Hexen
Reviewed by Scott McCall
One might wonder why there's an N64 port of a two-year-old PC
game with hardly any improvements. Quite honestly, Hexen would
be "doomed" on the Nintendo 64 if it weren't for one thing:
multi-player action.
As a one-player game, Hexen doesn't really hold a candle to Doom
64 or Turok. True, the game is more perplexing and difficult,
but the sub-par graphics and sloppy control hinder your enjoyment.
But as soon as you start to add more players, Hexen becomes one
of the most rewarding multi-player games in some time.
Anywhere from two to four players can participate in the
cooperative or deathmatch modes. The two-player co-op mode
is one of the best ever seen. One player can flip a switch while
the other can find out what it does. Playing the co-op mode with
three or four players is not that fun, though. The extremely
limited view makes it difficult to navigate the levels with all
the action that is going on. However, the tables are turned in
the deathmatch mode. While the two-player deathmatch can be
boring, put three or four players into the deathmatch mode and
you'll have a blast. Despite what others may say, the quad screen
and speed are not bad at all once you get used to them. My personal
favorite level for deathmatch is level 27 because it's quite bright.
Graphically, Hexen is quite unimpressive by N64 standards.
Nevertheless, the game still looks quite a bit better than the PC
version thanks to its filtered graphics. Oddly enough, though, the
one-player mode features a less than perfect frame rate. After
the super-smooth Doom 64, it just doesn't compare. Also, although
you can see quite far in the one-player mode, the horizon becomes
limited in the two-player mode and even more limited in the
three- and four-player modes. Aurally, Hexen is quite a bit better
than the PC version. The music is more ambient, but it doesn't
go overboard like Doom 64. The sound effects are sufficient, and
there are even a few voice samples in the game.
As for the gameplay and control, I won't waste much time here.
Hexen's gameplay can best be likened to Doom, except it has a
lot more emphasis on huge puzzles -- finding items in one level
to use in another level and pulling switches. Unfortunately, you
can only choose two control methods in the game: Control Stick
or Control Pad. However, the Control Stick method, which is
what most will choose, is sufficient. There are two problems
with the control, though: if you choose the Control Stick method,
you have to fly with the Control Pad and the Control Stick itself
just isn't as slick as in Doom 64.
Overall, Hexen can be commended for providing the first
same-screen deathmatch on the Nintendo 64. As a one-player
game, Hexen is most certainly not worth a purchase for 95% of the
people out there. But as a multi-player game, you'll definitely
want to give this game a look. It should provide you with hours
and hours of fun -- that is, until GoldenEye and its multi-player
mode arrive.
Graphics: 2.4 out of 5
Sound: 3.2 out of 5
Control: 3.4 out of 5
Gameplay: 3.9 out of 5
Lastability: 4.0 out of 5
Overall: 3.6 out of 5