Kingpin: Reloaded is the remastered and enhanced version of the crime-themed first-person shooter created and developed by the teams at 3D Realms and Interplay, and later this year it’ll be looking to recruit you, provided you’re an Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch or PC gamers.
With 3D Realms previously having overseen the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Duke Nukem, Shadow Warrior, Max Payne and Prey, there is much hype behind the arrival of Kingpin: Reloaded, and now that it has been confirmed for a 2020 launch on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC, the hype meter can go into overdrive.
Kingpin: Reloaded will drop you into a stylized noir art deco gangland that never was, as the Kingpin rules above all else with a bloody fist. When his lieutenant Nikki Blanco leaves a no-name Thug battered and broken, the upstart criminal rises from a puddle of blood, lead pipe in hand and revenge in mind.
It is however the fact that Kingpin: Reloaded will be delivering new life to the Quake II engine classic, along with 4K resolution, ultrawide support, and improved graphics in an Enhanced mode that is the most exciting. This will enable the beautifully-depicted metropolitan nightmare to shine, whilst controller support makes the game more accessible for anyone who wants to explore the depths of Kingpin’s depravity.
You should also expect to find improvements in terms of new quest and conversation systems that make Reloaded even better than the original.
Should you be looking to stalk lamp-lit streets and take down rival gangs to let the Kingpin know his end is nigh, then this is the game for you. Kingpin’s immersive sim elements will allow the Thug to recruit other gangsters with a conversation system, increasing influence through multiple hub-based missions. You’ll be able to run with the gang on a violent warpath with upgradeable weapons including Tommy guns, bazookas, and more, with location-based damage leading to bloody, thrilling battles.
However, with any remaster there are options available and should that all come across as too extreme, you’ll be able to hit up the ‘No Violence’ mode. However, the “colorful” language proudly used by Kingpin’s gangsters remains
“Kingpin doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, due to unfortunately releasing in an era when games were blamed for societal problems,” said Frederik Schreiber, founder of 3D Realms. “We have the privilege of giving it a second chance for people who never heard of it, and sprucing it up for diehard fans yearning to go back to a life of (simulated!) crime.”
Kingpin: Reloaded will debut at PAX South this weekend at the 3D Realms booth, so if you’re visiting, make sure you swing by the booth. For those of us not in attendance, Kingpin: Reloaded will become available on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC in 2020. For now though, hit up the trailer below and bear witness to what it promises.
