Heretic

The Good
Raven introduced here some interesting gizmos to the game - you can look up and down and fly. There's also an inventory, so you can carry with you some magical items, for example:

• quartz flasks, which heal you
• tomes of power, which make weapons work in a different way
• morph ovums, which turn your enemies into chickens (and you, if you're not careful)
• and torches, rings of invulnerability, and more.

Unlike Doom, Heretic has more detailed plot, however in the end it comes to "one-against-everybody" scheme. This time you will massacre monsters in caves, medieval castles and underwater fortress. They are varied - you'll encounter golems, wizards, gargoyles, ophidians (half snake, half human) and undead knights.

Music is brilliant (however not so brilliant as in Hexen), it's scary and gripping. My personal favourites are tracks from E1M4 and E2M4. Map design and graphics are as good as those from Doom.

The Bad
It's sometimes too similar to Doom - most of weapons are just repainted Doom weapons, and gameplay is almost unchanged - you run through rooms fulfilled with monsters and from time to time you search for keys. Also, multiplayer is the same as in Doom - only cooperative and deathmatch are present here.

The Bottom Line
Most of people look upon Heretic as modification of Doom. However, it won't hurt to play. Today you can download a source port which can add 3D models and hi-res textures, so the game will be much more enjoyable.

The Good
Its Doom in a fantasy universe!! This is the first of the so-called "Doom Clones" I've played that I thought came very close to mimmicking Doom's feel when it comes to running around slaughtering hordes of monsters. I guess that given the engine this shouldn't be surprising. I thought the inventory and the ability to look up and down and to fly added a LOT to the genre. Some of the powerups like the Morph Ovum (a.k.a. the Chikennator) were very inventive. The Tome of Power, being much more than a simple damage amplifier, effectively DOUBLES the number of weapons!

The level design was also a step up from most FPS's of the time. Where other games would send you into military base after military base after prison after millitary base, Heretic had castles, cathedrals, towns, and caves. The music is pretty good, by MIDI standards, and provides the perfect mood for the game.

I personally really liked the graphics. I think the complaints some people have in this area stem from the fact that the Doom engine wasn't made specifically for large open spaces, and Heretic has a lot more of these the Doom.

The Bad
This was before mouse-look, so in order too look up and down you had to use the keyboard. The un-powered weapons bear an uncanny resemblence, in use if not in look, to Doom's arsenal. Eventually the game becomes repetitive, especially by the fourth and fifth episode where no new monsters, weapons, or items are introduced.

The Bottom Line
If you like Doom, you'll like Heretic. If you like Doom and are a fantasy buff, you owe it to yourself to get this game.

The Good
This game may just be another 1st person action game, but it has themes and level designs that are rarely found. Heretic focuses on the destruction of D'Sparil, and the monsters that bar your way are highly original. Unlike most games, once you encounter D'Sparil, he is actually one of the smallest of the enemies, making him a hard target to kill. The most likable part of this game is the levels in which you play, which are labyrinthine and are hard to navigate as you need to complete certain tasks in a specific order to make gates open, etc. Makes for a long game play, if you are interested in finding all the secret areas.

The Bad
For its time, it may have broken barriers with its graphics, but it is slightly outdated now. The pixelations may annoy you if you play this for too long. The default gamma/brightness settings may be a bit strainful for some people's eyes, but there are ways of adjusting this. One good way of over coming this is spawning the Torch for yourself: type G I M M E F 9

The Bottom Line
Only if you have a lot of time to spare. It is slightly pointless if you can't be bothered to find out all the secret areas - as the game plan is to rid your homeworld of all the minions of D'Sparil. You will have a good laugh at some of the weapons you use. Think about what the fourth weapon (your hand and the Dragon Claw) actually looks like. PS - don't stand too close to the enemies if you are going to use the Phoenix Rod, as its potency rebounds on you and damages you own health.