I've always really liked the original Quake but never played any of the expansions or sequels. NCG's latest video essay got me really curious about these, so I thought I'd start checking them out (I will probably not be playing Quake 3 or Quake 4, though).
This is the very first Quake expansion, developed by the now-defunct Hipnotic Interactive (later known as Ritual Entertainment), probably best known for their 1998 shooter SiN. I thought this was a pretty decent set of levels that put a lot more effort into telling a coherent linear narrative than the Quake base game did. This really lacks the atmosphere and pervasive feeling of dread that base game really excelled at, in part because Trent Reznor did not do the music or sound design in this.
I really don't care about any of the new weapons or enemies. The proximity mine gun is of pretty limited usefulness, and I frequently forgot I even had Mjolnir. The laser gun is pretty good, though, I like doing ricochet shots. I also don't really care much for the new enemies. The gremlins in particular really stand out in stark contrast to id's original enemy design, they just look and move so much shittier than anything else in the game, and their ability to steal your weapons and multiply just doesn't really add anything interesting to the gameplay.
Curious to check out the other expansions, as well as Quake II. I'll probably be playing this sporadically over the next few months.
This is the very first Quake expansion, developed by the now-defunct Hipnotic Interactive (later known as Ritual Entertainment), probably best known for their 1998 shooter SiN. I thought this was a pretty decent set of levels that put a lot more effort into telling a coherent linear narrative than the Quake base game did. This really lacks the atmosphere and pervasive feeling of dread that base game really excelled at, in part because Trent Reznor did not do the music or sound design in this.
I really don't care about any of the new weapons or enemies. The proximity mine gun is of pretty limited usefulness, and I frequently forgot I even had Mjolnir. The laser gun is pretty good, though, I like doing ricochet shots. I also don't really care much for the new enemies. The gremlins in particular really stand out in stark contrast to id's original enemy design, they just look and move so much shittier than anything else in the game, and their ability to steal your weapons and multiply just doesn't really add anything interesting to the gameplay.
Curious to check out the other expansions, as well as Quake II. I'll probably be playing this sporadically over the next few months.