I bought an Xbox 360 near launch which came with the usual problems of console launches – there are no good games. It was a little better with the launch of the Xbox 360 since there were Rare’s titles and a little game called Quake 4 to tide me over. I’ll be able to relive those days again in June with Bethesda reissuing Quake 4 on the Xbox 360.

If you’re unfamiliar with Quake, think of it as Doom’s amped up little brother. Whereas DOOM was id Software’s slower, horror-based first-person shooter, Quake 4 featured high-octane shooter action punctuated by ridiculous alien weapons and gratuitous violence. Quake 4 continued this fine tradition with a campaign that pushed the violence quota for shooters while supplying a multiplayer that was fast and furious.

Like all other Xbox 360 launch titles though, Quake 4 is a little hard to find these days. With id being bought up by Bethesda last year and RAGE being a bust, many people, including myself, just assumed Bethesda would ignore this little gem. That’s why it’s great news that Quake 4 will be seeing new life on the Xbox 360.

It’s important to note to prospective new players that Quake 4 is not exactly a pretty game. It was a launch title on the Xbox 360 running on the Doom 3 engine. Don’t let that dissuade you though as developer Raven Software did id’s legacy proud.

The reissue of Quake 4 will cost only $19.99 and release on June 19 in the U.S. and Europe, including Germany. It remains to be seen if Germany will still censor Quake 4’s most famous scene, the transformation of the lead character into a Strogg. It’s made even more impactful as the scene is done entirely from the first-person view.

If you own a gaming PC, you can pick up Quake 4 on Steam right now. It’s definitely worth it. It’s not as fine of a game as Quake II, but it’s hard to go wrong with any of the Quake titles. Now we just need id Software to make a new DOOM and Quake, only then will the first-person shooter genre find balance.