I started playing Quake 2 over 25 years ago and today I'm still at it - thanks to a collaboration between Nightdive Studios, id Software and Machine Games that unleashes a new iteration of the classic shooter. This new re-release boasts a wide range of new content and features, but fundamentally it's designed to deliver the experience you remember. So let's break down the new features, the new content, the updated visuals and what you can expect on consoles and PCs alike.
Like every id Software release before it, Quake 2 made history. It was id's first game built with 3D accelerator cards in mind, it featured a rich and interconnected campaign unlike anything they'd built before, and it ushered in a burgeoning era of esports. Quake 2 introduces the Strogg - a nightmarish army of wire and flesh - and asks players to cross their home planet Stroggos to destroy their planetary defense system and assassinate their commander. Quake 2 is not a game rich in story, but it is the first id developed shooter attempting anything close to it. Unlike Doom or Quake, you'll traverse and re-traverse a series of interconnected maps - accomplishing an objective in one map can trigger an event or provide the necessary items to unlock the next area in a prior map.
Quake 2 is a PC game at its core, but past console conversions included versions for PlayStation, N64 and Xbox 360 - though the game wasn't available in a form fit for modern consoles before this release. Now it's available for the full gamut of contemporary platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch and PC.