HEXEN (BEYOND HERETIC) used the DOOM engine to make a fantasy DOOM with emphasis on "puzzles", although these puzzles were rather primitive switch hunts that required finding a) the switch and b) what the switch did on another level. It introduced the hub system, an inventory and 3 playable classes which added depth to the DOOM gameplay, but otherwise played like a slowly progressing DOOM game due to the engine restrictions. HEXEN II used the QUAKE engine which allowed for better graphics (amazing at the time it came out) and a lot more complex puzzles. And yes, these are REAL puzzles this time around. HEXEN II can be frustrating, as it does not hold your hand at all. If it's your first time playing expect to get stuck, expect to backtrack and don't expect much in form of clues. Once you solve your first puzzle and make it into the first boss's lair and defeat him you will feel like you have earned that victory. My only gripe with HEXEN II is that many puzzles require completely demolishing the environment - tables, chairs, everything - to find a hidden button or item required to progress. That is a rather poor design choice. Otherwise, the worlds are well designed, each world having a distinctive style. HEXEN II is hard, enemies hit like Mack trucks and there's the puzzles. Unfortunately the addon "PORTAL OF PRAEVUS" is not available on GOG (yet?).
DEATHKINGS OF THE DARK CITADEL (DKDC) is a worthy addon for HEXEN, one of my top 3 games of the 1990s. It bumps up the difficulty tremendously, and the constantly respawning enemies can get annoying if you get stuck looking for switches and newly opened pathways. If you did not enjoy HEXEN BEYOND HERETIC you will not enjoy the expansion either. It has the same hub world system with switch/lever "puzzles" that effect other levels and requires you to revisit previous areas to look for new openings. Progression is rather slow due to these "puzzles". If you are looking for a fantasy based DOOM that is not so heavy on the "puzzles", get HERETIC instead.
I got HEXEN when it came out because my parents would not let me have DOOM (HEXEN and WITCHAVEN were fine though!) HEXEN adds a hub system to the DOOM-like gameplay, I wouldn't call them "puzzles" as they just involve hitting switches that open passages in other levels. Most of the time you'll be looking for switches and then looking for what they did. It can be frustrating at times and progression in this game is slow rather than the quick shoot 'n run of DOOM. HEXEN II has actual puzzles, and an actual leveling system, HEXEN I is rather limited in that respect, too. You pick between two classes, a melee oriented fighter, a ranged mage and a crossbread cleric. Ranged weapons use "mana" this game's version of ammo that comes in two colors and a dual version. It's simplistic compared to HEXEN II and is limited to 4 weapons per character (the forth must first be assembled of 3 pieces found throughout the game, Happy Easter!) but that is the charm. This is one of my all time favorite games and it finally has arrived at GOG (where's HERETIC II???) I always loved Raven Software's art design and HEXEN is one of the best looking games of its time with serious gothic dark fantasy vibes. It also is a quite difficult game, enemies pack a punch and take quite a beating, there's the switch hunt and then there's platforming (ugh, my least favorite part of the game) as well as maneuvering icy surfaces while timing jumps (oh jolly!). If you prefer a dark fantasy setting and don't mind slower progression HEXEN BEYOND HERETIC is definitely worth it. If you prefer less of the switch hunting and more of a DOOM paced game stick with HERETIC which does not have the hub system.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a GOOD open world game with a great game world and stunning visuals. It however does not live up to the hype - not even close. Compared to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt this even is a step BACK. THE GOOD: - Cyberpunk looks great. Visuals are state of the art - the open world design and world building is good. Night City is beautiful and feels like a real cyberpunk place and you definitely get some Blade Runner vibes - characters in Cyberpunk are good. I liked my sidekick Jackie. The female voice actor of V did a great job. THE BAD: - The leveling system kinda feels gimmicky and tacked on. Shooting enemies (who are bullet sponges) has damage numbers popping up like in Far Cry New Dawn. - controls! They are sluggish at times. Try to take cover and pop out of cover during a gunfight, it wasn't very responsive: I pressed C multiple times for V to take cover, she ducked after the 3rd time. Popping out after pressing twice. - CAR DRIVING IS ATROCIOUS! It never feels like driving a car. Turning feels like steering a tank and taking curves always results in bumping into things. This is easily the worst apect of the game. - shooting is as basic as it gets with bullet sponges - the story is nowhere near as captivating as The Witcher 3's BOTTOM LINE: A better open world game than anything Bethesda or Ubisoft have produced for sure but unfortunately a huge step BACK from the Witcher 3. When I first played The Witcher 3 I was in awe and couldn't get off my computer. Playing Cyberpunk 2077 is like "hmm, nice... OK time to do something else now..." There is nothing "groundbreaking" and no "next generation gaming" here. There are no new game mechanics - we've seen it all before, some things better, others not - the only amazing thing is the cyberpunk setting that sets it apart from other first person action RPGs. GOOD, NOT GREAT AND DEFINITELY NO MASTERPIECE.
I love Warhammer 40k, and this, next to the superb Warhammer 40k Space Marine is an outstanding shooter game. I can only speak for the Enhanced Edition however, and I did not experience any framerate drops or major bugs. The atmosphere and the look of the game is superb and I love the idea of having space ships being huge cathedrals in space with the Gothic architecture complete with stained glass windows. Unlike DOOM, you really feel like a Space Marine in power armor and not like a ballerina in a tutu like Doom Guy. Space Marines are bulky and slow and luckily there is no bs platforming or even jumping (DOOM: learn from this, NO jumping in a shooter!!!). I'll pick SPACE HULK DEATHWING over any DOOM game any time. It nails the atmosphere, I love the weapons and the enemies as well as the level design.
PROS: + dark fantasy vibe before they went with the comical art style in WARCRAFT 2 + good voice acting CONS: - VGA graphics - controls. Only four units can be selected at once - solo missions - resource harvesting tedious BOTTOM LINE: I'm not really into RTS games but I did like WARCRAFT (1). WARCRAFT 1 was going for a more dark fantasy vibe which was undermined with the comical art style of its sequels. Here you only need to worry about harvesting gold and wood, WARCRAFT 2 added oil and naval/air combat, which blows it out of proportion. Sometimes less is indeed more...
PROS: + superb campaign setting meshes MAD MAX's post-apocalypse and Ancient Rome + turn based combat system is good for its time + story and setting (DARK SUN 1), you start as a gladiator! + prison break included (DARK SUN 1) + extensive beastionary + a spellcaster's paradise: mage spells, cleric spells, druid spells AND psionic spellls CONS: - graphics of DARK SUN 2 are actually much worse than in DARK SUN 1. In both parts deciphering distance in combat can be difficult due to the engine limitations. - sound. it's minimalist and rather poor (a product of its time). DARK SUN 2 feature a little voice acting, but not all dialogue is voiced. BOTTOM LINE: Like I said before, this is the best SSI (Advanced) Dungeons & Dragons game. It was reminicent of their earlier work (Gold Box Series) bringing back the tactical turn-based combat rather than the point & click pseudo-3D gaming of the BEHOLDER and RAVENLOFT series. The engine had its limitations. graphically and sound-wise this is not a looker (or listener). But the setting is superb and captivating. I had the fortune of playing through both games in the 1990s and replaying them here brought back memoried. Oh, the 90s...
PROS: + graphics and art style are superb + narrator nails it + bleeds atmosphere + game mechanics are complex and innovative, especially sanity & resolve are just as important as hit points + upgrade your "heroes" and hamlet + your heroes are pawns. The hamlet is the real "hero" CONS: - often times unfair. Bad dice rolls can be frustrating - simplistic 2D dungeon-crawling - heroes only can level up twice (to level 3) BOTTOM LINE: DARKEST DUNGEON is hard and not for people who are easily frustrated. It lives up to the moniker "rogue-like": it's brutal but the risk-reward balance is very good and victory is sweet. The DLCs "THE COLOR OF MADNESS" (H.P. Lovecraft inspired) and "THE CRIMSON COURT" (Bram Stoker's Dracula inspired) are definitely worth getting, but avoid the poorly balanced DLC classes.
PROS: + content: typical for Bethesda the game world is HUGE + does not hold your hand: before OBLIVION and even worse SKYRIM introduced quest markers and button prompts MORROWIND had none of that. Read you journal and figure out what to do and how to get there. Good luck millennials... + Freedom: no invincible NPCs. Kill to your dark heart's desire. CONS: - graphics are low polygon and look terrible, no matter how many mods you apply - controls are horrendous and overly complicated - combat relies on dice rolls. You can swing at enemies and your hits connect graphically but the dice say nay and you die in 3 hits because the enemy has loaded dice. Sucks to be you. - game world. Did not care for it. huge mushrooms and weird creatures are a bit too whacky - level scaling. Expect to invest heavily in endurance to maximize health or you will go down. Enemies seem to power-level up BOTTOM LINE: Old school if you like it and can overlook the short comings. I couldn't get into the graphics and controls and some design choices are really questionable. Pick up at a sale for $10 max.
PROS: + best looking ARPG so far (yes better than WOLCEN!) + nails Gothic art style and atmosphere + skill system well balanced without being overkill (as in PATH OF EXILE) + class skills and combat are fun + pacing is superb CONS: - voice acting is atrocious - randomly generated labyrinths - extremely repetitve (each act only has 2 dungeon tiles and sends you into the same dungeon 5 times per act). lacks variety - only a handful of monster types which just get slightly reskinned in later acts - Hub world maneuvering tedious - story is rather bland and lacks innovation (good vs evil cultists) - suffers from "ARPG Syndrome" (repetition) slightly more than other games of the genre BOTTOM LINE: Buy at a discount (at least 50%). If you haven't played GRIM DAWN yet buy that one instead (it's much better). I like WARHAMMER CHAOSBANE but only in small dosages with long breaks inbetween for the lack of enemy and environmental variety.
