“Back when I was a Windows gamer, I heard a lot of hoopla about
Heretic II. Mostly, people were talking about the fantastic special
effects and the unique third person perspective that Raven had
adopted. After about two months, I even bought a used copy for $15
at my local software store and happily took it home to try out for
myself. Once playing, though, it didn’t impress me as much as I had
been hoping for and I gave up and went back to playing through
Grand Theft Auto.”
“Instead of the usual weaponry and armor found in a shooter,
Corvus has at his disposal offensive spells, defensive spells,
staves, rods, and magical armor. Mana, the fuel used to power
spells, comes in two flavors: blue is for defensive spells and
green is for offensive spells. Mana is found hiding around the
levels and on the bodies of some enemies; it can also be
replenished at special totems called Seraph Shrines. (The Shrines
also provide other bonuses, like armor and the ability to stay
underwater longer.)”
“With its heavily tweaked graphics engine and strong networking
support, Heretic II had the potential to be a great Linux game.
And, for the most part, Loki has done what they can to make this
game a success in the Linux market. However, the game’s potential
has been hurt, in my view, by two factors. First, most online
gamers that ever played Heretic II have moved on to other games.
And, to a lesser extent, a few painful bugs plagued an initial
release which has only recently seen a patch. If you have
gotten your fill of other shooters then perhaps considering Heretic
II for a diversion is an option, especially if you want to try out
a different system of combat or would like a single player Linux
shooter with more story than Quake II.”