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Quake

Available Platform: DOS

Quake is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996.

Year1996
GenreShooter
Rating4.5

90/100 based on 9 Editorial reviews. Add your vote

Publisherid Software
Developerid Software
OS supportedWin7 64 bit, Win8 64bit, Windows 10, MacOS 10.6+
Updated19 April 2024

Game Review

Quake is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996.

With the success it had with Doom in 1993, id Software decided to capitalize its momentum and come up with a title that not only contains all the elements that placed this legendary title on the pedestal it deserves but to take a step forward and perfect it. In this context, where the company founded by Romero and the 2 Carmack set the goal to clean the raw gem they had created with its predecessor, Quake was born.

This entry place itself in a dystopian future. After discovering and opening inter-dimensional portals, the human race is invaded by a horde of demons and is on the verge of extinction. Thus, the player embodies the skin of a soldier trapped in this apocalypse that must not only destroy all enemies that come its way, but also its leader, a demon called Shub-Niggurath.

The gameplay is quite simple. The player must go through 26 levels (with the possibility of discovering 4 more hidden ones) and shoot at everything in sight. In each of these worlds, several secrets encourage the player not to rush his way out of the scenario, but to explore each sector to get several bonuses. While many contemporary games have a similar style in their adventures, none do so in such a brutal and bloody way as Quake.

The technical part is where you see the progress of this installation compared to Doom. This release provides a real 3D experience, which for the first time, allows bi-axial aiming. These changes also feature polygonal enemies and even weapon view models. On the other hand, the backgrounds are very similar to its predecessor. The walls are plagued with a devilish theme, and the atmosphere seems to be taken from an H.P. Lovecraft story.

The sound, far from being left behind, pursues the player with an oppressive atmosphere that evokes sounds reminiscent of industrial machines at work. The music was composed by the American band Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor, the vocalist and founder of the group, assured that their goal was to make music as depressing and threatening as possible.

Both the critics and the fans received Quake in a very positive way. The former acclaimed that the title stood out in the gameplay and sound effects. On the other hand, the players were delighted with the multiplayer mode, with its Doom-based foundations, the improvements in the new game made the death match online gaming reach its peak.

Quake needs no introduction. It is the first installment that perfected this style of play and inspired the development of several sagas like Unreal, among many others. If you are looking for a good time and want to feel tension but without stopping shooting for a moment, this is not only the best option, but the door to enjoy more all the others.

See Also: Legendary Game Developers: id Software

Review by: Gustavo
Published: 6 April 2020 1:57 pm

Users Reviews

I remember getting QTest in summer of 1996 on a CD-Rom and I was blown away by how advanced the thing appeared - it was the pinnacle of the then established "bleeding edge" moniker. A fascinating preview into truly 3 dimensional worlds made possible by the insanely crafty Carmack / Abrash dream team. I remember just standing in "test1" and looking down a hallway... wow, what strange and entangling world!

Later on I acquired the Quake shareware in a shop and got to finally play the darn thing and I remember really digging it as it felt great when strolling along and was something special with its eerie design, atmoshpere and hardware demands.(Making use of the Pentium's capabilites was a unique feat which showed that new technology could really make a tangible difference given talented developers were involved.)

So after all the praise... was there a downside... Yes - Quake never grasped me like Doom did. Albeit the single player levels were very well made, nothing felt as good or exiting as for example Episode 1. None of the havoc came close to Doom's frenzy.
While the true nature of 3D controls was mesmerizing it also brought something to the gameplay that felt more tedious and less immersive than Doom. Also the slower player speed, born from technical/design necessities, appeared a bit of a let down.
It was clear later on that Quake's potential did not handily overlap where Doom ruled supreme but needed a different venue to show its breathtaking excellence...

Multiplayer
Only after having hooked up two PCs(P60mhz & P166mhz via Null Modem cable) I could truly appreciate the new standard id had set. While I still prefer(red) Doom for coop it was Deathmatch where Quake unfolded its wings and easily outmuscled anything I had ever experienced. No matter which deathmatch map, the action was frantic, exiting, addictive and the learning experience a blast. We later connected 3 to 5 PC's(with Voodoos) via LAN and the sessions we had were full of crazy laughter and cursing - it was a legendary experience that I'm still thinking about to this very day.

Despite Wolfenstein's and Doom's grand influence on the world of technology & gaming it was Quake that took all the remaining potential and blew it throught the stratosphere.

Review by: Dean Hammond
Published: 20 March 2023 2:46 pm

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Download Quake - DOS Version dos

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DOS version 1.1 - Language: English - Size: 15.19 Mb

Mac Download Download for Mac en

DOS version 1.31 - Language: English - Size: 16.89 Mb

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Quake

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