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Quake II

id Software may have lost one of its more famous founders (level designer John Romero left to form ION Storm last year and was recently seen gracing the pages of Time magazine), but the split hasn't slowed the progress of Quake II. The game promises to address the single most common criticism of its predecessor - that while the multiplayer component was unparalleled, the single-player game wasn't up to much.

Quake II will feature many of the elements that were notably missing in the original, as well as some innovative touches. Environments will be more interactive, and you will be required to interact with objects to solve puzzles, such as moving a crate to block a laser-armed door or shooting a fuse to blow out a power supply. The levels (or "units" as they're being called) will follow a less linear structure, taking a cue from Hexen and requiring you to move through one unit, go into the next and make some environmental change (such as draining a pool or destroying a nuclear reactor), and return to a previously explored area, which will have been dramatically altered. And, while it may seem like an insignificant point, you will be able to crouch.

Additionally, the game will feature technological improvements such as an improved graphics engine that includes smoother textures and light radiosity, a process allowing for more realistic shadows and the mixing of coloured lights to create ambiance. Also new will be the user modifiable status bar, which will allow the user to decide where information such as health, ammo, and weapons are displayed (in multiplayer games, the server will decide the layout). You will also be able to create your own weapons and use them in multiplayer games.

As the screenshots attest, the game has little relation to the mixed medieval themes of Quake. Set in the future, Quake II puts you in the role, once again, of a futuristic marine. A long-standing war with an alien race has come to the final confrontation, and one marine, against impossible odds, must shut down the alien's home planet's defense system.

Quake II will feature a wide variety of robotic enemies, who have advanced artificial intelligence, which will allow them to follow you along any path you may choose to take. In addition, enemies will be able to duck to avoid incoming rockets, and they will control powerful turrets scattered throughout the levels (you can also assume control of these). The enemies will include variations on the standard humanoid gunner and infantry, as well as newer units such as the tank (as the name implies, this a is well armored and armed unit), the gladiator, and the berzerker. Perhaps the most interesting of the new foes, however, is the medic, who will heal foes during battle.

In addition to the expected weapons, such as the standard shotgun and chaingun, Quake II will add a variety of futuristic weapons such as a rail gun, which sends a powerful particle beam through any and all enemies unlucky enough to get in its path. Weapons will also have variable powers, allowing you to consume more ammo in a single shot and receive a burst in power as a result.

Quake II is tentatively scheduled to be released late this year.


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