(Games) - Hellraid - The Return of Heretic/Fantasy Shooters?

Everyone has a game that they really loved in their gaming past (I mean really REALLY loved), and for me one game really stands out in my PC gaming memories, and that is Raven Software's Heretic. Heretic was just a perfect game in it's day, it had the atmosphere, it had incredible game music by Kevin Schilder, it had great combat fueled by the Doom engine, and the multiplayer was a riot. The games that came after were fun, Hexen, Heretic 2, and Hexen 2, but none of them really had the magic (pun intended) of the original.

Games that were similar in style to Heretic that came later were Witchhaven and Witchhaven 2, Dark Messiah, and even Quake somewhat with its Lovecraft meets fantasy atmosphere. I enjoyed all of those, but nothing really grabbed me like the original Heretic. Heretic was by some just a Doom clone in a fantasy setting, and I would agree to that, but that is why I loved it. Hexen was good but it has less weapons though it had classes, Heretic 2 was in third person and was a blast multiplayer wise (Who could forget the super Chicken?) but it wasn't really like the original game, and Hexen 2 was fun but was again more like Hexen, and didn't have the same feeling or intensity of the original. (UPDATE: I had forgotten about a great game from Starbreeze called Enclave, which was one of my favorite original Xbox games. Still not as fast paced as heretic, but a great fantasy First person shooter and released in 2002. You can buy it on GOG.com for PC)

Heretic came out in 1994 and there hasn't been a great intense fantasy FPS game (that I know if) since Hexen 2 came out in 1997. Dark Messiah of might and magic came out in 2006 but I wouldn't really compare it to Heretic, it was a bit more like Hexen, as it was not as action heavy but still a very good game.

Today I read about a new game from Techland called Hellraid and I could not be more excited about it..
It looks to be the game I have been waiting for, a fantasy First person shooter/ action title, heavy on the action but with role playing elements. This is literally a dream come true for me, I have been waiting for this game a long time!

                                                       You can watch the trailer below

You can read about the game at Eurogamer here, VG247 Here, and check out a Q&A at Worthplaying here

I also recommend checking out Kevin Schilder's website here and if you just listen to one of his tracks, please check out the opening theme to Heretic, still one of my favorite gaming themes of all time.

Kevin's music has been an influence on my own compositions. When he wrote this it was midi file and only as good as your equipment, most had the crappy FM soundblaster and it wasn't till soundcards like the Gravis Ultrasound and Awe32 that you heard what was really intended. There was the Adlib of course, but
it only did music, not audio, and most people I knew didn't have it.

They have created some marvelous texture mods with the Heretic games, the video above shows the hi res models and textures for Heretic's Sequel, Hexen.

Bethesda's Dishonored - new Walkthrough videos

Bethesda released two new walk-through videos for Arkane's Dishonored. If you missed the original gameplay video you can watch it here 
VG247 has a write up on it here

This game looks amazing and each video they release increases my anticipation for it's release date.  I'm a big fan of stealth games, Dishonored has that but allows you to play aggressively if that is what you wish. This is going to be one of those games you will want to replay to make different choices, I love that :)

The first video - takes the slow and stealthy approach.



The second video - takes the aggressive approach

(Gaming) Best of E3 - Glimpses of Next Gen

There are three glimpses of next gen gaming at E3 this year, with a fourth coming Thursday with Epic's reveal of what the Unreal Engine 4 can do. Any graphic or technology geek will appreciate these two games.

1). Ubisoft's Watch Dog's - Many gamers love the idea of an open world video game where it feels like a real life modern city. The Grand Theft Auto, Mafia, and Saint's Row series of games have increasingly improved on this, but Ubisoft's new title Watch Dogs just blows everything else out of the water. This is run on a high end PC, and I would love to know the specs, as I don't know if my machine could run it. The open world visibility, effects, textures, amount of characters on the screen, and animation is on a completely new level. This is a game that would make gamers buy a new Next gen console, this game would be a killer app. The only question is if MS and Sony will make a good enough console to run it, or will we be forced to upgrade or buy new PC's to play this amazing game.

2). Star Wars 1313 - I had heard rumblings regarding a new "mature" Star wars title but I was blown away when I watch the demo shown on Gametrailers. This is truly next gen, I only hope the next consoles can actually play something with this much detail.

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Star Wars 1313 - E3 2012: All Access Debut Interview HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

3). Square Enix's next gen engine demo - We are getting to the point where they will be able to release the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within as a real time game or movie demo. This engine is very impressive.

Bethesda's Dishonored - new gameplay trailer

I have been following this game, eagerly awaiting some real gameplay video, and Bethesda and Arkane haven't disappointed. I am now very excited for this title.