9 hours ago
Nightdive did it again, and released a very well done collection of Heretic and Hexen, plus their expansions. They've also added two new episodes, one for each game.
The music, as with Doom + Doom 2, has been fully remastered as well as having SC-55 recordings available for the authentic experience. It even has an FM synthesis option. These games, much like Quake 2, are notable for not being quite as well regarded as their predecessors and having a number of common complaints. As a result, maps, weapon behavior, and enemy AI have all been tweaked to address the most glaring complaints aimed at the games. There are options when starting a new game or using level select to turn these adjustments off if one prefers to go in with the authentic experience, but frankly I personally recommend keeping all of them on, just like with Nightdive's Quake 2 remaster adjustments.
Notably, the PS1 version of Hexen's FMVs have been included as well. I'm not sure if they did an AI upscale or if they did what they did for Quake 2 and completely rebuilt and rerendered the cutscenes from scratch, but based on some of the visuals I see when looking at youtube compilations of the PS1 version, I suspect it's the latter. Either way, the addition is much appreciated.
Much like Doom + Doom 2, they've added in a gallery of development content to peruse. They also have full multiplayer options, including split screen, LAN, and their online servers. Cheat codes are handled in a similar way. You can permanently "unlock" the cheats in a menu if you remember the old codes, or just flip a switch to toggle all the cheats in the menu as available. It depends on what you'd rather do. Some of the cheats no longer work (namely debugging related ones), and some have had their activation codes altered likely for copyright reasons (Rambo got changed to GunsGunsGuns for example, and ponce (which is apparently a slur in some countries) to HealThySelf). In most cases, you can use either the heretic or hexen version of the code as they both are fully functional. The level skip code won't unlock anything because there's now simply a level select menu, but the code can still just be input in-game as before.
The full suite of gameplay and graphics options from Nightdive's previous efforts are available, for all kinds of enhancements or purist interpretations.
Heretic and Hexen are notable for implementing vertical aiming. While it doesn't grant a full 180 degrees of vertical aim, it provides enough to do the job without completely distorting what's being rendered due to the 2.5D nature of the game engine. It was originally keyboard bound, but this version assigns it to the mouse as with most games since Quake. To aid in aiming, it also adds in an aiming reticule, but these older games tend to be a lot more forgiving when it comes to aim, so auto targeting should help especially with the vertical axis. No, port additions like "jumping" aren't present here, as it breaks level design, even with the tweaks this version brings.
All in all, it comes recommended, even if there's clearly still a little work to do as with all Nightdive ports. I should add that if you own either Heretic or Hexen on either Steam or GOG, you already own this. Nightdive and Id have been very good about making sure not to double-dip their customer base. Also, if you still want access to the DOS originals, they are still fully available. If you bought them before, you can still redownload them, and if you buy the new remaster, you get access to the old versions too.
The music, as with Doom + Doom 2, has been fully remastered as well as having SC-55 recordings available for the authentic experience. It even has an FM synthesis option. These games, much like Quake 2, are notable for not being quite as well regarded as their predecessors and having a number of common complaints. As a result, maps, weapon behavior, and enemy AI have all been tweaked to address the most glaring complaints aimed at the games. There are options when starting a new game or using level select to turn these adjustments off if one prefers to go in with the authentic experience, but frankly I personally recommend keeping all of them on, just like with Nightdive's Quake 2 remaster adjustments.
Notably, the PS1 version of Hexen's FMVs have been included as well. I'm not sure if they did an AI upscale or if they did what they did for Quake 2 and completely rebuilt and rerendered the cutscenes from scratch, but based on some of the visuals I see when looking at youtube compilations of the PS1 version, I suspect it's the latter. Either way, the addition is much appreciated.
Much like Doom + Doom 2, they've added in a gallery of development content to peruse. They also have full multiplayer options, including split screen, LAN, and their online servers. Cheat codes are handled in a similar way. You can permanently "unlock" the cheats in a menu if you remember the old codes, or just flip a switch to toggle all the cheats in the menu as available. It depends on what you'd rather do. Some of the cheats no longer work (namely debugging related ones), and some have had their activation codes altered likely for copyright reasons (Rambo got changed to GunsGunsGuns for example, and ponce (which is apparently a slur in some countries) to HealThySelf). In most cases, you can use either the heretic or hexen version of the code as they both are fully functional. The level skip code won't unlock anything because there's now simply a level select menu, but the code can still just be input in-game as before.
The full suite of gameplay and graphics options from Nightdive's previous efforts are available, for all kinds of enhancements or purist interpretations.
Heretic and Hexen are notable for implementing vertical aiming. While it doesn't grant a full 180 degrees of vertical aim, it provides enough to do the job without completely distorting what's being rendered due to the 2.5D nature of the game engine. It was originally keyboard bound, but this version assigns it to the mouse as with most games since Quake. To aid in aiming, it also adds in an aiming reticule, but these older games tend to be a lot more forgiving when it comes to aim, so auto targeting should help especially with the vertical axis. No, port additions like "jumping" aren't present here, as it breaks level design, even with the tweaks this version brings.
All in all, it comes recommended, even if there's clearly still a little work to do as with all Nightdive ports. I should add that if you own either Heretic or Hexen on either Steam or GOG, you already own this. Nightdive and Id have been very good about making sure not to double-dip their customer base. Also, if you still want access to the DOS originals, they are still fully available. If you bought them before, you can still redownload them, and if you buy the new remaster, you get access to the old versions too.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)