.In the second half of the 1990s, Raven Software built quite a name for themselves developing games with the famous idtech engines. Shadowcaster, Heretic, Hexen, Hexen II, and then Heretic II. This fourth game in the Hexen/Heretic saga was a bit of a departure from the previous three in numerous ways. Most notable were the decisions to move to a third person (behind shoulder) camera, and to have Activision publish this game instead of id Software. The game attempts to bring some Tomb Raider vibes to the FPS core, with more emphasis on environmental puzzles, and taking place within a dark fantasy themed world. While being quite an innovative concept, the gameplay was a bit of a letdown, and it wasn’t well received by hardcore FPS players. It still has an important place in gaming history, as a game which was willing to experiment, trying to break the trends, and mostly succeeding.
I gave this one a serious go a year or two ago, and I just couldn’t get into it.
The original is one of my favourite games of all time, but Hexen II just felt empty and soulless by comparison.
I think I read somewhere it was rushed, which would explain a lot.
That all said, I would be willing to give it another crack – there’s plenty in there to enjoy.
Edit: d’oh! I read this wrong! I thought this thread was about Hexen II, not Heretic II
Funnily enough most of what I wrote still stands, except that I played it about 15 years ago and persevered to the end.
