An enthusiast showcased new gameplay of the fan-made remaster of the shooter BLACK with manually reworked textures

The author behind the YouTube channel HD Reimagined, known as Quenellas, has published a third gameplay demo of the fan project BLACK HD Reimagined. This mod targets the 2006 console FPS BLACK on PlayStation 2 and aims to overhaul its visuals for the PCSX2 emulator.

The new clip focuses on a walkthrough of Naszran Foundry, showing side-by-side comparisons of the upgraded textures and lighting versus the original PS2-era visuals. The contrasts are immediate — some scenes gain color and grit, others keep their original mood but look more detailed.

A central design choice here is a strict avoidance of neural-network automation. Quenellas explicitly rejects NN tooling and instead hand-paints each texture to convey detail, wear, and material qualities (PBR-style effects are faked on purpose). He describes the process as painstaking and, frankly, a bit obsessive: every patch of rust or brickwork is redrawn to sit naturally in the scene without breaking the game's tone.

Weapon models get a long look in the footage: updated examples include G36C, P90, the Magnum revolvers, and grenade launchers — e.g., closeups reveal surface scratches and stitched fabric on slings. Environment assets were touched too: factory frames, vehicles, ammo crates, metal grates, and Soviet posters have been reworked rather than left as the blurry low-res originals. Enemy uniforms received higher-res fabric textures as well.

Working on a PCSX2 base brings hard limits — the PS2 hardware has no native support for modern physically based rendering. To work around that, the modder paints the illusion of volume, gloss, dirt, and reflections directly onto 2D textures. The result: convincing wet concrete, gleaming pipes, and worn ventilation grates that the original engine never produced on its own.

The demo uses kb/mouse (via a special emulator plugin) for input, and the smoother controls make firefights feel tighter than many remember. Visual flourishes — chain explosions, sparks, and thick smoke when decorations burn — become more pronounced at the higher resolution, which is part spectacle, part nostalgia trip.

As for release plans: the project is in final testing. Quenellas says he’ll stream an announcement with the release date at the end of next week, after which the updated texture pack should be released to the public. Early access is already available to his subscribers on Apoia.se.

This fan remaster is, for now, the way to see the Criterion Games shooter with refreshed visuals. Electronic Arts reportedly turned down proposals for an official sequel or full remake, so community work has taken up the mantle — imperfect, determined, and decidedly unofficial.