lowenz on 14/8/2023 at 18:54
It's amazing how these old games really created the same experience feelings and the humus about today gaming culture, like they were answering the same intimate needs and dreams present in all of us despite a totally different life background (back in the '90s). All the posts I read about Q1 era, they feel mine.
It's crazy. They really did unite us, like a religion does. And it's a good sensation, really a good one :)
Malf on 17/8/2023 at 07:46
Old gods bless Cliffy B.
I've always had time for him; he used to regularly engage in light "Unreal Tiournament is better than Quake 3" flamewars over on Q3W in a drive-by posting fashion, and he was always funny.
And he would always be a good sport when he in turn got trolled.
Nameless Voice on 17/8/2023 at 10:33
I'd imagine a remaster wouldn't do much for its clunky gameplay though?
Harvester on 17/8/2023 at 10:51
Maybe not, but feel free not to buy it if you thought the gameplay was too clunky to have fun with the game. Myself, I'll definitely buy and play it if the remake is of similar quality as the Quake remakes. I have fond memories of Unreal.
Briareos H on 17/8/2023 at 11:36
I'm not particularly fond of it (unlike UT which I love) but having a way to even buy a copy of Unreal would be nice. Looks like it has been pulled from all stores?
lowenz on 17/8/2023 at 12:32
Why "clunky" ? :|
Nameless Voice on 17/8/2023 at 16:06
Been a while since I last tried it, but the enemies just seemed poor, they didn't really react properly to being hit, were very spongy, didn't move in particularly interesting ways.
The guns also didn't feel great, though that could be improved with better visuals, animations, audio, etc. - which they already did in Unreal Tournament, which had a very similar roster of weapons but felt much better to play.
nicked on 17/8/2023 at 18:43
Enemy animation, hit feedback and weapon precision are all pretty rough in Unreal 1 - all smoothed out considerably in UT.
Some of the levels are well-designed, beautiful locations with well-balanced combat, environmental navigation and spectacle... And others are confusing mazes with way too many spongy, tedious enemies.
I love Unreal but it's definitely a flawed game.
I'm honestly surprised that there haven't really been any Unreal-inspired shooters in the current wave of boomer shooters. Something that tries to capture that sense of exploring a beautiful, hostile landscape with tight combat encounters against smart enemies. They almost all follow the Doom/Quake mould in some form or another.
nicked on 18/8/2023 at 10:25
So I finished all the content of the Quake 2 remaster. I had only ever played the base game previously, so there was a lot new here.
Quake 2 - the base game looks better than ever, but as others have noted, it's a very visually homogenous game to start with. The new compass item is a godsend and really helps with some of the more confusing back-and-forth quests between levels. I'd forgotten how short and easy Quake 2 is. It's easily completable in 5-6 hours. As always, the draw is the tight, polished gunplay and well-paced combat encounters rather than anything exceptional about the levels or story.
The Reckoning - ultimately a pretty good add-on with some cool ideas and good level design, let down somewhat by some irritating new enemies with annoying placement - human troopers with pinpoint accurate lasers are a drag. The first impressions it leaves are naff as it begins in a confusing sewer filled with far too many of a new enemy type that are not very interesting to fight. However, it redeems itself with some tight combat design later on and doesn't drag on too long.
Ground Zero - another alright add-on but it wears out it's welcome before it's over, and the final boss is a ridiculous spike in difficulty. You're scraping for ammo and resources throughout, which is more annoying than an interesting challenge. It also has some of the most annoying enemies in the whole game - high-damage, stationary turrets placed almost exclusively in locations designed to catch you out (like above and behind you as you walk through a doorway); and the new medic enemy which can spawn other enemies at a frankly ridiculous rate, causing you to chew through your already limited ammo extra fast.
Quake 64 - this feels like a different game entirely - more like a Doom mod than Quake 2. It's very simplistic and compromised compared to the PC game, with lower-res textures, simpler, boxier levels, and uninspired enemy placement. It's also very stingy on ammo, and far too fond of opening monster closets behind you during firefights. More slog than Strogg. ;)
Call of the Machine - a really excellent new episode from Machinegames. It's a study in how good level design can make the most of whatever resources are available, with some truly inspired combat sequences and beautiful, high detail levels with a visual variety that is leaps and bounds above the base game. These levels seem to realise that large amounts of enemies and large amounts of ammo is a lot more fun than a limited supply of either. This isn't a short add-on either - it's easily as much play-time as the base game, and often a lot more interesting. The only thing that's a bit weird is the inclusion of Quake 1 shamblers, but I guess they wanted to tie it to their earlier episodes.
