I think this is a free update if you had quake 2 on steam?

It's a free update on GOG too. Will show up in your library as just "Quake 2", the original is now called "Quake 2 Legacy" or sth like that.

Been playing it for the last hour or so and it's everything I wanted (or would've wanted if I knew a remaster was in the works). The only downside I can see is that any old mods need recompiling, and possibly some porting before that, so pretty much anything that's closed source will get left behind.

It amuses me the N64 levels are selectable like with Night Dive Quake 1. Does that also include the funny music Aubrey Hodges made for Quake 2 on the N64?

DracoNihil wrote on 2023-08-11, 21:47:

It amuses me the N64 levels are selectable like with Night Dive Quake 1. Does that also include the funny music Aubrey Hodges made for Quake 2 on the N64?

Yes it includes that music.

Another awesome thing is that they somehow managed to re render the cutscenes in modern resolution.

What's also interesting is that they slightly improved the 3d models; no more swimming verts and everything looks just slightly nicer without being overdone, like it was a slightly later Q2 engine game.

Oetker wrote on 2023-08-11, 22:29:

What's also interesting is that they slightly improved the 3d models; no more swimming verts

I wonder if this implies the source meshes weren't lost, and everything was moved over to skeletal animation.

Either that or some serious AI corrected all the deficiencies.

I think they're redone in MD5 like they've been with the Quake enhanced.

I should also mention how close this rerelease is to the original Quake3 plan that was scrapped in 1998 (Q2+Expansions+idt3 renderer), and it's even more uncanny with some Quake3isms (weapon switching and muzzleflashes) getting backported.

The game is also included in the Microsoft GamePass.. I just tried it out and it looks and feels really good.

leileilol wrote on 2023-08-11, 23:57:

I should also mention how close this rerelease is to the original Quake3 plan that was scrapped in 1998 (Q2+Expansions+idt3 renderer)

Where would I might beable to read about that? I had no idea there was a plan that long ago to move Quake 2 over to the Q3A engine officially.

DracoNihil wrote on 2023-08-11, 23:01:

Oetker wrote on 2023-08-11, 22:29:

What's also interesting is that they slightly improved the 3d models; no more swimming verts

I wonder if this implies the source meshes weren't lost, and everything was moved over to skeletal animation.

Either that or some serious AI corrected all the deficiencies.

Yeah they had (some) source meshes and did upgrade models to use skeletal animation https://bethesda.net/en/article/6NIyBxapXOurT … ancing-quake-ii

I appreciate what they did with this remaster, and it's really nice that they are giving it out for free to people who already own the base game. Other companies usually sell their remasters separately.

While I haven't played it yet, I did watch a few videos online. Overall, it looks great, but something about the dynamic lighting seems a bit off. For me, the highlight of the original game (at the time of release) were those dynamic lights that would illuminate nearby floors and walls when you used the blaster or another energy weapon. This effect looks different and much more subtle in the remaster. Not a fan of that change, especially now that RTX capable hardware is readily available.

I like what they have done, but not fan of change in enemy behavior from the reviews I've seen. Changes the gameplay too much and the levels are not designed for these changes.

vetz wrote on 2023-08-12, 07:51:

I like what they have done, but not fan of change in enemy behavior from the reviews I've seen. Changes the gameplay too much and the levels are not designed for these changes.

I almost can't fault Nightdive. I think they absolutely nail these releases and I buy many of them. But it was surprising to see some of the profound changes (one enemy in particular) in Gman's review. They usually balance the modernisation with faithfulness very carefully, so it looked like a curious decision.

Quake 2 AI is extremely dumb and had various path finding issues which are not even funny.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2023-08-12, 08:47:

Quake 2 AI is extremely dumb and had various path finding issues which are not even funny.

From what I understand they've fixed path finding issues, that I'm fine with, but also given the enemies new abilities, which changes gameplay.

vetz wrote on 2023-08-12, 09:35:

From what I understand they've fixed path finding issues, that I'm fine with, but also given the enemies new abilities, which changes gameplay.

Yeah, the Berserker changes in particular stand out in a bad way.

In Gman's video he showcases this behavior and comments how it's not fitting for Quake 2's cramped areas. And he's a veteran FPS player who always goes for the hardest difficulty. If this is bothering him, it will likely annoy more casual players as well. That said, if they had made these gameplay changes into an optional toggle, I doubt anyone would bat an eye.

I just tried it quicly and like it. Same game, just a bit nicer looking/sounding. Lots of options to custumize your experience.
With q1 I still preffer some campains in the old(sourceport) version over the remade one. But q2, think thats the best version.

First 2 lvls off n64 version
https://youtu.be/fcLHvkC1la8

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2023-08-12, 10:24:

Yeah, the Berserker changes in particular stand out in a bad way.

Berserkers were always a joke in original game even on the hardest difficulty. So I don't see any issues of making them an actual threat.

DracoNihil wrote on 2023-08-12, 06:29:

leileilol wrote on 2023-08-11, 23:57:

I should also mention how close this rerelease is to the original Quake3 plan that was scrapped in 1998 (Q2+Expansions+idt3 renderer)

Where would I might beable to read about that? I had no idea there was a plan that long ago to move Quake 2 over to the Q3A engine officially.

Plan files. Also some mid-1998 gaming magazines have had articles about it (Quake3's tech was just known as "Trinity" then)

The N64 game is one of my favs on the console. Mostly original maps and curious hybrid Quake / Quake 2 tech. It is quite challenging and slow paced because of the control limitations and performance.

Actually that also reminds me of the Perfect Dark port on Xbox 360. It's so insanely easier to play these N64 games with a modern controller and 60 fps.