Quake was one of the games that shaped the fabric of the early age of the FPS, a time when it was lightning-fast and gloriously over-the-top, when graphics were so pixelated that developers couldn't work under the pretense of realism, when secret sections actually existed, when "tactical" didn't mean "go behind a corner and wait for your health to recharge" but "what can I do with this much health and that many bullets?" It's a cliche to state that Quake was one of the games that defined the era, a game up there with Doom and Half-Life in influence, but alas, it has become a common truth.
For a game that supposedly helped define an era, the gameplay is very similar to the two original Doom games. You have weapons, ammo, and health and armor powerups scattered across the map in appropriate places, along with the appropriate monsters that guard them when you need them the most. Countering them requires keeping your guard up and strafing to no end. You know you need the shotgun ammo, but how many demons would spawn out of thin air if you picked it up? And would it be worth it in the end? Occasionally the game is slowed down by you having to pick up a health pack or some ammo a while back in the level, though you could easily just continue the level with what you have if you're looking for a challenge. The only differences between the two games at first seem to be superficial. In Quake, you can jump. Whoop. Quake is fully 3D whereas Doom isn't. Whoopadoop. Quake allows you to look up and down. Whoopadoopaloop. A gamer brought up on modern rail shooters playing Quake might ask, "What makes Quake so special? It's just Doom with bad 3D instead of bad 2D!" But there is a difference between Quake and Doom, and it isn't just technological.
In musical terms, think of Doom as a great thrash or death metal album. Fast, unrelenting, and tuneful, with about 1.5 times the length of a conventional pop song. Quake is a great grindcore album in comparison; length is traded in for mass injections of desperation and speed. Quake moves much faster than Doom (or at least feels faster; number crunchers can challenge me if they wish) to the point where entire levels can feel like blistering chunks of brief, raw action. The action, as one would expect, feels more intense than Doom; entire sections of levels can whizz by you without you having the slightest of memory, but with your body in constant flight-or-fight mode. The art design reflects this brilliantly. One of the most common enemies is a bulky zombie with a chainsaw for a right arm and a grenade launcher for a left. Another one looks like a typical undead human, but attacks by ripping a chunk of its corrosive flesh off its mutilated body and throwing it at you. Other enemies include fully armored knights that shoot fireballs out of their chest, floating cobra heads, and giant yetis that shoot lightning out of their paws. To say that this game doesn't kick ____ to the point of permanent scarring is an understatement.
Though once I killed the final boss in the most badass way possible, I did feel a sense of disappointment. Whereas the Doom games got gradually bigger at just the right pace to "wow" you, Quake's fast pace is a double-edge sword: it gets big too fast, and the result left me wanting more. The levels have Doom's length, but the speed of the game makes these levels feel much smaller and shorter. Yet Quake is still a satisfying action game, and no other game to this day has exceeded or even matched its pace. Quake is fast, drunken bliss distilled into a circular testosterone holder. The result is disorienting and all too brief, but it is an experience that's difficult to forget.
For a game that supposedly helped define an era, the gameplay is very similar to the two original Doom games. You have weapons, ammo, and health and armor powerups scattered across the map in appropriate places, along with the appropriate monsters that guard them when you need them the most. Countering them requires keeping your guard up and strafing to no end. You know you need the shotgun ammo, but how many demons would spawn out of thin air if you picked it up? And would it be worth it in the end? Occasionally the game is slowed down by you having to pick up a health pack or some ammo a while back in the level, though you could easily just continue the level with what you have if you're looking for a challenge. The only differences between the two games at first seem to be superficial. In Quake, you can jump. Whoop. Quake is fully 3D whereas Doom isn't. Whoopadoop. Quake allows you to look up and down. Whoopadoopaloop. A gamer brought up on modern rail shooters playing Quake might ask, "What makes Quake so special? It's just Doom with bad 3D instead of bad 2D!" But there is a difference between Quake and Doom, and it isn't just technological.
In musical terms, think of Doom as a great thrash or death metal album. Fast, unrelenting, and tuneful, with about 1.5 times the length of a conventional pop song. Quake is a great grindcore album in comparison; length is traded in for mass injections of desperation and speed. Quake moves much faster than Doom (or at least feels faster; number crunchers can challenge me if they wish) to the point where entire levels can feel like blistering chunks of brief, raw action. The action, as one would expect, feels more intense than Doom; entire sections of levels can whizz by you without you having the slightest of memory, but with your body in constant flight-or-fight mode. The art design reflects this brilliantly. One of the most common enemies is a bulky zombie with a chainsaw for a right arm and a grenade launcher for a left. Another one looks like a typical undead human, but attacks by ripping a chunk of its corrosive flesh off its mutilated body and throwing it at you. Other enemies include fully armored knights that shoot fireballs out of their chest, floating cobra heads, and giant yetis that shoot lightning out of their paws. To say that this game doesn't kick ____ to the point of permanent scarring is an understatement.
Though once I killed the final boss in the most badass way possible, I did feel a sense of disappointment. Whereas the Doom games got gradually bigger at just the right pace to "wow" you, Quake's fast pace is a double-edge sword: it gets big too fast, and the result left me wanting more. The levels have Doom's length, but the speed of the game makes these levels feel much smaller and shorter. Yet Quake is still a satisfying action game, and no other game to this day has exceeded or even matched its pace. Quake is fast, drunken bliss distilled into a circular testosterone holder. The result is disorienting and all too brief, but it is an experience that's difficult to forget.
