fires powerful ricocheting energy bolts (surprisingly, a sniper rifle is nowhere to be found). Other new gadgets include the simply named Trap, a device that absorbs and collapses everything in range reducing its unfortunate victims to a bite-size, edible cube; and a quad damage variant that increases your rate of fire fourfold. Level design in The Reckoning is akin to that of Quake II at its most mediocre, meaning the majority of the areas are suspenseful corridor crawls. The levels are hub-based like in the original, such that you'll need to move back and forth between several areas killing the opposition, solving puzzles, and unlocking new regions before you can move on. Though the backtracking is better implemented than in Quake II (expect plenty of resistance even on your second pass through, rather than a bunch of corpses), the architecture itself isn't as striking as the original missions.

Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning. Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning is the first official expansion pack, released on May 31, 1998. It was developed by Xatrix.

You won't see anything like Quake II's grisly processing plant or detention cell areas, for example. But these new levels are certainly tougher than those of Quake II, in no small part because of the stronger enemies. After all, those guards you used to scoff at are now armed with hyper blasters and laser rifles, making even the weakest of your foes a formidable challenge. Fortunately, you'll find weapons and ammo on a regular basis.

The puzzles within the levels are much like those of Quake II, in that they help make the game seem bigger than it really is without frustrating you excessively. Overall, The Reckoning is roughly equivalent in physical size to Quake II's campaign, though its difficulty means it will invariably take you longer to complete. Furthermore, there are enough secret areas within each level to warrant playing it through more than once. More than half a dozen new deathmatch levels mean The Reckoning has much to offer in terms of competitive play. Its deathmatch levels are typically well designed and allow you to use the new weapons to good effect. Internet servers running The Reckoning levels are already springing up, so rest assured you'll find online competition anytime you're ready for it.

Those who found the original to be either entirely or gradually disappointing will want to pass on The Reckoning for the same reasons. But this mission pack contains all the necessary ingredients to satisfy the Quake II fan looking for more of the same.

.: November 18, 2005.: December 2, 2005 Mode(s), Quake II is a released in December 1997. It was developed by and published. It is not a direct sequel to; id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark.

The soundtrack for Quake II was mainly provided by, with some additional tracks by; the main theme was also composed by Bill Brown and, and one track by Jer Sypult. The soundtrack for the Nintendo 64 version of the game was composed by, credited as Ken 'Razor' Richmond. The single-player mode in Quake II involves gun-battles often with multiple enemies in large, outdoor areas. Quake II is a, in which the player shoots enemies from the perspective of the main character. The gameplay is very similar to that featured in Quake, in terms of movement and controls, although the player's movement speed has been slowed down, and the player now has the ability to crouch. The game retains four of the eight weapons from Quake (the Shotgun, Super Shotgun, Grenade Launcher, and Rocket Launcher), although they have been redesigned visually and made to function in slightly different ways.

The remainder of Quake 's eight weapons (the Axe, Nailgun, Super Nailgun, and Thunderbolt) are not present in Quake II. The six newly introduced weapons are the Blaster, Machine Gun, Chain Gun, Hyperblaster, Railgun, and 10K. The Quad Damage power up from Quake is present in Quake II, and new power-ups include the Ammo Pack, Invulnerability, Bandolier, Enviro-Suit, Rebreather, and Silencer. The single player game features a number of changes from Quake. First, the player is given mission-based objectives that correspond to the storyline, including stealing a Tank Commander's head to open a door and calling down an air-strike on a bunker. CGI are used to illustrate the player's progress through the main objectives, although they are all essentially the same short piece of video, showing a computerized image of the player character as he moves through game's levels. Another addition is the inclusion of a non-hostile character type: the player character's captured comrades.

Quake 2 Reckoning Secrets

It is not possible to interact with these characters, however, as they have all been driven insane by their Strogg captors. The game features much larger levels than Quake, with many more wide open areas. There is also a hub system that allows the player to travel back and forth between levels, which is necessary to complete certain objectives.

Some of the textures and symbols that appear in the game are very similar to some of those found in Quake. Enemies demonstrate visible wounds after they have taken damage. Multiplayer The multiplayer portion is similar to that of Quake.

It can be played as a free-for-all deathmatch game mode, a cooperative version of the single-player game, or as a 1 vs 1 match that is used in official tournaments, like the. It can also be played in mode (CTF).

The deathmatch game benefited from the release of eight specifically designed levels that id Software added after the game's initial release. They were introduced to the game via one of the early patches, that were released free of charge. Prior to the release of these maps, players were limited to playing multiplayer games on the single-player levels, which, while functional as multiplayer levels, were not designed with deathmatch gameplay specifically in mind.

As in Quake, it is possible to customize the way in which the player appears to other people in multiplayer games. However, whereas in Quake, the only option was to change the color of the player's uniform unless third party modifications were used, now the game comes with a selection of three different player models: a male marine, a female marine, and a male cyborg; choice of player model also affects the speech effects the player's character will make, such as exhaling in effort while jumping or groaning when injured. Each model can be customized from in the in-game menu via the selection of pre-drawn skins, which differ in many ways; for example, skin color, camouflage style, and application of facepaint. Plot Quake II takes place in a environment. In the single-player game, the player assumes the role of a Marine named Bitterman taking part in 'Operation Alien Overlord', a desperate attempt to prevent an invasion of Earth by launching a counterattack against the home planet of the hostile civilization. Most of the other soldiers are captured or killed as soon as they approach the planned landing zone. Bitterman survives only because another Marine's personal capsule collided with his upon launch, causing him to crash far short of the landing zone.

It falls upon Bitterman to penetrate the Strogg capital city alone and assassinate the Strogg leader, the Makron. Development. Unlike its predecessor, Quake II 's engine allows for colored lighting effects and. Originally, Quake II was supposed to be an entirely new game and IP; titles like 'Strogg,' 'Lock and Load,' and even just 'Load' were toyed with in the early days of development. But after numerous failed attempts, the team at id decided to stick with 'Quake II' and forego the gothic theme from the original in favor of a more sci-fi aesthetic. 'It was a conscious decision to change Quake II's direction and controversial inside the company. We weren't happy with the original Quake story.

John Romero was gone, so there was no one left to defend it. Kevin Cloud headed up Quake II and he wanted to make it story-driven.' — Todd Hollenshead Artist and co-owner Adrian Carmack had said that Quake II is his favorite game in the series because 'it was different and a cohesive project.' Unlike Quake, where hardware accelerated were supported only with later, Quake II came with support out of the box.

Later downloads from id Software added support for AMD's instruction set for improved performance on their processors, and released a native renderer for their V1000 graphics chip. The latest version is 3.21. This update includes numerous bug fixes and new levels designed for multiplayer.

Version 3.21, available as source code on id Software's server, has no improved functionality over version 3.20 and is simply a slight modification to make compiling for easier. Quake II uses an improved introduced in Quake. The game code of Quake II, which defines all the functionality for weapons, entities, and game mechanics, can be changed in any way because id Software published the of their own implementation that shipped with the game.

Quake II uses the functionality of the to load the game library at run-time—this is how mod authors are able to alter the game and provide different gameplay mechanics, new weapons, and much more. The full source code to Quake II version 3.19 was released under the terms of the on December 22, 2001. Version 3.21 followed later. A -friendly version was released on January 1, 2002 by a going by the name of Major Bitch.

Since the release of the Quake II, several update projects to the have been created; the most prominent of these are projects focused on graphical enhancements to the game such as Quake2maX, EGL, Quake II Evolved, and KMQuake II. The source release also revealed numerous security flaws which can result in remote compromise of both the Quake II client and server. As id Software no longer maintains Quake II, most third-party engines include fixes for these bugs.

The 3.24 that fixes bugs and adds only meager tweaks is recommended for Quake II purists, as it is not intended to add new features or be an engine mod in its own right. The most popular server-side engine modification for multiplayer, R1Q2, is generally recommended as a replacement for the 3.20 release for both clients and servers.

In July 2003, Vertigo Software released a port of Quake II for the Microsoft platform, using, called Quake II.NET. It became a poster application for the language, showcasing the powerful interoperability between.NET and standard C code. It remains one of the top downloads on the website. In May 2004, Bytonic Software released a port of Quake II (called ) written in using.

In 2010 Google ported Jake2 to, running in and. Quake II 's was a popular license, and formed the basis for several commercial and free games, such as, and.

's 1998 video game, which went on to sell over eight million copies, was originally going to use the Quake II engine during early development stages. However, the final version runs on a heavily modified version of the, with a small amount of the Quake II code. Ports Ports of Quake II were released in 1999 on the (ported by Raster Productions) and (ported by Hammerhead).

In both cases, the core gameplay was largely identical; however, changes were made to the game sequence and multiplayer replaced network or Internet play. A Macintosh port was developed by Logicware and released in 1999. Quake II: Colossus ( Quake II with both official add-ons) was ported to by id Software and published by in 1999. officially ported Quake II: Colossus to the to test their OpenGL acceleration in 1999, and provided the game files for free download at a later date—a Windows, Macintosh, or Linux install CD was required to install the game, with the official add-ons being optional. Jake2 is a Quake II port shown by the JOGL team for JavaOne 2004, to present an example of Java-OpenGL interoperability. Jake2 has since been used by Sun as an example of Java Web Start capabilities for games distribution over the Internet. In 2009, Tectoy Digital ported Quake II to the Brazilian gaming console.

The game is available for free, but does not feature CG movies or multiplayer support of any kind. Quake II on the PlayStation The PlayStation version contains abridged versions of Units 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 10 of the PC version, redesigned to meet the console's technical limitations. For example, many short -like corridors were added to maps to provide loading pauses inside what were contiguous areas in the PC version. In addition, part of the first mission of the N64 port is used as a prologue.

Some enemy types were removed and two new enemies was added: the Arachnid, a human-spider with twin arms, and the Guardian, a bipedal boss enemy. Saving the game is only possible between levels and at mid-level checkpoints where the game loads, while in the PC version the game could be saved and loaded at any time.

The game supports the peripheral to provide a greater parity with the PC version's gameplay. The music used in this port is a combination of the Quake II original music score and tracks from the PC version's mission packs, while the opening and closing cut-scenes are taken from the Ground Zero expansion pack. The PlayStation version uses a new engine developed by Hammerhead for their future PlayStation projects and runs at a 512x240 resolution at 30 frames per second. The developer was keen to retain a visual parity with the PC version and avoid tricks such as the use of environmental fog. Colored lights for levels and enemies, and yellow highlights for gunfire and explosions, are carried across from the PC version, with the addition of effects located around the light sources on the original lightmaps.

There is no; instead, a flat -textured purple sky is drawn around the top of the level. The game uses to render blood, debris, and rail gun beams analogously to the PC version. There is also a split-screen mode for two to four players (a four player game is possible using the PlayStation's Multi-tap). The only available player avatar is a modified version of the male player avatar from the PC version, the most noticeable difference being the addition of a helmet. Players can only customize the color of their avatar's armor and change their name. The twelve multiplayer levels featured are unique to the PlayStation version, with none of the PC multiplayer maps being carried over. The Nintendo 64 version has completely different single player levels and multiplayer maps, and features multiplayer support for up to four players.

This version also has new lighting effects, mostly seen in gunfire, and also uses the for extra graphical detail. This port also features an entirely new soundtrack, consisting mostly of pieces, composed. A port of Quake II was included with for the on a bonus disc. This is a direct port of the original game, with some graphical improvements. However, it allows for System Link play for up to sixteen players, split-screen for four players, and cooperative play in single-player for up to sixteen players or four players with split-screen alone. Mods As with the original Quake, Quake II was designed to allow players to easily create custom content. A large number of mods, maps, graphics such as player models and skins, and sound effects were created and distributed to others free of charge via the Internet.

Popular websites such as and Telefragged allowed players to gain access to custom content. Another improvement over Quake was that it was easier to select custom player models, skins, and sound effects because they could be selected from an in-game menu. Two unofficial expansions were released on CDs in 1998: Zaero, developed by Team Evolve and published by Macmillan Digital Publishingand Juggernaut: The New Story, developed by Canopy Games and published by HeadGames Publishing.

Other notable mods include, Weapons Factory, and RailwarZ Insta-Gib Capture the Flag. Release Despite the title, Quake II is a sequel to the original Quake in name only. The scenario, enemies, and theme are entirely separate and do not fall into the same continuity as Quake. Id initially wanted to set it separately from Quake, but due to legal reasons (most of their suggested names were already taken), they decided to use the working title. Quake II was also adopted as a name to leverage the popularity of Quake according to.

Quake II has been released on, but this version does not include the soundtrack. The game was released on a bonus disc included with Quake 4 Special Edition for the PC, along with both expansion packs. This version also lacks the soundtrack. Quake II is also available on a bonus disc with the Xbox 360 version of Quake 4. This version is a direct port featuring the original soundtrack and multiplayer maps. In 2015, Quake II: Quad Damage, a bundle containing the original game with the mission packs has been released at GOG.com, unlike the previous releases, this one contains a new customizeable launcher and the official soundtrack in OGG format which was made possible to play in-game, making it the only digital release to include music. Expansions Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning is the first official, released on May 31, 1998.

It was developed. It features eighteen new single player levels, six new deathmatch levels, three new weapons (the Ion Ripper, Phalanx Particle Cannon, and Trap), a new power-up, two new enemies, seven modified versions of existing enemies, and five new music tracks.

The storyline follows Joker, a member of an elite squad of marines on a mission to infiltrate a Strogg base on one of Stroggos' moons and destroy the Strogg fleet, which is preparing to attack. Joker crash lands in the swamps outside of the compound where his squad is waiting. He travels through the swamps and bypasses the compounds outer defenses and enters through the main gate, finding his squad just in time to watch them get executed by Strogg forces.

Next, Joker escapes on his own to the fuel refinery where he helps the Air Force destroy all fuel production, then infiltrates the Strogg spaceport, boards a cargo ship and reaches the Moon Base, destroying it and the Strogg fleet. Notably, the section of the game that takes place on the Moon Base has low gravity, something that was previously used on one secret level of the original Quake. Quake II Mission Pack: Ground Zero Quake II Mission Pack: Ground Zero is the second official expansion pack, released on August 31, 1998. It was developed. It comes with fourteen new single-player levels, ten new multiplayer maps, five additional music tracks, five new enemies, seven new power-ups, and five new weapons.

In the expansion's story the Gravity Well has trapped the Earth Fleet in orbit above the planet Stroggos. One of the marines who managed to land, Stepchild, must now make his way to the Gravity Well to destroy it and free the fleet above and disable the entire defenses of the planet. Patrick Baggatta of gave the expansion 7.5/10, describing it as similar to the original, but noting occasionally confusing map design. Elliott Chin of gave the game 7.9/10, citing it as decent for an expansion and praising the monsters and enhanced AI. Of rated the expansion D+, citing bad level design and few additions to the original game, and noted the multiplayer power-up gameplay as the only fun feature. Quake II Netpack I: Extremities Quake II Netpack I: Extremities contains, among other features, 11 game mods and 12 deathmatch maps.

Compilations Quake II is included in a number of official compilations:. Quake II: Quad Damage - contains Quake II and all three official expansion packs. Quake II: Colossus - a Linux compilation that contains the original game and two mission packs. Ultimate Quake - includes the original trilogy. Reception Reception Aggregate score Aggregator Score (PC) 87.31% (N64) 81.27% (PS) 79.81% Review scores Publication Score 9.0/10. This section needs expansion.

You can help. (May 2017) Quake II received positive reviews. Aggregating review website gave the PC version 87.31%, the Nintendo 64 version 81.27%, and the PlayStation version 79.81%.

Editor Michael L. House praised Quake II by stating 'the beauty of Quake II is not in the single-player game, it's in the multi-player feature'. Editor Vince Broady described Quake II as 'the only first-person shooter to render the original Quake entirely obsolete'. Quake II won 's 1999 'Best Shoot-'Em-Up' award, and the magazine's Christopher Breen wrote, 'In either single-player or multiplayer mode, for careening-through-corridor-carnage satisfaction, Quake II is a must-have.' It also won 's 1997 'Action Game of the Year' award. The editors wrote that 'for pure adrenaline-pumping, visceral, instantly gratifying action, Quake II is the hands-down winner. No game gave us the rush that Quake II did.'