Quake

Happy 30th Quake 1. This is the game that made me definitively a PC gamer. There is something about this unique combo of Lovecraftian/eldritch horror, dark ambient Nine Inch Nails music, fluid and fast movement, and depressing atmosphere that stands the test of time. I still put Trent Reznor's Quake 1 theme as one of the best intros to a game ever. The moment it plays, you're put into a trance. If you know you know. This is the one game I risked a lot of punishment for. In high school, I had network admin privileges and I installed Quake 1 in the back row of the computer lab where "the boys" and I would play deathmatch while our should-be-retired teacher droned on about C++. This was when 56k modems were the norm so playing on super low ping and seeing my friends' reactions in real time was an incredible high. Little did we know that Quake 1 would spawn the beginnings of eSports, multiplayer client-server architecture, WASD, and usher in the era of accelerated graphics cards. I eventually got caught where I vividly remember my teacher saying "Ahem, what is THAT?" and had my privileges revoked. Needless to say I didn't ask that teacher for a letter of recommendation. Perhaps there is a game that you too were willing to risk a lot for and hopefully there is a game that sticks with you for 30+ years like Quake 1 has for me.

[b]Slander.[/b] I come back for Doom I&II every few years, while Quake left my blunt rotation decades ago. I blame the first episode, it's such a drag. I know, they had to adjust for a new audience who made its first steps into 3D shooters, but I still find it difficult to drag my ass through the first hour or so. The levels are kinda basic, so is the encounter design. Sparse and boring, not to mention how drab it all looks compared to Doom. Don't get me wrong, I respect the legend, it was a significant historical achievement. But I don't think Quake holds up as well as Doom in terms of its enemy roster and style. Half of the monsters are trash, many levels are tiny gimmicks. Even the guns, iconic as they are, are mostly retracing Doom's steps. Since Quake's inception, a few Quakeborns have surpassed it. Take DUSK, HROT. Yet, nothing came close to classic Doom. Did you get ragebaited? That's how I was trying to rationalise my wrongdoing before I finally pulled through and realised that I just... forgot my true feelings. Let's put things in order as I refute my slanderous statements. [b]Bad monsters.[/b] Two near-identical knights and grunts are okay, Vores can vore my balls and exploding slimes are a travesty. They shouldn't have made the cut. In defence of Scrags... I say nothing. Annoying flying lungs, killing them brings no satisfaction due to their subdued sound palette. Despised like silent farts, only a pervert would say "gee, I wish that level had more Scrags in it!"... you make me sick, pervert. I guess it feels kinda good to shoot them down with just one rocket? That's all for mediocre monsters. Did I forget anything? Nah, dogs and fish don't count. [b]Great monsters.[/b] Now, an ode to the real ones. The Fiend is a much more efficient (and terrifying) Pinky, very impressive for taking advantage of 3D space. Akin to my fiendish kitty, it often gets stuck in collisions or lava after an awkward jump. Part of its charm. The Ogre is the face of the game, extremely expressive at that. A uniquely tricky brute, so strong for being introduced alongside basic grunts, made to show off grenade physics and how it feels to be on the other end of a chainsaw. They'll ruin your day on a regular basis while you make theirs. I'm serious, have you seen how sour one looks in your absence? Dragging that enormous chainsaw across the floor, looking at the floor like a forgotten teddy bear. When you appear, he glows up. So eager to murder he joyfully pounces off ledges or falls on his fat ass when hit. Cute! You give them purpose, you're their sunshine. I was just happy to be a pleasant surprise every time. By the way, these little extra animations were an underrated innovation. [b]Shambler.[/b] My boy Shambler deserves a separate mention. He's a short king, especially compared to your old Cyberdemon, but he's highly mobile and the size makes him more versatile in terms of encounter design, therefore more prominent than a Cyber. He can chase you through tight corridors, the game doesn't need to supply you with too many ammo prior because he's not that spongy, and he doesn't kill whole rooms of allies in a blink. That's why you can expect to see him often, paired with another Shambler or two for good measure. Anything, really. It's a well-designed elite who combines with most other foes and environments. To boot, given the claustrophobic levels, his hitscan lighting can be mitigated by either using corners or baiting his melee attacks, demanding skill and spacial awareness. [b]Guns.[/b] As for the guns, it's a matter of preference. I realise how near-perfect they were mechanically, setting the stage for years to come, but I'm not in awe of any of them flavour-wise. None look or sound particularly amazing to me. The electric thingie is alright, but it ain't no BFG. I certainly nerdgasmed when I fried myself by shooting it underwater for the first time, though. It was before Half-Life normalised placing electric cables in every puddle. Quake's SSG is the rocket launcher, not the actual meagre double-barrel. Some love the launcher, I'd take a good shotgun over it. Two nailguns are almost identical, but they feel better than Doom's chaingun and, apart from NiN's involvement, I appreciate the implication of pain they bring. This game is all about Medieval torture. This time, it's not machine presses but all kinds of spikes. [b]Levels.[/b] Let them hurt, go Hard, then Nightmare. You won't regret it! Up until Sandy goes full Patrick, producing seven abysmal levels to catch you with your pants down. Boingo-boingo. The man couldn't design a decent level if his life depended on it. Then again, who says one can only love a decent level? I always liked Sandy's slimy abominations, they were memorable and aligned with the themes in their malignancy. The sadism of unfair enemy encounters culminates in Episode 4. But so does the shifting geometry I so admire. The malicious architecture of Pandemonium in Doom and Quake was always a marvel to behold. Here, it's extremely concise, compressed, more than ever, but still responsible for the catharsis of Quake, on par with all the shooting. The game is so tight it has no choice but to shove everything in your face. You learn to read the room FAST or rest in gibs. At the same time, rare slower moments create tangible suspense. Roaming alone in the murder chambers, you sense how the sound and visuals condense into a unique space Gothic horror atmosphere, sending shivers down your spine. Quake can be eerie when it takes a moment to let you soak it in proper. [b]Impact.[/b] In 1996, I was still at that age when Quake genuinely creeped me out. Not like Doom or Wolfenstein, I wasn't a kid anymore, and yet. Yes, Wolf3D scared the crap outta me, no kidding. You stand in a featureless room with a knife in your hand, which is in itself ominous. Looking for a way to open that door, you try every key. Suddenly, it slides open! A guard screams at you in German, then starts blasting! The Jewish blood of my ancestors shot up like my heart was a petri dish in MacReady's hand! It was deeply immersive to see a game's world in first-person. To soon see it in such detail with verticality and advanced sounds in Doom. Quake went on and took it to another level: full 3D and a resolution higher than 320x200! Who'd possibly need such smoothness in a game!? I coped, for I couldn't afford 640x480 or, God forbid, 800x600. I had nothing against the new precise platforming and the dynamic lighting was jaw-dropping, sure. But nothing beats observing true 3D corpses instead of sprites for the first time. You could walk around them - and they didn't turn to face you! The realism blew my little mind to pieces, it was a revelation. Grim and cool. [b]Conclusion.[/b] Once I bored you to death with old man's ramblings, let's go back to the present where a flood of these memories is streaming in alongside a flow of gushing chunks on my screen. Level by level, I unearthed my Quake, a game I forgot I loved, and swore to include it in my blunt rotation next time. It picks itself up in the second episode. In fact, the way it ramps up the action is a thing of beauty, I thoroughly enjoyed the relentless escalation of this ever-accelerating meat grinder. It felt like Quake reciprocated, like it was glad I returned, happily assaulting me with a vicious smile on its square mug and a jagged hard-on in hand. As it does for anyone who discovers or rediscovers it. If you haven't touched this game in years, do it for old time's sake. If it's new to you, forget what I said in the beginning, you'll find that it holds up big time, providing modern shooters with a tough competition. If nothing else, I betcha it's still fun in multiplayer. Oh yeah, the remaster is stellar, but I only wanted to convey the core game experience here. Now, in its expansions and the new episode I'll revel alone. My curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35305390/]Big Bad Mutuh[/url]

If this beautiful game wasn't made, there would have no call of duty, no battlefield, no apex legends, no cs2, no half-life or no valorant existed. You don't have to love this game but you will respect it :)

In the 1970s, President Mobutu Sese Seko, leader of what was then Zaire, spent £100m building a luxurious palace complex for himself at Gbadolite, the village his family came from. Gbadolite is deep in the rain forest - more than 1,000km from the capital, Kinshasa. The President's remote hideaway featured a vast swimming pool, a gold-topped fence and close by, an international airport big enough for Concorde to land. When Mobutu was driven from power in 1997, the complex was ransacked by rebels and Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic of Congo. He, the president of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko never played Quake in his lifetime, and that makes him a very, very bad guy. The game is definitely a [b]10/10[/b] I've played this for countless hours outside of Steam, it helps to direct aggressions at enemies in the game instead of real life.

Peak. Truly, one of the greatest games ever. This holds up, even today. It is insanely addicting and tense, amplified with its gothic art and fantastic ambient score by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. What starts as a fun boomer shooter soon divulges into utter horror as the levels become more and more tense and nerve-racking. If you love ANY of the Doom games (especially their recent titles), this game is a must play. There is a reason why this was sited as "the most important PC game ever". Red dead redemption wished it was half as good as this game.

[h1]Excellent![/h1]

RIP id Software, and ♥♥♥♥ Microslop.

still one of the best first person shooters ever made; and its gameplay, visuals, sound and level design hold up better than many games a fraction of its age. In terms of controlling a character in a three dimensional space, this game is up there with mario 64 in terms of being one of the first to get it completely right, and combined with classic boomer shooter level design and an incredibly dark and moody atmosphere (thanks in no small part to trent reznors dread inducing soundtrack) its one of those games that just feels timeless

Still holds up. Beautifully crafted old school FPS. Brilliant gothic/medieval fantasy visuals and atmospheres, with a great soundtrack to bring it together. Fun weapons to use, and levels to navigate. Many FPS games today still don't quite match up to what the mighty QUAKE can offer.

This game is one of the most influential games in the whole wide world. Awesome soundtrack by Trent Reznor himself from Nine Inch Nails, Awesome combat, Really cool guns, And awesome enemies. All so awesome. ITS AWESOME