Quake
Reviewed by Scott McCall
From the developers of Doom 64 comes the N64 incarnation of
Quake. Unlike Doom 64, though, Quake for the N64 is just a port
of the computer version and does not contain any new levels.
And while Quake is a great conversion, it all boils down to
what you think of Quake as a one-player game, because the
multi-player mode is nothing special.
Wisely, the developers of Quake let you completely customize
your controller configuration. You can assign any button or
direction on the controller to do whatever you want. Just go
to the Options/Controls screen and press A on "Setup
Controller" for Player 1 to change it. And opposed to Doom 64,
all of your options can be saved to the Controller Pak. Because
of the user-defined customization, everything feels comfortable
and smooth once you step into the action.
The graphics in Quake are quite nice. Everything in the one-player
mode moves at a smooth, brisk speed, and the overall look of the
game is somewhere between the original Quake and GL Quake.
There are also some cool lighted textures throughout the levels.
On the downside, the monsters and the animation of them are well
below the likes of Turok and GoldenEye. Also, the two-player
deathmatch, though not too bad, is a little on the choppy side,
which is perplexing because of the scrunched screens.
In the sound department, the N64 version of Quake didn't fare
so well. There is some actual music at the title screen and
when you complete a level, but it's pretty shoddy. The actual
in-game music is obviously not going to be a conversion of Trent
Reznor's tunes, but Doom 64 did a better job of providing ambient
sound. In addition, the sound effects in Quake were always
weak and muffled, and they haven't been improved on the N64.
Let's face it, the main attraction of Quake is its multi-player,
networked deathmatches. And since the N64 conversion only
has deathmatch for two, Quake really seems amazingly average
compared to the likes of Turok, GoldenEye, and Duke Nukem 64.
The one-player mode in Quake was and still is nothing more
than average. It's an action-packed romp in the same vein as
Doom, but the level design and weapons leave a lot to be desired.
On any other system, Quake is a pretty decent single-player
game. But on the N64, it probably ranks slightly below average.
If you so happen to be a fan of Quake's missions but don't get a
chance to play them on a PC, then the N64 conversion is nearly
flawless. However, the lack of a good multi-player mode,
coupled with an average single-player mode, makes Quake a
questionable purchase for most gamers out there.
Graphics: 4.1 out of 5
Sound: 2.9 out of 5
Control: 4.4 out of 5
Gameplay: 3.2 out of 5
Lastability: 3.4 out of 5
Overall: 3.3 out of 5