Quake

First showing off the talent with the impressive Powerslave, then coming through with flying colors on the Saturn Duke Nukem conversion, Lobotomy Software really went to work by converting a powerful PC game that, conceivably, couldn't have been done on a 32-bit console. Lobotomy shoe-horned Quake, a memory-hungry game that needs at least Pentium, into the much more limiting Saturn system. Not satisfied with a simple conversion, the team also pushed a few Saturn-specific tricks into the mix, including impressive lightsourcing topped only by GLQuake.

Lobotomy started with the company's PowerSlave graphics engine, cutting a few corners to get the game to fit into the Saturn, most notably in the level design. The levels, based on the original PC maps, had be tweaked a bit to fit in the Saturn's relatively small amount of RAM. Hallways and secret areas are not in the same locations this time around, and you may find a hidden platform or two out of place. But Lobotomy did it. The game runs just as smooth as middle-of-the-road PC at the standard resolution.

The main change in this port is in the actual gameplay. Because Id Software always intended to make Quake a great multiplayer melee, and because this capability just wasn't in the cards for the Saturn, Lobotomy focused on the single player elements to make Quake a better playing game. The group fine-tuned the game's AI, making the enemy creatures a hunt you down instead of standing around like lumps. And playing Quake with the Saturn's 3D Pad is a brand new experience, yet another reason to own this great controller.

It's an extremely impressive effort, but Lobotomy already outdid itself with their fantastic Duke Nukem port a few months ago. While Quake is definitely prettier to look at, Duke just plays a whole lot better. And because Quake has always been just an OK single-player game, this version becomes little more than a bragpiece for the system capabilities. It's ironic that Sega hasn't acknowledged the game's existence in ads or, at the very least, on-line. The company should be tooting its horn -- this is the first console conversion out of the gate, making it a Saturn exclusive this year.

You've probably played Quake to death on the PC or Mac, but you haven't seen it all. While the Saturn port of Quake is just a port, it's also been specifically tuned for console gamers. There're no multiplayer modes, and you're not going to get the same personality as Duke Nukem 3D, but it's a pretty decent first-person shooter that really lets the Saturn strut its stuff.