Quake II

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Players: 1-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Local Split-Screen), 2-8 Co-Op / Competitive (Local Wireless), 2-16 Co-Op / Competitive (Online)

Game Company Bad Behavior Profile Page: ZeniMax Media Inc

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Quake + Quake II Enhanced Bundle, along with Quake.)

Developer Nightdive Studios has made a name for itself with its modern remasters of classic First-Person Shooters, and I won’t mince words – they have outdone themselves with their modern release of Quake II. Their exceptional port of the first Quake back in 2021 was already a lesson to everyone in just how you remaster classic First-Person Shooters, but Quake II goes even further, and in virtually every possible way.

The original release of Quake II in 1997 dropped the Lovecraftian elements from the first game and had players fighting an alien threat on a faraway planet. However, more than just a theming change, Quake II greatly increased the scope of the series and the genre by presenting players with a vast network of interconnected levels that players would have to traverse back and forth to accomplish different goals.

When it originally released, Quake II was a showpiece game that absolutely pushed the cutting edge technology available at the time. However, that was over 25 years ago, and we’ve come a long way since then. In their creation of this modern release, Night Dive Studios has aimed to craft an experience that closely matches what players may recall of the original game, while dramatically improving the visuals in ways that don’t alter the game’s overall aesthetic.

In terms of numbers, that means that this version of the game on Nintendo Switch now runs at 1080p in docked mode with dynamic resolution scaling (and I believe 720p in handheld mode), all at a mostly-steady 60FPS (thanks to Digital Foundry for the numbers!). The game runs smoothly and looks crystal-clear, but that’s only the start of the overhaul this release has to offer.

There’s a massive laundry list of improvements on offer here. Better textures, more detailed level geometry, improved lighting, real-time shadows, better-looking water, remade cinematic sequences, improved sound design that accounts for the way sounds would echo or be muffled by the room they’re in… this release doesn’t include the raytracing improvements made for the Quake RTX version of the game, but that release never would have worked on Nintendo Switch anyway, and even without that feature, the number of improvements here are astounding.

To be clear, the Nintendo Switch version doesn’t offer the 4K resolution that other modern platforms include, and it’s also missing the motion blur option present in other version, but again I would emphasize that these very minor omissions are easily forgiven when otherwise this release is on par with other modern versions of the game.

There’s more, too. The gameplay here enjoys subtle improvements as well, such as a new compass feature to help players find their way, and improved enemy AI and pathfinding. It’s not so dramatically changed that it alters the way the game plays, but these changes are a clear improvement to the original game that are welcome here. What’s more, the gamepad controls work pretty well here, and the Nintendo Switch release includes pretty good gyroscopic motion controls too.

Okay, so on a technical level, this release of Quake II is fantastic, but what about content? Once again, Nightdive Studios has truly outdone themselves here. This release includes the original campaign, the two expansions released for the original game (The Reckoning and Ground Zero), the campaign from Quake II 64 (completely different from the PC version of the campaign), and an entirely new campaign, Call of the Machine, designed by Machine Games, best known for the modern Wolfenstein series. This release even restores some sections of the map that were originally planned for Quake II but dropped before the game released.

This release also includes full multiplayer support in just about every way you’d want to play it, including local split-screen, local wireless, and online play with optional cross-play. Oh, speaking of options, players can tinker with a multitude of display options, control options, button reassignments, and more. Seriously, there are menus upon menus upon menus of options here.

Okay, but what about bonus content? Again, this game has you covered – this game contains a full museum including concept art, advertisements, interactive 3D models, and even playable early versions of levels.

Okay, wow… so this is pretty clearly as definitive a Quake II experience as we could possibly expect on the Nintendo Switch… so that just leaves the question, how well has the actual game, Quake II, aged?

In short, the game is still pretty good, but it’s definitely a product of its time. I previously described the original Quake as fast, dumb, and frenetic, and that description holds true here too, though the addition of more complex level design definitely gives players more to explore if they’re inclined to do so. Players aching for the early days of the First-Person Shooter genre will find this to be one of the shining stars of that era, but players who are more used to more modern games in the genre may find this style of First-Person Shooter gameplay isn’t to their liking.

However, for a mere $10, what has been packed into this release of Quake II is absolutely jaw-dropping. You have here a version of the game that has been improved in so many ways it will make your head spin, and absolutely stuffed to the gills with content. This old-school style of First-Person Shooter may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy the classics of the genre, you should absolutely consider this game a must-buy.

tl;dr – Quake II on the Nintendo Switch takes the classic First-Person Shooter and improves on it in countless ways, fills the game to the brim with content, and then offers it to players for a mere $10. The fast-paced and frenetic old-school style of First-Person Shooter may not appeal to everyone, but anyone who does enjoy that style of game should consider this to be an absolute must-buy.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2023 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Port/Remake

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