''Quake'' is a series of
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the p ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s, developed by
id Software
id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...
and, as of 2010, published by
Bethesda Softworks. The series is composed of the
eponymous game from 1996 and its nonlinear,
standalone sequels which vary in setting and plot.
''Quake'' was created as a successor franchise to id's highly successful ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* ...
'' series, which had begun in 1993. As a new series, it built upon the fast-paced gameplay,
game engine, and
3D graphics
3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...
capabilities of ''Doom.''
It also expanded upon the multiplayer capabilities of ''Doom'' by introducing
online multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
over the
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. This contributed to the popularity of the ''Quake'' series and characterized it as a figurehead in online gaming.
Games
Every game in the ''Quake'' franchise shares a basis in first-person shooter gameplay. However, the series lacks a singular narrative across all of its entries. Two major storylines exist within the franchise, as well as the ''Arena'' series, which focuses primarily on multiplayer gameplay.
Original storyline
The game's original plot focused on the player character, later known as "Ranger" in ''
Quake III: Arena'', who travels across alternate dimensions to stop an enemy code-named "Quake". The game takes place in a Lovecraftian setting with a mixture of dark fantasy, pseudo-
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, and science fiction.
*''
Quake'' (1996)
**''
Quake Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon'' (1997)
**''
Quake Mission Pack No. 2: Dissolution of Eternity'' (1997)
**''
Quake: Dimension of the Past'' (2016; chronologically set between ''
Quake'' and its two expansions)
**''
Quake: Dimension of the Machine'' (2021)
''Quake II'' storyline
Shifting the series to the
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
genre, ''
Quake II
''Quake II'' is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is the second installment of the ''Quake'' series, but not a direct sequel to '' Quake''. The game's storyline is continued in its ...
'' and its sequels chronicle the war between humanity and the cybernetic alien race known as the Strogg.
*''
Quake II
''Quake II'' is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is the second installment of the ''Quake'' series, but not a direct sequel to '' Quake''. The game's storyline is continued in its ...
'' (1997)
**''
Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning'' (1998)
**''
Quake II Mission Pack: Ground Zero'' (1998)
*''
Quake 4
''Quake 4'' is a 2005 military science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the fourth title in the ''Quake'' series, after the multiplayer ''Quake III Arena'', and a sequel to ' ...
'' (2005)
*''
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars'' (2007; a spin-off of the series and a successor to ''
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory'', with a storyline set before the events of ''
Quake II
''Quake II'' is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is the second installment of the ''Quake'' series, but not a direct sequel to '' Quake''. The game's storyline is continued in its ...
'')
''Arena'' series
''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'' and its successors focus on competitive
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
rather than a single-player experience. These games de-emphasized the setting of the first two installments while still retaining continuity with them and crossing over with id's ''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* ...
'' franchise. ''
Quake Champions'', in particular, is heavily influenced by the mythology of the original game.
*''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'' (1999)
**''
Quake III: Team Arena'' (2000)
**''
Quake Live
''Quake Live'' is a first-person arena shooter video game by id Software. It is an updated version of ''Quake III Arena'' that was originally designed as a free-to-play game launched via a web browser plug-in. On September 17, 2014, the game wa ...
'' (2010; an updated version of ''
Quake III Arena
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'' originally designed as a free-to-play game launched via a web plug-in)
*''
Quake Champions'' (2017)
Reception
Since its first release, the series has received mostly positive reviews.
''Quake'', ''Quake II'', and ''Quake III Arena'' have all been considered by various video game journalists and magazines to be among the
greatest video games of all time
This is a list of video games that multiple reputable video game journalists or magazines have considered to be among the best of all time. The games listed here are included on at least six separate "best/greatest of all time" lists from differ ...
.
Controversy
Like ''Doom,'' the ''Quake'' series initially received controversy due to containing high amounts of
graphic violence
Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as film, television, and video games. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated.
Intended limitedly for mature ...
. Public and media outcry over ''Quake'' and other violent video games peaked after the
Columbine High School massacre occurred on April 20, 1999, and it became known that perpetrators
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold (; September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were an American mass murder duo who perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Harris and Klebo ...
were avid players of both ''Doom'' and ''Quake''. This finding prompted claims from media outlets that violent video games caused negative psychological effects on children that made them more aggressive and accepting of violence.
id Software co-founder
John Romero
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
later stated in a 2013 interview that the company and its developers had never intended to "offend people or shock people" with their games.
See also
*
Quake engine
The ''Quake'' engine is the game engine developed by id Software to power their 1996 video game '' Quake''. It featured true 3D real-time rendering and is now licensed under the terms of GNU General Public License v2.0 or later.
After rele ...
- the game engine developed for the original ''Quake'' that would become the basis for engines in later entries in the series
*
QuakeWorld
''Quake'' is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive. The first game in the Quake (series), ''Quake'' series, it was originally released for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows and Linux in 1996, followed by ...
- an update to
id Software's seminal
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
deathmatch game, ''
Quake'', that enhances the game's multiplayer features
*
''Doom'' - id's predecessor franchise to ''Quake'', which began in 1993
*''
Unreal
Unreal may refer to:
Books and TV
* ''Unreal'' (short story collection), a 1985 book of short stories by Paul Jennings
* ''Unreal'' (TV series), a 2015 television drama series on Lifetime
Computing and games
* ''Unreal'' (video game series), ...
'' - a rival franchise developed by
Epic Games that began in 1998
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quake (Series)
Microsoft franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1996