Thoughts on Quake

I picked this game because of the ties to Lovecraft but the only connection from the game to the lore is the Shamblers and the final boss Shub Niggurath. Quake is hailed as a landmark in the gaming world as the first 3D shooter. It hasn't aged well by my standards and I had several issues with the game. For starters, all the levels look more or less the same. Gray and brown castles are your domain and will remain your only location. There's a little variety in the pre levels where you fight armed soldiers but I think this is weak attempt to connect Quake to Quake 2. The sequel took almost nothing from the first game and replaced the eldritch horrors with cybernetic monsters. I actually played Quake 2 before the first one and it's a markable improvement. For startes, Quake has a limited weapon loadout. 

You have your standard shotgun, the super shotgun, grenade launcher, missle launcher (which uses the same ammo as the grenade launcher), nail gun, super nail gun, axe (in case you run out of ammo), and the thunderbolt. I never like games that use the same ammo types for different weapons. For the shotgun and super shotgun, it makes sense, but why does the missle launcher use grenade ammo? Very strange. The weapons in the Doom series seemed more varied. I haven't played the add ons that were created years after the original released but I hear there's a thunder hammer and a laser gun. That should be more interesting.

Another thing that grinds my gears is the monsters. I loved the design of the Shamblers but they are the only monsters with claim to Lovecraftian fame. They are also annoying because they shoot lightning that does devastating damage. All the rest of the monsters are standard Id design like the rottweilers and fiends which leap at you or the STUPID ogres that launch a grenade. How many times did I reload because of a bouncing grenade that caught me in the face? Then there's my "favorite" the Spawns. I remember hearing about how awful these monsters were from videos and they tell the truth. The Spawn is a blob that jumps at you at high speeds. Doesn't sound dangerous but if they die next to you they explode and cause an almost instant kill. I think I heard that these monsters were so tough that they saved them for the end. Thank God they weren't near me during the final boss. No, I had Shamblers and Vores to thank for that final fight. For context, Vore's are these spider monsters that fire homing missiles that are HARD to avoid. I only played on the hard difficulty, what's the hard plus mode like? 

Despite all that, the game has given me some inspiration for the Shamblers in my own story so I have to thank the game for that. Quake isn't really remembered for it's single player but the online multiplayer. People still play this game to this day and meet up at Quakecon to battle it out.

Over all, I didn't hate Quake but I'm never playing it again. It's caused too much psychological damage to my mind. 

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