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Inside Mac Games has posted a review of Rune: Halls of Valhalla, an expansion to the popular third-person Viking action game from Humanhead Stuidios. This standalone expansion for the popular Unreal Tournament-based Viking slasher was completed nearly six months ago, but was caught in a web of complications as the original publisher, Gathering of Developers, was sold to Take 2 Interactive. Take 2 decided not to publish Rune: HOV for the Mac, which paved the way for a company called Mercenary Studios to finally bring it to the Mac. The expansion pack was eventually released in April of 2002.

So now that the wait is finally over, was it worth the wait? IMG's Patrick Leyden took Rune: HOV for a spin and checks in with his review.

Here's a snippet from the article:

HOV adds over 30 new maps that can be used in the original game’s multiplayer modes as well as the new game variations present in this multiplayer expansion. These maps are quite gorgeous, even though the Unreal Tournament graphics engine on which they are built has been in use for a few years. Halls of Valhalla also includes new 3D character models, which only add to the game’s impressive presentation.

The true heart of HOV is the addition of two multiplayer game types: Arena and Headball. These new modes of play join the traditional deathmatch (called RuneMatch) and Team Game, which is also deathmatch-style. In Arena, one player faces off against another in single combat until there is one Viking left standing. Any other players not currently engaged in combat can practice their moves with other combatants in a virtual staging area. The 3rd person one-on-one combat is fast and can be disorienting at times. Some 3D shooter fans (myself included) will likely find it difficult to adjust to this style of play, but it is well executed nonetheless.

IMG Review: Rune: Halls of Valhalla

Mercenary Studios

Human Head Studios

Westlake Interactive

Rune: Halls of Valhalla

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