Quake

The game itself is probably the single piece of software qhich revolutionized 3d-gaming industry forever. But the true unique part of this project is that T.Reznor did the musical score for it. 10 tracks of dark, ambient, densely textured instrumentals ranging from 3:00min to 8:00min in length, give the game life, death, and an eerie, shadowy feeling which adds that extra flavour to the entire experiece.

Even though the songs were created for the game exclusively, they can be played as normal songs from a cd by simply playing it from a stereo. And believe me, nothing beats a grey December evening than those slowly developing sounds coming out of your surround sound speakers as you watch the light snow fall upon the frozen landscape. (anyone Not from Canada might not get that last comment)

Most people have played or at least seen Quake. The game by today's standards has poor graphics and netplay. The graphics, at the time, were a breakthrough. Working with a very small 256-color pallet (as composed to the 65k of later and games and the new standard, 4billion colors) idSoftware relied heavilly on dark colors to create Quake's definitive dark look and feel, which many people find beautiful. All graphics (accept explosions) were 3D and dynamically lit. Quake was also one of the first games to support OpenGL 3D acceleration, which has since become a standard.

Quake's gameplay was very simple; just shoot the bad guys. Yet the levels were designed exceedingly well, and challenged the mind as well as the trigger finger. An admittedly thin plot diminished the game for some people. The gameplay, however, can be quite difficult in the hardest setting, even to experienced gamers. Another breakthrough in Quake was the netplay. Doom, despite numerous patches, still lagged awfully even in a modem-to-modem game. Quake added support for 4 players on modems, and up to 16 over the internet (it was the first 3D shooter to do this). QuakeWorld (a free followup from id) sped up netplay dramatically. The sound was one part of quake that has not been duplicated, even by quake sequels. A soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails is the highlight, fitting the mood of the game perfectly. The ambient background noises, such as the wind and your own breathing, can make this game downright scary at times.

This game, while surpassed in graphical quality and gameplay by today's titles, is still a must-own for serious gamers, and has already established itself as a modern classic.

The game that evolved Doom into a true 3-D experience and paved the way for a hundred imitations can be considered nothing less than a classic of modern gaming history. Out went the 2-D scaled bitmap graphics and in came a true interactive 3-D engine with dynamic lighting effects, animation and equally creepy 3-D enemies to inhabit this world, something today we all take for granted, but was very much a new milestone back in 1996.

I.D's game had it's critics in one-player mode, (the Polygon monsters came in lesser numbers than the flat enemies of Doom) but in Multiplayer it was and still could be considered one of the most exciting, immersive combat experiences that you could ever play on a PC. Anyone who's played a 16-man deathmatch amongst friends or acquaintances alike cannot deny the sheer power of this game. The sound was sickly detailed (with the help of one Trent Reznor) and the graphics were dark, earthy and atmospherically unmistakable.

Quake for many has been the closest thing to experiencing armed warfare (or a close approximation) without having to actually leave your seat, except of course when you need one of those sweaty adrenaline induced toilet breaks after you've just slaughtered your best buddies in over the top (but graphically intense) detail, with the fattest smile on your face, and for that I.D. we salute you!

The original Quake is one of my favorite computer games of all time. When it first came out in 1996, it was very revolutionary. It was the first 3d shooter to use texture-mapped polygons and the enemies looked very good. The weapons were very cool too. I really liked the nailguns and the grenade launcher. The animations of the monsters are, in my opinion, still top-notch even by today's standards. Unlike most enemies in today's 3d shooters, the monsters are scary and horrifying. The fiend and the shambler are the most terrifying monsters that you will face and they require very quick reflexes to defeat. Upon hearing that one of my favorite musical groups, Nine Inch Nails, would be doing the soundtrack for this game only heightened my anticipation of playing Quake for the first time back in 1996. The soundtrack does not disappoint. Trent Reznor has created an atmospheric and immersive ambient music that truly brings you into the twisted and weird environment of the game. The game designers are obviously big NIN fans because the textures, environments and monsters seem too look as if they could be from an NIN video. They also named one of the guns the "nailgun" and the ammo for it has an NIN logo embroided on it. All in all, Quake is a wonderful game even by today's standards. It is also a very revolutionary game and is now a part of computer gaming history. The game has great action, great weapons, freaky monsters, fun single player, addictive multiplayer and an NIN soundtrack. What else more can you ask for?

Even with other competing shooters like Descent and Duke Nukem 3D around in the mid-90's, Quake lives up to its name: it truly "Quakes" the competition with its fast, non-stop action and excellent level design. Duke Nukem 3D may have had a fully interactive environment, but nothing could match Quake's lightning-fast and tremendously entertaining action. Weapons consist of standard-issued stuff (axe, shotgun, rocket launcher) and innovative weapons for the time, like a nailgun, grenade launcher, and thunderbolt gun (which you shouldn't even think about shooting underwater!) In an attempt to speed up the pace, there aren't any reloading times, and switching from weapon to weapon is very quick.

Along with the gameplay, the graphics are also Quake's biggest strength. Unlike Doom or Duke Nukem 3D, Quake uses a true-3D graphics engine to create detailed and believable environments. Gone are the choppy animations of enemies and their flat-looking appearances. As in Duke Nukem 3D, you can also swim underwater. All of this at a super-smooth frame rate! (At least, if you have a Pentium or higher processor.) In 1996, once I played Quake, I was fighting the urge not to play anything else. If you're looking for a solid piece of nostalgia to play, then this is exactly what you're looking for. It's a classic.