3D Realms is at PAX South this weekend and it has brought quite the surprise. Announced just shortly before the show kicked off, the company will be remastering the 1999 cult-classic Kingpin for modern platforms. Going under the title of Kingpin: Reloaded, this new version will be releasing on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch sometime later in 2020.
As a trailer and some screenshots show, players will be able to experience Kingpin in both a remastered and classic format. 4K resolutions are being touted along with ultra-wide support on PC. Some of the more notorious boss battles are getting a rebalance and there’s even mention of a new “quest” system. It sounds like quite the improvement.
Even without all of those bonuses, this release is notable for finally bringing Kingpin to console platforms. The game flew under the radar years ago against the likes of Quake III: Arena and Unreal Tournament. Built on the Quake 2 engine, it wasn’t exactly the best-looking thing upon release. It still oozes atmosphere, though, and contains some particularly gory combat.
With last year’s Ion Fury and the upcoming Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, 3D Realms has shown that it understands classic shooters. The company may have gone dormant for a while but is finally making strides in living up to its legendary reputation. If only we could get the likes of Duke Nukem back in the company’s hands, but I’ll take retro re-releases and classic inspired games in the meantime.
Kingpin is a game that I happened to miss out on in my youth. I remember hearing about it from IGN, but my attention was more drawn to this crazy online multiplayer that both id Software and Epic Games were tackling. Interestingly, Kingpin did have 16-player online support, so it would be cool to see that make a return.
If you’re eager to see if Kingpinoriginal version on Steam for $9.99. is worth your time, you can currently buy the It is a little unbalanced and may not run all that well, but it should give you a clue if this gritty shooter is for you. If nothing else, you’ll be able to compare this new version directly against its source.
Source: Twitter
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