The unique version of Quake 2 from the PSX has made its way to the PC

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Update:

The authors have given us permission to host a mirror of their modification.

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Historically, multiplatform games didn’t look or play the same across PCs and consoles due to significant hardware differences. Developers had to be quite innovative when adapting games from PC to console platforms.

One example is the PlayStation version of Quake II. Since a standard conversion wasn’t feasible, HammerHead Studios essentially created almost a new game using their own engine while keeping the visual style and gameplay similar to the PC original. Now, thanks to the Quake II PSX modification, PC gamers can appreciate the significant differences between the two versions.

The mod is specifically tailored for the recent remaster of Quake II, which was developed by Nightdive Studio. Notably, the creators did not just replicate 20 maps from the PlayStation One version’s design. Instead, they addressed numerous issues with that version, significantly enhanced the AI of enemies, and made aesthetic enhancements to certain areas. This extensive overhaul demanded a significant amount of effort. Since transferring data directly from the original console version was impractical, the creators had to essentially recreate most elements from the ground up themselves.

The gameplay difficulty for Quake II on PSOne was adjusted to be easier due to its design for pad-based play. As such, when playing these maps on PC using a mouse and keyboard, several adjustments had to be made to ensure the level of challenge remained appropriate.

To add, it’s important to note that the PlayStation version of Quake II by id Software wasn’t the only one that deviated significantly from the PC original. The Nintendo 64 release followed a similar pattern. Interestingly, for the Nintendo 64 release, no modifications were necessary as the entire Quake II 64 (comprising 19 campaign maps and 10 for deathmatch) was incorporated in the game’s re-release last year.

  1. Quake II PSX’s profile one ModDB

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2025-01-06 23:32