As you'd expect from the tech experts and retro fanatics over at Digital Foundry, the outlet has taken a good long look at Xbox's new Quake 2 release over the last week or so, and they've come away mighty impressed with what they've seen.
To sum it up, DF has labelled the remaster effort as "stunning", going on to say that this Bethesda & id Software classic has been "masterfully updated for the modern era thanks to the brilliant Nightdive Studios". Here's a longer extract from the Digital Foundry tech review of Quake 2:
"On each platform, you'll find a wide range of changes and improvements under the hood, designed to enhance the visuals and audio while staying true to the original presentation. These include major improvements to the light map system, liquid rendering, animation, and more. The 2023 release also features the original campaign, both expansion packs, the N64 version of the game and an entirely new episode created by Machine Games.
The overall feeling is that the 2023 version of Quake 2 is extremely well-made, faithful to the source material and well worth the $10 purchase price - and you can also get it as a free upgrade for Steam and GOG owners of Quake 2 or on Game Pass."
The outlet's full review is well worth a read and/or watch if you're into learning all of the nitty gritty details on Nightdive's work with Quake 2. Some of it may go over our heads, but it's an interesting look nonetheless!
While we might not have quite as much technical knowhow here at Pure Xbox, we do know a bloody good game when we play one and Quake 2 is exactly that - and then some. Our very own PJ O'Reilly gushed over this re-release when it first dropped, granting it a full 10/10 rating in his written review.