Quake 2 Re-Released With Significant Enhancements, New Modes, and Improvements

Quake was a series that broke ground and helped define the boomer-shooter genre back in the 90s, and since then, the genre has grown exponentially. Thanks to PC gaming and Steam, we can still go back and play the classics though, reliving and seeing where everything began, but they can be a bit dated. Today, out of nowhere, Bethesda released a new update to Quake 2 that brings with it some incredible new enhancements and improvements to get it up to par for the modern era.

Quake 2 Expansions Included

Quake 2 has been injected with brand new content. First, both expansions for the game have been included in this update: Mission Pack: The Reckoning and Mission Pack: Ground Zero, which add 30 single-player levels and 20 deathmatch maps. But to really sweeten the deal, Wolfenstein developer, MachineGames, created an all new expansion called "Call of the Machine", which features 28 campaign levels and a brand new deathmatch map.

Visual and Gameplay Enhancements Galore

The re-release of Quake 2 also comes with a slew of visual and gameplay enhancements that improve the game monumentally. These include:

• Upgraded AI (new pathing, attacks, tactics, and more)
• Improved Lighting, Shadows, and Models
• Muzzle Flashes
• Height Fog
• Better Animations
• Navigation Updates (A compass item was added to direct you to your next objective)
• Enhanced Co-Op Gameplay
• Crossplay (Play with your friends on whatever platform they have)

This makes the game look much nicer and more sharp, while still retaining the original charm the original had. There are a lot more to check out and you can look at an in-depth view of the visual changes in Bethesda's article.

Accessibility Features

On top of the new enhancements, a slew of accessibility features have been added to the game:

• Contrast Settings
• Larger Font
• Chat Improvements (Transcribing voice chat, speak for me, and read chat out loud)
• Voice Profiles
• Screen Flash Amounts
• Chat, Center, or Corner mMessage Time
• Maximum Message Lines

You can check out the settings a bit more in-depth, as well as the other input and display options, over on Bethesda's detailed article.

Quake 2 64 Port and Original Version Still Playable

On top of all of these, the original Nintendo 64 port of Quake 2 has been included with this release! This port has been released and includes modern enhancements along with it. You have the option to play that one, along with the original Quake 2 versions without these enhancements, when you select the "Play" button for Quake 2.

So How Does it Run on Steam Deck?

In my minor testing, the new Quake 2 Enhanced version runs really well on the Steam Deck. The game can completely stick to 60 FPS, but I did notice some areas that will drain the battery a bit more (13W - 14W). Otherwise, it sticks to around 8W drain for a solid 4 - 5 hours of battery life. It feels fantastic on the device regardless though.

The Quake 2 Enhanced update is completely free for those who already own the game and, if you don't, the base game is $10 on Steam.

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