Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...
Eregore

Heretic or Hexen?

Recommended Posts

In my opinion, Heretic is better. Hexen sucks and i even ever didn't beat it. Also did you know that Hexen is actually planed to be Heretic 2 on doom engine like case with Doom 1 and Doom 2 but they scrapted that idea and make new game. Today Heretic 2 was shitty TPS. :(

Share this post


Link to post

Heretic and Hexen, despite being part of the same game series aren't really all that comparable.

Heretic's strengths lies in it's game play. Lots of versatility. But the monster fauna is a little bit lacking in places. Would really have benefited from at least having an Arch Vile type monster you could throw into the mix. But still very fun and agressive game play with a lot of possibilities for creativity.

Hexen's strenghts lies in it's character. I wouldn't say the atmosphere is better than in Heretic. It's different for sure. But neither is necessarily better than the other. I'd say the execution of Hexen leaves a lot to be desired. The artifacts and weapons together got possibilities. But I would've enjoyed seeing more character specific traits like different artifacts having different effects depending on who you play as. As it stands now, it's only the flechettes that do this.

The weapons in Hexen are generally quite enjoyable. Though they could've benefitted from being a bit better balanced. Like the fist from the fighter is mostly useless after you get the axe. And after you get the hammer, it is useless. The sapphire wand of the mage is overpowered rendering the frost shards, basically useless. Also, the monster fauna of Hexen is even more limited than that in Heretic.

But Hexen's greatness is that you get to feel like a powerful magical being. Even if it is mostly for the more agressive artifacts, compared to Heretic. Would've been nice to see a time limited Wings of Wrath and a tome of power artifact in Hexen as well.

Share this post


Link to post

I played Hexen on n64, and it quickly became one of my favorite games for numerous reasons. I never played Heretic, although I've been meaning to.

The frost shards aren't nearly as useless as they're made out to be. they have an alternate 'frost touch' melee attack if you get close to an enemy which does significantly more damage. that's enough to make it a viable weapon for me.

also, it actually is possible to switch character classes in the middle of a game by exploiting a glitch.

Share this post


Link to post

Episode 1 of Doom is easily my favourite of all the official "classic" Doom levels and I feel that there is a strong kinship between it and Episode 1 of Heretic. For that reason alone I would recommend Heretic. It is like they share the same level designers, among other things. The other episodes of their respective games don't come close to their quality. I also find that the atmospheric sounds and the Disciple of D'Sparil's whispers are just that little bit scarier (which is a good thing).

I find Hexen to be too puzzle-based for my liking. Even though I like the hub system (I'm a big fan of Quake II and Hexen II and consider them to be the best games in their respective series), I find that I am running backwards and forwards too often looking for switches. I also don't like the limited selection of weapons. Even though the weapons for Heretic are mostly based on the Doom weapons, that is acceptable because the Doom weapons are well designed. I also feel that Heretic looks better (cleaner) than Hexen.

By the way, I wish there were a lot more levels and mods for Heretic.

Share this post


Link to post

I disagree with the assessment that Heretic is a "doom TC" like others have said. Having played the everloving stuff out of both Heretic and Doom growing up, they felt very different to me; you have to keep in mind that judging it as a Doom TC by now's standards is unfair - mouselook, flying, items (and the magic book that powers up your weapons - that was pretty mindblowing to me at the time), hell even the sheer nature of the enemies and the way the weapons work. It would have been fairly revolutionary for the modding community to come up with all of that out of Doom alone.

Compare it by the standards of its time and it was way, way more than a Doom TC. I guess my tastes haven't aged or spoiled or what have you because it still feels immensely different to me.

Hexen on the other hand was this mystical game to me because I was so terrible at puzzle solving. I guess the constant nonstop action of Heretic (that, it definitely shares with DooM) appeals to me more, but nothing beats Hexen for atmosphere.

Share this post


Link to post

Heretic didn't feel like a Doom TC at the time for me either but I felt that it did all the things that made Doom great, especially in Episode 1 and that it was like a sister game.

Share this post


Link to post

I have only played Hexen for N64. Now have it for PC, but its a great game. Very strange tho, cant really say why but its a game that sucks you in.

I have never played heretic, cant really compare but from the videos online and stills....Im sticking with Hexen.

Oh and the music for Hexen is E P I C !!!!!!

Share this post


Link to post

I prefer Hexen, but seeing as Heretic leads on to Hexen I do recommend Heretic first :)
Both good games, I seem to prefer the weapons in Hexen more. Such as that awesome ghost weapon (whats its name?) in Hexen, OMG! Whole screen flashes white, it feels even more power than the BFG when it does that haha.

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×