There aren't enough good hack-and-slash RPGs out there. I've given games like Temple of Elemental Evil and Neverwinter Nights a few go-arounds but they just don't click with me. D&D Heroes is one of these few that seems to get it all right.
I don't follow the D&D universe much, and this game is just the kind made for those like me. The plot is original, not connected to any major events in the history, and mostly self-contained and easy to understand, not requiring any prior knowledge. Centuries before the game takes place, four heroes stood against a powerful wizard who enslaved the people of the land. In the final battle, the warriors defeated the evil wizard, but were themselves slain by a spell cast with his dying breath. Now, many years later, a cult is attempting to resurrect the wizard, and in desperation, the four heroes themselves have been returned to life to once again save the realm from bondage. Ultimately, it's an overused plot, but it gets better by the end.
You, as the player, take control of one of the four heroes: the warrior, a melee class; the mage, a damaging spellcaster; the cleric, primarly a healer (but more than capable of defending himself); and the rogue, a close-up damage-dealer. If you can gather four similarly-minded adventurers into your lair for a few hours, you all gang up and conquer the game together. If not, it's just as fun solo--if not more. Being a hack-and-slash type of game, it's pretty simple: you run, you jump, you swing your sword, and you loot bodies like a Soviet soldier in Berlin. Each class has unique abilities, like the rogue which makes use of a finishing meter used to execute special moves with careful timing. Other than this, though, it's pretty easy to pick up and drop in on a game whenever the fancy takes you.
Graphics are nothing to get excited about. There aren't any super-dense textures or HDR lighting effects, but it doesn't really make a difference when the camera is a good fifty feet away from the environment. Even so, everything looks quite nice, most notably the interior areas such as in castles and the first level, which takes place in a crypt. While lighting effects aren't exceptionally good, that doesn't mean they're bad either; lightning still looks awe-inspiring as it sweeps across enemies.
Ultimately, this game is a simpler form of fun. If you like running around smacking random creatures about and taking their things without regard for how good it looks, you'll love this. And if you can find three other people with the same taste, you'll play again and again. And again.
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