Caution: May cause habitual addiction.

As I sit in my cozy chair in my den playing a nice rousing round of Quake 2, I think to myself, "Why is this game so unrealistic". Then a friend of mine introduced me to the Action Quake modification for Quake 2. Never say non-realistic again.

The Game and the Difference

The Action Quake modification is based around real weapons and real maps (cities, buildings, terrain, etc). The key factor to this modification that will entice more people to play is the "real" play it seems to have. For example, in regular Quake, If you injure yourself you simply pick up health packs to restore health. Not so in Action Quake. If you take a hit in the head or chest, you’re done and have to respawn. If you take a hit anywhere else on your body, you have to bandage your wounds or you will bleed to death.

The maps are set in real life cities such as New York or Tokyo. Not all of the maps specific to this mod are real places however. Some of these are simple recreations of places you would find in real life, such as a supermarket, or a city high-rise. While the modification is better played on the maps designed for it, you can also play it on any Quake 2 map you have in your collection.

Another intriguing part of this game is the "breakage" factor. Simply put, if you fall of from a building you will break your legs, and guess what, limp if you don't bandage them. Be careful though, if you fall from to high, splat, and your done.

The Weapons

Unlike the standard game of Quake, all of the weapons portrayed in this modification are real. You start with a Mark 23 pistol, complete with 2 clips, and a combat knife. Along the way you will find better weapons to use in combat, that is, if you survive that long. Below is a list of the weapons available in the game and a brief description.

MPS/10 Submachinegun: Considered by many a "newbie" weapon, this machine gun has a high accuracy and very little "kick". It's not very powerful however.

M3 Super90 Assault Shotgun: The other newbie weapon in the game. Up close this weapon can cause quite a bit of damage. It shoots in a spread pattern like your standard shotgun would.

Handcannon: This is nothing more than a sawed of shotgun, but you will be hard pressed to find a more powerful weapon at close range.

SSG 3000 Sniper Rifle: The Sniper rifle is the most powerful weapon in the game, it is also the hardest to use. You can have 4 modes while using this weapon: Normal, 2X, 4X, and 6X. These are simply scope (zoom) multipliers. This weapon must be shot with pinpoint accuracy to be effective.

M4 Assault Rifle: The only other machine gun in the game, and also the second most powerful. The M4 is highly inaccurate for the inexperienced user as a kick feature is factored in during use.

Combat Knives: Not much to explain here. Simply, these knives can be used one of two ways, for slashing, or throwing. Be certain though, one hit from a flying knife and your finished.

Akimbo Pistols: This is nothing more the two Mark 23 pistols, one in each hand. While giving you more firepower, it severely decreases accuracy.

M26 Fragmentation Grenades: Not all servers support the grenade feature. On the ones that do they are very powerful weapons. One grenade will do damage in quite a large blast area.

The Special Items

The game also some complete with 5 special items for you to use. The first of these is the kevlar vest. This is your basic bulletproof vest and will protect you from chest wounds. The only exception to this is knives; they can penetrate the vest and still kill you. You will still take damage from the other weapons, but severely less so.

Next is the Laser sight. This little beauty dramatically increases your accuracy. Unfortunately though, it has a major downside. The small red dot from your laser sight is highly visible, therefore giving away you position to everyone playing. If you are constantly on the move it's a great extra.

The stealth slippers are next on the list. In the Action Quake modification, just like in regular quake, your position can be given away by the sound of your footsteps. The stealth slippers simply muffle your footsteps and therefore render your enemy unaware that you are right behind him.

The Silencer is one of the most important extras if you happen to be a sniper or just a camper in general. The silencer will work with the majority of the weapons but not on all of them. If you snipe, it will allow you to stay camped in a secluded area without the risk of your gun report attracting unwanted attention.

Last is the Bandoleer. Nothing too terribly special about this item. It allows you to store double the amount of ammunition that you would usually be able to carry. In my experience you die to quickly in this mod to really have a true use for it. The one advantage it does have, however, is on certain servers. Most servers ban the use of grenades, but on some if you have the bandoleer equipped, you get 1 grenade.

If you truly are a fanatic of the entire Quake craze, then this is one modification you definitely will not want to miss. The file for install is about 8 Megs. This is just the mod however; you will need to download the maps separately as none come with the standard installation. Head on over to http://action.telefragged.com for more information.