HERETIC 2 - PC - 15/10/98

HERETIC 2 - PC

by Paul Rose 15/10/98

AT a time when everyone was beginning to leap aboard the Doom and Quake bandwagons and producing their own first-person sci-fi shooters, developer Raven Software came up with idea of putting a spin on the genre and combining it with another - and Heretic was born. Heretic takes the best of the Doom clones, and mixes them with the best that role-playing games have to offer.

[Heretic 2]

Heretic 2

The result was a first-person shoot 'em up in which the weapons were magical staffs and spells, and the enemies were orcs and goblins.

When a sequel, Hexen, came along, everyone was happy. But when Hexen 2 was released, we all became a bit confused. And now we have the latest offering, Heretic 2, just to confuse matters still further. Oh, how our heads hurt.

But get this - Heretic 2 isn't the first-person shoot 'em up you'd expect. It's actually a Tomb Raideresque third-person game, set within the same universe as the first Heretic and the two Hexen games, and boasts the same blend of action and magic. Apparently, the decision to go down the third- person route was taken because it was thought to be the best way to show off the game's beautiful character design.

It promises much more than just a fantasy Tomb Raider. The Quake 2 engine has been employed once again, this time around with some customisation to ensure it looks as fresh as other new titles, and to take into account the third-person perspective. The RPG trappings have been retained, with character statistics coming into play.

But hey, don't take our word for it, it's out in a few months.