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The cyber-FPS remake Hard Reset Redux is out today, and naturally there's a launch trailer, which is every bit as goofy as, but slightly more narratively cohesive than, the game itself. But there are also concerns kicking around (hey, Reddit) that the new version is actually a downgrade of the original, with lower-quality textures, fewer anti-aliasing options, and missing effects. In response to the complaints, developer Flying Wild Hog has issued a statement explaining two of the main changes we made to the game's appearance, and why we made them.

Here are the relevant bits, quoted in their entirety:

1. Baked Ambient Occlusion (Hard Reset) has been changed to a Dynamic system (SSAO): One of the main undertakings that we made when developing Redux, was to upgrade the game to the new version of our in-house Roadhog game engine (RoadHog v2). The new Dynamic system is one of the changes that came with this move of engines, as our new engine no longer uses Baked Ambient Occlusion (none of the games we ve released have used this post the original Hard Reset). The new Dynamic system used in Redux is an overall improvement, as it works on ALL OBJECTS instead of ONLY STATIC ones. This is an important change in a game like Redux, as it features a ton of dynamic objects with physics. So this new system works better to highlight more of the objects that players will be directly interacting with during their playtime (e.g. characters, barrels, terminals etc). Nothing has been removed from the game, as it just currently uses a different system which highlights more objects instead of a pre-determined selection."

"2. Textures and Post Process: As with the Occlusion system, we have changed the post-processing filters we used in the original Hard Reset. Redux does not use the same Image Sharpen Post Process which was used in the original H.R. This change was made to decrease aliasing, which cause flickering during camera motion. Because of this the game can at times look worse during static screens, but it looks better in motion. Hard Reset Redux is a game where players will constantly be moving and shooting; so this change was made to improve the overall visual experience that the game delivers during gameplay.

Separate from that, the studio said it is looking into reports of missing particles and lighting effects, and will issue fixes if and when it confirms that there are problems. That may well be what's happening in these images, in which the new, graphically enhanced version looks significantly poorer than the original: The Reddit post in which they're linked says the effects were cut intentionally to increase performance, but the developer's response suggests it may in fact be a bug. Either way, the differences are also apparent in the comparison video posted below, although based on the Fraps counter, the framerate of the Redux version is dramatically increased. (Fair to say that the original is screaming along pretty well too, though.)

Overall we all feel confident that Redux represents a solid improvement over the original Hard Reset, Flying Wild Hog said. Not just because of the new content and features that we added which improve gameplay and add new variety (even for seasoned HR players), but because Redux is a considerably better performing game which offers players a smoother and better balanced overall experience.

Hard Reset is available now on Steam and GOG for $18/ 13, or $3/ 2 if you already own the original Hard Reset or Shadow Warrior.

Update: The post originally stated that the 85 percent discount for owners of Hard Reset or Shadow Warrior was only valid until June 10. It's actually a permanent discount; June 10 is when the standard ten percent launch discount expires.

Hard Reset Redux, the hi-def do-over of Flying Wild Hog's debut FPS that was announced back in January, now has a proper release date of June 3. The system requirements are out as well, and publisher Gambitious has posted a 15-minute Bang Bang Boom gameplay trailer that highlights some of the changes.

You won't need a high-end rig to run this one: Updated it may be, but it's still a five-year-old shooter.

• E OS: Windows XP or later 
• CPU: 2.5 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 
• RAM: 2 GB 
• Video: 512 MB Nvidia GeForce 8800GX or ATI Radeon HD3870 or better 
• HDD: 5 GB 
• DirectX: 9.0c   

We reviewed the original Hard Reset here and didn't much care for it. Personally, I thought it was pretty good, although even I can't deny that it grows repetitive fairly quickly, and is narratively incomprehensible throughout. The Redux release aims to improve that experience, however, with i\better graphics, new enemy types, more consistent pacing and difficulty, a new 'quick dash' move, and a Cyber-Katana melee weapon handy for killing rampaging robots, and also as a reminder of Flying Wild Hog's other game, Shadow Warrior 2, which is set to come out later this year.

I like Hard Reset, the 2011 FPS from Flying Wild Hog, and the first two sentences of our review explains why: Bezoar isn't a city. It's an explosion with streets. It's a silly game, with an inexplicable dedication to an utterly incomprehensible story—I know what it's about, but I'm still not entirely sure what actually happened—and, as we said in the review, the gameplay slides into a wash, rinse, repeat exercise in repetition in fairly short order. But by gosh, the stuff in it blows up real good, and sometimes that's enough.

All of which leaves me happy to say that an updated version of the game, called Hard Reset Redux, is now in the works. It's being built on the latest version of the Roadhog engine (which is also being used for Shadow Warrior 2) and will include all of the content in the original Hard Reset as well as the Exile expansion. The overhauled edition will feature improved graphics, new enemy variants, and changes to pacing and balance intended to smooth out some of the spikes in difficulty that cropped up in the original release. There's also a new dash movement option, and a cyber-katana melee weapon.

Neither a price nor a release date was announced— coming soon, as the trailer says, is all we've got to go on—but the original Hard Reset, packed with the Exile expansion into the Extended Edition, is currently on sale on Steam for $3/ 2, if you want to see what it's all about. Alternatively, you can snag the demo, which includes the first level and a decent selection of enemies and weapons, for the low, low price of free.