Quake II was originally released in 1997, and in 2019 we got a special RTX version with a global lighting system using ray tracing, which was more of an RTX technology demonstrator than a remaster in the true sense of the word. We only got to see that now, when Bethesda at the event QuakeCon 2023 announced the release of the remastered version:
This enhanced version of Quake II features the following:
Support for 4K and ultrawide resolutions, high refresh rates (can confirm smooth settings and operation at 3840×1600 resolution at 144 Hz) Various improvements to graphics, gameplay and enemy AI Online and local multiplayer (co-op, deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag) + Splitscreen crossplay for 4 players, or up to 8 players on PC and Xbox Series X|S “Quake II” + expansions “The Reckoning” and “Ground Zero” + “Quake II 64” (which was content originally created only for Nintendo 64, which consists of 19 campaign levels and 10 maps for multiplayer deathmatch) New content expansion “Call of the Machine” from the developer studio MachineGames (it follows the successful titles Wolfenstein: The New Order + The Old Blood and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus), where there are also new enemies and environments, 28 new campaign levels and 1 new map for multiplayer deathmatch Option to run “Quake II” and expansions “The Reckoning” and “Ground Zero” in the original versions
id Vaultwhich is a menu section containing various development materials and a list of all weapons and enemies in the game with their descriptions (bestiary)
As part of the gameplay improvements, the new one is especially worth paying attention to compass function to navigate to the current target (press “Q”, select compass from the circular menu and a series of arrows will appear in front of you) as well as the addition of distinctive flashes from enemy weapons, which now makes it easier to tell who is shooting at you from where. If you are more interested in technical changes, take a look at a description of some of them on the Bethesda website. Here you can see a comparison between the original 1997 version of the game and the new remastered one:
The price is €9.99, or free for anyone who already had Quake II in their library on Steam, the Microsoft Store, or GOG (which I can confirm from personal experience, at least in the case of Steam). Note that even the new version is labeled “Quake II” without anything else, which is quite confusing.
An enhanced version is available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Microsoft Windows Store), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch. And it’s also included in Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription.
2023-08-11 03:32:14
#Quake #remaster #released #graphics #gameplay #Call #Machine #campaign
