Since its PC inception, Hexen has gotten a bad rap: It's just not "as good" as its big brother, Doom.
Its latest incarnation (this time on the Nintendo 64) proves that while in one way it doesn't deserve that rap, in another, it deserves it as much as ever.
Yep, it's true, I have decidedly mixed feelings about this game.
For those of you unfamiliar with Hexen, it's an RPG-themed take on the first-person shooter.
In fact, it's a sequel to a similar title called Heretic (a game known best for carrying the dubious title of "the first Doom clone")
and both are based on the Doom engine, though they're happily altered slightly so that you can jump.
Instead of playing as the perpetually furious marine, you are given the choice of three different character classes: warrior, cleric, or mage.
Each class plays a little differently, with the warrior being stronger, faster, and lacking in magical attacks; the mage is weaker, though he has far-ranging magical attacks that allow him to keep his distance from enemies; and the cleric is a mix of the two.
Artifacts have different effects for different characters as well. For example, the flechette item acts like a grenade for a warrior, a bomb for a mage, and, best yet, a poison gas cloud for the cleric, which can be used to take out multiple enemies if placed correctly.
