What Is Quake 2 64?

gameranx.com:

Quake 2 Remastered is finally here after oodles of rumours and years of speculation. Is it good? No – it’s bloody fantastic. ID’s legendary shooter has taken the world by storm, and it’s easy to see why. In terms of content, quality, and preservation, very few remasters even come close to matching it (if any). 

The biggest surprise to come from this remaster, however, is the inclusion of Quake 2 64. This game has never seen a rerelease, and frankly, most people didn’t know the game ever existed. But what is Quake 2 64? Why is it such a big deal? Heck, why should you bother playing this long-forgotten relic? 

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It would be easy to assume Quake 2 64 was just a lesser port of Quake 2 that just so happened to land on the N64. That’s exactly what happened with Quake 1, so why expect anything different, right? Well, prepare to have your socks blown off with a quad damage-enhanced super shotgun – Quake 2 64 is a stand-alone entry with its own mechanics and campaign. 

Quake 2 64 is not a port at all, it’s just burdened with an unfortunate name that likely had everyone and their nan ignoring it for the past 20+ years. Thanks to Nightdive, we all get a chance to remedy that error in judgement. 

So aside from the whole new campaign, what does Quake 2 64 bring to the table? Well, firstly, a whole new set of mechanics. Quake 2 has an inventory system and massive interconnected levels that span multiple loading screens. There was nothing quite like Quake 2 when it was released, so it left an impression.