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Herzog Zwei

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Herzog Zwei
Herzog Zwei
North American cover art
Developer(s)Technosoft
Publisher(s)Sega
  • JP:Technosoft
Programmer(s)Takashi Iwanaga
Composer(s)Naosuke Arai
Tomomi Otani
Platform(s)Mega Drive/Genesis,Nintendo Switch
Release
  • JP:December 15, 1989
  • NA:April 1990
  • EU:1990
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

Herzog Zwei[a](pronounced[ˈhɛʁtsoːkˈtsvaɪ];Germanfor 'DukeTwo') is areal-time strategyvideo game developed byTechnosoftand published bySegafor theMega Drive/Genesis.An early real-time strategy game, it predates the genre-popularizingDune II.It was released first in Japan in 1989 and worldwide in 1990.[1]It is the sequel toHerzog,which was available on the JapaneseMSXandPC-8801personal computers.

Herzog Zweicombines the arcade-style play of Technosoft's ownThunder Forceseries with a simple, easy-to-grasp level of strategy. It has been cited as an inspiration to the developers ofWarcraft,StarCraft,Dune II,andCommand & Conquer[1][2][3][4][5]and is also considered a precursor to theMOBAgenre.[6][7]

Gameplay

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Genesis version

The player directly pilots a flying, transformingmech,similar to thevariable fighterdepicted inMacross.It is a multi-role vehicle suited for utility and combat.[8]Through the mech, the player purchases surface combat units, airlifts them across the battlefield, and issues them orders. These command activities can only be performed through the mech. Vehicles follow their assigned orders (patrol, garrison, capture base) until they either run out of fuel or are destroyed. Tactical re-deployment (mission reassignment, vehicle repair) involves a great deal of micromanagement, due to the required involvement of the mech.

Both the player's ground forces and the mech have finite fuel and ammunition. A prolonged engagement requires considerable micromanagement, as vehicles will not auto-repair, and the fragile combat-supply vehicles have a limited radius of service.

With a total of eight different types of land units to purchase, the player can determine the composition of his army. Each combat vehicle type represents a tradeoff between speed, anti-air, ground-attack, and cost. Units are assigned mission orders from a menu selection: "fight from a fixed position", "patrol this area", "fight in fixed radius" and "go to/attack/occupy intermediate base". New orders can only be issued during the airlift, and every time a unit's mission orders are reassigned, a cost is incurred.

In addition to the player's main base, there are nine permanentoutpostsscattered across the battlefield. These indestructible buildings are the only production resources on the battlefield. Once under a player's control, an outpost generates additional revenue (for purchase of units) and serves as a remote base of operations (repair/refuel, pick up delivery of purchased unit). A key strategy is to capture as many outposts as possible or deny enemy use through nuisance actions.

Herzog Zweisupports bothsingle-playermode against the AI, as well as a two-playermultiplayermode. In single-player, the entire screen is devoted to the human-player's field of view. The game partially offsets the AI's inherent weakness by increasing the armor and offensive damage of computer player side with each advancing level.

Reception

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Herzog Zweiwas not a huge commercial success, due to its lack of marketing, relatively early release on the Genesis platform,[1]and non-arcadegenre on what was considered an arcadegame console.Upon its 1990 release in North America,Electronic Gaming Monthlygave the game a rating of 4.25 out of 10,[11]based on four individual reviewer scores of 4, 6, 4, and 3.[19]

The Mega Drive version's reception in Europe was generally more positive. In the United Kingdom, in the April 1990 issue ofComputer and Video Games,reviewer Paul Glancey gave the game an 82% score. He described it as "a game of conquest between two commanders in real time" and stated that what "sets it apart from other strategy games is that everything happens in real time. Both players are in action simultaneously and there are no pauses while decisions are taken so you have to think on the move or die". He noted that the command icons are "fairly easy to grasp" and concluded that it is a game that helps establish the Mega Drive as a "real" computer rather than "a machine for immobilized arcade players".[10]Warren Lapworth reviewed the game in the March 1990 issue ofThe Games Machinemagazine, giving the game a 75% score. He described it as an "unusual product" and stated that "whether it's intended to get strategists to consider buying the console or to broaden the horizons of trigger-happy lunatics, I don't know. Either way, it's quite refreshing and can be quite addictive in two-player mode, fierce rivalry developing between friends".[18]In France, the game was reviewed in the November 1990 issue ofJoystickmagazine, where reviewer JM Destroy gave the game a 78% score.[14]The game was particularly well received in Germany, where it was known asHerzog 2;Power Playmagazine gave it an 80% score in its April 1990 issue,[16]andPlay Timegave it an 85% score in its June 1991 issue.[15]

Retrospective coverage

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Retrospective reviews have been very positive. David Filip ofAllGamegave the game a score of 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "one of the first" and "one of the best"strategy video gameson home consoles and as "a fine cure for those days when you want a different kind of RTS to control".[9]Game Informerin 1999 scored it 9.75 out of 10, making it the magazine's highest-rated Genesis game.[12]Daniel Thomas ofSega-16gave it a score of 10 out of 10 in 2004, describing it as "very probably the finest video game you've never played" and as the Genesis console's "finest hour".[17]Lawrence Wright ofInsomniagave the game a score of 5 out of 5 stars in 2008.[13]GameSpotusers have givenHerzog Zweian average score of 8.8 out of 10 as of 2009.[20]

It is often found on several "best of..."lists of video games, owing to its precedence in the real-time strategy genre, as well to the increasing understanding of finer points of its mechanics.[1][21]It was featured in the "100 Best Games of All Time" list ofElectronic Gaming Monthly,in the November 1997 issue which ranked it at #43,[22]and in the January 2002 issue which ranked it #52.[23]The September 1996 issue ofNext Generationranked it the 31st best game of all time,[24]and the February 1999 issue ranked it 39th best—[25]in both cases arguing that the strategic concept and level design were aped by more high-profile games likeCannon FodderandCommand & Conquer.[26]It has been featured inIGN's "Top 100 Games of All Time", in the 2003 list which ranked it at #62,[27]and in the 2005 list which ranked it #95.[28]In 2003,GameSpylisted the game as one of the 25 most underrated games of all time.[29]1UP.comincluded the game in its "Essential 50" list of "The Most Important Games Ever Made".[1]The U.S. game release packaging art was executed by veteran San Francisco game box illustrator Marc Ericksen, who had previously done the art for its sister gameThunder Force II.

Legacy

[edit]

The game concept of a central command and fighting vehicle directing other friendly units to attack remote enemy base appeared in past games, such as Sir Tech's 1984 gameRescue Raiders.However, Scott Sharkey of1UP.comstates that the 1988 gameModem Warswas possibly "[t]he closest predecessor" toHerzog Zwei,but that it "was fairly primitive and abstract by comparison", that earlier such games lacked the ability to construct units or manage resources which made them "much moretacticalthan strategic ", and that the slower processors made the ticks" so long that the games were practically turn based ".[1]Total Annihilation(1997) and its spiritual successorSupreme Commanderalso inherit the concept of a large robotic command vehicle which is used to construct and command an army. Conversely,Total AnnihilationandSupreme Commanderare controlled in a similar fashion to traditionalreal-time strategygames; unlike inHerzog Zwei,the command vehicle in those games is mainly nothing more than a particularly powerful and versatile unit.

The producers ofDune IIacknowledgeHerzog Zweias an influence,[2][4]as do the producers ofWarcraft(1994),[3][30][31]Command & Conquer(1995),StarCraft(1998),War of the Ring(2003),[1]andBrütal Legend(2009).[32]Herzog Zweiis considered a predecessor to theMOBAsubgenre, also known as action RTS,[33]though a key difference is thatHerzog Zweihas a fully customizable command unit withrole-playing video gameelements that the player has full control over, while commanding an army to go into battle with rather than mindless drones that respawn at set intervals.[33]The 2014 battle arena gameAirMechis also inspired byHerzog Zwei.[34]

Herzog Zweiwas re-released onNintendo Switchas the final entry in theSega Agesline of rereleases in Japan on August 27, 2020.[35]It has online multiplayer, an interactive tutorial mode, widescreen with extra HUD support, difficulty options, and the ability to save replays.

Herzog Zweiwas re-released for the Sega Genesis Mini 2 on October 27, 2022.

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:ヘルツォーク・ツヴァイ,Hepburn:Herutsōku Tsuvai

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefgSharkey, Scott."Essential Top 50: Herzog Zwei".1UP.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-06-04.Retrieved2007-09-27.
  2. ^abClarke-Willson, Stephen(August 18, 1998)."The Origin of Realtime Strategy Games on the PC".The Rise and Fall of Virgin Interactive.Above the Garage Productions. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-22.Retrieved30 January2012.
  3. ^ab"Herzog Zwei (Genesis)".RetrievedOctober 18,2017.
  4. ^ab"The Making of... Dune II".Edge.Next-Gen.biz. December 9, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2012.RetrievedJuly 27,2011.Herzog Zwei was a lot of fun, but I have to say the other inspiration for Dune II was the Mac software interface. The whole design/interface dynamics of mouse clicking and selecting desktop items got me thinking, 'Why not allow the same inside the game environment? Why not a context-sensitive playfield? To hell with all these hot keys, to hell with keyboard as the primary means of manipulating the game!
  5. ^"Dune II was not the first RTS game".December 16, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon September 27, 2013.We were all adicted to Herzog Zwei at Westwood. We played for hours on the SEGA. However, Dune was inspired by more than Herzog.. The whole industry was moving to more interactiviity. FTL had Dungeon Master that took the Ultima and Wizardry games to a new level. We were already doing "what if" games like DragonStrike and Eye of the Beholder.At that time it was all about usability, not just about the character or the story. That was the problem with Dune I, it was just Zork with graphics. We wanted to place the player into the environment and let them create their own story. I always felt that Warcraft was a clone of the original Dune. Virgin at that time had a close relationship with Blizard. But now, having years to reflect upon it, I think it was a common synergy going through the industry. There were probably five or six development teams thinking about the same thing. Anyway just my thoughts.. from a guy on the original Dune design team.
  6. ^Lockley, Greg (June 3, 2014)."MOBA: The story so far".MCV.
  7. ^Groen, Andrew (March 7, 2012)."Ask GR Anything: What's a MOBA?".GamesRadar.
  8. ^McFerran, Damien (2005)."Herzog Zwei"(PDF).Retro Gamer.No. 28. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-04-03.Retrieved2011-01-24.
  9. ^ab"Herzog Zwei".AllGame.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-01-01.
  10. ^abGlancey, Paul (April 1990)."Mean Machines: Herzog Zwei".Computer and Video Games.No. 101. p. 103.Retrieved4 February2012.
  11. ^ab"Herzog Zwei Reviews".GameRankings.com.Retrieved2009-01-04.
  12. ^ab"Herzog Zwei".Game Informer.May 1999. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2018.
  13. ^abLawrence "NFG" Wright (January 4, 2008), "Herzog Zwei",Insomnia
  14. ^abJM Destroy (November 1990)."Herzog Zwei".Joystick(10): 102.Retrieved4 February2012.
  15. ^ab"Konsolen Spiel: Herzog Zwei".Play Time(1): 116–7. June 1991.Retrieved3 March2012.
  16. ^ab"Herzog 2".Power Play.Retrieved10 February2012.
  17. ^abThomas, Daniel (July 5, 2004)."Herzog Zwei".Archived fromthe originalon December 17, 2007.
  18. ^ab"Herzog Zwei".The Games Machine.No. 28. March 1990.RetrievedSeptember 16,2021.
  19. ^"Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide".Electronic Gaming Monthly.1993. p. 46.
  20. ^"Herzog Zwei for GEN".GameSpot.Retrieved2009-01-04.
  21. ^"IGN's Top 100 Games".IGN.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-06-19.Retrieved2009-01-09.
  22. ^"100 Best Games of All Time".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 100. November 1997. p. 130.Retrieved2011-06-01.
  23. ^"Videogames| Powerlist".kisrael.com.Retrieved2011-06-01.
  24. ^"Top 100 Games of All Time".Next Generation.No. 21.Imagine Media.September 1996. p. 59.
  25. ^"Top 50 Games of All Time".Next Generation.No. 50.Imagine Media.February 1999. p. 75.
  26. ^Erickson, Ian."Game of The Week: Herzog Zwei".GameSpy.Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2012.Retrieved2011-03-31.
  27. ^"IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time".Top100.ign.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-13.Retrieved2011-06-01.
  28. ^"IGN's Top 100 Games".Top100.ign.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-06-19.Retrieved2011-06-01.
  29. ^"Herzog Zwei (Genesis)".25 Most Underrated Games of All Time.GameSpy.September 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 9 September 2012.Retrieved4 February2012.
  30. ^"Interview with Bill Roper".Dev Game Club.August 18, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 16,2021.
  31. ^"Warcraft Anniversary Interview".IGN.November 23, 2009.
  32. ^Schafer, Tim (2009-10-14)."Battle Time".Double Fine.Retrieved2009-10-15.
  33. ^ab"Herzog Zwei".GameAxis Unwired.SPH Magazines.December 2008. p. 52.ISSN0219-872X.
  34. ^Matulef, Jeffrey (July 30, 2014)."Herzog Zwei spiritual successor AirMech Arena lands on Xbox 360 today".Eurogamer.
  35. ^Doolan, Liam (August 25, 2020)."Herzog Zwei Joins Japan's Sega Ages Line On 27th August".Nintendo Life.Gamer Network.RetrievedAugust 25,2020.
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