hexen posts

We've been thinking a lot about Raven Software lately. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the developer was Activision's highest profile game creator, making first person shooter titles like the Soldier of Fortune series and two Star Wars: Jedi Knight games, among many other titles. Lately the developer has been hit with hard times as some of its more recent games like Singularity failed to reach a wide audience.

Just before Raven got bought by Activision, the developer was making games in the Heretic/Hexen fantasy shooter series which were co-developed with id Software. These were, and still are, great games that look a bit dated visually today. So we got excited to hear about a team of mod makers who are close to completing a Hexen mod using id's Doom 3 engine. As you can see from the above screenshot, the Hexen: Edge of Chaos mod is using the engine's visuals to make a great looking updated version of the title. The mod is planned for release next month with the first hub containing three maps.

[Via PC Gamer]

We are not sure how long it will be before id Software decides to push out a "cease and desist" order on this but while its there it's certainly cool to play. The Newgrounds web site has got a triple play of the original Doom, along with Doom engine games Heretic and Hexen, available to play for free via their Flash-based browser site.

The programmer who ported these games is simply called 'mike' online and he's done a terrific job of getting all three games to run well (although it does require the new Flash 10; sorry, other web browsers). He's been working on this for a while now under the radar but we suspect that since id still sells these games they won't take too kindly to having them available to play for free; that's what Quake Live is for.

[Via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

On Tuesday we posted up a feature naming 10 classic PC games that we think would be perfect for a revival. The response to the article was extremely positive, so much so that we have decided to quickly post up another installment featuring 10 more PC game titles that are ripe for a comeback.

Among our choices this time are a mob-themed first person shooter, a fantasy RTS, a movie-based space sim and and tactical cyberpunk strategy-action game. Can you guess which games we are talking about before you check out our choices (there's a rather large hint in the image above)?

Click on the image above to read more on 10 more PC games that need a comeback

While Xbox 360 and PS3 users have worked themselves into a veritable tizzy over downloadable content, PC users have been accustomed to having the lifeline of their favorite games extended far past their in-the-box values since the days of Doom - and even before that. What's more, we're used to downloading new levels, weapons, characters, and new episodes absolutely free of charge.

Big Download understands that a five-hour game can be extended by hundreds of hours via total conversions, brand new monsters, and weapons you've always wanted to see in your favorite title. In the spirit of extending a title's longevity beyond mere out-of-the-box expectations, MODmonday celebrates the best modifications for games new and old. Half-Life, Half-Life 2, StarCraft, Diablo II, Doom and more will all be represented here, ensuring a wide spread of mods available across every possible genre of PC gaming.

This week's MODmonday kicks off an extended examination of classic games and the mods that make them a blast to play in our modern day and age. We begin the series by inspecting the Doomsday Engine, a port that adds modern mechanics to Doom, Doom II, Final Doom, Heretic, and Hexen.