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by Elliott Chin
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Developer:
Raven
Publisher:
Activision
Target Release Date:
Fall '98
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Among first-person shooters, the Heretic line is as famous as they come. While dozens of clones were copying Doom with bigger guns and enemies, Raven Software took its own first-person game into a whole new direction: fantasy. In the place of guns, you had spells and staves. Instead of gunning for cyberdemons, you tackled fantasy beasts who hurled spells at you and hacked back with their own swords. Today, while many companies are trying to one-up Quake II with bigger and better first-person shooters, Raven is again trying something new for its own breed of shooter. Its angle this time? A third-person perspective.
The next fantasy shooter from Raven Software is Heretic II, where we duel diseased zombies and massive gorgons to save a land of elves. |
But wait, you say. Tomb Raider's already got a third-person perspective. What could Heretic II possibly offer that's any different from Lara Croft's adventures? Well, in this case, Heretic II really will take the best of first-person shooters and third-person action-adventures to create a game that's better than the sum of its parts. Raven wants to create a game that's as intense and well paced as Quake, but offer a third-person perspective to really show off the game's fantastic art and character. So, while the view might be akin to Tomb Raider, the gameplay is more in line with the game's Heretic lineage.
Will Heretic II be able to combine the best of Hexen and Tomb Raider? We'll see. |
And as to why it's called Heretic II instead of Hexen III? Steve Stringer, the producer for Heretic II, has this to say, "I'll use the analogy of the Star Trek universe. There is one, umbrella universe, but there can be many stories taking place simultaneously within that framework. Heretic and Hexen are similar in that they take place in the same universe but are actually separate stories."
So let's take a look at just what this game is really all about.
Next: The New Perspective
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