Is It Really That Bad? – Hexen 64

Posted by derekalexander on Thursday, May 10, 2012 · 51 Comments

Derek and special guest Eric Lappe aka LET’S GET!! take a look at this first generation N64 shooter. Bad port? Bad game? Or “awful awful awful” game?

http://twitter.com/xaer0knight Jason Hicks

i thought Hexen was fun on the PC.. it offered some depth that most FPS did have. I was also a D&D and Magic:tg player. so finally a Fantasy FPS came out

camseyeview

do you mean just for the PC Jason? because there was Kings Field for playstation and i think PC, but dont quote me on the PC part.

Ben1842

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Field_%28series%29#Microsoft_Windows

camseyeview

those two headed demon guys look like these monsters you fight in Kingdoms of Amalur that almost look like those guys.
http://nerdcast.net/ Jurgen

I think that this game is really that bad. Hexen 64 was my first N64 game and I bought it because it had a 4 player co op so I thought that it might be like Contra and Doom mixed together, but the actual game was awful, I played it with 3 friends and we got really bored, the game looked terrible, played worst and gave me a terrible impression for the N64, an impression that never got away.

I’ve never played the PC version but the N64 port is as bad as it can be.
Tecduck

if you decide to get this on PS1 plan on buying a new memory card, because saving your game uses a whole memory card.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Austin-Kelly-Mackert/100000790359124 Austin Kelly Mackert

Hey guys, this was a really fun episode to watch. The Skype idea and constantly reporting after every so often was a great idea, and I especially liked the constant reference to Eric’s “It’s awful awful awful” clip, haha.

Personally, I was a big fan of this game “back in the day”, but even I will admit you have to be in a particular mindset to really enjoy it–Especially the N64 version (and even more so, the PlayStation or Saturn versions, which I don’t recommend at all). The thing about the game is that while it utilizes the DOOM engine, the focus is just as much on the adventure and puzzle elements as it is the shooting. The rest of the game is further divided into hubs like you experienced, and stages begin to require revisiting multiple times (I believe this even begins to happen on the Seven Portals hub). The puzzles also become more difficult to solve and generally require you to think about what you have done as well as explore the stages deeply. And if you are a masochist (at least if you look at it that way) and want some replay value, weapon placement is different for each character, and I believe certain stages are visited out of order, depending. Again, it’s a game that’s not for everyone, and it’s definitely not Goldeneye or Turok (and it’s also definitely not DOOM or Heretic), but for those who are into all-of-the-above and want a somewhat creepy atmosphere, I would recommend it. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else though.

I also wanted to comment on the multiplayer and control thoughts: With multiplayer, I know there’s co-op, and that’s probably the ideal way to play. I don’t recall trying Deathmatch, but it’s probably not as unbalanced as it sounds (every character has excellent ranged weapons by the end of the game, and I am assuming all appear in multiplayer). As far as the controls, I personally played with the d-pad setup. With the combination of the L and R buttons used for strafing, and I believe a face button used to “run”, it controlled most similarly to PlayStation DOOM. One of the issues with controls though is that there was a lot to map to the controller–inventory movement, the automap, looking, etc. It was clearly tough to translate from a control method like keyboards without rebuilding everything from the ground up (if you would believe it, I think the Saturn and PlayStation versions are actually worse in this regard).

Anyway, great video! It was a lot of fun watching what were basically first-time impressions of a game I had played a lot when I was younger. I’m already looking forward to the rest of the “Halloween in May” videos!
Ben1842

We gotta do a video like this Derek. It would be crazy fun.
Okcmallrat

I’m pretty sure that my head just ass-ploded. Thank you though.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Cairns/100000134061485 Mike Cairns

I am seriously wondering if you guys are retarded or trolling. This is an incredible game and it’s made by the same people, id software. The same EXACT people worked on HeXen that worked on Doom. I don’t even know if you can call HeXen a FPS. The graphics are fine and this game was tons of fun back when I was a kid and especially now. With all the stupidity I hear from this video I have to wonder if you guys are even gamers at all…

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562992973 Calvan Starling

Nope the N64 port is just that awful.

Itsayatta

I just played the pc and N64 versions right after each other to see if this was true because I always loved the N64 game. They are identical, don’t be an idiot

yobro!

It may be the same, and I also may be talking out of my ass because I haven’t played the PC or N64 games in 10+ years, but it seems like I remember the game itself being the same, but like they stated in the video, the control is not near as responsive as the PC version, which is common on console ports. This may be one of the driving forces in saying the N64 port is awful. Going off of memory, I just thought the game was horribly average in every aspect. But I can totally see people just outright hating it.

Indigob83

Are we actually arguing opinion as if it is logic or fact? That kind of dumb sh*t doesn’t work around here. Good Day, sir. I said Good Day!

http://www.retrowaretv.com RetrowareTV

Love the way you formatted this episode – it’s great. It’s like a well produced version of a free-flowing conversation and a much more advanced and intelligent version of let’s plays
anal gape

You can customize the controls, you know.

Ballock

How?

Itsayatta

As much as I disagree with many of the points you guys made ( I prefer this game to Doom 64) I cannot deny that this was a very original way to do a collaboration. Plus I can’t complain two much when the two funniest dudes on the site do a game together. Looking forward to more episodes like this!
D-Pad

Yeeessss…Any Show + Eric = WIN. lol good going Derek. I agree with Itsayatta, so good to see the 2 funniest contributors together. I thought this format worked out well, considering ya’lls situations. Wasn’t bad, but definitely not the smoothest episode yet. =-) Either way, loved it. I’d like to see more.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Smith/1018001907 Michael Smith

i played this on my saturn yesterday, and that version is real that bad
http://www.facebook.com/foolio1990 Ryan Backlin

Hey D-WRECK. This is a good formula, I think it covers more ground, quicker, but you still kept a good long length. But there was pretty much 100% coverage, 100% of the time. With the other method, it seems more of like a “Let’s Play”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s badass, and you covered all the stuff and yeah…. Either way kicks ass but I think I almost like this method better. And cool for having that ol’ bastard, Eric on.
Blubb

I loved the N64 version (even though I never got past the seven portals without cheating) and a couple of years ago I played it on PC, still loved it and managed to make it farther. I can’t remember how much differences the controls had, but I guess they were better on PC.
Ballock

The thing I remember best about this game is playing co-op campaign with my brother. I think that before perfect dark it was the only game on the N64 were you could do that. That made the game fun and pretty awesome. But the controles was bad but I got used to them…after a long time:) Great vid by the way…it was kinda like a let’s play…thumbs up!
camseyeview

i think the only thing i missed was tallying the score at the end. At times, i lost track what you and he thought were good and bad.
anonononon

I liked that game ok. The controls were shit but it was pretty fun for it’s day.
SPac316

I think I played the PS1 version of this game. It was OK but yeah, not worth getting for the most part.
Richard

I think this game was like $80 plus when it was released here in Canada. I love this review. I think this would be a good idea for the podcasts actually, to have gameplay footage running as a visual while guys talk as an option. I believe Ito has used that with his podcasts, but I like how it is non-stop gameplay footage here as I like having something to focus my eyes on while I listen to you guys talk.
Mcbeavers

Easily the best “Is It Really That Bad?” so far.
http://twitter.com/ClockworkBard Clockwork Bard

Hexen for the N64 began aging poorly, almost immediately after launch. I have fond memories of it as a kid. The fact that the multiplayer was cooperative was a huge factor. We knew the controls were bad, even back then. While console shooters prior to Hexen were pretty well known for shoddy controls, both Goldeneye and Duke Nukem 64 came out only months later with fairly solid control schemes, making going back to Hexen difficult. But that coop multiplayer… such a rarity. We put up with a lot for that.
guest

The PC version is much better because you can use wasd controls, with strafing on a and d, and you can have mouse look.

There are some packs that improve the graphics as well as the gore.
Each class has 4 weapons, and yes, the warrior does eventually get a sword that shoots as well as a hammers he can throw. Mage gets some sweet weapons as well, and you’ll see some really comfy castles and haunts to explore, although there are also long drawn out levels too, with lots of key fetching.

It really is a very fun and atmospheric game on the PC though. A game can only be as good as its controls, and without the mouse and keyboard.. your life is gonna suck big time playing this game. Strafing is an absolute must to have.
Gonzomatic

Played most versions back in my heyday and I can confirm that Hexen as a strategic FPS was so wrong for the N64. If there was one constant in the N64 greats it was that the controls were always simple and fluid.

Hexen’s controls were so intricate that personal customization was a necessity thus making a solid console port a nigh impossibility(the Saturn port only looks and sounds better, and the PSX port is so-so at best). Then again; with the exception of Doom and Duke Nukem 3D; this was par for the course in most PC-to-console ports at the time.

Great show; great review; hope to see more soon.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Leathco/100000675849077 Chris Leathco

The PC version is actually easy to get a legal copy, as its on Steam. You can get a Heretic/Hexen package for 10 bucks on steam I think. With that said I dont think the N64 version is bad, its closer to the PC version than other N64 FPS ports such as Quake 2.
MichaelD

Easiest way to play hexen is this little thing called steam Perhaps you’ve heard of it.
Edmond Dantes

Hi. My name is Edmond Dantes and this is the first HVGN video I’ve commented on. You are awesome!

I’ve always been a fan of the PC version of Hexen. I recall playing the N64 port way back when and like you guys, I found the controls to be just terrible. On the PC version you can map the controls however you want so its comfortable for you, but here… yeah, awkward.

And yeah, some items work different depending on who you play as. Like you noticed the fighter can throw flechettes, the mage can plant them like mines. If I remember, the Cleric’s flechettes explode into gas clouds that stay in the area and damage whoever walk into them. The game tried to do an RPG thing where you’re gradually given weapons as you advance, and one of them you have to find “pieces” of in each level.

The biggest problem with the N64 version is that it was too little, too late. The PC version hit the scene at around the same time Final Fantasy VI came to America, and it was revolutionary then. Like in older Doom games, doors could just slide open, this was the first FPS to have a swinging door or real setpieces like that, and also a hub, an exploration focus… but on the N64, that stuff is just been there, done that.

The Exploration can also be the game’s biggest flaw, because there are a lot of times where you really don’t know what you’re supposed to do and you keep missing things, going back and forth and ferreting around, and it gets tedious after awhile.

All in all, I would say the PC version is kind of worth it, but I definitely won’t be playing the N64 port.
Dr. Amazing

I didn’t really like this one. It seemed more like a podcast to me.
Lord_azoma

Jeff Magnum? I LOOOOVE YOU JEEESUS CHRIIIIST!
Zombie_Byte

The N64 port is notorious for being awful, mostly because of the controls. I have only gotten a chance to play the PC version over the years, so this is the first time I saw Hexen 64 in action. My god does it look awkward to play.

Something worth mentioning about the game itself is that unlike Heretic, the game is only like Doom in that it uses the same engine and takes place in hell. The game is actually Metroidvania style, and I was hoping to see you guys realise that in the video. It definitely isn’t the hottest game using the engine, and is not as good as Strife which is an open world FPSRPG that uses the Doom engine. It is still a decent game if you can get over the extremely confusing world layout and large puzzles that require you to move between “levels” to solve.
Samzilla33

I personally like the old type of “Is It Really THAT Bad?”s more then this type. If you could find a way to get more genuine reactions, I think it could be allot better then some of the older ones.
http://profiles.google.com/jsc315 joshua chap

After listening to this I just realized Eric sounds like Louie C.K.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Cairns/100000134061485 Mike Cairns

Hahaha, spot on!

Arsearoni

Hi I’m Arsearoni You might remember me from such post as “you absolutly suck “ and ” yes it is really that bad “
http://www.facebook.com/Heisanevilgenius Tom White

Really, most of what’s bad about the N64 version comes down to control. I think Hexen for PC was a really great game. There are some gripes I have. Like, you guys mentioned the flechettes (the green potions). Those are useful for the fighter as they’re a ranged attack that you can toss down stairs or just fling at bad guys so you can kill them from afar. For mages they’re almost completely useless. I think they’re most useful for Clerics. They plant them like mages, but instead of exploding, they release a poison gas that slowly drains monsters’ health. Slow-moving monsters who pass over them can be really easily killed.

The N64 version’s music sounds terrible compared to the PC version. The Guardian of Ice music sounds amazing for the PC, and AWFUL for N64.

The one thing I like about the N64 version is deathmatch. At least there, the bad control makes everyone evenly-matched and it’s easy to just pick up and play, whereas for PC you have to find an engine that will let you play online and find a friend who also owns the same game. The assortment of weapons and items that you can use in deathmatch makes it a ton of fun. I love summoning the Maulotaur on my friends and watch them try to fight it off. You also have these repulsor disc things that repel anything that comes close to you. You can use it to fling your enemies off of cliffs and into traps.
Fuzzyfireball

Hexen 64 is not the most common way to play it.

Either get Dosbox or grab a source port. Go to the /doomworld archives and grab some custom content. That’s the way to play it!
Iamghost44

I love the format of this episode. Very entertaining. I would love to see u do more episodes like this with other people, or Eric again.
Damian Wielk

“what’s in the box? -I was laughing” – that’s hilarious
Chichok

Didn’t like the format. I’d rather have the format where you comment as you play.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Anthony/1449543469 Mike Anthony

I have Hexen for the Sega Saturn… It’s BAAAAD. Super awkward controls and blurry awkward graphics
http://www.facebook.com/pedro.quadrado Pedro SIlva

First, this show was awesome, im on with this gameplay-discussion format without moving tottally to jokes, analysis all the way and some jokes since we are among friends. Second, i think what they did wrong was the rush to release the game as fast as possible. Anyone in the company would say the 2d sprites of trees and enemies and all this blurryness as a problem that could be solved, we know it, but the deadline is there, when that goldeneye game arrives no one will play our game.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Francis-Coulombe/906110494 Francis Coulombe

The game has coop multiplayer, that is where it shines! The whole choosing your class thing really comes together in coop. In single player, you are meant to compensate by relying on your items more.

Hexen is a pretty flawed game. The original had a lot of problems already and the N64 port accentuated many of them (it even has some game breaking bugs! Like a door randomly not opening when it should, a magic platform not appearing, getting you stuck forever… eep!), but if you approach the game with the right mindset, you will appreciate it a lot more.
You have to realize that Hexen, unlike its predecessor Heretic, was not quite meant to be like Doom in its level design and approach. Playing it like doom is a good way to get frustrated and stuck! The idea behind it was to have a first person shooter with a much slower pace than usual, where you take your time and be careful, with all the traps and puzzles and secrets. In a way, it was trying to have an old dungeon crawler approach to its design (think of games like Eye of the beholder). It is full of secrets and rewards exploration, it creates a good sense of tension with its sudden deathtraps. The relatively weak weapons force you to take the battles one at a time and tread carefully, using your items wisely when things get too rough. Speaking of those items, the wide array of them that you accumulate is really cool. Discs of repulsion that push enemies away, statuettes that summon a giant minotaur to fight enemies for you, an item that make you fly or make you invincible… a golden pig statue that transforms nearby enemies into little piglets…It was pretty cool that you could hold on to them and use them whenever you wanted during the adventure, I don’t think FPS games had done that yet back then.

But yes, as I said earlier. it IS very flawed, but I think one can appreciate it a lot more if playing it with the right minset. And especially, if playing it in coop multiplayer! Figuring out them’ puzzles is a lot more fun as a team, and the different classes really complete one another. The deathmatches are also a lot of fun, because unlike in single player, you can find all of the games’ weapons when you play, and there are many items to collect to mix things up.

Also, the n64 version had really good music. Gotta love that mellotron.
Seanobi777

I’ve played this game both on the Nintendo 64, and the PC. I have it on PC. It’s actually a pretty good game, along with Heretic and Hexen 2! And yes, the controls are WAY better on PC. Especially when using Zdaemon or ZDoom, and GZDoom with free-look and those sorts of programs. But I’ve heard the story is where it’s at… and I favor the Cleric myself, b/c he is half-fighter half-mage type of guy I think.
http://www.facebook.com/zach.spoonamore Zach Spoonamore

hexen is a good but confusing game

Is It Really That Bad? – Hexen 64

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