Recap pages are Spoilers Off by default, so in all these pages all spoilers are unmarked. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned
Operation: Corpse Run is the first of six operations in the Call of the Machine expansion that comes with the 2023 remastered version of Quake II.
It puts you in the role of Surgubbe, one of the marines in charge of finding the Strogg Discs that contain the necessary data about the location of the Strogg Maker. He lands in a Strogg facility.
The levels that comprise the unit are "A Grave for Dead Gods", "Megacorpse IV", "The Death Gate", "Give Me Back My Moon", "Strogg Jammers" and "The Casali Effect".
This unit shows examples of:
- A Taste of Power: Downplayed, you get the BFG10K just after arriving, being greeted with nearly 30 Light Guards in order to put it to good use. You still keep the weapon for the rest of the levels, but every cell pack you collect will have to be spent between the Powered Armor and your other weapons.
- Boss Rush: "Strogg Jammers" have two consecutive bosses in the Makron and the Sons of Makron.
- Brutal Bonus Level: "The Casali Effect" has you murdering hordes of non-boss Strogg of almost every class, including Medics and Medic Commanders.
- Call-Forward: The overall ambience of "A Grave for Dead Gods", being a Strogg base located in the middle of a desert, brings Quake IV to mind.
- Creator Cameo: One of the secrets in "Give Me Back My Moon" is a hidden air vent that leads to a room with a dead marine and the inscription "What would Sandy do?". Shooting the name triggers an encounter with a Shambler. Killing it has the screen printing "Thank you, Sandy". Sandy is Sandy Petersen, Id alumnus who worked on the first games of the company, including Quake, before departing to help Microsoft and Ensemble Studios create and develop the Age of Empires saga.
- Dual Boss: "Strogg Jammers" ends with a battle against two smaller Makrons called "Sons of Makron".
- 11th-Hour Superpower: "Strogg Jammers" has both a Double Damage and Quad Damage power-up in the two arenas each. If you saved the former from the Makron fight, using both of them at the same time has a devastating effect on the enemies in the final confrontation - even more so if you saved the Dualfire Damage from "Give Me Back My Moon" prior.
- Heroic Sacrifice: The moon base goes up in a huge explosion right after Surgubbe transmits the data disc.
- Mid-Boss: "The Death Gate" has a Hornet enclosed in a forcefield called "Gate Warden". The forcefield lowers once Surgubbe enters the arena.
- Monster Closet: One of the secrets in "Give Me Back My Moon" requires you to crawl through a vent in order to see writing on a wall, What would Sandy do? Shooting Sandy's name reveals a hidden cache... And a Shambler!
- New Weapon Target Range: Just arriving into "A Grave for Dead Gods" after the first turn, you get to pick the BFG10K. Then over 100 weapon soldiers arrive, which fall down easily to the BFG shots.
- Secret Level: "The Casali Effect", accessible from "A Grave for Dead Gods" in a corridor blocked by an explosive crate.
- Shout-Out: "The Casali Effect" is one to Dario and Milo Casali, who were responsible for The Plutonia Experiment, one-half of Final Doom, which is notable for its difficulty and large amounts of monsters.
- Smashing Hallway Traps of Doom: One such trap is featured at the end of "The Casali Effect", situated on the roof of the room overlooking the main arena. Shooting a button on one of the walls activates the trap, killing the two Phalanx Gladiators situated within.
- Suspicious Video-Game Generosity: Just entering "The Casali Effect" you see a sweet cache locked behind some doors. And in the main arena to your right, one of every weapon with ammo boxes in them. The moment you drop, "Rage" starts playing, and the hordes begin to fill the map. Good luck!
- Video Game Cruelty Punishment: One area is a lone though an area full of Strogg corpses leading to a barely alive Marine and a key you need. Killing the Marine will cause a wall to open with Beta Brains coming on top of the Medic that's coming from the other side.
- The War Sequence: The Unit. Just about every encounter has more enemies at you then most levels in the base game had in total. It's saying something when the first weapon you get is The BFG10k.
- Wolfpack Boss: The last boss fought in the level is a pair of second-form Makrons, the "Sons of Makron".
