Hexen is what happens when you combine Doom and Diablo. You get access to three different classes: the durable and fast Fighter, the powerful ranged mage, and the well-balanced Cleric. Each class gets access to four different weapons and has distinct strengths and weaknesses, they all go through the game almost completely differently which really helps replay value. The combat is as satisfying as Doom’s and having four weapons does not dampen strategy, the monsters in the game are also memorable and varied. You and up to two friends can play as each of the classes and it is a blast, though a warning that the multiplayer is a bit hard to efficiently set up nowadays. Alongside the classes, the biggest difference from regular Doom is that the levels are bigger and connected. There are five hub worlds which each have their own set of smaller worlds you will have to explore and activate switches to open new areas and eventually open the way to the next hub, most likely fighting a boss before you get there. The exploration is satisfying and the levels themselves look and play great with varied battles, the big problem though is some of the levels get way WAY too maze-like and sometimes a change happens that is so subtle you end up wandering around wondering what the heck changed for several minutes. This is definitely Hexen’s biggest flaw, it doesn't help its most confusing levels are in just the second hub. Hexen can be very frustrating with its maps, but I find it is worth going through the sometimes rough backtracking. This is certainly a game that shines more on subsequent playthroughs once you get a lay of the land. Also like Doom, It has a good modding community, the best mod is probably “Wrath of Cronos” which adds three more classes, more weapons, more monsters, and even skill trees. Hexen is fun enough without this mod, but if you want the game to be even more like an RPG I highly recommend giving the mod a try.
Though I do not own the GOG release, I do own the original PC release so I think this should suffice. Diablo was one of the first RPGs of it's kind I ever played and I had a huge amount of fun with it, today it is still a good time to come back to. Though it is very important to remember: this game has not aged anywhere near as gracefully as it's successor Diablo II! In many ways it is identical to Diablo II, though the the gameplay is much MUCH more clunky. Now eventually you do get used to the awkwardness of the controls and UI and things really start to pick up and get fun after the first 30 or so minutes, but even then this is not a terribly polished game and most of dungeons really start to blur together, lacking the creativity of later dungeons. Furthermore the world building of later games is almost completely absent so don't go expecting a good story... Especially the ending, without giving away spoilers it is abrupt and unsatisfying. If you loved Diablo 2 and/or 3, be sure to manage your expectations with this one. Diablo is certainly a landmark game, but the years have not been kind to it. I cannot recommend it over either of it's successors, but it is still a fun game that is great to return to if you have nostalgia for it or you want to play yourself the birth of the Diablo franchise.
Its like I say above, this game has a bit of everything that made old SHMUPs a nightmare to play... It delves far too much into bullet hell territory, bosses drag on for far too long, and of course: you lose all your weapons when you die. The game has good controls, charming graphics, good music, and a really cool theme, but sadly these good points cannot compensate for how nightmarish and unpolished the gameplay is. I can only recommend this game to people who can tolerate the failings of old SHMUP games, otherwise stay away from this. Now the interesting thing is this game actually got a remake. Ever see a generic looking game called The Monkey King: The Legend Begins in the Wii section of used game stores? That is a remake of this game! Despite what the generic box art says, the game actually has a very well drawn and adorable graphical style. It also makes the gameplay actually bearable and fun. It probably makes the game TOO easy and it has some tacked on motion controls, but I think I'd rather play a game that is too easy than one that is too hard.
Escape from Monkey Island is very much the King's Quest 7 of Monkey Island: people were very negative towards it at launch but defenders arouse quickly later on. Today the fan base is pretty evenly divided between people who like it and people who hate it. I am very much in the former camp. Escape from Monkey Island has a bit of everything that made the games before it great: the puzzle design is good and tough without being too unreasonable (most of the time), the story is as silly as usual and has some good twists along the way, and the humor is still excellent. I daresay this is the game where Guybrush is at his funniest, with a great mixture of his childishness and snakiness. The clunky 3D graphics are also oddly charming, much like Grim Fandango. However, it seems like all the flaws of the previous Monkey Island games have come along for the ride as well! When a puzzle isn't fun it is nastily obtuse, the game often isn't good at telling you what you have to do next, some of the humor relies too much on references, and the Minigame-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named is a farcry from the Insult Swordfighting from the previous game. Some of the voice acting also surprisingly subpar and even some cutscenes fall flat due to the limited animation. All that said though, In the end I think the game's numerous fun moments outweighs the various bad moments. Also this game may very well have the best soundtrack in all the series. Also of note is that the game got a PS2 release that is actually very solid! If you ever see it at a trading store at reasonable price, I would recommend picking it up. The game actually seems to control better with a Playstation controller then what you are given with the PC release. Is Escape From Monkey Island the worst Monkey Island game? Yes. However, saying it is the worst Monkey Island game is like saying one amazing meal made by a master chef isn't as good as his other delicious meals: it is the worst of the bunch, but it's still well-made and delicious
