History YMMV / QuakeII

** The 2023 remaster introduced some... controversial changes. The most controversial of them are the changes to the levels (in order to integrate their cut content) the Berserker's newfound GroundPound attack (especially with the high blast radius and knockback), the Gunner's newfound grenade spam, and the {{nerf}} to the Railgun (went from 150 to 100) and the switch from red cross to green cross in health items.

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

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

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation version. Some features (such as the inventory system and only being able to save at checkpoints, contrary to the PC version where you could save at any time), enemies (Mutant and Technician), and many levels are missing due to the limitations of the console, yet at the same time it had its fair share of unique content to make up for this (mainly visual effects such as lens flares, shadows, and enemies glowing red when hit by the Hyperblaster). Also, in particular, there are more Strogg types: the [[BossInMookClothing twin-railgun Arachnid]] and [[spoiler:the giant Guardian, a foe ''physically bigger than [[BigBad Makron's]] [[PoweredArmor Jorg Suit]]'', which holds the Anti-Matter Bomb you need to destroy the Gravity Booster)]].
** The somewhat-obscure UsefulNotes/Xbox360 port that came packed in with ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' is an unexpected surprise, in that it's a fully functioning 60FPS 1080p port of ''Quake II'' and the first console port to ever achieve such a feat with a totally stable performance while packing in a fully-functional 4-player splitscreen for both co-op and deathmatch. It even predates the 360 being able to run 1080p games natively by several years, making it one of if not ''the'' first proper HD remaster of a game historically.

* RemadeAndImproved: Creator/NightdiveStudios' 2023 remaster includes the same quality-of-life improvements as [[VideoGame/QuakeI the first game]] (graphical and sound-related options, the [[AwesomeMusic/{{Quake}} original soundtrack]] reincluded, extra console support, crossplay and weapon wheel), the original Expansion Packs ''The Reckoning'' and ''Ground Zero'', a new one by Creator/MachineGames titled ''Call of the Machine'', fully remastered cutscenes, a new deathmatch map, and even a full remaster of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port of the game adapted for modern machines. It also changes the AI of some enemies, making them [[ArtificialBrilliance more dynamic than before]] and [[TookALevelInBadass giving whole new abilities to some]]. Also, while the remaster of the first game was criticized for forcing players to have a Bethesda account to play online, this one allows peer-to-peer online play and even old-school LAN multiplayer.

** The Hand Grenade's lack of accuracy and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard 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.

** ''Call of the Machine'' is 27 levels long. Tampering this is its division into six units of 2-6 levels each. While ''[[Recap/QuakeIICallOfTheMachineOperationCorpseRun Operation: Corpse Run]]'' might be the closest thing to a straightforward ''Quake'' episode (with ''[[Recap/QuakeIIOperationDarkestDepths Operation: Darkest Depths]]'' being in second place), this is ''Quake II'', where {{backtracking}} is a prevalent feature, with the rest of the units featuring [[{{Padding}} constant back and forth]] until you reach the end of the unit. By the time you collect the 6 discs and enter [[spoiler:the Temple of the Creator]], you might want the game to finish already.

** ''Call of the Machine'' is 27 levels long. Tampering this is its division into six units of 2-6 levels each. While ''Operation: Corpse Run'' might be the closest thing to a straightforward ''Quake'' episode (with ''Operation: Darkest Depths'' being in second place), this is ''Quake II'', where {{backtracking}} is a prevalent feature, with the rest of the units featuring [[{{Padding}} constant back and forth]] until you reach the end of the unit. By the time you collect the 6 discs and enter [[spoiler:the Temple of the Creator]], you might want the game to finish already.

** ''Call of the Machine'' is 27-levels long. Tampering this is its division into six units of 2-6 levels each. While ''Operation: Corpse Run'' might be the closest thing to a straightforward ''Quake'' episode (with ''Operation: Darkest Depths'' being on second place), this is ''Quake II'', where {{backtracking}} is a prevalent feature, with the rest of the units featuring [[{{Padding}} constant back and forth]] until you reach the end of the unit. By the time you collect the 6 discs and enter [[spoiler:the Temple of the Creator]], you might want the game to finish already.

** There's an EasterEgg in the "Security Complex" level where one of the crashed pods (more specifically, the one before the entrance to the "Guard House" level) says "Willits", referencing Id developer Tim Willits. By the time of ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'', Willits was the only original developer of ''II'' left in Id, until he left the company in July 2019.

** The EasterEgg near the ending, where you find a Tank finding pleasure with two Iron Maiden, becomes this with the introduction of Tank Jr. as a playable character in ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'', whose biography specifically mentions it being an offspring of a Tank and an Iron Maiden.

* RemadeAndImproved: Creator/NightdiveStudios' 2023 remaster includes the same quality-of-life improvements as [[VideoGame/QuakeI the first episode]] (graphical and sound-related options, the [[AwesomeMusic/{{Quake}} original soundtrack]] reincluded, extra console support, crossplay and weapon wheel), the original Expansion Packs ''The Reckoning'' and ''Ground Zero'', a new one by Creator/MachineGames titled ''Call of the Machine'', fully remastered cutscenes, a new deathmatch map, and even a full remaster of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port of the game adapted for modern machines. It also changes the AI of some enemies, making them [[ArtificialBrilliance more dynamic than before]] and [[TookALevelInBadass giving whole new abilities to some]]. Also, while the remaster of the first game was criticized for forcing players to have a Bethesda account to play online, this one allows peer-to-peer online play and even old-school LAN multiplayer.

** The 2023 remaster, may have [[spoiler:buffed the Jorg with a massive health injection that forces you to use a Quad in order to finish it]], however the ''Call of the Machine'' expansion introduced ''another example'' in the form of [[spoiler:the Masters of the Machine, who are nothing more and nothing else than a pair of FlunkyBoss Shamblers]].

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:The Makron]]. Even more than [[spoiler:the Super Tank and Hornet]]. Becomes painfully so if you had the foresight to save a Quad Damage and Invulnerability for the final battle, as two quad-powered BFG shots per form (while at this point you can get enough ammo for 6 shots) are usually enough to take it down. It's also a reason why [[spoiler:the Quad has no effect with the Black Widow Guardian]] in ''Ground Zero''. Somewhat averted as of the 2023 remaster, as [[spoiler:its Jorg]] received a massive health buff that outright forces you to use a Quad in order to take it down effectively.

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation version. Some features (such as the inventory system and only being able to save at checkpoints, contrary to the PC version where you could save at any time), enemies (Mutant and Technician), and many levels are missing due to the limitations of the console, yet at the same time it had its fair share of unique content to make up for this (mainly visual effects such as lens flares, shadows, and enemies glowing red when hit by the Hyperblaster). Also, in particular, there are more Strogg types: the [[BossInMookClothing twin-railgun Arachnid]] and [[spoiler:the giant Guardian, a foe ''physically bigger than [[spoiler:[[BigBad Makron's]] [[PoweredArmor Jorg Suit]]]]'', which holds the Anti-Matter Bomb you need to destroy the Gravity Booster)]].

* GameBreaker:
** Some of the timed powerups have the very obvious AchillesHeel of their limited duration and how many of a particular class can a player carry with them[[note]]Hard and [[HarderThanHard Hard+/Nightmare]] only allow you to carry one, Medium two, Easy infinite[[/note]], however, they can ''stack'', and some of them complement each other quite nicely. To boot:
*** 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. It complements nicely with most powerups, among them Invulnerability, ''The Reckoning''[='=]s Dualfire Damage and ''Ground Zero''[='=]s Double Damage.
*** ''Ground Zero'' introduced the Double Damage, first found as a secret [[DiscOneNuke in the very first room of the very first level]]. Doesn't sound much impressive, until you figure out that it's still a power amplifier, and its effect stacks with the Quad Damage for an obscene damage multiplier of '''eight times'''. It's telling of the [[HarderThanHard difficulty]] of ''Ground Zero'' that [[spoiler:the FinalBoss acquires immunity to both damage multipliers]].
*** ''The Reckoning'' has Dualfire Damage, a power-up that makes every weapon fire twice as fast. This also stacks with Quad Damage and effectively gives you octuple damage when using both, if not as ammo-efficient as ''Ground Zero''[='=]s Double Damage.
*** Since it features the item pools from both expansion packs, the 2023 remaster's ''Call of the Machine'' makes it possible to have Quad, Double ''and'' Dualfire Damage all active at the same time, allowing you to go an awe-inspiring (close approximation to a) '''''Sexdecuple Damage rampage'''''! Case in point: ''[[Recap/QuakeIICallOfTheMachineOperationCorpseRun Operation: Corpse Run]]'', [[spoiler:should you keep the Dualfire Damage from "Give Me Back My Moon". The next level, "Strogg Jammers" has a Double Damage in the first Makron area, and a Quad Damage in the Sons of Makron area]].
** 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 activated too, it 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 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.
** 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]]. Its dominating capabilities are very comparable to the Rocket Launcher from [[VideoGame/QuakeI the previous game]], trading SplashDamage with {{hitscan}} projectiles. The weapon was unfortunately nerfed in the 2023 remaster to keep it on par with the re-balanced difficulty, its damage output being reduced from 150 to 100, matching its multiplayer counterpart.
** The [[DeflectorShields Power Shield]], a piece of equipment that 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 became an EleventhHourSuperpower in ''Ground Zero''.
** ''The Reckoning'' introduces the Trap, a powerful item that makes health cubes out of a lot of enemies. Tempering 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 themself can be turned into a health cube]]. Used correctly and on the right enemies such as Gunners and Berserkers, though, you can get beefy 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.
** In ''Ground Zero''[='=]s Deathmatch mode, the [[DoomsdayDevice A-M Bomb]] becomes a portable bomb that 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'' Deathmatches (unless server admins activate the required setting) to races about who gets the bomb first.
** The 2023 remastered version of the game has ''Threewave CTF'' as an integrated gamemode, much like [[VideoGame/QuakeI its predecessor did]]. Sounds good, right? Well, there are two maps ("[=Q2KCTF1=]: Capture Reckoning" and "[=Q2KCTF2=]: Nexus CTF") which show what happens when you combine the overpoweredness of the ''The Reckoning'' and ''Ground Zero'' arsenal and items with the Runes from TWCTF, leading to obscene things such as the 8x Quad+Double Damage combo ''plus'' the Power Amplifier tech, or the Hunter/Vengeance/Defence spheres combined with the [[GradualRegeneration AutoDoc]] rune in order to become a NighInvulnerable juggernaut.

*** [[spoiler:The Black Widow]], meanwhile, is the FinalBoss of the game. It has two forms: [[spoiler:a humanoid one called "Guardian", and a spider one, the Black Widow proper]]. In its first form, it alternates between shooting Railgun blasts, Hyperblaster bolts and summoning Stalkers, and if you attempt close-range tactics, she will kick you like a ball; this form takes up to 7 or 8 BFG blasts to put her down. The second form is even worse: the Hyperblaster is switched by a Plasma Beam which goes in a circular way, and if you get in the way of the laser, you'll get fried to death, while the Railgun was switched by a Disintegrator which fires a homing, pitch-black projectile which disintegrates you from the inside, and trying to attempt close-range tactics is a bad idea, as her front has a hookshot tentacle attracting you to it. Making both of these forms worse is the fact that, during the fight, if you attempt to use either Invulnerability, Quad Damage or Double Damage, she will proceed to counter your powerup with an Invulnerability of her own.

*** Since it features the item pools from both expansion packs, the 2023 remaster's ''Call of the Machine'' makes it possible to have Quad, Double ''and'' Duelfire Damage all active at the same time, allowing you to go an awe-inspiring (close approximation to a) '''''Sexdecuple Damage rampage'''''! Case in point: ''[[Recap/QuakeIICallOfTheMachineOperationCorpseRun Operation: Corpse Run]]'', [[spoiler:should you keep the Dualfire Damage from "Give Me Back My Moon". The next level, "Strogg Jammers" has a Double Damage in the first Makron area, and a Quad Damage in the Sons of Makron area]].

*** Since it features the item pools from both expansion packs, the 2023 remaster's ''Call of the Machine'' makes it possible to have Quad, Double ''and'' Duelfire Damage all active at the same time, allowing you to go an awe-inspiring (close approximation to a) '''''Sexdecuple Damage rampage'''''! Case in point: Operation: Corpse Run, should you keep the Dualfire Damage from "Give Me Back My Moon". The next level, "Strogg Jammers" has a Double Damage in the first Makron area, and a Quad Damage in the Sons of Makron area.

%%*** Since it features the item pools from both expansion packs, the 2023 remaster's ''Call of the Machine'' makes it possible to have Quad, Double ''and'' Duelfire Damage all active at the same time, allowing you to go an awe-inspiring (close approximation to a) '''''Sexdecuple Damage rampage'''''!

*** ''Ground Zero'' introduced the Double Damage, first found as a secret [[DiscOneNuke in the very first room of the very first level]]. Doesn't sound much impressive, until you figure out that it's still a power amplifier, and its effect stacks with the Quad Damage for an obscene damage multiplier of '''eight times'''. It is telling of the [[HarderThanHard difficulty]] of ''Ground Zero'' that [[spoiler:the FinalBoss acquires immunity to it and its lower counterpart, the Double Damage]].
*** ''The Reckoning'' has Dualfire Damage, a power-up that makes every weapon fire twice as fast. This also stacks with Quad Damage and effectively gives you octuple damage when you use both, only not as ammo-efficiently as in ''Ground Zero''.

** Prior to version 3.18, "water surfing" allowed players to swim quickly while underwater. ''The Reckoning'' level "Water Treatment Plant" requires this in order to not to get drowned for a specific secret.

*** 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 substance 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.

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:The Makron]]. Even more than [[spoiler:Super Tank and Hornet]]. Becomes painfully so if you had the foresight to save a Quad Damage and Invulnerability for the final battle, as two quad-powered BFG shots per form (while at this point you can get enough ammo for 6 shots) are usually enough to take it down. It's also a reason why [[spoiler:the Quad has no effect with the Black Widow Guardian]] in ''Ground Zero''. Somewhat averted as of the 2023 remaster, as [[spoiler:its Jorg]] received a massive health buff that allows it to tank a Quad's full duration worth of damage output.

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:The Makron]]. Even more than [[spoiler:Super Tank and Hornet]]. Becomes painfully so if you had the foresight to save a Quad Damage and Invulnerability for the final battle, as two quad-powered BFG shots per form (while at this point you can get enough ammo for 6 shots) are usually enough to take it down. It's also a reason why [[spoiler:the Quad has no effect with the Black Widow Guardian]] in ''Ground Zero''.

* [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Awesome Levels]]: 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]].
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cakkSAhLclo The commercial for the game which is presented]]... as an art house film from a German director named Gunther. Well this was from the 90s era which oddness like that sold games.

** 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.
** As usual for the time, 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 adventure like ''Quake II''.

*** ''The Reckoning'' has Dualfire Damage, a power up that makes every weapon fire twice as fast. This also stacks with Quad Damage and effectively gives you octuple damage when you use both, only not as ammo-efficiently as in ''Ground Zero''.
** 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 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.
** 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]]. Its dominating capabilities are very comparable to the Rocket Launcher from [[VideoGame/QuakeI the previous game]], trading SplashDamage with {{hitscan}} projectiles. The weapon was unfortunately nerfed in the 2023 remaster to keep it on par with the re-balanced difficulty, it's damage output being reduced from 150 to 100, matching its multiplayer counterpart.
** 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 became an EleventhHourSuperpower in ''Ground Zero''.

** 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'' Deathmatches (unless server admins activate the required setting) to races about who gets the bomb first.

--> ''"id used to use an unsafe (no setting FPU control word) [[https://www.felixcloutier.com/x86/fist:fistp fistp]]. That seemingly caused subtle physics bugs which nobody cared about in 1.17. They then changed the UI code, and ran into the UI bugs (...) Then they switched to using _ftol. Then they had to reproduce the old behavior for the physics code due to [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks public outrage]]."''

** Chain jumping, by taking advantage of box position. The second jump has a higher vertical push, and in ''The Reckoning'' is required for a pair of secrets in the "Core Reactor" level.
** Ramp jumping, a bug in the physics which propells players after they reach the top of a ramp. Both this and the above survived all the way up to ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'', where they became Athena's passive ability.

** The sounds the Invulnerability and Power Shield items produce whenever an enemy hits you gives you the sensation of being a NighInvulnerable OneManArmy, with nothing standing in your way.

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation version. Some features (such as the inventory system and only being able to save at checkpoints, contrary to the PC version where you could save at anytime), enemies (Mutant and Technician), and many levels are missing due to the limitations of the console, yet at the same time it had its fair share of unique content to make up for this (mainly visual effects such as lens flares, shadows, and enemies glowing red when hit by the Hyperblaster). Also in particular there are more Strogg types: the [[BossInMookClothing twin-railgun Arachnid]] and [[spoiler:the giant Guardian, a foe ''physically bigger than [[spoiler:[[BigBad Makron's]] [[PoweredArmor Jorg Suit]]]]'', which holds the Anti-Matter Bomb you need to destroy the Gravity Booster)]].
** The somewhat-obscure UsefulNotes/Xbox360 port that came packed in with ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'' is an unexpected surprise, in that it's a fully functioning 60FPS 1080p port of ''Quake II'' and the first console one to ever achieve such a feat with a totally stable performance while packing in a fully-functional 4-player splitscreen for both co-op and deathmatch. It even predates the 360 being able to run 1080p games natively by several years, making it one of if not ''the'' first proper HD remaster of a game historically.
** The 2023 remaster, available for PC, [=PS4=]/[=PS5=], Xbox One/Series, and Switch, has enhanced visuals that stay true to the original aesthetic, whole new CGI cutscenes, 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 infamous N64 port, and an in-game gallery that includes concept art and playable beta levels.
* 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 took a dip in quality and crouching was removed.

* RemadeAndImproved: Creator/NightdiveStudios' 2023 remaster includes the same quality-of-life improvements as [[VideoGame/QuakeI the first episode]] (graphical and sound-related options, the [[AwesomeMusic/{{Quake}} original soundtrack]] reincluded, extra console support, crossplay and weapon wheel), the original Expansion Packs ''The Reckoning'' and ''Ground Zero'', a new one by Creator/MachineGames titled ''Call of the Machine'', fully remastered cutscenes, a new deathmatch map, and even a full remaster of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port of the game adapted for modern machines. It also changes the AI of some enemies, making them [[ArtificialBrilliance more dynamic than before]] and [[TookALevelInBadass giving whole new abilities to some]]. Also, while the remaster of the first game was criticized for forcing players to have a Bethesda account to play online, this one allows peer-to-peer online play, and even oldschool LAN multiplayer.

* 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 Hand Grenade's lack of accuracy and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard 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 ''Ground Zero'' expansion 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 the base game 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 vanilla 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'' also 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.

* 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 {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s.

** The final mission briefing of the core game campaign has an asynchronization between the audio and the video. The video displays the [[spoiler:"shut down the communications laser"]] objective, while the audio omits this and goes directly to the [[spoiler:"kill the Makron, TERMINATE WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE"]] mission. There's even a part of the video without any kind of sound at all.

* TearJerker: The poor prisoners you meet in various levels. They've all been tortured to the point of madness and [[MercyKill beg you to kill them]].

** ''The Reckoning'' has the [[UndergroundMonkey Beta Class]] Super Tank, who now sports Power Armor, fires rockets faster than the vanilla version, and does even more damage then before.

*** The Carrier is a beefier version of the original game's Hornet. It loses the Rocket Launcher the original had, but in its place it has a Railgun beam, a Grenade Launcher, and the ability to [[MookMaker create]] two variants of Flyers: the regular one, and a homing, explosive one which deals quite the damage. And if that isn't enough, it has quite the amount of health: it takes three BFG shots ''with both Double Damage and Quad Damage active at the same time''.
*** [[spoiler:The Black Widow]], meanwhile, is the FinalBoss of the game. It has two forms: [[spoiler:a humanoid one called "Guardian", and a spider one, the Black Widow proper]]. In its first form, it alternates between shooting Railgun blasts, Hyperblaster bolts and summoning Stalkers, and if you attempt close range tactics, she will kick you like a ball; this form takes up to 7 or 8 BFG blasts to put her down. The second form is even worse: the Hyperblaster is switched by a Plasma Beam which goes in a circular way, and if you get in the way of the laser, you'll get fried to death, while the Railgun was switched by a Disintegrator which fires a homing, pitch-black projectile which disintegrates you from the inside, and trying to attempt close-range tactics is a bad idea, as her front has a hookshot tentacle attracting you to it. Making both of these forms worse is the fact that, during the fight, if you attempt to use either Invulnerability, Quad Damage or Double Damage, she will proceed to counter your powerup with an Invulnerability of her own.

** [[Recap/QuakeIIMineUnit [=mine5=], "Lower Mines"]]. An unstable area with plenty of earthquakes and lava pits and some of the most annoying enemies you can find ([[DemonicSpiders/QuakeII Technicians, Gunners]]). PointOfNoReturn and EverythingTryingToKillYou are in play here, as backtracking is not an option[[note]]If you missed an item, you need to finish the level and do backtracking to the Drilling Area hole by passing through the Borehole area's platform[[/note]] and the level features quite a bunch of earthquakes, that can make you fall from wherever you are onto the lava pits, which are featured throughout the level. And you have a laser machine which you can operate in order to proceed, however the machine itself is guarded by a Tank on the lower level, and a Gunner on the upper level who operates a button-triggered boulder crushing whoever is near the machine, not to mention the laser itself is ''deadly''. Past the laser there's a Rocket Launcher that triggers a drilling machine, whom you must avoid if you don't want to be crushed. Last, but not least, the end of the level has four Gunners waiting for you, attacking from the upper level as you take the elevator to the entrance to the final part of the unit. Have fun!

** ''Ground Zero'' changed the behavior of many enemies, adding to the overall HarderThanHard difficulty of the pack.

* RemadeAndImproved: The 2023 remaster of ''VideoGame/QuakeII'' includes the same quality-of-life improvements as the first episode (graphical and sound options, extra console support, crossplay and weapon wheel), the original Expansion Packs ''The Reckoning'' and ''Ground Zero'', a new one by Creator/MachineGames titled ''Call of the Machine'', fully remastered cutscenes, a new deathmatch map, and even a full remaster of the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 port of the game adapted for modern machines. It also changes the AI of some enemies, making them [[ArtificialBrilliance more dynamic than before]] and [[TookALevelInBadass giving whole new abilities to others]]. Also, while the remaster of the first game was criticized for forcing players to have a Bethesda account to play online, this one allows lan parties and peer-to-peer online play.

** 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]]. Its dominating capabilities are very comparable to the Rocket Launcher from [[VideoGame/QuakeI the previous game]], trading SplashDamage with {{hitscan}} projectiles. It was unfortunately nerfed in the 2023 remaster to keep on par with the game's re-balanced difficulty.

** 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. Tempering 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]].
** ''Ground Zero'' also introduced the Double Damage, first found as a secret [[DiscOneNuke in the very first room of the very first level]]. Doesn't sound much impressive, until you figure out that it's still a power amplifier, and its effect stacks with the Quad Damage for an obscene damage multiplier of '''eight times'''. It is telling of the [[HarderThanHard difficulty]] of ''Ground Zero'' that [[spoiler:the FinalBoss acquires immunity to it and its lower counterpart, the Double Damage]].
** ''The Reckoning'' has Dualfire Damage, a power up that makes every weapon fire twice as fast. This also stacks with Quad Damage and effectively gives you octuple damage when you use both, only not as ammo-efficiently as in ''Ground Zero''.

** ''The Reckoning'' introduces the Trap, a powerful item that makes health cubes out of a lot of enemies. Tempering 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.
** 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'' Deathmatches (unless server admins activate the required setting) to races about who gets the bomb first.

** Flyers and Technicians. Two of the most annoying (and in the case of the latter, also [[DemonicSpiders durable]]) foes to bring down. They have a tendency to appear from fake walls, out of thin air after some objective is accomplished, and their laser attack bypasses the Power Shield and deals damage directly to your HP. Look no further than the original campaign's third SecretLevel, "Comm Satellite", where the only kind of available enemies are these, Icarus and [[spoiler:the Hornet]], all of them of the flying variety.

** 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 substance 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.

** From ''Ground Zero'' we have the ETF Rifle, which puts to good use the recycled sound of ''VideoGame/QuakeI'''s Nailgun in order to emphasize its ArmorPiercingAttack capabilities.

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation version. Some features (such as the inventory system and only being able to save at checkpoints, contrary to the PC version where you could save at anytime), enemies (Mutant and Technician), and many levels are missing due to the limitations of the console, yet at the same time it had its fair share of unique content to make up for this (mainly visual effects such as lens flares, shadows, and enemies glowing red when hit by the Hyperblaster). Also in particular there are more Strogg types: the [[BossInMookClothing twin-railgun Arachnid]] and [[spoiler:the giant Guardian, a foe ''physically bigger than [[BigBad Makron's]] [[PoweredArmor Jorg Suit]]'', which holds the Anti-Matter Bomb you need to destroy the Gravity Booster)]].

** The 2023 remaster, available for PC, [=PS4=]/[=PS5=], Xbox One/Series, and Switch, has enhanced visuals that stay true to the original aesthetic, whole new [=CGI=] cutscenes, 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 infamous N64 port, and an in-game gallery that includes concept art and playable beta levels.

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

** As usual for the time, 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 adventure like ''Quake II''.

** 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]]. Its dominating capabilities are very comparable to the Rocket Launcher from [[VideoGame/QuakeI the previous game]], trading SplashDamage with {{hitscan}} projectiles.

* PowerUpLetdown: The Rocket Launcher in ''Doom'' and ''Quake'' was a thunderous, destructive weapon that obliterated all but the toughest foes in a handful of rockets, out-stripping most other weapons in raw damage potential besides explicit use cases (and the risk of self-fragging). In ''Quake II'', its explosion splash radius is considerably smaller, needing enemies nearly huddled around the resulting cloud instead of easily wiping rooms in seconds, while its damage and fire rate are notably decreased; a Berserker can die in two point-blank Super Shotgun blasts, whereas it takes three rockets to the face to gib them with overkill unless you swap to another weapon to finish the job, and this damage also strongly affects the splash damage. While it's safer to use than the Super Shotgun over range, it also is a projectile, which means most humanoid foes can and often will dodge it. As a result, the Rocket Launcher ends up becoming a more middle-of-the-road weapon instead of a dominating force, which is annoying given how long it ''takes'' to get the weapon.

* PowerUpLetDown: The Rocket Launcher in ''Doom'' and ''Quake'' was a thunderous, destructive weapon that obliterated all but the toughest foes in a handful of rockets, out-stripping most other weapons in raw damage potential besides explicit use cases (and the risk of self-fragging). In ''Quake II'', its explosion splash radius is considerably smaller, needing enemies nearly huddled around the resulting cloud instead of easily wiping rooms in seconds, while its damage and fire rate are notably decreased; a Berserker can die in two point-blank Super Shotgun blasts, whereas it takes three rockets to the face to gib them with overkill unless you swap to another weapon to finish the job, and this damage also strongly affects the splash damage. While it's safer to use than the Super Shotgun over range, it also is a projectile, which means most humanoid foes can and often will dodge it. As a result, the Rocket Launcher ends up becoming a more middle-of-the-road weapon instead of a dominating force, which is annoying given how long it ''takes'' to get the weapon.