Any way of replacing the backgrounds in the 2012/Steam versions?

[Redz]

Is it possible? I would like to replace the prerendered backgrounds with the superior PS1 ones, but the tools I found were for the 1998 version

[Covarr]

The prerendered backgrounds are exactly the same as the PS1 backgrounds. Those ones might've looked better in 1997 on an old CRT television that would've blurred them to mask how pixelated they were, but I can assure you they are the same exact images.

[Redz]

You sure about that? I've read that the backgrounds have a lower resolution in the PC version, just like the FMV did in the original 1998 port.

[Covarr]

You sure about that? I've read that the backgrounds have a lower resolution in the PC version, just like the FMV did in the original 1998 port.

I am 100% positive.

The backgrounds in the PC version *did* have a lower resolution relative to the rest of the game, even back in 1998, because the game ran on PC at double the horizontal and vertical resolution vs the PS1 version (640x480 instead of 320x240). This applied to models and a few redrawn textures (fonts, mostly), but backgrounds were still the same low-res backgrounds as the PS1 version, which looked worse in this context. It looks sillier still today with our 1080p and all that.

But the final 240p output on PS1 is the single best evidence of my point. It wouldn't have made any sense to have higher-res backgrounds, since the additional detail would've been lost when output over such a low resolution anyway.

[DLPB_]

You sure about that? I've read that the backgrounds have a lower resolution in the PC version, just like the FMV did in the original 1998 port.

The FMV of PC are also originally the same resolution (320 *224).  The problem is they used an awful codec so they look far worse than the PSX versions. 

[Kaldarasha]

But the final 240p output on PS1 is the single best evidence of my point.

Wait the PS1 could do Progressive Scan?

[Covarr]

Wait the PS1 could do Progressive Scan?

480i. This is what I should've said. Regardless, only 240 lines per frame.

[Redz]

I am 100% positive.

The backgrounds in the PC version *did* have a lower resolution relative to the rest of the game, even back in 1998, because the game ran on PC at double the horizontal and vertical resolution vs the PS1 version (640x480 instead of 320x240). This applied to models and a few redrawn textures (fonts, mostly), but backgrounds were still the same low-res backgrounds as the PS1 version, which looked worse in this context. It looks sillier still today with our 1080p and all that.

But the final 240p output on PS1 is the single best evidence of my point. It wouldn't have made any sense to have higher-res backgrounds, since the additional detail would've been lost when output over such a low resolution anyway.

I see. Thanks for clearing that up!