Digital Foundry:
Over the past few years the high-definition remaster has become a popular way to enjoy classic games, using more powerful hardware to deliver an enhanced, higher performance experience. Looking back, Sony Santa Monica's brilliant God of War Collection in 2009 was clearly the catalyst for this new trend, but the reality is that id Software produced a remarkable 1080p60 HD remaster that shipped at launch alongside the Xbox 360 four years prior. The game? Quake 2.
During a recent binge on retro games, we found ourselves marvelling at various console conversions of classic id shooters. The Xbox 360 conversion of Quake 2 was released exclusively as a bonus disc packaged with the horrific Quake 4, and we were impressed by what we found: an optimised 1080p, 60 frames per second rendition of the classic id shooter, released at a time when the console itself was physically incapable of producing a full HD output - which may explain why its charms were overlooked at the time.
A brilliant standard setter for remasters and re-releases going forward, Quake 2 feels like a love letter to one of the grandfathers of boomer shooters.
Tried the Quake 2 multiplayer on PS4: for a couple of hours last night
Had a lot of fun .
Remasters don't get much better than this. Kudos, Nightdive Studios!
THIS is a remaster. In every way possible. But more importantly in the place that matter most, the gameplay department. The controls feel so much better than the original and it lets the game shine in ways it never did. The shooting is more responsive and the movement much tighter. It also tone down the sliding feeling and the weird Mouse look movement. It just works.
I played the QuakePro mod and while it did good things I found the original gameplay was still quite cumbersome. Not anymore bay bay. This things is near perfect.
NOW I can see why some consider this game better than Quake 1. NOW I see it.
...And it might just be.
Sick ass game fr
No battle pass, no skill trees, just your gun and your strafing ability. Pure gaming fun.
WTMG's Leo Faria: "This is possibly the best remastering effort by Nightdive I have ever seen. This isn’t just “a means to play Quake II on modern platforms”. Just like how a remaster should be, it is the ultimate way to play Quake II, the one version to rule above any other, the port that makes every single previously released iteration feel like unplayable garbage as a comparison. Add in the content previously available on the Nintendo 64 version, a brand new campaign by the makers of the new Wolfenstein games, and addictive multiplayer matches, and all for less than ten bucks? This is a no-brainer. This is. Go forth, retro shooter fans, this is the comfort food you’ve been waiting for."
Nice read! Thanks!
Always thought SSM started the HD collections. Interesting...
The first HD remaster? Ah so it's their fault. I'm going to write them such a scathing letter!
Though in fairness, they did give it away with Quake 4 rather than trying to sell it as a full price game. Perhaps I should save the ink for someone more worthy.
im sure quake 2 had a storyline, correct me if im wrong
Wasn't Quake2 the first of iD's games to support 3D cards on pc?
I'm sure I got it to play on my 3dfx voodoo1 card at the time.