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Hexen II
Page 2
Using the Quake Engine!
The most amazing thing in Hexen II is that it is the first game that uses the higly developed Quake Engine. The Graphics and the Level Designs are absolutely a feast for the eye. My jaw was wideopen when I played this game for the first time.
Everything is so detailed that sometimes you would say to the monsters: 'Hey, just a minute. Let me watch that architectural statue first.' :)
There are Four different Hubs which all have a specific theme. Sometimes you may have to return to several levels in that Hub in order to complete a puzzle. Moving back and forward in levels is becoming after a while complex and you won't remember the place where you started or where that artifact is. Some puzzles aren't obtained easily. Searching for the artifact that is needed can be sometimes stressful when you have been walking around for about 20 minutes without finding it.
There are some monsters that come-back in certain levels in a particular Hub but some are more sophisticated then others. They are more difficult to kill and have more strenght and AI.
The AI in Hexen II is good but not that excellent. Monsters behave intelligent and when you fire at them some of them will not directly try to avoid the flying bullet.
Walking in empty rooms like other Doom-clones is not Hexen II's style. You can break furniture, shelves and windows. Something that we already have seen in Duke Nukem 3D which was quite fun. The transparent effects like the water is absolutely briljant. Even when you are underwater it gives blurry effects on walls and etc. like in GLQuake and it will amaze you without slowing down the game.
No Hard 'n Heavy Music and Multiplayer?
The music that is featured in Hexen II is excellent. Dark and gloomy. It is not Hard Metal Rock like in Quake II but it does bring the game into a higher play-atmosphere. When you change of Hub, the music takes you to a new style. Sounds are just to good to be true. The sound that the scorpions make is really cool.
There are a lot of nice sounds in this game which can't be said of every Doom-a-like game.
There are some Multiplayer levels included and also some deatmatch levels. Of course Hexen II offers the usual network connections and the tcp/ip thing for playing on the net. I haven't tested this feature because my connection to the net is just a 28k8 which prevents me to get any good and fast connections and doesn't give me the opportunity to have a decent frame rate. I want cable! ;)
This game does absolutely require a 3D card! I strongly suggest when you do not own one that after you read this, log off and go to the cheapest computerstore and buy yourself a 3D card. If you put my advise near you I can guarantee that playing Hexen II won't be fun at all. Even with fast computersystems, Svga still looks very choppy to me. Not that, but the graphics ain't that good as in the 3D mode.
Eventually disappointed you will become after your hard disc has been accessed on every move you do and especially when there is alot of action. You might think that some virus is erasing all your files instead of playing Hexen II.
So a 3D Hardware Accelerator card is certainly needed here. Vga is outdated and so is Svga if you want fun above everything.
Please note that if you want to play the 3D-accelerated version of Hexen II, GLHexen that is, that you must need at least 24 MB Ram. Some people still think that 16 MB Ram is still enough for newer games. They are definitely wrong.
Also, Raven Software has released a patch for Hexen II which fix some bugs and gives the game more stability. So check their homepage and download it.
Conclusion
Hexen II is a real piece of dedicated artwork with excellent graphics and gameplay from Raven
Software.
It is definitely a Winner to me and does give the player the opportunity to choose what character he will play.
The weapons are a bit limited and the developer could have included 2 or 3 more.
With a 3D card this game is a masterpiece in graphics and smooth frame rates. Without, it is hardly playable in Svga and Vga is very much outdated.
However, once finished completely it will take some time before you decide to re-install this game again, except if you have the needs to turn on the multiplayer feature.
Raven Software did an amazing job in modifying the Quake-engine and not produce 'another' Quake-clone. An excellent fantasy 3d game in every aspect. -Bjorn
Ratings
Manual:
85% |
Graphics:
90% |
Music & Sfx:
80% |
GamePlay:
82% |
|
This game scores
on our 5-point Rating System
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