Weapons

Tools of Utter Destruction

You can't have a good 3D shooter without a snazzy set of tools of mass destruction, and Heretic II certainly does not disappoint in this regard. While sporting only four weapons in the game, Corvus also has many other tools at his disposal, mainly his arsenal of offensive and defensive magic. Furthermore, with the use of the tome of power, each weapon transforms into something serious, showcasing not only a more powerful, secondary mode of fire, but also some splendid visual effects.

Durhnwood Staff

As the default weapon in Heretic II, the staff definitely is chock full of surprises. With an attached razor-sharp blade at one end, the word "scratch" takes on a whole new meaning. The staff is easily the most fun and most spectacular weapon to use. While its actual attack is reserved for close combat, the running helicopter-like spinning attack moves and pole-vaulting jump kicks can close a gap between you and the enemy within a blink of an eye. Speaking on which, did I forget to mention that you can use the staff to reach areas which otherwise would be inaccessible by pole-vaulting to them? It may sound difficult, but it's as easy as running forward and hitting jump. I also found myself purposefully incapacitating enemies with other weapons, only to save the final blow for a few dramatic, Mortal Combat finale-esque assaults with the pseudo axe-staff.

On the multiplayer side, a growing trend in game developers nowadays seems to be towards making increasingly more powerful default spawn weapons, as evidenced by the glock in Sin, then Half-Life. (Quake 3 will have a machine gun as a default weapon, which will even further the trend.) It's very likely the next generation of games, such as Quake 3:Arena and Unreal Tournament, will further enhance the default weapons to even out the playing field. This in my opinion, doesn't always make the games more fun, but Heretic II is a special case. Again, simply because it is such fun to watch, the staff adds an innovative, hand-to-hand element to multiplayer gaming. Admittedly, projectile weapons such as the HellStaff (next weapon) are far more effective when playing against real-life human adversaries, but the level of supreme satisfaction of lopping off a friend's head in battle is unsurpassed. (Kids, don't try this at home.)

The most powerful staff