While speaking with several prominent figures in the deathmatch community about the "best multiplayer map this year", they told me that UDMX was great or Greenwar was amazing even the Community Instagib Pack. Everyone one of them also told me about Ghouls vs Humans and how, while it was not to their liking, it was amazing that it had taken over every multiplayer server. At least 25% of all Skulltag servers were running some form of this mod.

I have played several rounds of Ghouls vs Humans and can personally attest to the entertainment value. Team versus modes are all the rage in modern gaming... so it was only natural that someone bring it to Doom. Cutman Mike went a step further, taking his "Ghoul" series and pitting different classes of ghoul against various human foes. There have been additional expansion packs that add new maps and characters as well as constant tweaks to continue balancing the gameplay. Each character has a completely unique arsenal to dispose of the opposing team. Some ghouls fly, while others charge and bite, while humans have various weapons to fight back. The classes are creative, and the entire mod has a certain charm everyone seems to enjoy.

There has probably never been a multiplayer mod that has made this big of an impact in Doom in a long time. It's unfortunate that Mike's Megaman DM pack was picked up by Joystiq instead of Ghouls vs Humans. GvH is Mike's best work, both original and entertaining, and would manage to draw non-Doomers back into the game to see what this mod is about.

-Scuba Steve

Whispers of Satan - Paul Corfiatis and Kristian Aro

I like a good variety when selecting my favorite projects. I enjoy modern projects for their creativity and visual appeal, but I still love a good classic mapset. Whispers of Satan is a great classic megawad and, from the community input I read, seemed very well received.

Whispers begins very slow but don't give up. The early maps aren't bad, just plain. As you progress, the maps become more creative and visually appealing. Corfatis and Aro did a really nice job scaling the difficulty. I hate trying to do a casual playthrough of a project on an easy setting only to be swamped by hundreds of chaingunners and revenants. There are some tough challenges on higher difficulty, but a good playthough on easy. While the project didn't originally sport cooperative play, it has since been patched to provide that experience. The authors seemed to get more creative when it came to the hellish themes using sectors and architecture to put together some unique stretched skin. Whispers' other nice addition is optional ZDoom play. There are 3 bonus maps for ZDoom, but the project is entirely playable in any Boom compatible source port for the vanilla lovers among you.

Even when Minesweeper can be created through ZDoom ACS and GZDoom can handle 3D floors, there is always room for a classic megawad.

-Scuba Steve

Demons of Problematique 2 - Dennis "Exl" Meuwissen

There were two incredibly awesome sequel wads released this year, and it was a tough choice to decide who got the Golden Cacodemon. Before I go on to commemorate the winner, I'd like to give the other contender a mention. The sequels I'm referring to are Cheogsh 2 and Demons of Problematique 2. Cheogsh 2 was an incredible Quake-inspired mod that has absolutely great looks and style, as well as innovative use of GZDoom's special features. But a good mod must play well in addition to looking great, and for that DOP wins this Cacoward.

This map set makes extensive use of switch puzzles, but unlike other switch hunts, they are easy to follow and don't impair the player's ability to progess. After having played through this wad, only when I played it again did I realize that the textures were mainly stock Doom II textures. The architecture was so well designed that even if the texture choices were bland, their superb application makes it unnoticeable. The great part of this mod is that it's very linear, creating fast paced action and a good sense of progression.

In the end, I think that what truly makes this mod great is that it took less than 3 years to churn out a truly fantastic sequel, Mordeth.

-Patrick Pineda

Plutonia 2 - Plutonia 2 Team

I feel like I should introduce Plutionia 2, but really, does this epic project need an introduction? The only way you could have missed the release of this 32 map sequel to the original Plutonia Experiment is if you've been living under a rock for the better part of this last year. Created by an impressive team of mappers, modders, and musicians, this wad not only lives up to the high expectations set by its predecessor for both aesthetics and gameplay, it exceeds them.

True to its predecessor, Plutonia 2 is a wad meant for skilled Doom players who are interested in a good, challenging wad. However, unlike the original Plutonia Experiment, Plutonia 2 is also highly enjoyable to the more casual Doom player, provided that you play on a lower difficulty setting. Also unlike its predecessor, Plutonia 2 contains some large maps that can take quite a while to finish. At the end of it all is one of the most epic and memorable boss fights in any megawad yet. Also, Plutonia 2 also maintains the aesthetic feel of its daddy while, thankfully at the same time, gives the player a more detailed environment, providing the player a rich atmosphere to go along with the rich gameplay experience. With such an epic gameplay experience as this, why wouldn't anyone love this wad?

-Hobbs

2009 Cacowards

Page 1

• Hell Ground
• NewDoom Community Project II
• Harmony

Page 2

• Mapgame
• Legacy of Suffering
• Tribute

Page 3

• Ghouls vs Humans
• Whispers of Satan
• Demons of Problematique 2
• Plutonia 2

Other Awards

• Best Multiplayer
• Worst Wad
• Mordeth Award
• Mockaward
• Mapper of the Year

RUNNERS UP

Happy Time Circus 2
Shitbag

Cheogsh 2
Shadowman

Every year, several great maps miss being in the top 10. People will spend the next 2 days nitpicking on the forums about a wad that should have been listed or was better than one chosen. Happy Time Circus 2 and Cheogsh 2 just happen to be two mods that were named frequently by community members. HTC2 was cited numerous times for its atmosphere. While Patrick had initially selected Cheogsh 2 as his entry, he changed his mind to Legacy of Suffering, but demanded Cheogsh 2 at least be mentioned. Well... I hope you're happy, Patrick, here it is!