Gameplay
The game is played in general first-person shooter paradigms, in which the player shoots enemies from the perspective of the main character. The gameplay is very similar to that featured in Quake, in terms of movement and controls, although the player has been slowed down, and now has the ability to crouch. The game retains four of the original Quake's weapons (Shotgun, Super Shotgun, Grenade Launcher and Rocket Launcher), although they were all redesigned and made to function in slightly different ways. The remainder of Quake's eight weapons (Axe, Nailgun, Super Nailgun and Thunderbolt) are gone. Newly introduced weapons are the blaster, Machine Gun, Chain Gun, Hyperblaster, Railgun and BFG10K. The Quad Damage power up from Quake is still present in Quake II and new power ups include Invulnerability, Bandolier, Ammo Pack, Enviro-Suit, Rebreather, and Silencer.
The single player game features a number of changes from Quake. First, the player is given mission-based objectives that correspond to the storyline, including stealing a Tank Commander's head to open a door and calling down an air-strike on a bunker. CGI cutscenes are used to illustrate progress through the main objectives, although they are all essentially the same short piece of video, showing a computerised image of the player character as he moves through game's levels. Another addition is the inclusion of a non-hostile character type — the player character's captured comrades. However, it is impossible to interact with such characters, because they have all been driven insane by their Strogg captors.
The game features much larger levels than Quake, with many more wide-open areas. There is also a hub system that allows the player to travel back and forth between levels, which is necessary to complete certain objectives. Some of the textures and symbols that appear in the game are very similar to some of those found in Quake. Enemies also demonstrate visible wounds after they have taken damage.
Read more about this topic: Quake II