Respect the Past, Don’t Ray-Trace It

QUAKE II IS THE LATESTin along line of games to get some retro love, with Nvidia releasing the RTX rendition of the id Software classic. This remastered version adds ray tracing to the firstperson shooter, and transforms its limited gray, beige, and brown palette to a slightly lighter gray, beige, and brown. There are a few mirrored surfaces to stare briefly at, and a smattering of upgraded models, but largely it’s the same game from 22 years ago, with nominally prettier visuals.

And it’s a complete waste of everyone’s time.

Not only does it not look particularly inspiring,