To celebrate Quake’s 20th anniversary, Wolfenstein developer MachineGames treats fans to a new episode of the series. The first-person shooter game designed by John Romero and American McGee, developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive first burst onto the scene in June 1996, giving gamers thirsty for some action an opportunity to kick some serious evil butt.

Based in a medieval gothic setting, the plot entailed a powerful entity who discovers humanity and decides to challenge them by sending swarms of demonic aliens for invasion. This is where the protagonist, Ranger, comes in with a Die Hard attitude to save the day and defend human existence.  Although the storyline was simple, in comparison to the complexity and twists standard in today’s games, it still succeeded to give gamers that adrenaline rush associated with the feeling of having the entire human race rely on them to save the day.

To celebrate Quake's 20th anniversary, Wolfenstein developer MachineGames treats fans to a new episode of the series. Photo credit: Gog
To celebrate Quake’s 20th anniversary, Wolfenstein developer MachineGames treats fans to a new episode of the series. Photo credit: Gog

Happy 20th birthday, Quake!

The limited memory and technology did not permit extravagant cinematics or elaborate dialogue, however, what has expected of gamers was clear: shoot anything and everything threatening! Save humanity or die trying. The game is a perfect example of trial and error where players learn the ropes the hard way, which adds to the feeling of triumph at the completion of every stage. Every level harder than the previous one, it is like training to prepare gamers for that final stage: the encounter with the boss, who will stop at nothing to ensure Ranger’s downfall. The last level not only sharpened gamers’ resilience, but it also put their character to the test with taunting dialogue the boss used as a form of intimidation tactics.

The new episode, dubbed Dopa, remains loyal to the original design, with an adjustment to the pace of action to meet today’s standards. With music composed by Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails, many perceive Quake as one of the first-person shooter games that made gaming history, and apparently two decades later it continues to do so.

To be able to enjoy this complimentary episode, gamers will require their copy. According to the Austrian Tribune, they can obtain a copy of Quake from Steam, or import an already owned copy to their Steam library. The Dopa should then be downloaded and extracted into the Quake folder. Then right-click on Quake in the Steam library and choose the ‘properties’ option. Finally, gamers should click on ‘Set launch options’,  type “-game dopa” into the prompt and run the game on Steam.

For those who have long since lost the paper, which is to be expected after a whole two decades, not to worry. There is a Steam Summer Sale going on right now taking the price from $5 to $2.50. Bethesda has announced another pleasant surprise for fans with the development of Quake Champions underway. Although the trailer makes it seem like an MOBA, during a chat with German YouTuber channel Rocket Beans TV, Studio Director Tim Willits clarified the misconception.

It is indeed an excellent time for Quake fans. May they continue to keep the world safe from demonic alien invasion.

Source: Austrian Tribune