History YMMV / QuakeII

** The sound of your Railgun firing sounds as if you can hear it for miles, and it hits like truck as well.
** The {{BFG}} charges up sounding like a nightmarish WavemotionGun and delivers a suitably colossal room-clearing blast.
** From ''Ground Zero'' we have the ETF Rifle, which puts to good use the recycled sound of ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' in order to emphasize its ArmorPiercingAttack capabilities.
** The sounds the Invulnerability and Power Shield items produce whenever an enemy hits you gives you the sensation of being a {{Damage Sponge|Boss}} OneManArmy, with nothing standing in your way.
** The QuadDamage sound effects amp up the "ouch!" factor of all of your weapons whenever you fire them.
* ParanoiaFuel: Due to the presence of Medics in certain levels (and Repair Bots in ''The Reckoning'' and ''especially'' Medic Commanders in ''Ground Zero''), you'll be wasting ammo gibbing corpses only to deny them the chance at resurrection.

* PortingDisaster: The N64 port. Due to the technical limitations of the system, the game had to be redesigned from the ground up on the Quake 1 engine. The war against the Strogg is presented in an entirely new story spread across several moons and space stations, instead of the homeworld shown in the original game. The 9 units and 39 levels story is reduced to 5 units and 20 levels; with each level being shorter than the PC counterparts (the entire Jail Area and City units are combined into one; while the Comm Center appears as its second half only.) The animations take a dip in quality and crouching was removed.

** The game outright shows you that you're in for a world of hurt when you can get half the arsenal and a pair of powerups ''in the first level'' alone.[[note]]Just starting, you get the Shotgun. After skipping the mine area, you can turn to the left to get the Super Shotgun -the so-called "powerful weapon" you get early in the SecretLevel "Lost Station" of vanilla [=Q2=]-, then as you progress before entering the Thaelite Mines, you get hand grenades, Tesla traps, the Machinegun -in [=VQ2=] you get this weapon in the second level-, the Prox Launcher, a Double Damage and a pair of IR Goggles -you only find your first powerup in [=VQ2=] in the third level of the first unit, "Comm Center".[[/note]] Then you get handed [[{{BFG}} the BFG10K]] as a secret ''in the second level of the second unit''[[note]] And by that point you get ''almost every vanilla weapon in the game'', including the Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Chaingun and even the Hyperblaster.[[/note]]. And not without reason, as you'll find plenty of [[DemonicSpiders/QuakeII Stalkers, Turrets and Medic Commanders]], which will make your life a pure hell.
** ''Ground Zero'' amps up the difficulty regarding the main game, as if it was thought with CooperativeMultiplayer in mind. For starters, some enemy classes that the players are introduced to halfway in the regular game such as the Icarus appear as early as ''the first level'', there are improved versions of some of the original game's enemies such as Daedalus (a stronger Icarus with a Power Screen) and the Medic Commander (a stronger Medic with EnemySummoner abilities), the very first area has ''a powerup near the entrance'' (for comparison, the QuadDamage is introduced in the ''third'' level of the base game), and the game's new low-tier enemy is a damage sponge, taking three point-blank shots of a Super Shotgun whereas a mid-tier Gunner takes only two.

** The UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port replaces the metal soundtrack from Sonic Mayhem by Aubrey Hodges' signature ambient sounds: while some players welcome the change in atmosphere it gives to the game, others consider this soundtrack uninspired and / or out of place in a sci-fi game like ''Quake II''.

* BrokenBase: This game (and all the subsequent Quake games) started using a full color palette, rather than the RealIsBrown style of the original Quake. While some people think the games looks better this way, other preferred the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the first game.
* BestLevelEver: The Strogg freighter in the first expansion pack, ''The Reckoning''. You stow away in a crate in order to sneak in and have to hijack the freighter to fly to the moon base. Once you kill all the pilots, you find out the Strogg set the ship to self destruct if everyone on board is killed and [[TimedMission you only have 30 seconds or so to put the power cubes in place before it blows up]].

* CommonKnowledge: It's frequently cited that Trent Reznor didn't work on the game because he thought it had no soul, but that couldn't be further from the truth. According to Sonic Boom, he simply wasn't available to work on it.
* ContestedSequel: The original game was essentially ''Doom 3'' in all but name, while ''Quake 2'' takes more hints from games like ''Hexen'' and ''Strife'', with the hub level system and complex objectives to complete. Whether or not this is a good thing is dependent on the player, but ''Quake 2'' is often far more focused on providing an interesting, slower-paced narrative experience over a moment-to-moment action-packed one, and many argue that the game suffers as a result.

** The Machinegun going upwards. Mouselook makes it slightly less frustrating, but you'll still miss several hits. The 2023 remaster removed this.

** The lack of muzzle flashes rendered in any of the guns is often ridiculed, as it makes it difficult for the player to identify directions the enemies are firing from. The 2023 remaster readded muzzle flashes.

** The Shotgun's main drawback is it's a MasterOfNone, with an unimpressive rate of fire. The Railgun is better at extreme range and [[GameBreaker even up close]], while the [[ShortRangeShotgun Super Shotgun]] is better up close and personal. Sequels made the [=SSG=] the standard format to correct this, the Machine Gun takes over as the standard-issue, and in ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'', you can optionally select the basic shotgun as a starting weapon, making this weapon much more useful since you don't have to go hunting for it like the Super Shotgun.

** That the game was infamous for not having muzzle flashes rendered in any of the guns is often ridiculed.

** The Machinegun going upwards. Mouselook makes it slightly less frustrating, but you'll still miss several hits. The 2023 Remaster removed this.

** The 2023 remaster, available for PC, [=PS4=]/[=PS5=], Xbox One/Series, and Switch. Enhanced visuals that stay true to the original aesthetic, full widescreen support with an uncapped framerate, cross-platform online play, 4-player split-screen, all expansions included plus an entirely new expansion made just for the remaster, the ability to play an upgraded version of the N64 port, and an in-game gallery that includes concept art and playable beta levels.

** Xatrix's dislike of {{Rocket Jump}}ing (as evidenced by the EasterEgg "No prize for you, [[Music/EltonJohn Rocketman]]") made theRocket Launcher one in ''The Reckoning'', as the previously useful (for SequenceBreaking, at least) technique gains a higher knockback and damage than before. This is especially at odds with the fanbase as the RocketJump is a staple of the ''Quake'' series, and considered a core talent to master.

** The Machinegun going upwards. Mouselook makes it slightly less frustrating, but you'll still miss several hits.

** Xatrix's dislike of {{Rocket Jump}}ing (as evidenced by the EasterEgg "No prize for you, [[Music/EltonJohn Rocketman]]") made the Rocket Launcher one in ''The Reckoning'', as the previously useful (for SequenceBreaking, at least) technique gains a higher knockback and damage than before. This is especially at odds with the fanbase as the RocketJump is a staple of the ''Quake'' series, and considered a core talent to master.

** The Hand Grenade's lack of accuracy and [[HoistedByHisOwnPetard chance of self-harm]] if you cook it off[[note]]hold it while the fuse is primed and counting down[[/note]] for too long before throwing it. It was cut from the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port, and never appeared again in the series.

** The {{BFG}}10K is a cousin to the {{BFG}}9000 from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''. If you fire it into a room full of players in deathmatch, you can take out most or all of the room in a suicide rush. If you have quad damage too, it's slices through everyone like lava. In single player, it's extremely lethal too and you can save a QuadDamage in your inventory to make a group of enemies (and even the bosses) a joke. It is telling of the [[ClassicVideoGameScrewYous difficulty]] of ''Ground Zero'' that you're given the weapon as a secret ''[[DiscOneNuke in the second level of the second unit]]''. The late appearance of the Power Shield (mentioned below) frees the cells to be used for the weapon, and the presence of [[EnemySummoner the Medic Commander]] justifies completely its use.

* SequelDifficultySpike: ''Ground Zero'' amps up the difficulty regarding the main game, as if it was thought with CooperativeMultiplayer in mind. For starters, some enemy classes that the players are introduced to halfway in the regular game such as the Icarus appear as early as ''the first level'', there are improved versions of some of the original game's enemies such as Daedalus (a stronger Icarus with a Power Screen) and the Medic Commander (a stronger Medic with EnemySummoner abilities), the very first area has ''a powerup near the entrance'' (for comparison, the QuadDamage is introduced in the ''third'' level of the base game), and the game's new low-tier enemy is a damage sponge, taking three point-blank shots of a Super Shotgun whereas a mid-tier Gunner takes only two.

** QuadDamage, even more so than in the first game as this game has [[RPGElements an inventory system]], meaning you can save it up for a rainy day. Tampering its power is the fact that the amount of Quads (and other powerups) you can carry at the same time varies depending on the difficulty level[[note]]Hard and [[HarderThanHard Hard+/Nightmare]] only allow you to carry one, Medium two, Easy infinite[[/note]].

** The Processing Plant featured in this game is given a redux of sorts in ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' with a large factory that shows in gruesome detail how corpses are processed into the vital subsistence called Stroyent. Said chapter becomes progressive DarkerAndEdgier with the player eventually entering the Waste Disposal basement of the factory where live Failed Strogg transfers (zombies) are dumped and massive amounts of bio waste left until the acid sprayers can disintegrate said waste.

** ''The Reckoning'' introduces the Trap, a powerful item that makes health cubes out of a lot of enemies. Tampering its power, however, is the fact that said trap a) doesn't work on heavier enemies (such as Gladiators, Tanks and Bosses) and that b) [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the user himself can be turned into a health cube]]. Used correctly, though, you can get health packs for free, the health from these packs overstacks without the degeneration of Megahealth, and unlike Quad and Double Damage, it counts as a weapon rather than an item, so you can carry plenty of them in any difficulty level.

** The Hand Grenade's lack of accuracy and [[HoistedByHisOwnPetard chance of self-harm]] in case of holding it too much time. It was cut from the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port, and never appeared again in the series.

** In ''Ground Zero''[='=]s Deathmatch mode, the [[DoomsdayDevice A-M Bomb]] becomes a portable bomb which takes a lot of time to respawn and it's located in EXTREMELY dangerous areas (such as deadends or {{Death Trap}}s) for a reason. It must be deployed manually, but once done, a countdown takes place, after which everyone must clear the area, lest the wall-explosion take all of the present players in its surrounding area. The bomb is susceptible to traps[[note]]For example, the pack's version of "[=Q2DM1=]: The Edge", "[=rdm14=]: Rogue's Edge", features it in a button-triggered chamber, which seals it and fills the area with lava; while the DM version of "[=rware2=]: Waterfront Storage", features it in the small chamber that must be sealed in the main game and whose damage over time [[NoFairCheating ignores the God mode cheat]], and whose bottom can frag players, ignoring the same cheat code[[/note]] and weapon fire, but even as a SuicideAttack its carrier can rack a notable amount of frags, provided there are more than two players on the server. Knowing where the bomb is located increases the chance of finding it and deploying it, reducing ''Ground Zero'' default Deathmatches (as the A-M Bomb can be disabled by the server owner with a dmflag) to races about who gets the bomb first.

** The Hand Grenade's lack of accuracy and chance of self-harm in case of holding it too much time.

* SequelDifficultySpike: ''Ground Zero'' amps up the difficulty regarding the main game, as if it was thought with CooperativeMultiplayer in mind. For starters, some enemy classes that the players are introduced to halfway in the regular game such as the Icarus appear as early as ''the first level'', there are improved versions of some of the original game's enemies such as Daedalus (a stronger Icarus with a Power Screen) and the Medic Commander (a stronger Medic with EnemySummoner abilities), the very first area has ''a powerup'' near the entrance (in comparison, the QuadDamage is introduced in the ''third'' level of the base game), and the game's new low-tier enemy is a damage sponge, taking three point-blank shots of a Super Shotgun whereas a mid-tier Gunner takes only two.

** Xatrix's dislike of {{Rocket Jump}}ing (as evidenced by the EasterEgg "No prize for you, [[Music/EltonJohn Rocketman]]") made the Rocket Launcher one in ''The Reckoning'', as the previously useful (for SequenceBreaking, at least) technique gains a higher knockback and damage than before.

** The Shotgun's main drawback is it's a MasterOfNone, with an unimpressive rate of fire. The Railgun is better at extreme range and [[GameBreaker even up close]], while the [[ShortRangeShotgun Super Shotgun]] is better up close and personal. Sequels made the [=SSG=] the standard format to correct this; the Machine Gun takes over as the standard-issue.
** The Machinegun going upwards. Mouselook makes it slightly less frustrating, but you'll still miss several hits.
** The Chaingun eats a lot of ammo just on the first shots.

** The Railgun is a futuristic scopeless SniperRifle. Its base damage is 150 (100 in Deathmatch), enough to kill most enemies, including unarmored, respawned players in MP, [[OneHitKill in one shot]]. The Railgun also has a ridiculously high ammo limit of 50 slugs without any upgrades (and it benefits from the Bandolier, unlike explosive weapons of similar tier), works as a substitute to the Super Shotgun at any range, is perfectly accurate ''and'' [[OneHitPolykill the slugs punch through as many enemies as there are in its path, dealing the same damage to every single one of them]].

** Xatrix's dislike of {{Rocket Jump}}ing (as evidenced by the EasterEgg "No prize for you, Film/{{rocketman}}") made the Rocket Launcher one in ''The Reckoning'', as the previously useful (for SequenceBreaking, at least) technique gains a higher knockback and damage than before.

** The {{BFG}}10K is a cousin to the {{BFG}}9000 from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''. If you fire it into a room full of players in deathmatch, you can take out most or all of the room in a suicide rush. If you have quad damage too, it's slices through everyone like lava. In single player, it's extremely lethal too and you can save a QuadDamage in your inventory to make a group of enemies (and even the bosses) a joke. It is telling of the [[ClassicVideoGameScrewYous difficulty]] of ''Ground Zero'' that you're given the weapon as a secret ''[[DiscOneNuke in the second level of the second unit]]''. The absence of the Power Shield (mentioned below) frees the cells to be used for the weapon, and the presence of [[EnemySummoner the Medic Commander]] justifies completely its use.

** The [[DeflectorShields Power Shield]], a piece of equipment which adds another protection layer on top of your armor, even more so when playing deathmatch. It has a tradeoff that it uses cells as power, so the Hyperblaster, ''The Reckoning''[='=]s Ion Ripper, ''Ground Zero''[='=]s Plasma Beam, or even [[{{BFG}} the BFG10K]] can't be used as freely, but as long as the power cells are kept stocked, the user is very difficult to kill unless their opponent is a crack shot ''and'' happens to have a Railgun and QuadDamage handy. If they have an armor vest on top of that, then the opponent is in for a long slog. It's of little surprise that the Power Shield appears quite late in ''The Reckoning'' and ''not at all'' in ''Ground Zero''.

** The clank-clank of your Grenade Laucher makes, makes firing it a satisfying occasion as well.

** The clank-clank of your Grenade Laucher makes firing it a satisfying occasion as well.

* MostWonderfulSound: Many potential examples:

** Xatrix's dislike of {{Rocket Jump}}ing (as evidenced by the EasterEgg "No prize for you, VideoGame/{{rocketman}}") made the Rocket Launcher one in ''The Reckoning'', as the previously useful (for SequenceBreaking, at least) technique gains a higher knockback and damage than before.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The single-player portion of the game played much like ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' before it but with a ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}''-like hub system that players may have found lackluster due to the [[{{Metroidvania}} backtracking]] slowing down the action and rarely providing additional enemies to make return trips more interesting. This was a problem that also haunted the [[MissionPackSequel Mission Pack Sequels]].

* ScrappyMechanic: The PC version has a few.

** The Chaingun eating a lot of ammo just on the first shots.

** Xatrix's dislike of the {{Rocket Jump}}ing (as evidenced by the EasterEgg "No prize for you, rocket jumper") made the Rocket Launcher as one in ''The Reckoning'', as the previously useful (for SequenceBreaking, at least) technique gains a higher knockback and damage than before.
* ScrappyWeapon: Depending on the game mode, some weapons are much better in single player than deathmatch or vice-versa.
** The Blaster has little use outside of saving ammo when shooting switches and destructibles. Good luck hitting somebody with its weak shots in deathmatch.
** The Shotgun's main drawback is it's a MasterOfNone, with an unimpressive rate of fire. The Railgun is better at extreme range and [[GameBreaker even up close]], while the [[ShortRangeShotgun Super Shotgun]] is better up close and personal. Sequels made the [=SSG=] the standard format to correct this; the Machine Gun takes over as the standard-issue.
** In ''Quake II: Ground Zero'', the Plasma Beam is a gluton with energy cells in exchange for being {{hitscan}}. If you're good at aiming with the Railgun, you may as well save on cells for the Hyperblaster (it's the more ammo-efficient single-target weapon), [=BFG=], or the Power Shield. In addition, bullets are more expendable so the Chaingun is more desirable at short-medium range. Averted in deathmatch where the hitscan capability is much more useful against fast-moving players.