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When it comes to weapons and equipment, Quake still hasn't gotten far beyond the meager selection of items used in Wolfenstein 3D. Other than the grenade launcher and the lightning gun, most of the weapons in Quake are more of the same: the shotgun, rocket launcher, and nail gun (read: chain gun) aren't that different from their Doom counterparts. And when it comes to equipment, Quake boils it down to the bare essentials: ammo, first aid kits, and a number of special power-ups--invincibility, quad damage, and the ring of shadows (invisibility). These may be fine for a game that hits players right in the primitive hind-brain, forcing them to scurry about the game world in a constant state of fight or flight. I think I speak for many Quake gamers, however, when I wish that Quake offered a bit more.

Marathon 2 goes the extra mile, largely by nature of its design. Where Quake's designers obviously wanted the game to be a no-holds-barred action game, Marathon 2 is almost as much an adventure game as it is a first-person shooter. In addition to the standard pistol and shotgun, Marathon 2 players can use a temperamental fusion pistol (which has a tendency to explode on you); advanced, alien, energy weapons; and a portable flamethrower. In addition, several weapons have dual uses: the pistol and shotgun each have two-fisted variants (à la John Woo), while the assault rifle doubles as a grenade launcher. The player can also gather up other objects and goodies during play, ranging from single-use objects (like microchips) used to finish the current mission, to other gadgets that provide invisibility or shielding.

Marathon 2 is the runaway winner in this category, thanks to cool weaponry, a nifty portable flamethrower, and more diverse power-ups. Quake's weapons--aside from the grenade launcher and the lightning gun--aren't bad; they just don't offer anything new.

next round: monsters and malevolents