Microsoft’s Quake 2 AI “Remake” Is An Insult To Everyone

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It appears that AI is making its move in game development, and Microsoft wants to keep you informed. Over the weekend, they unveiled an AI-created remake of Quake 2 and shared it globally. I decided to check it out during my day, and, as anticipated, it turned out to be quite underwhelming.

The game functions after approximately 10-15 minutes of waiting for it to “load,” but it doesn’t offer much beyond that. It’s a poorly designed, unplayable disaster that lacks any genuine appeal. In essence, it’s a slap in the face to everyone passionate about the gaming industry and its legacy.

Microsoft describes their release as follows: “Copilot creates unique gameplay sequences reminiscent of Quake II dynamically. Each action you take prompts the next AI-driven event in the game, giving the impression that you’re playing the original Quake II using a conventional gaming engine.

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Using Microsoft’s “World and Human Action Model” (WHAM), the reimagined Quake 2 AI demo struggles to run smoothly, often proving as unresponsive as attempting to play a game with a disabled controller. It lacks depth and fails to evoke any genuine sense of immersion. Instead of exhibiting intelligent behavior, it merely generates a fresh portion of the level each time you turn a corner. Consequently, if you decide to retrace your steps or explore another path, the environment may have altered to such an extent that it becomes inaccessible.

Games, as an intricate form of expression, allow for narratives and unique experiences that cannot be replicated by other means. However, some might argue that this is merely a squandering of resources and funds.

I won’t delve deeper into this “demonstration”. There’s nothing new or interesting about it. If you’d like to experiment with it yourself, feel free, but it would be more worthwhile to spend your time gazing at a wall or revisiting the original Quake 2 instead.

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2025-04-07 18:18