Hexen and Hexen 2, very different games!

[Manhs]

What do you think about those 2 games, what is your favorite between those 2 games?
I will try to explain the differents things between the 2, i noticed:
Hexen 1:
1/ It's more "dark fantasy/mystic" style, i like it.
2/The ennemies are less complex than the ennemies in heretic (just try to hit you with a sword or others, or shoot fireballs....) but there can be a lot of ennemies. Can be fun but very boring sometimes because it makes the fights very repetitive.
3/The level design is very well made, a lot of relief, awesome!
4/The puzzles are interesting! I like when i must use my brain and search some things in a map, the "exploration" is always important for me.


Hexen 2 is really different:
1/ it's more medieval, like in the past, Hub 1 is medieval, hub 2 is "inca/maya" type, hub 3 is in egypt (pharaoh type), ect.....but it keep the old style of the past.
2/The ennemies are complex, i mean, some of them have a lot of way to attack you. The guy who arrow is simple but he can crounch to try to dodge but there is better..... The were jaguar can do big jump, dodge and suddendly, can do a dash to slash you with his sword, they are really dangerous, the were jaguar black (i dont have the name) of the Hexen 2 expansion is pain, its the same except he can use a shield and use the a power like the ring of repulsion !! The rock statue man" in gold form can throw a special laser or use earthquake with shooting the ground with his foot etc...... The fights are very interesting.
3/The level design is very good not not like Hexen 1 i think...i dont know but it's really not the same, less relief, less complex but we can fight the hard ennemies in those area....in shorter corridors or with a lot of relief, it could be bad. (not sure)
4/The puzzle are interesting too, if you were bored by Hexen because the puzzles can be very hard, in Hexen 2, it's a little less hard! Hub 3 (pharoh) is hard for the puzzles but hub 2,4, and 5 are really easy, I think.... and the expansion of hexen 2 is easier. Some little puzzles and some items to find to activate some switch....

Well, i think Hexen has an atmosphere i like more but the fights with the ennemies (specially the boss too) are really more fun!

And you what do you think about those games?

(Sorry again, im french, i tried my best lol)

EDIT: A Review Video about Hexen 2:
https://youtu.be/e9iAvepqfLA

A Review Video about Hexen:
https://youtu.be/tETrdn48QYE

[Cruduxy]

I found hexen 1 way better than 2. No matter how many times I tried to play 2 from start to finish I never go far in it, regardless of the class I pick. I'd take hexen puzzles any day over getting lost in hexen 2 wondering where the hell to go, At least the puzzles in hexen 1 were pretty foreshadowed most of the time (Only lame one I can think of is a switch hidden behind a tree lol). -It was easy to guess which map to go to finish the puzzle.

In all honesty the only shitty thing in hexen 1 is the freaking centaurs. Whoever thought it was to fight them over and over is stupid as hell. All they do is drag out the game. And oh to add more to that centaurs\ettins periodically spawn in most maps. Lucky that centaurs and ettins become more rare when bishops and serpents start appearing more often.

That and hexen 2 always gives me headaches when playing it.

As a sequel it wasn't that interesting to someone who played the original. It should've continued at where hexen ended -Where the player reaches the chaos orb-. At least heretic 2 had corvus playing it :\.

Btw hexen slaughter maps are boring as hell -At least for me-. Just play heretic\Doom instead they fit a lot better -Hexen having 4 weps and being at its best needing the player to use inventory items where weapons don't kick. Also it needs puzzles and good environments which can't be said about most slaughter maps. -Yes detailed square\Circular rooms aren't that convincing.

[Ivan]

Hexen 2 puzzles require more brain and some cultural knowledge (the sun dial and the horoscope) to actually solve them, which is very nice. In Hexen 1 it's just switch hunt and sticking items to places till something happens. Overall I like Hexen 2 more, however for people who didn't like Hexen I suggest they play Hexen: Serpent Resurrection mod to actually get what a mixture between Hexen 1 & 2 could be. It's very well made and shows the outstanding aspects of both games in Doom Engine perfectly.

[Manhs]

It's why i liked to use the Fighter for Hexen (1), the hammer who throw an explosive hammer, was pretty effective against the centaurs! The third weapon of the mage too but when you have the second weapon of the clerc, it can become crazy long, to kill them....

And there is the tome of power in hexen 2, some weapons become really more fun and helpful... (best item ever in the serie for me), i like when you use the item of the the little demon thing with his wings, who appears, he is helpfull like the minotaur of Hexen 1, but this demon can fly....

The most boring ennemy in Hexen 2 is the Fallen Angel...a lot of hp and can do a lot of damage... i use often the item who transform them into sheep!
http://heretic.wikia.com/wiki/Fallen_Angel

I need to finish Heretic 2 (last part) and the 4 next classes of Hexen 2 expansion (like the demoness), this serie is not like doom but really interesting, fun when you want just relax sometimes and search some items or switch. :)

[Ascertabus]

Honestly I liked neither of them. Hexen 1 was just far too puzzle-heavy and lacking in weaponry and for me to enjoy. Especially when you started getting into levels with multiple maps with switch/key puzzles that affect things in different maps. It got to the point I gave up before the end of the first "hub-level". The constant trickle of newly-spawned enemies only compounded the problem.
Hexen 2 just seemed to be more of the same in higher graphics, with the added problem of a weird mouse-look control scheme.

[Mysyk]

I think Hexen has got more comfortable controls than Hexen II. In all Hexen games you can't carry more than four weapons unlike Doomguy or Corvus from Heretic. But it is more realistic. When I find singleplayer in Hexen games fine, deathmatch games suffer from limit of four weapons. But don't forget about inventory. Some items have considerable impact on gameplay. I hope Hexen II will have more ports one day.

[Latecat]

Hexen had a great atmosphere and the weapons felt good, although the 4 weapon limit mentioned above was always a bummer for me. The puzzles were always a little too much for me to handle to the point where I never really got past the second hub before having to switch to some other game for a time. The enemies were simple and overall somewhat memorable, especially the centaurs, despite being a pain to deal with. Mostly for being a pain to deal with.

Hexen 2 on the other hand, while it had some aspects to it that I liked (plenty of breakable things to name one), it was far more confusing. Where I had trouble solving a puzzle from time to time as a kid in hexen 1, I just kept getting lost in hexen 2 over and over. The weapons didn't feel as fun to use as in the first game but it did come with the tome of power at the very least. The enemies were okay with more moves n whatnot, but I always felt that they were a little more dull otherwise, with the exception of the golems and werejaguars.

Bosses in the first game (heresiarch, korax) were fun to fight against, where as the ones in the second one felt really boring. The four riders felt really similar to eachother, with the exception being Eidolon, who was at least some fun.

Never played the expansions though.

[-_-]

Since i played only hexen 1 in my childhood i more prefer hexen 1. It has great atmosphere, (monsters, levels etc) and awesome gameplay (that puzzles and feature with 3 different classes was very impressive for me and the weapons after doom and heretic was very unusual and impressive too).
I found out hexen 2 only then i get my first internet connection (that was in 2009 cuz in russia it was very problematic and costly in early 2000) and i dont really liked it. The gameplay seems to be too boring with more puzzles and less fights. And actually Q1 engine ruined the atmosphere and dynamic for me. Well at least i dont think the hexen 2 is bad i think its just not my style.
And yeah just like Ivan said, hexen : serpent ressurection is awesome mod, i enjoyed it.