Difference between revisions of "Spear of Destiny"

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[[Image:Spear of Destiny - DOS - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Box art.]]
 
[[Image:Spear of Destiny - DOS - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Box art.]]
  
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'''''Spear of Destiny''''' is a World War II themed [[first-person shooter]] developed by [[id Software]] and published by [[FormGen]] for [[MS-DOS]] on 1992-09-19. The game is the fourth game in the [[Wolfenstein (universe)|''Wolfenstein'' series]], and the second to use the [[Wolfenstein 3-D Engine]]. In 1994, [[FormGen]] released two add-ons for the game, ''[[Mission 2: Return to Danger]]'' and ''[[Mission 2: Ultimate Challenge]]'', which were mostly reskins with new maps. Also, in 1994, [[Infinite Carnage]] released a random map generator. All three products were released under ''[[Spear of Destiny: Super CD Pack]]''.
+
'''''Spear of Destiny''''' is a World War II themed [[first-person shooter]] developed by [[id Software]] and published by [[FormGen]] for [[MS-DOS]] on 1992-09-19. The game is the fourth game in the [[Wolfenstein (universe)|''Wolfenstein'' series]], and the second to use the [[Wolfenstein 3-D Engine]]. Although it was released after ''[[Wolfenstein 3-D]]'', ''Spear of Destiny'' is a prequel. In 1994, [[FormGen]] released two add-ons for the game, ''[[Spear of Destiny: Mission 2 - Return to Danger|Return to Danger]]'' and ''[[Spear of Destiny: Mission 2 - Ultimate Challenge|Ultimate Challenge]]'', which were mostly reskins with new maps. Also, in 1994, a random map generator was released. All three products were released together in ''[[Spear of Destiny: Super CD Pack]]''.
  
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The game's story takes place in between the events of ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]''. Hitler is trying to take over the world and hopes that by stealing the fabled Spear of Destiny, his army will become invincible. You play as B.J. Blazkowics, an Allied spy who must infiltrate a Nazi stronghold and take the Spear back from the Nazis.
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In the game's story, Hitler steals the fabled Spear of Destiny from France believing the relic will make his army invincible. Even if the Spear doesn't have supernatural powers, the Nazis have become even more aggressive with it in their possession, so the Allies send you, B.J. Blazkowics, to infiltrate Castle Nuremberg to take back the Spear. However, in doing so, you uncover secret Nazi plans for world domination.
  
 
==Personal==
 
==Personal==
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I'm not sure when I first saw the ''Spear of Destiny'' demo, but I know there was a long delay after I had played ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', so, it may not have been until after ''[[Doom]]'' was released. Regardless, by the time I saw it, I wasn't very impressed by it. It didn't look to be anything other than ''Wolf 3D'' with minor wall art differences and an ammo box. I didn't know anyone who owned it, and I didn't seek it out. It wasn't until 2022, after beating the last ''Wolf 3D'' episode without cheats that I even considered playing it. I owned it on Steam and had access to pirated copies for years, but it didn't seem worth playing. When I finally did play it, I found it to be little more than just another episode of the original.
+
I'm pretty sure I saw ads for this game not long after I played ''[[Wolfenstein 3-D]]'', because I remember seeing screenshots of one of the new bosses, but I didn't known anyone who owned it, so I don't think I actually played the game until after ''[[Doom]]'' was released. My first experience with it was from the ''Spear of Destiny'' demo, probably on some [[shovelware]] CD, and I found it to be pretty underwhelming, so I didn't bother getting it. After I found the registered version, I started playing it bu got bored by the second level. It was just too similar to the original, just with minor wall art differences and an ammo box. I bought a ''Wolfenstein'' pack on Steam, and had it in my collection for awhile, but it wasn't until 2022, after beating the last ''Wolf 3D'' episode without cheats, that I decided to play it all the way through. I finished it on 2022-02-23 at Bring 'Em On difficulty.
  
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==Status==
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I own ''Spear of Destiny'' on Steam.
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I own ''Spear of Destiny'' on Steam and am currently playing it at Bring 'Em On difficulty.
 
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
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===Good===
 
===Good===
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* Most of the good things about ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'' are still true for ''Spear of Destiny'', except, the game isn't as impressive this time around.
+
* Most of the good things about ''[[Wolfenstein 3-D]]'' are still true for ''Spear of Destiny''.
−
* [[Adrian Carmack]] new wall art looks pretty good.
+
* [[Adrian Carmack]]'s new art looks pretty good and [[Bobby Prince]]'s new music sounds nice.
−
* The new songs by [[Bobby Prince]] are fitting.
+
* The transition from Nazi Germany to hell is a shocking shift in the game's tone.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
−
* All of the same problems with ''Wolfenstein 3D'' remain.
+
* All of the same problems with ''Wolfenstein 3-D'' remain.
−
* Since it's little more than a reskin, the game isn't nearly as impressive as the original.
+
* Since it's little more than a reskin, the game isn't nearly as impressive as the original. After a year, both the technology and shock value feels dated.
 +
* The levels are much less inspired that the original. Many of them are long sprawling corridors with very little decoration or variation. It's pretty obvious they rushed this out.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
−
* Nothing.
+
* Same as with ''Wolfenstein 3-D'', only I was bored of the game even more.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
 
===Box Art===
 
===Box Art===
 +
All regions use this painting by [[Ken Rieger]], the same person who painted the original ''Wolfenstein 3-D'' cover. It shows BJ shattering the glass case of the Spear of Destiny. However, his rifle is actually a Russian model, not German.
 +
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 +
Spear of Destiny - DOS - USA.jpg|MS-DOS - USA.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 +
Spear of Destiny - DOS - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual.
 +
Spear of Destiny - DOS - USA - Hint Book.pdf|Hint Book - ''Spear of Destiny''.
 +
Spear of Destiny - Mission 2 - Return to Danger - DOS - USA - Hint Book.pdf|Hint Book - ''Return to Danger''.
 +
Spear of Destiny - Mission 3 - Ultimate Challenge - DOS - USA - Hint Book.pdf|Hint Book - ''Ultimate Challenge''.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Maps===
 
===Maps===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
−
</gallery>
+
Spear of Destiny - DOS - Maps.png|Maps.
−
 
 
−
===Screenshots===
 
−
<gallery>
 
−
</gallery>
 
−
 
 
−
===Graphics===
 
−
<gallery>
 
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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==Download==
 
==Download==
 +
* [[Media:Spear of Destiny - DOS - Demo v1.0.zip|Download]] ([[:File:Spear of Destiny - DOS - Demo v1.0.zip|Info]]) - Version 1.0, demo.
 +
* [[Media:Wolfenstein 3D - DOS - Utilities.zip|Download]] ([[:File:Wolfenstein 3D - DOS - Utilities.zip|Info]]) - Editors.
  
 
==Credits==
 
==Credits==
−
 
 
{| class="wikitable" |
 
{| class="wikitable" |
 
! Role !! Staff
 
! Role !! Staff
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|-
 
|-
 
| Documentation || [[Kevin Cloud]]
 
| Documentation || [[Kevin Cloud]]
 +
|-
 +
| Box Art || [[Ken Rieger]]
 
|}
 
|}
  
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - First-Person Shooter]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Genre - First-Person Shooter]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Shooter]]
 
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Shooter]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - World War II]]
 
[[Category: DOS Games]]
 
[[Category: DOS Games]]
−
[[Category: World War II]]
 
 
[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test]]
 
[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test]]
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[[Category: Video Games I've Beaten]]

Revision as of 10:20, 23 September 2022

Box art.

Spear of Destiny is a World War II themed first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by FormGen for MS-DOS on 1992-09-19. The game is the fourth game in the Wolfenstein series, and the second to use the Wolfenstein 3-D Engine. Although it was released after Wolfenstein 3-D, Spear of Destiny is a prequel. In 1994, FormGen released two add-ons for the game, Return to Danger and Ultimate Challenge, which were mostly reskins with new maps. Also, in 1994, a random map generator was released. All three products were released together in Spear of Destiny: Super CD Pack.

In the game's story, Hitler steals the fabled Spear of Destiny from France believing the relic will make his army invincible. Even if the Spear doesn't have supernatural powers, the Nazis have become even more aggressive with it in their possession, so the Allies send you, B.J. Blazkowics, to infiltrate Castle Nuremberg to take back the Spear. However, in doing so, you uncover secret Nazi plans for world domination.

Personal

I'm pretty sure I saw ads for this game not long after I played Wolfenstein 3-D, because I remember seeing screenshots of one of the new bosses, but I didn't known anyone who owned it, so I don't think I actually played the game until after Doom was released. My first experience with it was from the Spear of Destiny demo, probably on some shovelware CD, and I found it to be pretty underwhelming, so I didn't bother getting it. After I found the registered version, I started playing it bu got bored by the second level. It was just too similar to the original, just with minor wall art differences and an ammo box. I bought a Wolfenstein pack on Steam, and had it in my collection for awhile, but it wasn't until 2022, after beating the last Wolf 3D episode without cheats, that I decided to play it all the way through. I finished it on 2022-02-23 at Bring 'Em On difficulty.

I own Spear of Destiny on Steam.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
4 4 6 5 4

Best Version: MS-DOS

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • Most of the good things about Wolfenstein 3-D are still true for Spear of Destiny.
  • Adrian Carmack's new art looks pretty good and Bobby Prince's new music sounds nice.
  • The transition from Nazi Germany to hell is a shocking shift in the game's tone.

Bad

  • All of the same problems with Wolfenstein 3-D remain.
  • Since it's little more than a reskin, the game isn't nearly as impressive as the original. After a year, both the technology and shock value feels dated.
  • The levels are much less inspired that the original. Many of them are long sprawling corridors with very little decoration or variation. It's pretty obvious they rushed this out.

Ugly

  • Same as with Wolfenstein 3-D, only I was bored of the game even more.

Media

Box Art

All regions use this painting by Ken Rieger, the same person who painted the original Wolfenstein 3-D cover. It shows BJ shattering the glass case of the Spear of Destiny. However, his rifle is actually a Russian model, not German.

  • MS-DOS - USA.

Documentation

  • Manual.

  • Hint Book - Spear of Destiny.

  • Hint Book - Return to Danger.

  • Hint Book - Ultimate Challenge.

Maps

  • Maps.

Videos

Longplay - Bring 'Em On difficulty.

Download

Credits

Role Staff
Chief Operating Officer Jay Wilbur
Director Tom Hall
Designers Tom Hall, John Romero
Writer Tom Hall
Engine Programmer John Carmack
Programmer John Romero
Additional Programming Jason Blochowiak
Graphics Adrian Carmack
Music, Sound Effects Robert Prince
Sound Driver Jason Blochowiak
Voices Tom Hall, John Romero, Scott Miller
Documentation Kevin Cloud
Box Art Ken Rieger

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-ModdingWiki.png  Link-TCRF.png 

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