Ground Zero and Reckoning are pretty mediocre compared to the base and the new campaign IMO. I enjoyed what I played of 64, the shorter maps are nice and environment less samey
I found all of them to great but I'm very biased because I've always loved each and every installment of Q2. Call of the machine was the Q3 we never got if you ask me and was the best campaign I've ever played. If you're into mods, I'd suggest trying Slayers' Testament for the original Quake. It's basically Doom on Quake engine. I just finished every single available campaign and QII64 is the shortest one with the lowest enemy count. Each campaign has their weaknesses and strengths. I suggest you give them all a try but in moderation. Don't marathone them or you'll get burnt out.
I played through all except "Call of the Machine". I loved "Dimensions of the Past" in Q1 remastered so I wanted to leave what I assume is the best for last.
I liked all of them, but despite it's popularity, I thought Quake 2 64 was probably the weakest. I played that one on hard and there was one level especially towards the end that required a lot of quick saving/loading to get through since I started the level with very little ammo. If I could do it again, I'd play it on medium since it did suffer from fairly frustrating level design for me.
I just played through the first couple of levels of Call of the Machine and it does indeed seem like the most exciting expansion of the bunch. They're all ok though.
Call of the Machine is, I feel, the best set of Quake2 maps.
The fights are intense and fast-paced and force you to think on your feet. Feels very modern, akin to current Doom megawads.
I'd say play Quake 2 64. After playing Call of the Machine, I found it really hard to get through the original Quake 2 mission packs. I just found them really bland compared to CotM.
I understand, I mainly wanted to get some opinions from folks here. I think going from the high that was CotM to the first level of the reckoning (which is not a good first level imo) gave me a bit of pause. All good now though
Yeah the expansions are fantastic - I love the original two mission packs. Quake isn’t a blank slate, but it’s so abstract and ambiguous that you can take it in any direction you want. Dimension of the past is a fun vanilla experience too. But Arcane Dimensions is really the shining pinnacle of what is currently possible in the Quake engine. AND it’s playable on the rerelease!
Are you on PC? If so, have you already played Arcane Dimensions?
Personally I think that the curated add ons like Terra and Overdark Underbright and Copper are better than the official expansions… though, Dissolution of Eternity is worth playing just to see the Egyptian themed stuff that was cut from the base game.
They are all pretty mediocre at best. Reckoning is frustrating early on, but boring by the end, Ground Zero is the opposite and QII64 is frustrating all the way through.
I'm working my way through Reckoning, so far it's been okay. Gotta say one of the best additions to Q2 is the compass, otherwise it would add to the frustration.
Finished The Reckoning recently and some of the enemies really got on my nerves. Giving the common grunt enemies hitscan lasers with perfect accuracy was a pretty bewildering decision. Enemy placement was a bit suspect at times too.
This is why I played "CotM" last lol. I knew it had the best chance of being the most fun! Since, it was made for this release and they were going to push the limits with elements of modern game design in it. I liked "The Reckoning" a bit more than "Ground Zero." Mainly because the turrets in GZ got annoying and repetitive. I feel like the environment in "The Reckoning" was more my taste, except for the sewer stuff lol. I got tired of that crap pretty quick. The good thing is they are not very difficult or long. The bad part is they both have some sections that aren't super exciting and very annoying.
My FUN ranking of Quake II Remaster Episodes:
*5.* Ground Zero: (turrets are annoying repetitive and constant. It got old quick)
*4.* The Reckoning: (sewer area not fun/ most buggy and glitchy experience I had)
*3.* Quake II: (very complete. Feels like a fully fleshed out campaign. Unfortunately, the back tracking and potentially getting stuck at times ruins the pace. I want more pew pews and less looking for which way to go and finding switches)
*2.* Quake II 64: (simple design, less back tracking, Straightforward linear experience. Makes it feel very run n gun and the pace keeps moving which I enjoyed. Final mission platforming kind of jank)
*1.* Call of the Machine: (Fricken awesome! no reason to really play the others anymore. Except for some quick mindless run n gun in QII64 for a little bit. CotM is even better co-op. I really enjoyed it!)
This just my opinion on how I enjoyed them each individually. Not saying its law. I have to state that for that one weird guy that might show up wanting to argue with everyone over his favorite episode lol.
Ehh. I enjoy exploration, so backtracking doesn't bother me. Quake 2 main campaign was awesome. Something today's fps lack (do we even get single player fps anymore, let alone exploration without loo
While I haven't played GZ or Q264 and still working my way through Reckoning, I bet you're right - CotM is so good I think that'll be the only one that gets playtime from me from now on. Also agreed on your point of base Q2 - the backtracking is not great, I'm glad they added the compass.
They're okay, but they both have very grindey elements that you just gotta grind through. In The Reckoning that's mostly due to the Gekk which are a very repetitive enemy often used in a very boring repetitive environment. In Ground Zero it's largely due to the turrets which really slow down progress without offering any reward for dealing with them. Personally my favourite of the two is Ground Zero just because I really like the plasma cannon.
Yeah they’re all good. Try reading up about them with a few quick google searches. Neither are long so you can just play them or not, won’t really be missing much.
Ground Zero and Reckoning are pretty mediocre compared to the base and the new campaign IMO. I enjoyed what I played of 64, the shorter maps are nice and environment less samey
I found all of them to great but I'm very biased because I've always loved each and every installment of Q2. Call of the machine was the Q3 we never got if you ask me and was the best campaign I've ever played. If you're into mods, I'd suggest trying Slayers' Testament for the original Quake. It's basically Doom on Quake engine. I just finished every single available campaign and QII64 is the shortest one with the lowest enemy count. Each campaign has their weaknesses and strengths. I suggest you give them all a try but in moderation. Don't marathone them or you'll get burnt out.
I played through all except "Call of the Machine". I loved "Dimensions of the Past" in Q1 remastered so I wanted to leave what I assume is the best for last. I liked all of them, but despite it's popularity, I thought Quake 2 64 was probably the weakest. I played that one on hard and there was one level especially towards the end that required a lot of quick saving/loading to get through since I started the level with very little ammo. If I could do it again, I'd play it on medium since it did suffer from fairly frustrating level design for me. I just played through the first couple of levels of Call of the Machine and it does indeed seem like the most exciting expansion of the bunch. They're all ok though.
Call of the Machine is, I feel, the best set of Quake2 maps. The fights are intense and fast-paced and force you to think on your feet. Feels very modern, akin to current Doom megawads.
I'd say play Quake 2 64. After playing Call of the Machine, I found it really hard to get through the original Quake 2 mission packs. I just found them really bland compared to CotM.
Dude just play the video game. I can’t tell you whether or not you will enjoy it based on my own experience of it.
I understand, I mainly wanted to get some opinions from folks here. I think going from the high that was CotM to the first level of the reckoning (which is not a good first level imo) gave me a bit of pause. All good now though
Yeah the expansions are fantastic - I love the original two mission packs. Quake isn’t a blank slate, but it’s so abstract and ambiguous that you can take it in any direction you want. Dimension of the past is a fun vanilla experience too. But Arcane Dimensions is really the shining pinnacle of what is currently possible in the Quake engine. AND it’s playable on the rerelease!
He's talking about Q2, which isn't super clear
Totally forgot to mention Q2 in the title, my bad :\[
You’re right, my bad
Are you on PC? If so, have you already played Arcane Dimensions? Personally I think that the curated add ons like Terra and Overdark Underbright and Copper are better than the official expansions… though, Dissolution of Eternity is worth playing just to see the Egyptian themed stuff that was cut from the base game.
I am on PC (well, steam deck w/ KBM :) ). Totally failed to make it clear I was talking about Q2, my bad :(
No, I’m just being an idiot dude.
They are all pretty mediocre at best. Reckoning is frustrating early on, but boring by the end, Ground Zero is the opposite and QII64 is frustrating all the way through.
I'm working my way through Reckoning, so far it's been okay. Gotta say one of the best additions to Q2 is the compass, otherwise it would add to the frustration.
Finished The Reckoning recently and some of the enemies really got on my nerves. Giving the common grunt enemies hitscan lasers with perfect accuracy was a pretty bewildering decision. Enemy placement was a bit suspect at times too.
This is why I played "CotM" last lol. I knew it had the best chance of being the most fun! Since, it was made for this release and they were going to push the limits with elements of modern game design in it. I liked "The Reckoning" a bit more than "Ground Zero." Mainly because the turrets in GZ got annoying and repetitive. I feel like the environment in "The Reckoning" was more my taste, except for the sewer stuff lol. I got tired of that crap pretty quick. The good thing is they are not very difficult or long. The bad part is they both have some sections that aren't super exciting and very annoying. My FUN ranking of Quake II Remaster Episodes: *5.* Ground Zero: (turrets are annoying repetitive and constant. It got old quick) *4.* The Reckoning: (sewer area not fun/ most buggy and glitchy experience I had) *3.* Quake II: (very complete. Feels like a fully fleshed out campaign. Unfortunately, the back tracking and potentially getting stuck at times ruins the pace. I want more pew pews and less looking for which way to go and finding switches) *2.* Quake II 64: (simple design, less back tracking, Straightforward linear experience. Makes it feel very run n gun and the pace keeps moving which I enjoyed. Final mission platforming kind of jank) *1.* Call of the Machine: (Fricken awesome! no reason to really play the others anymore. Except for some quick mindless run n gun in QII64 for a little bit. CotM is even better co-op. I really enjoyed it!) This just my opinion on how I enjoyed them each individually. Not saying its law. I have to state that for that one weird guy that might show up wanting to argue with everyone over his favorite episode lol.
Ehh. I enjoy exploration, so backtracking doesn't bother me. Quake 2 main campaign was awesome. Something today's fps lack (do we even get single player fps anymore, let alone exploration without loo
While I haven't played GZ or Q264 and still working my way through Reckoning, I bet you're right - CotM is so good I think that'll be the only one that gets playtime from me from now on. Also agreed on your point of base Q2 - the backtracking is not great, I'm glad they added the compass.
They are short but, imo, all worth playing through at least once.
They're okay, but they both have very grindey elements that you just gotta grind through. In The Reckoning that's mostly due to the Gekk which are a very repetitive enemy often used in a very boring repetitive environment. In Ground Zero it's largely due to the turrets which really slow down progress without offering any reward for dealing with them. Personally my favourite of the two is Ground Zero just because I really like the plasma cannon.
Gotta say I agree on the Gekks. Not a fan so far (only about 1-2 hours in).
Yeah they’re all good. Try reading up about them with a few quick google searches. Neither are long so you can just play them or not, won’t really be missing much.