<s>
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1996	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Parallax	O
Software	O
and	O
first	O
published	O
for	O
DOS	B-Device
by	O
Interplay	O
Productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
it	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
Descent	B-Application
Maximum	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
and	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Descent	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
development	O
started	O
as	O
a	O
project	O
intended	O
to	O
expand	O
the	O
original	O
using	O
a	O
compact	O
disc	O
's	O
storage	O
,	O
which	O
later	O
became	O
a	O
standalone	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
's	O
reception	O
was	O
rather	O
mixed	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
often	O
disagreeing	O
in	O
their	O
evaluations	O
of	O
its	O
frame	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
a	O
six-degrees-of-freedom	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
pilots	O
a	O
fighter	O
spaceship	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
in	O
zero	O
gravity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
keyboard	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
features	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
supported	O
hardware	O
configurations	O
with	O
which	O
to	O
play	O
it	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Gravis	B-Device
Gamepad	I-Device
and	O
certain	O
brands	O
of	O
joysticks	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
support	O
force	B-Device
feedback	I-Device
—	O
making	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
PC	O
games	O
to	O
support	O
force	B-Device
feedback	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	O
reality	O
and	O
stereoscopic	B-Algorithm
graphics	O
are	O
also	O
officially	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ten	O
new	O
weapons	O
have	O
been	O
added	O
for	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
of	O
which	O
some	O
are	O
upgrades	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
weapons	O
which	O
are	O
all	O
present	O
as	O
well	O
;	O
new	O
weapons	O
include	O
the	O
Phoenix	O
cannon	O
which	O
fires	O
energy	O
orbs	O
that	O
rebound	O
off	O
walls	O
,	O
the	O
Omega	O
cannon	O
which	O
fires	O
electrostatic	O
discharge	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Guided	O
Missile	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
remote	O
piloted	O
by	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
to	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
drop	O
weapons	O
,	O
so	O
a	O
player	O
can	O
stockpile	O
surplus	O
weaponry	O
in	O
safe	O
locations	O
in	O
the	O
event	O
of	O
a	O
respawn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
also	O
features	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
whereby	O
two	O
to	O
eight	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
several	O
game	O
types	O
,	O
which	O
include	O
a	O
deathmatch	O
mode	O
called	O
Anarchy	O
and	O
Capture-the-Flag	B-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
two	O
teams	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
to	O
capture	O
opposing	O
flags	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
player	O
can	O
send	O
messages	O
and	O
predefined	O
taunts	O
,	O
handicap	O
their	O
ship	O
's	O
shields	O
they	O
begin	O
with	O
after	O
respawning	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Capture-the-Flag	B-Application
drop	O
and	O
pass	O
flags	O
to	O
their	O
teammates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
multiplayer	O
was	O
designed	O
for	O
modems	B-Application
,	O
null-modems	O
,	O
and	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
networks	I-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
an	O
alternative	O
then	O
widely	O
used	O
is	O
to	O
use	O
third-party	O
software	O
such	O
as	O
Kali	B-Protocol
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
have	O
DOS	B-Device
and	O
Macintosh	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
play	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
server	O
,	O
providing	O
a	O
cross-platform	B-Application
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
has	O
a	O
two-player	O
mode	O
that	O
requires	O
a	B-Device
link	I-Device
cable	I-Device
used	O
to	O
connect	O
two	O
consoles	O
running	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
contains	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
modes	O
as	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
DOS	B-Device
version	O
,	O
except	O
for	O
Capture-the-Flag	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
is	O
linear	O
and	O
is	O
mostly	O
provided	O
for	O
the	O
introductory	O
and	O
concluding	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
"	O
Material	O
Defender	O
"	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
George	O
DelHoyo	O
)	O
has	O
destroyed	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
Solar	O
System	O
's	O
mines	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
,	O
he	O
stops	O
in	O
the	O
asteroid	O
belt	O
to	O
dock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parallax	O
Software	O
began	O
Descent	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
development	O
as	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
game	I-Application
using	O
a	O
CD	O
's	O
storage	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
later	O
evolved	O
into	O
a	O
separate	O
project	O
lasting	O
about	O
one	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
graphics	O
were	O
upgraded	O
to	O
operate	O
at	O
Super	O
VGA	O
standards	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
also	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
3D	B-Architecture
acceleration	I-Architecture
graphics	I-Architecture
cards	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
portal	B-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
remained	O
fundamentally	O
unchanged	O
;	O
it	O
operates	O
on	O
the	O
premise	O
of	O
adjacent	O
cubes	O
or	O
polyhedra	O
whose	O
sides	O
connecting	O
them	O
form	O
portals	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
scenes	O
that	O
are	O
drawn	O
are	O
the	O
cube	O
the	O
player	O
ship	O
is	O
in	O
and	O
the	O
areas	O
of	O
other	O
cubes	O
the	O
camera	O
can	O
see	O
through	O
their	O
portals	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
the	O
process	O
is	O
repeated	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
enters	O
a	O
different	O
polyhedron	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Respectively	O
,	O
these	O
prevent	O
overdraw	O
and	O
accelerate	O
portal	B-General_Concept
rendering	I-General_Concept
,	O
making	O
the	O
engine	O
practical	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
even	O
inexpensive	O
personal	O
computers	O
of	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
precedeing	O
Descent	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
dynamic	O
light-sourcing	O
scheme	O
by	O
which	O
the	O
environment	O
could	O
be	O
lit	O
with	O
flares	O
,	O
while	O
newly	O
added	O
in	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
is	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
shoot	O
out	O
sources	O
of	O
light	O
which	O
will	O
darken	O
rooms	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
headlight	O
powerup	O
which	O
can	O
continuously	O
illuminate	O
the	O
space	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
directors	O
,	O
Mike	O
Kulas	O
and	O
Matt	O
Toschlog	O
,	O
explained	O
they	O
upgraded	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
to	O
contain	O
instructions	O
mimicking	O
the	O
tactics	O
they	O
saw	O
players	O
use	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
dodging	O
behind	O
walls	O
and	O
sneaking	O
up	O
from	O
behind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
C-written	O
code	O
composing	O
the	O
AI	O
was	O
expanded	O
to	O
about	O
4,000	O
lines	O
,	O
a	O
task	O
the	O
two	O
described	O
as	O
being	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
demo	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
1995	O
,	O
becoming	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
downloaded	O
PC	O
games	O
in	O
January	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
preceding	O
Descent	B-Application
whose	O
shareware	O
release	O
could	O
be	O
upgraded	O
to	O
the	O
full	O
version	O
while	O
leaving	O
the	O
existing	O
shareware	O
files	O
intact	O
including	O
player	O
saves	O
,	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
demo	O
was	O
a	O
self-contained	O
program	O
that	O
was	O
not	O
upgradable	O
to	O
the	O
full	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
the	O
demo	O
version	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
presented	O
the	O
story	O
as	O
still	O
screens	O
with	O
text	O
and	O
also	O
uses	O
the	O
in-game	O
engine	O
for	O
the	O
mine	O
escape	O
sequence	O
;	O
while	O
the	O
full	O
version	O
replaces	O
all	O
of	O
these	O
with	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
pre-rendered	O
cutscenes	O
incorporating	O
voice	O
acting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
demo	O
features	O
eight	O
of	O
ten	O
weapons	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
Descent	B-Application
and	O
six	O
of	O
ten	O
weapons	O
from	O
the	O
full	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
demo	O
featured	O
the	O
first	O
three	O
regular	O
levels	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
(	O
the	O
teleporter	O
to	O
the	O
secret	O
level	O
was	O
disabled	O
)	O
,	O
after	O
completing	O
the	O
third	O
level	O
the	O
player	O
moves	O
from	O
Zeta	O
Aquilae	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
star	O
system	O
with	O
the	O
story	O
to	O
be	O
continued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
full	O
base	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
game	O
was	O
published	O
for	O
DOS	B-Device
by	O
Interplay	O
on	O
March	O
13	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
co-distributed	O
by	O
LaserSoft	O
Imaging	O
,	O
whom	O
Interplay	O
gave	O
the	O
rights	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
settlement	O
after	O
the	O
former	O
lost	O
a	O
court	O
battle	O
regarding	O
its	O
product	O
add-on	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
Descent	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
which	O
Interplay	O
alleged	O
infringed	O
its	O
trademark	O
—	O
setting	O
a	O
precedent	O
for	O
how	O
companies	O
can	O
sell	O
add-ons	O
for	O
protected	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Destination	I-Application
Quartzon	I-Application
was	O
a	O
truncated	O
version	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
eight	O
regular	O
levels	O
and	O
two	O
secret	O
levels	O
(	O
constituting	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
second	O
star	O
systems	O
,	O
"	O
Zeta	O
Aquilae	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Quartzon	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
full	O
release	O
,	O
Destination	O
Quartzon	O
was	O
bundled	O
software	O
with	O
hardware	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Logitech	O
WingMan	O
Extreme	O
joystick	O
and	O
Diamond	O
Multimedia	O
video	O
cards	O
with	O
the	O
Voodoo	O
Graphics	O
chipset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
1996	O
came	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	O
The	O
Infinite	O
Abyss	O
,	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
upgrade	O
that	O
supports	O
3D	O
accelerated	O
graphics	O
,	O
contains	O
The	O
Vertigo	O
Series	O
add-on	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
original	O
DOS	B-Device
game	O
patched	O
to	O
support	O
accelerated	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
add-on	O
is	O
also	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
Mission	O
Builder	O
,	O
a	O
level	O
and	O
robot	O
editor	O
that	O
can	O
also	O
convert	O
the	O
original	O
Descents	B-Application
levels	O
for	O
this	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
1997	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
mid-1997	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
known	O
as	O
Descent	B-Application
Maximum	I-Application
was	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
of	O
a	O
straight	O
port	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
36	O
new	O
levels	O
,	O
textures	O
and	O
full-motion	B-Application
video	I-Application
over	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
29	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
Interplay	O
published	O
Descent	B-Application
I	O
and	O
II	O
:	O
The	O
Definitive	O
Collection	O
,	O
a	O
compilation	O
containing	O
the	O
full	O
versions	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Levels	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
mission	O
pack	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Vertigo	O
mission	O
packs	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
mission	O
editor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
a	O
choice	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
levels	O
(	O
subtitled	O
Counterstrike	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
Vertigo	O
Series	O
levels	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
Descent	B-Application
levels	O
(	O
subtitled	O
The	O
First	O
Strike	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
started	O
in	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
game	O
UI	O
where	O
robots	O
adopt	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
sounds	O
and	O
improved	O
AI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
preview	O
for	O
the	O
upcoming	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
source	O
code	O
,	O
like	O
that	O
of	O
Descent	B-Application
before	O
it	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
under	O
a	O
copyrighted	O
proprietary	O
license	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
community	O
source	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
RISC	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
by	O
R-Comp	O
Interactive	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
port	O
debuted	O
at	O
the	O
annual	O
Wakefield	O
Acorn	B-Operating_System
RISC	I-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
Show	O
on	O
May	O
19	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
entered	O
digital	O
distribution	O
when	O
it	O
appeared	O
on	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
on	O
September	O
7	O
,	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
subsequently	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
launch	O
titles	O
of	O
the	O
Good	O
Old	O
Games	O
beta	O
on	O
September	O
8	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
February	O
19	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
Valve	O
's	O
Steam	B-Application
digital	O
distribution	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
trilogy	O
was	O
withdrawn	O
from	O
Good	O
Old	O
Games	O
in	O
December	O
2015	O
after	O
its	O
creators	O
,	O
Mike	O
Kulas	O
and	O
Matt	O
Toschlog	O
,	O
alleged	O
that	O
Interplay	O
,	O
who	O
owns	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
trademark	O
but	O
not	O
the	O
copyright	O
of	O
the	O
trilogy	O
,	O
had	O
not	O
paid	O
the	O
developers	O
royalties	O
on	O
their	O
sale	O
since	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
the	O
games	O
were	O
also	O
removed	O
from	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
trilogy	O
returned	O
on	O
Good	O
Old	O
Games	O
for	O
sale	O
in	O
November	O
2017	O
and	O
later	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
release	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
received	O
very	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
video	O
game	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Citing	O
its	O
replay	O
value	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
commented	O
:	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
do	O
n't	O
like	O
Descent	B-Application
at	O
least	O
a	O
little	O
bit	O
,	O
make	O
no	O
mistake	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
something	O
wrong	O
with	O
you.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
opined	O
that	O
a	O
few	O
sequels	O
"	O
can	O
boast	O
the	O
improvements	O
like	O
those	O
made	O
on	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
"	O
,	O
citing	O
the	O
SVGA	O
graphics	O
,	O
the	O
story	O
sequences	O
in	O
full	B-Application
motion	I-Application
video	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
new	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
compared	O
the	O
gameplay	O
and	O
enhancements	O
of	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
Doom	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
but	O
complained	O
about	O
the	O
graininess	O
of	O
the	O
textures	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
magazines	O
warned	O
that	O
players	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
care	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
might	O
not	O
care	O
for	O
the	O
sequel	O
either	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
called	O
the	O
Capture-the-Flag	B-Application
mode	O
"	O
intensely	O
enjoyable	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
expressed	O
concerns	O
about	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
outdoor	O
levels	O
(	O
these	O
were	O
added	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
sequel	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviews	O
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	O
version	O
iterated	O
many	O
critical	O
points	O
found	O
in	O
those	O
for	O
the	O
DOS	B-Device
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Making	O
similar	O
comments	O
about	O
this	O
version	O
as	O
the	O
ones	O
about	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
for	O
DOS	B-Device
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
noted	O
it	O
was	O
unusual	O
for	O
a	O
Macintosh	O
port	O
to	O
arrive	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
DOS	B-Device
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
put	O
forth	O
criticisms	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
Macintosh	O
version	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
high	O
system	O
requirements	O
for	O
the	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
and	O
freezes	O
that	O
can	O
lead	O
to	O
corrupt	O
player	O
files	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
prevented	O
by	O
turning	O
off	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
nonessential	O
system	B-Operating_System
extensions	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
received	O
rather	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
critics	O
praised	O
the	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
negative	O
reviews	O
came	O
from	O
Glenn	O
Rubenstein	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
and	O
Shawn	O
Smith	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
whom	O
said	O
they	O
disliked	O
the	O
entire	O
Descent	B-Application
series	O
and	O
its	O
basic	O
concept	O
of	O
3D	O
navigation	O
in	O
levels	O
which	O
have	O
no	O
clear	O
"	O
up	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
down	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
GameFan	O
,	O
which	O
lambasted	O
the	O
habitual	O
inferiority	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
ports	O
of	O
good	O
PC	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Boyer	O
and	O
Dan	O
Hsu	O
praised	O
the	O
additions	O
over	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Guide-Bot	O
and	O
the	O
new	O
lighting	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
GameFan	O
and	O
Dmitry	O
Reznikov	O
of	O
GameLand	O
lauded	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
's	O
improvements	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
port	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
former	O
reported	O
an	O
average	O
rate	O
of	O
ten	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
that	O
would	O
drop	O
even	O
lower	O
with	O
the	O
cockpit	O
displays	O
disabled	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
latter	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
frame	O
rate	O
drops	O
cost	O
an	O
otherwise	O
straight	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
hit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
praised	O
the	O
additions	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Descent	B-Application
such	O
as	O
the	O
FMV	O
cutscenes	O
,	O
the	O
Guide-Bot	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Thief-Bot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
judged	O
that	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
series	O
lacked	O
the	O
intensity	O
and	O
mood	O
of	O
competitors	O
such	O
as	O
Doom	B-Application
and	O
Quake	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
views	O
were	O
echoed	O
by	O
Roger	O
Burchill	O
of	O
Ultra	O
Game	B-Device
Players	I-Device
,	O
who	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
Doom-styled	O
gameplay	O
became	O
dated	O
,	O
though	O
he	O
did	O
welcome	O
the	O
link	O
cable-based	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
was	O
a	O
finalist	O
for	O
CNET	O
Gamecenter	O
's	O
1996	O
"	O
Best	O
Action	O
Game	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
Quake	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
offered	O
even	O
more	O
insane	O
vertigo	O
action	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
plus	O
an	O
added	O
bonus	O
that	O
set	O
the	O
tone	O
for	O
computer	O
gaming	O
in	O
1996--a	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
declared	O
Descent	B-Application
II	I-Application
the	O
123rd-best	O
computer	O
game	O
ever	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
ranked	O
46	O
on	O
PC	O
PowerPlays	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
50	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
century	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
schizophrenically	O
devised	O
"	O
maps	O
,	O
robots	O
 '	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
and	O
atmosphere	O
whose	O
intensity	O
the	O
magazine	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
previously	O
unparalleled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
magazine	O
ranked	O
it	O
No.90	O
on	O
their	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
100	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
the	O
best	O
of	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
