Wolfenstein 3D 2nd Encounter

would you believe me when I say this is my favorite of the WolfenDoom wads? yes, Wolfenstein 3D 2nd Encounter, a recreation of the Mac/Jaguar/3DO/whatever port of Wolfenstein 3D, all 30 levels plus two additional ones, is my favorite. perhaps this is just the nostalgia speaking, but even without it I can easily play this one all the way through without much trouble and quite a bit of fun. going through familiar territory is just fine and dandy, and Laz even adds a few new things like hidden outdoor areas, which while not as accurate as the real deal, it's still got some charm points to it.

even if it's all fine and dandy, the big issue of course is that the castles are oversized, which looks wrong when you factor in the enemies that are to be faced. and much like the Die Fuhrer Die episode that was made, there's additional enemies to take down, not just the usual placements, so there's probably gonna be some moments of hiding behind things. it's not so bad though, the gameplay is honestly just right and works well enough. there's even two levels where it's possible to get a chainsaw and a super shotgun, which although silly they do help somewhat. the enemies don't have a lot of health this time around, although the officers still function like chaingunners and the boss enemies are basically reskins apart from the Ubermutant. I do like how the first level, despite being rather simplistic and somewhat boring, explains how Blazkowicz gets captured, and the last level doesn't just end with Hitler's defeat, but rather catching a boat to get out. there's some weird tidbits to take note of though, like the Type 11 floor on one of MAP32's exits, then the backside of the exit door in MAP28, and so forth. worth a look though, this is pretty decent.