Endless's WAD Reviews - DBP22: Biotech is Godzilla

Endless · December 19, 2020

(diagonal) Realm (2020)

From time to time, we have debuts that manage to leave a good impression, but most of the time we know that ''hey check out my first map'' is not usually the kind of title that we expect to appreciate very much, not that it is something bad, but the quality is usually a little low. On the other hand, sometimes, on rare occasions, certain exotics are born out of the fog and leave us certain special gifts, quiet, silent and without too many surprises. Sometimes those unexpected gifts are just what we need. Introducing @4MaTC, a newcomer to the mapping scene that has contributed with some maps to community projects, also known for being one of the main editors of the Doom Master Wadazine. @4MaTC doesn’t stay only behind editing work, but he’s also quite the skilled mapper that focuses on delivering some interesting pieces that feel like vanilla at heart but have such a nice and modern style that it manages to capture the best of both worlds.

Realm aka (diagonal) Realm is a medium-big map which stands out for being formed mainly by diagonals. If you know about mathematics or understand a little bit of geometry, you probably already imagine how it will be. What I can say, uneducated and ignorant of numbers, is that the fact that this map has been built in such a style means that we will find a pretty interesting level design that stands out for offering depth and detail. Realm manages to show us an excellent level design even with stock textures of the vanilla Doom 2, but by making use of excellent skills to place textures and a good color palette, it creates an attractive panorama that feels so puritanical in appearance but reveals itself with a more modernist touch that influences quite well the general perception that the visual theme offers. Diagonals in the layout mean that we find ourselves with well-curved maps and delicious geometry, as well as accompanied by a solid progression that makes us travel through different areas ranging from simple corridors to large progressive rooms that reveal more and more demons at every step. A wonder to admire thanks to its solid combination of simplistic textures with a good level design that evokes a fascinating geometry. The detail is another point to highlight, since every map needs a little detail to stand out in a good way and because Realm has just enough to make us stop for a few seconds to observe the landscape. Roofs with holes, animated acid rivers, realistic corridors with defined curves, dark areas with flashing lights, hidden interiors that combine earth with metal, etc. As far as appearance is concerned, Realm satisfies. All diagonally good.

@4MaTC is also kind enough to warn us about the possible difficulty outburst that might present in our playthrough, stating that some parts may be a bit slaughter-ish in essence. Well, he’s going on the right spot! Realm feels, indeed, like a good vanilla map with a modern twist, but the gameplay also manages to convey such feeling by delivering some well-grounded combat that escalates in difficulty the more we advance. The map begins with a classic style without major difficulty, presenting numbered combats that we can pass without so much trouble, simultaneously that gives us a good variety of encounters in different scenarios, creating a dynamic flow that feels quite entertaining (although with a few pauses that slow down the gameplay just a tad bit) achieving a good balance between traditional combat and a more modern gameplay. On the other hand, we also have certain encounters where the fights turn towards the classic slaughter style: One arena, many enemies, much ammunition, much blood. Classic Slaughter combat that in part feels welcome in terms of the complete picture that presents the scheme of the difficulty and balance. On the other hand, you should not worry too much if you think that this is a masochistic adventure, since the author has also taken the great trouble of balancing the map in different skill levels, giving a door for all kinds of players who want to get into this type of gameplay without having to stand dry before a wall of difficulty.

(diagonal) Realm is a one big adventure that throws some really nice vanilla aesthetics at our face. Launching us into a beautiful combat arena where most of the fun lies in the nicely-balanced combat and the dynamic progression of the map. While some part might feel a bit slow and some enemy positioning feels a bit out of place, most of the map is just one big joyful ride that everyone should enjoy. A big plus point is the fact that despite having quite the difficulty curve, Realm is also very welcoming to all kinds of players that want to achieve victory through some small specks of persistence and skill. If you want the challenge you can always jump right into UV, but don’t feel obligated to do so, instead you can also try lower skill levels for a more welcoming experience into this diagonal world of simple vanilla beauty and hot combat.

» Full review «

Roofi · December 19, 2020

The fourth image is the death screen from the DOS game "Robinson Requiem". Very good survival game classic.

I checked the map on doombuilder , it looks vrry impressive. I should play this map. :)

Endless · December 19, 2020

2 minutes ago, Roofi said:

The fourth image is the death screen from the DOS game "Robinson Requiem". Very good survival game classic.

I checked the map on doombuilder , it looks vrry impressive. I should play this map. :)

Always nice to learn trivia like that! That DOS game looks quite interesting ;)

And you should def check out this map, its quality is great and it also has some speedrunning/survival potential.

Endless · December 26, 2020

Master Levels for Doom II (1995)

By various authors

Let's travel in time. Let's go precisely to the year 1995, on the date of December 26th. It is practically a post-celebration day for many and some are even still resting and recovering from Christmas hangovers. It is a time of celebration and joy for many, and for others it is just another day. But... for some people, somewhere in the world, it is a unique day of premiere in which they will see things they never imagined before. For some Doomers in whatever part of the world they were, possibly the US, it's the day the legendary Master Levels for Doom II was released. Iconic, dear, mixed, hated, infamous, etc. There are many opinions about this particular collection of 21 maps for this fantastic game. Some talk about it with positive voices and memories of nostalgia mixed with a hint of longing; others despise it and consider it as a mediocre point in the life of Id Software where they only collected a bunch of levels and called it a day. Well, that is true, indeed. Master Levels for Doom II is pretty much that: a collection of 21 maps from different authors that range in quality and quantity, sometimes going from the very best that 1995 had to offer, to also the very worst that we can find, all in vanilla, lovely vanilla flavor. Well, then, what makes it so special? We could start with the simple fact that this is an official release from Id Software, which in theory could be considered a curated list of maps that the boys considered worthy of release during 1995. Something we would never see again with this style. Of course, there are many collections of shovelware with different styles and certain legends behind them, Maximum Doom is a good example (which is included alongside the Master Levels but that's another beast for another day) but probably the only underground collection with true legendary status is this one. The Master Levels are a distant memory of past times, of creative nostalgia and stages of immaturity. This is vanilla beauty and also inept ugliness. Mediocrity and fantasy come together to give us a bag full of gold and dirt. Here we have a piece of history, and like any story, it can be as ugly as it is beautiful. This is a relic of the days of yore, and one that I’m about to give my honest opinion and also some words of exterior retrospective. So, shall we?

The Master Levels for Doom II is a collection of 21 maps by different authors, ranging from some well-known community legends like Dr. Sleep, to even some authors that would later become official Id members, like Tim Willits. Created with the purpose of making direct competition to the rest of the creators of collections/compilations of shovelware, according to the words of the Johns: to "give the D!ZONE guys a run for their money." In that I think we can agree on that they did achieved it. While other collections are not as well known to this day, much less played, the Master Levels even have a certain cult category that gives them relevant popularity among Doom fans. Surprisingly, Maximum Doom probably has a more representative but equally interesting cult next to the Master Levels.

Most of the maps that we find here are from already existing WADs released previously by their creators, such as the Inferno series by Dr. Sleep. According to Sverre Kvernmo, one of the authors, most of the stuff was hunted by Id Software looking for some skilled mappers who might have some unreleased material, hence why this is more considered of collection than a properly made WAD. Some maps have special touches to give them some quality value, while others are in their pure and raw state no matter what. Inside you go and inside you play. In spite of that, the Master Levels have a certain air of born quality that we can detect without the need to make further extensive analysis within the range of levels that we will find. Of course, these are not the best maps of 1995, but they certainly have a certain touch of quality. Taking into account that this is 1995, a stage in which the level editors were not yet as convenient as they are now. Primitive tools, primitive maps. But don't let that fool you, the primordial state always has appreciable qualities even if hundreds of years go by. After all, it was called the Master Levels for something. The levels here were published with the idea that they would be of the highest quality, almost elite, making an allegory to the fact that their authors were masters of such creations. We only have to look at the ad of the Australian magazine version to read: ''Dust of Doom II, because now the master creators bring you...'' So, yeah, this was going in with quite the spiciness.

But in the end, does it manage to meet these high expectations? Well, that is quite hard to say. How can we compare it in current years? That would be unfair taking into account that even the best of the Master Levels looks pretty dull and boring compared to some recent stuff that has come out. Yet, how was the game for 1995? Well, things get interesting if we start to look at it from a more... antique perspective. Sure, playing the Master Levels in 2020 or 2021 probably isn't the most rewarding experience in the world, but I still have to admit it was fun. But what about going to 1995? Remember, this is before Final Doom and other projects that would revolutionize map design philosophy and change the world of WADs. This is 1995, Thy Flesh Consumed had just come out a few months ago so there wasn't much competition between official Id products. But competition between PWADs? Well, Memento Mori came out just a few days ago, the closest I can think of to compare between a community-made WAD but, of course, not Id released. Both are pretty iconic now a days, with Memento Mori probably being more played now a days. On the other hand, Memento Mori does suffer a bit from being outdated for today standards, and well, so does the Master Levels, yet, for 1995? Oh boy, I’m pretty sure these things were like gold bars for a Doom enthusiast.

I can’t say much about relating to that kind of experience, but I can try to, at least, lower my perception and look through a different kind of mirror into the past.

For 1995, the Master Levels are pretty solid in much of their levels. Heck, even the bad ones could be acceptable in 1995. As a matter of fact, I’m actually willing to say that most of the levels found here are superior in their overall quality to Doom II. Quite the fascinating subject of study but looking it in a more closely way, we begin to appreciate the kind of work that this collection offers, but to do so in a fair a just way, we have to look at each single of the authors in the Master Levels.

Going in with just the general order that the Doomwiki has, we start with:

Dr. Sleep: Legendary mapper and one of the earliest WAD masters that actually deserve the title. A great artist who stood out for his great ability to create levels that were as aesthetically appealing as they were fantastic to play; a stylized progression that combines gameplay elements as well as a classic example of early synergy with level design and enemy placement. Creator of the iconic Inferno series, five maps from this series are present in the Master Levels. Each of his maps stands out for having a fantastic presentation that makes great use of geometry and innovative attention to detail. From Virgil’s Lead to Vesperas, these are classic levels that are really worth playing and manage to stay relevant after all these years thanks to having good progression and a solid gameplay that will offer us good minutes of fun. Even if some of the areas of some maps can be seen as a bit old-fashioned for current years, his maps still manage to hold their own thanks to the simple fact that they are fun to play, even in today’s date.

Jim Flynn: An interesting case study of a mapper who seems to have ambitious ideas and even a bit of narrative. Creator of two maps, Titan Manor and Trapped in Titan. Flynn has an interesting style where he embraces more to the great and big, than to the modest or simplistic, straying from the traditional style of small levels with tight interiors. Its maps have a mood of adventure and exploration that seems to be clearly designed with the purpose of giving the player a few minutes of thought. Unfortunately, this is why his maps are the tardiest of all the Master Levels, with some very hard-to-understand progression, which can be somewhat detrimental to some players.

Christen Klie: Klie did six total levels for the Master Levels (curiously enough all his work was published in 1995, and then he just stopped doing Doom WADs) making him the most prolific mapper in the group. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, number does not equal quality and Klie offers several maps of very questionable quality. His maps, for 2020 or 2021, are horrible, but even for 1995 I think they are rather mixed examples of level design. They tend to be simple in presentation and their size is usually around medium to small, but it is in progression and gameplay where I really think he fails. his maps are lost, cryptic and with a style that makes us scratch our heads numerous times, which damages a lot the general quality. Interestingly enough, he would then make a multitude of other maps to release for free to the community, including a megawad and some maps for Heretic. So at least for that, thanks for the content, I guess.

Sverre André Kvernmo: Oh boy, this is the guy most people point at when talking about the hard levels of the Master Levels, cause let me tell you, his levels are tough as nails. Sverre aka Cranium, gives us a total of five levels for the Master Levels, ranging from interesting concepts to living nightmares in terms of design and difficulty. His best map is probably Black Tower, a concept map that stands out for offering an interesting adventure through different areas connected by teleporters. The map suffers a little bit of bad progression, but it is good enough. On the other hand, the rest of his maps are rather challenging to play with in every sense of the word. A bit lost, but always offering interesting original concepts although somewhat poorly executed. I can't say much about Sverre, their levels are solid for 1995 and have the charm of being challenging, except for Bad Dream which is a joke practically. After that, it's an interesting mapper that reminds me of Jim Flynn style. Sverre is also the only mapper that still contributes to the community in modern times, albeit quite sporadically. His last map was in released in 2016, after all.

Tom Mustaine: Not related to the famous metal guitarist and singer. Mustaine only contributed one level to the Master Levels, so there's not much to say about his overall legacy here, but he did have a special legacy elsewhere. Concentrating here, his only level, Paradox, is a square map with a simple design and too brown, but making use of an interesting and dynamic layout that allows a good fight and feels fun, even if a bit raw. After that, Mustaine, unfortunately, didn't contribute with more levels to the Master Levels. On the other hand, his legacy extends to multiple commercial projects, contributing with several maps to projects such as TNT: Evilution, Perdition's Gate and Hell To Pay. Also, he did other contributions to community projects like Memento Mori and even made music for Icarus and TNT: Evilution. A prolific author for the 90s, no doubt. A pity he didn't continue with the contributions. I think he would have achieved an admirable style among the community in modern days.

Tim Willits: The last ‘’Master Creator’’ of this article and probably the most infamous of them all. Willits is well known within the Doom community for becoming the studio director and co-owner of Id Software for over a decade, eventually leaving the company during 2019. Not well liked for his hot-takes and somewhat ass attitude, which has given him a bad reputation even among the gaming community in general, but now we will focus on another point that is often obscured by his previous bullshit. Willits is practically the dream of many mappers and designers in the community. He was recruited by Id Software after impressing them with his Raven and Empire WAD series. His levels were no doubt at Id's level to get him to join the team, since, we can see with his contributions to the Master Levels. We can quickly see that he had a special flair for level creation. Attack and Canyon are his two contributions to this collection. Maps made with the help of his sister, Theresa Chasar, of whom there is not much information other than that she co-authored many of the Willits' maps. Its two maps are solid and of a good quality, enough to offer a good entertainment thanks to a somewhat adventurous progression but always maintaining a constant rhythm that does not stop in terms of flow or combat. Making use of a little bit of abstract or surrealistic designs, Willits delivers two solid maps that are fun to play with. I wish he would have refrained to that alone.

As we can see more easily, this collection of maps brings 6 (or 7) authors of different ranges to give us 21 maps of different quality. Each author has, in one way or another, a certain style or set of characteristics that give them a distinguishable touch, either for good or for bad. Much can be said after so many years, but we always have to take into account that this is a work that was made almost 3 decades ago. Almost! That is quite a long time and a great testament to the fantastic work of conservation, perseverance and constant classical appreciation that this community possesses. We can see that these maps are, for lack of a more sensual word, ancient for modern times, and they show it in all honesty. Misuse of textures, confusing layouts, abstract themes, original but poorly executed concepts, boring and simple visuals, etc. But just as we can see the mistakes at first sight, we also have to be able to change our perspective and see what they did well with effort and a certain charisma. Original, creative maps, extravagant layouts, palpable design philosophies, different themes for each author, adventure designs, exploration capabilities, etc.

The Master Levels are, in one way or another, a master creation of different maps by different authors that all manage to have a distinguishable trademark. Launched on December 26, 1995, it is a creation as fantastic as it is terrible. Constantly changing levels of quality and style that show us different ways to play as well as paths to take that can lead us to rewarding exploration or to get lost in the pools of frustration while we are constantly struggling: Where the fuck do I go from here? That's what the Master Levels are all about. They may be a mixed box for these times, but I can't repeat again that what we have here is a piece of history that deserves all the attention it can get. This is just a glimpse of what the future holds. We have mappers who showed us the capabilities that our community would reveal over the years to come. We have mappers who would also show us the ugly and mixed face of many of the maps that would plague us for eternity. But, most of all, we have a collection of chocolates of different flavors ala Forest Gump. You don't know what you'll get, but you know you'll eat it and you know damn well… it is a chocolate. A tiny fraction of taste, of flavor. Just a small piece of candy for you to enjoy.

Personally, I had a lot of fun going through this historic delivery. Perhaps it is because I consider myself a historian and archivist of any piece of knowledge or content that exists. I like the idea of numbers, I have to admit, but I am also a lover of quality like everyone else, but, above all, I am an admirer of variation. The Master Levels present us with both factors, a trifecta of a fascinating odyssey: There is number, there is quality (in part) and there is a lot of variation. All this together and we have a piece of history that can never be erased from this world. They may not be as well-known as Final Doom or other installments, but the Master Levels are still a milestone that everyone should play, if only for the simple retrospective value it offers. After all, the true taste is found in tasting everything, until finally understanding each flavor. The Master flavors.

Fun fact: The Doom Master Wadazine name is inspired by, yes, indeed, the Master Levels.

Fun fact 2: And pretty much anything I’d do is going to carry Master as part of their name/title. Sorry not sorry.

» Full review «

Edited December 26, 2020 by Endless

Endless · January 12, 2021

Earth (1998)

By Roger Ritenour

I think we all have a special period that we appreciate and love among all the others. Maybe it is because of a magical charm that we feel is impossible to replicate in other eras, or maybe it is because there is a select group that we enjoyed during that time; in one way or another we all have our favorite mapping eras, but when a clear point arrives in which we can all agree it is that the 90s were a wonderfully enigmatic time. The birth of many artists who left their mark on Doom history plates, as well as of mapping styles and philosophies that would change history forever, giving way to the evolution (or mutation) of different WADs that would revolutionize the world. It's 1998, and one of those WADs has just been born.

Earth, a WAD from 1998, It is an exemplary work that left a clear mark on the world of Doom, probably marking itself as a milestone in certain aspects. Considered by many as one of the best WADs in history (after all, it's on the list of the 100 WADs of all time), Earth is an exemplary case of what the 90s were like; a stage of evolution where certain raw models were born to give birth to something interesting over time.

First things first; the visuals. Earth stands out for this in total and absolute grace. This is the best factor and there is no doubt about it. Taking into account that we are in a stage where the visual effects, the texture work and the geometry of the game had not been fully exploited yet and most of the editors at that time did not offer enough capabilities to create them, as well as the source-ports were not fully capable of surpassing the vanilla limits. Earth stood out for taking that to the other side and bringing with it a unique, distinctive look that can be appreciated to this day. Imagine a beach, the sound of the waves crashing against the wet rocks in the background. The clear, dreamlike sky that emanates a galactic atmosphere. Imagine an adventure through caves lost in civilizations of millennia ago, where nothing stays but the remains of ancient relics forgotten by time. This is Earth, a collection of 10 maps made with the goal of delivering realistic adventures that will leave behind the traditional Doom style and go deeper into a natural look that evokes environmental sensations. Some maps will lead you beachy, floating island, while others go into the depths of rocky mines that intertwine between tech-bases and hellish grounds. This is the peak of 1998 visuals, the absolute best there was. Despite looking raw as fuck, I still think dearly that it manages to succeed in delivering that feeling of exploration and adventure.

But not all that glitters is gold, and this is where we encounter the rocks of the road. Earth, despite being revolutionary in its visuals, fails to adapt to gameplay. We all agree that the 90s were not... uh, precisely the best time for gameplay, but many WADs had already managed to find a precise balance between both factors. On the other hand, Earth seems to sacrifice its gameplay for visuals. It feels like a rookie, almost as if Roger has run out of time to make balanced and interesting encounters. Most demon encounters focus on bullet-sponges, unexpected traps, and sadistic positioning. This makes Earth an experience that is best enjoyed in low difficulties like HMP or lower, but UV? It may be a little harder than it needs to be.

Earth is a classic in every way and one that even if it lags a bit behind in gameplay, even for its time, I think it is necessary to play it in its entirety in order to learn the appreciation of the evolution of WADs. It was one of the first to set the pace regarding visuals and therefore has its reputation as a totally solidified classic. It may not be the best representation of Earth in the world, but there is no home like home, and our home is Doom. A Doomed Earth.

» Full review «

Edited January 12, 2021 by Endless

Endless · January 12, 2021

Suspended in Dusk (2005)

By Esa Repo aka Espi

Espi, a legendary community mapper recognized for his veteran status and amazing mapping philosophy, created one of the best WADs in history in 2005. A piece of fantastic and monumental attention to detail that to this day still resonates in many people's ears every time the question is asked: "What is one of the best WADs in history? Well, Suspended in Dusk is there among that huge list. Espi left a mark as clear as water, as enigmatic and fascinating as the stars and a legacy that is respected decades later. Suspended in Dusk is possibly his greatest masterpiece, but here I will tell you precisely why I believe this, why even after so many years, SiD is still one of the best.

By 2005, the Cacowards had begun their fascinating journey and would begin to reward the best of the best each year. Doom has a huge list of projects and creations that are undoubtedly as fascinating as they are magnificent. As bizarre as it is detailed. It was obvious that among the best projects of 2005, one would shine for revealing a style so intricate and detailed that it would leave many mouths open. Of course, by this time there have already been several WADs with fascinating visuals that would work as small mirrors to the future that was ahead, but how many of these WADs can show off with all its details in the purest form of mapping? SiD shines, and it does so in a pure vanilla glory! Absolutely great visuals that need no major source-port to be played. How great is that?

With a total of 4 maps (levels) SiD is a short (quantity wise) but intense adventure, quite intense and magnificent that has enough essence to sediment a unique style. Its details are unhealthy even for the year, having one of the best visual qualities that can exist in the history of WAD. From the first map to the last, we will see ourselves admiring the complex and fascinating level of detail that Espi took to create every single meter of his maps. Not only making use of an excellent understanding of colors, textures and geometric designs, but also adapting a semi realistic layout that seems to tell a story in a solid and balanced way without having to sacrifice either gameplay or narrative. SiD is totally wonderful in terms of its look, and compatible with vanilla. A testament to the fascinating quality that this WAD possesses. Almost seamless. Each level is developed with a fascinating attention to detail that delivers absolutely magnificent visuals that make use of a combination of exteriors and interiors, as well as natural style maps that combine tech-base and industrial designs. Each map is giant, even for 2005, presenting a layout that impregnates adventure in every minute of our playthrough. It's like traveling through a movie set. Every meter blurs the atmosphere and every centimeter manages to transport us to the lands of this world.

Espi makes use of what I consider to be the evolved Doomcute. Realistic geometry and real-life objects recreated in Doom but with such attention to detail and realism that we forget they are there; they camouflage with the environment and create a detailed level that our brain simply sees as something ''more'', without having to double-check to ask how that exists. Something that usually happens with the Doomcute style is that we always think about the comic and goofy aspect, but when an artist manages to create realistic objects in such a way that they feel totally natural, then we have something golden in our hands. And how can we forget that fascinating sector space ship at the end of this WAD? Absolute unit of a space ship there! Here you will find so many landscapes and landmarks so iconic that you will not forget them soon.

However, we have all heard the same story: "It looks good, but does it play good?" Well, my dear reader, let me tell you that this time we have a fascinating example of an early-WAD that looks as great as it plays! Espi knows about enemy placement and understands the balance between challenge and playability, offering various encounters that synergize with the level design as well as providing opportunities for different approaches to combat. It creates a dance of possible strategies and tactics that we can exploit, ignore or simply attack blindly until we win. The maps are challenging and have combats in which we will have to prepare ourselves beforehand, but at no time do they feel unfair, tedious or boring. They are intense, fluid and dynamic. Blood suspended in the dusk of a massacre, one that we shall enjoy quite well.

On the other hand, no WAD is without is faults and we all know that tastes are subjective, so let me tell you my one and only gripe with this WAD, for the sake of balancing and pure subjective-objectivity (if that makes sense). While every map bleeds detail and plays absolutely fantastically, it does have the disadvantage that, since most of the maps are quite big, we’ll end up having some hard time finding where to go next near the end of each map. I don’t necessarily believe this to be a negative factor, since it promotes exploration and critical thinking of the layout, as well as some time to appreciate the beauty of this map. But for some of us, the impatient ones, it might get a bit tiring near the end when there’s so many roads that we’ll just end up feeling lost. Fear not, this shouldn’t endanger your level of fun and enjoyability. As a matter of fact, despite just 4 maps, expect at least 1 hour and half of pure Doom beauty and violence.

Suspended in Dusk is considered one of the best among the ocean of vastness and beauty that this world of WADs is. That is already quite the statement, but I can tell you, positively, that this is not only one of the best but also one of the most iconic and beautiful WADs to have ever been created. An absolute unit and one that deserves all your attention.

» Full review «

Endless · January 25, 2021

The Plutonia Experiment (1996)

By Dario and Milo Casali

In 1996, history was made. Final Doom, the last expansion of the classic Doom, is finally released and with it brings to our eyes two of the most iconic megawads in history. The Plutonia Experiment is one of those holy or not so holy grails that we adore to this day. Considered by many as an irreplicable milestone in the history of Doom and by others as an outdated and particularly cruelly designed work. Whatever the opinion, we can all easily accept that Plutonia came to stay sedimented among the most influential megawads in history.

Made by the brothers Casali in an almost speedmapping way, almost indeed, the Plutonia Experiment, or simply Plutonia, is one of a kind, specially during the 90s when the world of WADs was still in a very primitive, almost baby-like state. Of course, things would change quite quickly but not until Final Doom hit the shelves, and oh boy did it also hit the Doom community. Of course, it is such an iconic work that it is practically as famous as the original Doom 2 or Ultimate Doom itself, bringing with its different mechanics and creative tricks that would later be replicated several times in other distinctive and fantastic ways, creating a cycle of improvements and approaches to new ideas. Plutonia is nothing new, not at all, but it's something I've barely gotten to discover properly. While I played it a long, long time ago, I could barely remember the first five levels, much less the last few. I wanted to give it one more spin, one where I could fully appreciate the creation of this magnificent specimen. I did it and now I can see with a different eye the reason for the appreciation of this megawad. The cult of the Plutonia lies deep and with a very good reason.

Visually speaking, Plutonia is twice better looking than Doom 2, and quite frankly, TNT: Evilution, and that’s something I think we can all agree upon (well, pretty much anything looks better than Doom 2 now a days.) with no major problem. Interestingly, the levels were created by only two people, which gives a certain sense of respect for the creative capacity and practical ability of the Casali brothers. Dario did a total of 14 levels while his brother Milo did a total of 18, giving their respective authors a fairly respectable number. Which level was made by whom? That we will probably never know, although speculation may tell us certain things and analysis of map techniques others, at least we can all agree that the two authors show a well-defined quality in terms of their overall quality. Almost all Plutonia maps are attractive to look at, fun to admire and have generally understandable layouts with no major visual or progressive detractors. From the first iconic level to the last IoS, each map has a distinctive shape that gives it a certain renown, with, obviously, some maps standing out more than others, such as Congo for its respective high level of difficulty for a first level, or Hunted, for its unique way of screwing up our day with a few thousand Arch-Viles (is actually just a few dozen, but let’s drop some salt in it).

Each 10 maps are divided into chapters with a specific visual theme. The first 10 are Earth Levels, with the next 10 being Hell Levels and the last 10 being Devil Hive levels, a unique mix of particularly atrocious levels with disturbing visuals. Of course, the all-mighty secret levels also have a distinctive look, but they are not particular adherent to any other chapter. The first 11 levels manage to create that earthy feel quite well by offering brown textures that seem to recreate fortresses or human settlements, as well as clearly palpable architecture and realistic definitions without needing to be hyper-realistic. They just look good for what they need to work for. From map 12 to 20 we have the infernal levels that try to recreate what seems to be hell cities, or places with red tints. In one way or another, they manage to evoke dark sensations and also offer iconic battles in rivers of blood and red skies. From level 21 to 30 we finally have the center of all corruption. The Devil Hive levels are maps that recreate inner sectors of hell, such as capitals or demonic cities. Most of them usually look good and offer long combat spaces, although some maps can be a little longer than necessary, each of them satisfies.

And when we talk about satisfaction, we, of course, have to talk about gameplay. This is probably the most brilliant point of Plutonia, and one that many would consider essential in the history of Doom WAD development. Plutonia introduced, without a doubt, the most difficult original levels of all classic Doom, making use of a totally cruel creative and planning freedom that is designed to envelop the player in levels of absolute carnage and unnecessary insanity. This resulted in a plethora of iconic levels that stand out for their absurd early difficulty, as I said earlier, Congo is probably the ideal map to represent what Plutonia is all about. I don't have to say anything else; this has already been said to death: Revenants, Chaingunners, Arch-Viles, Barons, Mancubus. Be prepared to see them in whole hordes. However, what do I think of this? Well, at first, I must admit I was a bit skeptical about my initial reaction, since I'm usually more of a fan of casual WADs that show some mercy to the players, on the other hand, I also appreciate a good shot of adrenaline to get the glands moving. Plutonia is definitely going for the latter. What we have here is the introduction of what I, and many, consider the proto-slaughtermap. Before Hell Revealed, Plutonia already had the first slaughter-style maps, such as the immortal Got 2 It. These are brutal maps, even for modern years. Sure, many other WADs have managed to surpass Plutonia's overall difficulty, including its famed unofficial sequel, but Plutonia is the starting point where it all began and from there were born distinctive WAD making moves that would later be sedimented as part of the iconic variety of this beautiful community. I can't hate that, it's simply impossible since it's a factor that, despite being so divergent, brought about a change that would end up favoring the freedom of design and the brutality of the unforgivable gameplay.

I enjoyed every second of it, from start to finish without encountering any major difficulties and that's pretty incredible, considering that all other IWADs have at least one major negative quality that tends to affect my enjoyment. Plutonia, on the other hand, didn't present me with any truly annoying factors. Even its brutal difficulty was extremely enjoyable and I'm sure it has managed to survive modern times precisely because of that.

Sure, it's a bit old, and some maps tend to be a bit more boring to look at than others, but it's a journey through time that launches us into the golden grail that everyone wanted to reach during the 90s. A time when everyone was waiting for the ''Next Plutonia''. The Casali brothers created a movement that would forever remain on the plaques of Doom history, and for that and much more, I think we should all be thankful that what we have here is, without a doubt, the best IWAD ever. Plutonia is an experience and one that everyone, without fail, should try sometime in their life. It may kick your ass, but a kick never felt so good.

» Full review «

Endless · February 3, 2021

The Trooper’s Playground (1996)

By Matthias Worch

Back, back, back in the day, things used to be be- oh wait, no, wrong thread. Ehem. Back in 1996, Mattias Worch released a 9 map WAD with quite the interesting line-up of new content and short yet punchy maps, predating Erik Alm’s Scythe for quite some time, yet, unlike the former, this one is not a full megawad but still one that delivers quite the quality material with some well-done layouts and new tricks that probably blew some minds away back in the 90s.

As an interesting tidbit I read on the Doomwiki, this WAD originally came with a .bat using the New WAD Tool, making it a sort of relic of yesteryear that showcased the technical wonders of yesteryear, which despite being somewhat annoying by modern standards (or even for those times) brought with it a unique charisma that we will probably never see again. Now, many years later, The Trooper's Playground was re-released in 2016 with a new version that simplified things, allowing modern source-ports to run it. So, I played this little adventure that ended up being quite rewarding thanks to a few simple but entertaining factors.

Starting with the nostalgia factor and visuals, The Trooper's Playground clearly has it coursing through its veins. It has a classic and traditional 90s style, with maps that represent the highest peak that mappers reached during 1996. Each map starts off simple and then expands to reveal interesting layouts with some pretty hot encounters. As for the visuals of this WAD, we can't expect much but it doesn't mean that what we have here is a bad example. This WAD looks pretty good considering the year ahead. It manages to retain its feel and maintains a subtle but quite acceptable look that is even pleasing despite the incredible standards we have today. In other words: It doesn't look bad but it's not extravagant either. What it does manage to establish itself in a more critical way is the type of design that its levels have and the variety of layouts that we will find. With 9 maps in total, each one of them manages to create a clear little adventure that goes hand in hand with variety and fun.

The Trooper's Playground is an adventure that, despite having an average length of 1 hour 30 minutes, manages to pack quite a punch, especially in UV. It achieves a fairly acceptable challenge that strikes a good balance between trial-and-error and player skill. Its layouts manage to create dynamic encounters that offer an entertaining variety that evokes a good sense of modern gameplay, so to speak. As we progress through the WAD we will find other interesting encounters that manage to stand out by combining puzzle elements as well as interesting little tricks that increase the difficulty but always try to maintain a balance between the enemies that are thrown at us. Each map has an average of 140 demons, starting quite heavy even with the first map, but despite that, manages to establish quite well the type of challenge that seeks to achieve: that of a traditional combat with an average duration where everything is established based on intelligent encounters, well-planned positioning and careful selection of items. The latter can be a bit short at times, but it's quite manageable. There's also a new, interesting enemy that will probably cause you some trouble, but it is a nice addition to the demon army. I should also mention that the final map features an IoS, which, yes, we know perfectly well that they are done to death, but the author manages to create a different example that reacts with an avant-garde and entertaining form of combat, although a bit difficult for blind players.

In a somewhat amusing or simply quirky way, I can describe my overall opinion of this WAD as a ''quickie''. It's not necessarily the longest, nor the best, but it's an enjoyable one that manages to offer enough intensity to give us a good hour of satisfaction, especially for those who love the old and old, stuck in times they probably didn't even live. Like me. Fuck. Anyway, this WAD? Good. My opinion? Play it. The reason? Apart from being part of the ''pre-Cacowards'', it's just plain fun and a good example of a fantastic creation from the 90s.

» Full review «

Edited February 3, 2021 by Endless

Endless · February 21, 2021

Dark Covenant (1996)

By Keith Phipps

As many of us know, in over 25 years of Doom's existence, a huge, absurdly huge number of WADs have been released to the public in various forms and methods. Some manage to achieve a quite recognizable popularity either because of their superb gameplay quality or because of their dismal reputation as a bad joke. On the other hand, from time to time we have something in between, but I am not referring only to those decent WADs that manage to create a solid foundation of respect, but also to those high-quality WADs that, despite the passing of the years, still have a somewhat obscure, almost cult-like reputation. Dark Covenant is, in my opinion, one of those WADs that present a fascinating quality for its year, yet you rarely see it mentioned nowadays. Like a forgotten, dusty gem, its there, but you don’t see it.

Keith Phipps is quite the interesting mapper. One of those guys that had a really solid background with level design yet didn’t push that much of maps into their catalogue. With only 5 WADs released between 1995 and 1997, the mapper is definitely not the most prolific, yet some of his levels show a very well-grounded design philosophy to which he adheres, which can be summoned up in two words: Oldschool WAD. That’s actually three words, but still. Dark Covenant is a full episode replacement for Doom 2, offering a total of 12 maps for you to enjoy in pure Doom glory. With some simple layouts yet respectable map sizes, Keith knew his hand around mapping, that’s for sure.

Taking into account that this is 1996, I have to tip my hat (maybe fedora) of to this mapper, considering that this year (and decade) wasn’t particularly remembered for offering the best of the best and still had some very primitive WADs on the making, yet despite its flaws, the 90s were still golden man, and Keith is quite golden with this mapset too. What we have here are straightforward, simple maps with quite understandable layouts that follow a linear progress system. It would be very strange if you got stuck wondering where to go or what to do. I understand that a good percentage of players find this kind of maps a bit boring, but at the same time it opens the door to a good sense of flow that allows you to play without any pause, following a sense of continuity quite enviable for the year. This is one of the main reasons why I see this mapset as a quite respectable and solid one; the simple fact that it did not made me spend a lot of time getting lost on purpose like others of the same year is already something quite positive. On another bright, lovely positive thing is the MIDI soundtrack. Lots of MIDI renditions of Metallica that actually work quite well alongside the WAD, specially for MAP12 which rocks pretty high in my opinion.

On the subject of maps, the variety and overall quality of each single one is pretty damn good and lovely. Most maps are medium-sized, with some going into big town area. From the simple urban inspired map to some neat looking space stations, Dark Covenant packs a well-done variety of fully done 90s maps in the highest quality possible for a single guy doing all the work. Most of the maps tend to follow a simple, straight path that evokes a simplistic nature, yet the mapper made sure to pack as much detail and architecture as possible for vanilla-compatibility, which its quite amazing in my honest opinion, taking into account that these maps completely blew Doom 2 standard out the park. Well, that’s actually not that hard to do but you guys get the point.

Dark Covenant has a wide variety of enemies and follows a simplified combat system. Just as the layout is linear for the most part, we could say that the enemies and their positioning are also linear in a way. Simple corridors and rooms full of enemies in different positions waiting to attack us, with a few surprises from time to time (which are usually Cyberdemons) but always offering enough consistency to maintain a relevant gameplay that feels entertaining at all times. All maps feature over 100 enemies, some going up to 300, so in UV this mapset can be slightly challenging, a bit exploitative due to Chaingunner spam at times, but it doesn't feel annoying or slow at any time. Considering it has 12 maps, the average duration we can expect to complete it completely is 2 hours, so completing it in a single session is totally possible without major disruptions.

A lovely mapset that really shines among a pile of forgotten pieces. While yes, it is pretty simple and quite outdated for current times, it is quite amazing that you don’t see this piece surfacing quite that much among some other famous ‘’best WADs of the 90s’’ lists and so on. Yet, despite the lack of promotion, Dark Covenant is a damn solid job that brings good quality. A nice mapset that will flow easily through your veins, specially if you’re in the look out for some vanilla, classic goodness. Look no more, this one is worth a playthrough.

» Full review «

Endless · February 23, 2021

DBP18: Umbral Platinum (2019)

By the Doomer Boards Community

After the more experimental, horror-like atmosphere that the previous DBP offered, it was now time to get into something different and a bit more traditional for the next project, or at least that’s what I imagine, hence, Umbral Platinum was born, but unlike a simple traditional mapset, this one blends quite well different visual styles into a single conjoined set of solidly challenging and pretty looking maps that evoke perfectly well that feeling of dungeon crawl and darkness overwhelmed. A dungeon of Doom, if you wish.

Umbral Platinum is an interesting example of a WAD that is small in quantity of levels but has fantastic quality maps that stand out for having a clear visual theme that evokes an excellent spirit of consistency and passion. In this case, this WAD has visuals that are very reminiscent of caves, deep dark caverns or places inspired by damp and cold dungeons. The maps make a combination of those gray and dark colors, going into the greenish of mold and the grey of stones, looking for a creepy scale that manages to combine perfectly with the style of each map while giving us a well-diversified and qualitative variety. Right from the start, with the fascinating map by @SuperCupcakeTactics, we can find an excellent use of colors and styles that is contrasted with a more modern level design and architecture that seems quite reminiscent of trenches, or at least a rather cramped base. Clear style of SuperCupcakeTactics and sincerely one of my favorites in this. MAP02 by @Walter confetti and @gaspe bring a more down to earth approach into the scene, creating a darkly lit interior map with lots of caves and subterranean rivers alongside forgotten bases. With a simpler layout yet extremely intuitive progression, we dive in right into this WAD. @Phobus leaves quite the mark with his MAP03, a secret base entrenched in the side of a mountain or maybe inside a cave, with redly colored tech and some outstanding combat areas, giving us quite the impression with some of the hardest fights in the WAD. MAP04 by @an0n is a lovely wooden base by the river that goes deep into tunnels and some secret rooms, creating a good atmosphere and lovely flow that never stops. MAP05 by @glenzinho is an interesting take into a complex yet intuitive map that follows lots of interconnected paths and re-opening areas, all while only making use of a few keys almost near the end of the map. With a fascinating visual setup and some close-quarters encounters, this is a tough map that really encapsulates well the mood of a dungeon. @gaspe makes an interesting level with MAP06, a small yet tight tech/dungeon-base that follows a simple path of left then right, making use of purposeful backtracking and high enemy positioning. Quite lost at times but fun nonetheless. Finally, we finish with the great sage of the DBP's, @Big Ol Billy practically king when it comes to mapping for these projects. MAP07 is a huge, huge beast with incredible complexity and fascinating visuals that demonstrates a flow that is both entertaining and challenging. With multiple fights and varied path systems, it's an adventure that promotes exploration and brutal combat at all times from start to finish, especially with that ending that is sure to take many by surprise. A blast. And of course, a final MAP08 where we can explore all the assets of this project in particular.

WADs should, above all else, be fun, and the DBP’s never, never fail at that. Even the lows succeed at being fun for at least one hour. Well, Umbral Platinum is among the highs, delivering an awesome adventure that goes through a balanced consistency of different maps that all fall among the style of being quite bleak to look at, but always full of detailing and enough attention to design that it becomes quite the feast to the eyes for those who love simplistic yet delightful visuals.

And as usual, regarding difficulty and gameplay, you should already expect quite the high standard when it comes to skill level in the DBP’s. Most WADs are difficult, but they always offer a well-rounded table of content to justify the slightly difficult matchups. While not all maps have difficulty settings implemented properly, most maps feel balanced enough to justify a UV playthrough, but do be aware that it is going to be a hot challenge from beginning to end. So, if you like spicy things, humid dungeons, tech base combined with caves and some darkly lit areas, look no more and enter… the Umbral Platinum.

» Full review «

Endless · March 3, 2021

Eviternity (2019)

By @Dragonfly et al

The one and only. The megawad that broke the internet and also Doomworld in one way or another. A legendary title that bears the mark of greatness. When you hear the name Eviternity, you know you’re hearing a legend come to life. Doom map-making is, on its own way and form, art; an expression of sincere virtue and passion. Well, if WADs are art, then Eviternity is the Starry Night of @Dragonfly.

Eviternity is, in all the sense of the word, a full 32 maps megawad created by the legendary @Dragonfly alongside the help of some starring legends like @Jimmy, @Afterglow, @an_mutt, @antares031, @AtroNx @StormCatcher.77, @Mechadon, @Xaser, @Eris, @skillsaw and @ukiro. Now that’s what a call a stellar cast full of fantastical mappers that deliver not only in their word but even more. While the majority of the maps were made by Dragonfly itself, there are a number of guest-made stellar maps that stand out for their incredible quality, as well as a few made in collaboration. From head to toe, just quality in every way. While community projects are quite common nowadays, and their overall quality is undoubtedly superior to what we used to find in the old days, Eviternity proved that one of the most natural and incredible ways to create 32 maps of absolute quality is through a team of passionate collaborators willing to give a small token of their power. Dragonfly led this project and created it brick by brick, in such a way that the final work stands as a monument to Doom, to the community and to the art of level design.

The title of this work is already a great example of excellent decisions in terms of presentation, because if we talk about presentation, well, Eviternity has it all and all a hundredfold. Dragonfly took care to create a work that not only possesses the expected quality of a modern work, but also possesses its own identity that will give it simplified identification within the community as well as an idealized visualization to new players. From the simple logo to the way the chapters are divided. The aesthetics of this megawad are through the roof and it is, in one way or another, a work of such quality that I'd like to think this is what Id would be able to deliver if they ever made WADs for Doom again. Just wishful thinking, but goddamn I’m glad that instead of that we have a full community absolutely nuts on quality. Eviternity is there, mate, among the best of the best, and let me tell you, there’s a lot of the best, so if that’s the case then, what exactly makes Eviternity so special? Glad you asked.

Eviternity brings with it a unique and massive visual quality that is as drastic in presentation as it is admirable. From the first level to the last. There is not a single map that disappoints us or makes us say ''meh, this isn't as cool as the last one.'' Each map has a distinctive and factorable quality within the great formula that is this megawad. Each one contributes a distinct point that offers a wonderful quality of variety and flavor. Thanks to the excellent decision to divide the megawad into 6 episodes of 5 maps each, we have 6 different themes that demonstrate an absolute boldness in daring to make a 25+ year old video game look like this. How dare they make such a masterpiece?

Well, they did it and they left a great impact, to such an extent that this megawad even had media repercussions in the world of videogame news. One of the rare honors that few WADs have had. Thanks to the fantastic use of varied episodes, we have a plethora of different flavors to try ranging from sweet joy to hellish nightmare. Starting with the first chapter that brings with it an excellent natural map design with gothic ambience and outdoor scenery. MAP01 encapsulates in an excellent way the kind of atmosphere that awaits us. Chapter 2 takes us to industrial settings with rusty colors and the smell of rot and smoke in the air. The maps are a mix between Tech-base with a clear industrialist influence in their rusty textures and brown colors, bringing with it a change in gameplay that reacts fantastically in synergy with the environment. Chapter 3 (one of my favorites) brings, in my opinion, the most ambient and stylized set of maps in the entire set. With a cold winter setting, ice and snow keep us company as we enter castles and hellish fortresses that stand out for their black rocks among the white background, as well as a few other extra surprises of monumental architecture. Chapter 4 brings with it a more traditional style but with a more advanced twist. Tech-base with neon colors and intense scenarios that are based on complex layouts that allow as much exploration as intense combat. MAP19: Dehydration, stands out for perfectly representing the style of this chapter, as well as for its extreme length. Chapter 5, the antepenultimate, is properly, a chapter set in the dark abstract corners of hell. Red is king (and purple) and violence is queen. A collection of 5 maps designed to punish you in this fantastic adventure. With one of the most brutal examples of gameplay as well as architecture in the entire megawad, chapter 5 leaves a long mark, but finally, we come to the last one. Chapter 6 is, without a doubt, Eviternity at its finest. Monumentalism, expressionism, brutalism and an obsession with color. Maps that perfectly combine a Greco-Roman architectural style with celestial landscapes that pay homage to paintings of the Elysium. The last chapter is among my favorites, and for good reason; it is practically perfect. MAP26 and MAP27 stand out for their incredibly atmospheric design, for offering unique gameplay and visuals; and of course, MAP29 is the cake. You have to play it. You have to taste it. Ah, and don’t forget the secret maps which are already special on their own, each one offering something that will probably stick with you long after finishing it.

I really want to emphasize how Eviternity manages to create an atmosphere that we rarely find in Doom, even over the years. What a select group of maps have is that they can create such a fascinating landscape that evokes an incredible sense of surrealism, inviting immersion. That's right, a video game from 1993 can still create such a powerful feeling when a group of mad lads decide to create some content for the game. Eviternity is one of the first WADs that managed to emphasize that idea, and one of the first that managed to capture me in such a way that I was invited into a concept that was new to me at the time, that of escapism through art. One way or another, Eviternity will immerse you in a unique adventure in all respects. Not only that, but also within the great panorama of its presentation is the fantastic use of its soundtrack. While a few songs are borrowed from other WADs, the vast majority are original works made by a variety of authors, among which stand out @Jimmy, @Alfonzo and @Eris, both legendary authors and recognized within the community for their consistency in quality and superb creativity. Here they are no different, and each author managed to create songs that make excellent synergy together with their respective maps in absolute genius. Some tracks are as frenetic as they are fun, inciting the enraged gameplay, while other tracks create an atmosphere so palpable that it makes the air itself smell. Chapter 4 excels in this for me, offering some of the best ambient tracks in the entire megawad. But always, from beginning to end, each selected song is a work of art that deliberately makes this not only a visual, but an auditory experience. And a very pleasurable one at that.

But we all know that not everything is about being pink, but also about having flavor, and when I say flavor, I mean gameplay, how is Eviternity in that case? Well, to put it in a few words: Magnificent. Eviternity is a unique WAD not only because of the previous points, but also because it offers an adventure through its gameplay that goes from such simple variations to such impressive surprises. With a well-established curve based on its chapter system, each map brings with it a distinct sense of progress thanks to its excellent attention to enemy positioning, varied encounters and synergy between demons and level design. Fortunately, this adventure is quite acceptable for new players due to its excellent balance of different skill-levels, but on the other hand it also offers a considerable challenge even for veteran players who wish to jump into this gem in Ultra-Violence. Offering traditional evolutionary combat styles ranging from close encounter fights in corridors to typical monster closets, Eviternity also offers some of the best combat ever in a wide variety of maps, such as its final boss in MAP30, the massive adventure in MAP32, the violent final encounter in MAP25 or the iconic horde in MAP15. But of course, I can't leave behind the new additions that Eviternity brings. The 5 new enemies: The Nightmare Demon, a version of Pinky on steroids. Former Captain, a projectile version of the Heavy, something like a mini Spiderdemon. The Astral Cacodemon, a fascinating fella with complex moves and a dangerous close-range attack. The Annihilator, a son of a bitch that fuses the one-hit-kill of the Cyberdemon with the toughness of the Baron (a little tougher) and a machine gun to ruin our day. And of course, the final boss, the unique Archangelus, a complex boss that brings with it a variety of new mechanics and attacks that make for a fascinating battle. Each of them brings something new to the table, presenting countless possibilities for new fights. Eviternity has a little something for everyone (as cliché as that sounds), as well as a wide variety of combat, it has a wide variety of difficulty scales that are made to satisfy a wide range of players from start to finish. Among them, as a passionate gamer, I can say that I am completely satisfied, yes sir.

For those of you who read me you probably know that in my review style I always try to highlight the strong factors and I tend to have an enthusiasm that can be a bit blinding at times, so you're probably wondering: Is he sugarcoating all this? It can't be that good. Well, I'm afraid not, I'm not sugarcoating any of it and I have to say that in the big picture of Eviternity, between all the contributions it brings, every map and every single encounter, Eviternity is practically, virtually perfect. While we may encounter some annoyances from time to time (certain maps feeling too long or some enemies feeling a bit brutal) there is no major problem that makes me scratch my head and regret playing this megawad. Not at all. On the contrary, Eviternity is that kind of adventure game that you don't want to stop playing even for a break. It grabs you. It captivates you. It enchants you.

This review marks my 50th review, and for that I wanted to do something special, something unique and that perfectly represents what I love about Doom. Eviternity is one of the first megawads that I finished completely, and it is also, without a doubt, an example that encapsulates everything good and beautiful that Doom can offer us in the 21st century. Breathing in the fresh air of this modern map making movement is like breathing in new life, and I'm glad to have been a part of it from the perspective of a healthy/unhealthy gamer. Dragonfly and team created something wonderful. Something metrically massive and astronomically beautiful. Eviternity is an eternally fantastic voyage that gives Doom a new coat of wonderfulness, and in my honest opinion, it is perfect.

» Full review «

Edited March 3, 2021 by Endless

Dragonfly · March 3, 2021

I am.. uh... yeah. Speechless!

Thank you for this review, @Endless! I really appreciate it, and I'm sure the rest of the team behind Eviternity do too (I'll be sharing a link momentarily). Congrats on the 50th review milestone, I'm honored to have taken that slot!

Endless · March 3, 2021

5 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

I am.. uh... yeah. Speechless!

Thank you for this review, @Endless! I really appreciate it, and I'm sure the rest of the team behind Eviternity do too (I'll be sharing a link momentarily). Congrats on the 50th review milestone, I'm honored to have taken that slot!

I am glad to hear that. Eviternity is something special and one WAD that I'm sure will continue to be named even decades later. A great gift to this community, so thank you for that!

Endless · March 3, 2021

Now that I have finished my 50th review, I just want to say thank you to all those who read and enjoy my reviews, as well as to those who comment and support me in this odyssey.

I would like to hear your opinions about my style. Feedback or criticisms on how I write and what I could do to improve, things that respond to:

- Is my English decent? (probably not)
- How is my style?
- Do I manage to give the essential substance?
- Do I explain myself well?
- What can I improve?

- Is there something I'm missing?

After all, I don't plan to leave this feat half done and I would like to be able to do even more reviews, sharing my opinions about this magnificent world is something I enjoy very much. Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback.

And here is a small list of things I want to review at some point in the future:

- 2002 A Doom Odyssey
- Alien Vendetta
- Ancient Aliens
- Avactor: End of the Fifth Circle
- Back to Saturn X Episode 1: Get Out of My Stations
- Back to Saturn X Episode 2: Tower in the Fountain of Sparks
- Bourgeois Deathmatch
- Combat Shock
- Community Chest 4
- Doom 2 the Way id Did
- Doom Zero
- Doom the Way id Did: The Lost Episodes
- Epic
- Epic 2
- Eternal Doom
- Going Down
- Heretic Treasure Chest
- Japanese Community Project
- Jenesis
- Lost Civilization
- MAYhem 1500
- MAYhem 2016
- MAYhem 2018
- MAYhem 2019
- MAYhem 2048
- NewDoom Community Project II
- NewDoom Community Project
- No Rest for the Living
- Perdition's Gate
- Plutonia 2
- Plutonia: Revisited Community Project
- Realm of Chaos
- Return to Hadron E2 and E3
- Revolution!
- Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP
- Scythe
- TNT: Revilution
- The Joy of Mapping 1
- The Joy of Mapping 2
- The Joy of Mapping 3: Mandatory Joy
- The Joy of Mapping 4: Summer School
- The Joy of Mapping 5: Winter Weekend
- The Joy of Mapping 6: Eternal Joy
- The entire Doomer Boards Projects
- Ultimate Doom the Way id Did
- Urania
- Valiant

And many, many more WADs that I can't think of. As you can see, it's a big list and I have no plans to leave Doom in the future, so I'd like to improve my skills as much as I can. Thanks to all of you.

Endless · March 15, 2021

DBP19: A Doomer Boards Christmas Carol (2019)

By the Doomer Boards Community

We all want to get into the enchanting spirit of the sweet Christmas season as December approaches. Nothing like celebrating the times of peace, love and understanding among all beings as by doing it in the most holy and fantastic way possible: Killing demons. Those infernal sinners are not going to clean themselves and we are here to do it. Thanks to the fantastic criminal minds of the members of the Doomer Boards Community, we have been given a fantastic Christmas installment that has all the necessary requirements to recreate a good Christmas spirit; blood, violence, guns and many, many demons. Ready to celebrate Christmas? Hit it.

A Doomer Boards Christmas Carol is a project created by the famous krew that this time is launched towards the winter celebrations of Christmas, creating a theme focused entirely on the Christmas touch of the game and redesigning textures and skins for almost the entire project, perfectly invoking that Christmas spirit that few can achieve with a game that was practically identified as a form of 3D Satanism (although it was not exactly released at Christmas, it is a Christmas game in my heart) that would launch to the market a re-copied and unique style. That of being gory and disturbing. Well, let's take the core of Doom and now give it a new twist, one that has lots of snow, cookies, warm milk, presents, red socks and some coal for the bad kids. The result? A grandiose 25-map project (half of them small intermissions) that perfectly re-invents the celebratory style into a Christmas mood that successfully recreates the game on, you guessed it, Christmas. Or something like that.

DBP19 is a fascinating project like no other that really manages to reach those standards and deliver white maps full of passion, identity and a lot of fun. Thanks to the new use of textures and the hilarious re-skins, we now have a new paint scheme for the entire game that takes us out of the hellish air and into a cooler and, uh, wholesome kind of hell.

Starting with MAP01 by @Big Ol Billy, the first map actually works as a kind of intermission/hub-styled map that makes us progress the game accompanied by a small Christmas narrative where the different members of the team give us little stories and messages about what awaits us or the story. A little touch that gives it a nice charisma. @Big Ol Billy does practically all the intermissions, as well as a few other independent maps. MAP02 continues the adventure and this time throws us directly into a combat arena that presents us with two important aspects: 1) the visual style and 2) the new mechanic of hunting ''bells'', something like switch-hunting but more simplified. MAP03 is one more intermission made by the same author, and from now on all the maps with odd number are intermissions. MAP04 by @Phobus is a re-interpretation of the first map but with a more square style and less mercy. @gaspe comes into action with his MAP06 which gives us a great rock fortress in a world of ice full of action and beautiful visuals. MAP08 by @glenzinho is, as the title says, a violent surprise that shows an excellent Doom-City style. @Phobus returns with MAP10 in an intricate and tight map with dark corners and welcoming demons. MAP12 by @SuperCupcakeTactics and @glenzinho wins the award for most innovative and fun title I've read all year, luckily not all is title but also essence as this is a fascinating map that combines the two styles of mappers under a perfect synergy of emotion and visual sweetness. MAP14 by @DooM_RO is a huge odyssey that makes us look for different bells while we go through different scenarios making our way through rivers of demons, all in an exciting Christmas adventure. Oh yeah. MAP16 by @Jaxxoon R and @glenzinho pits us against a huge map with amazing visuals but a somewhat confusing layout that compensates with a nice touch of detail and variety of scenarios. @Thundercunt (hehe) delivers a labyrinthine and different adventure that contains as many goodies as the demons in MAP18. MAP20 by @dmdr is a fascinating ice adventure that takes us on a journey with good flow, fun combat and excellent presentation. @joe-ilya delivers a mysterious and cold mansion in MAP22, full of demons, Masterminds and a few surprises in the basement. Finally, MAP24: Realm of Christmas Time by @Big Ol Billy is an excellent final scene as we face off in a small arena-style map against a variety of enemies and a sort of modified IoS that delivers thrills and excitement. Like the good little kids, we've been. Of course, the final intermission in MAP25 is what we call a total beast that actually works like a credits map but with a twist.

Wow that was a lot of maps! Probably among the biggest (or actually biggest) DBP, quite the gift!

This winter adventure deliberates with solid greece a delivery of 25 maps full of charisma, fun, gifts and everything we need to feel comfortable and accompanied on a lonely Christmas night while the snow crashes against our windows. Not that I can relate to that because where I live it doesn't snow, but at least with this project I have managed to relate the sweet effect of nostalgia with the innocence of yesteryear where we simply wanted to enjoy Doom in its purest form. Well, this is the purest way to enjoy it at Christmas! Or practically any month, after all I'm playing this in the middle of summer. Hehe. Anyway, want some cookies? Come and get them.

» Full review «

Endless · March 17, 2021

DBP20: Dungeons and Demons (2020)

By the Doomer Boards Community

Have you ever played DnD? I'm sure you've at least heard of it. Dugeons & Dragons is a pen-and-paper style RPG board game, where a group of players venture into fantasy worlds while pretending to be characters as outlandish as they are powerful, or ridiculous. It's a blast. DnD has been, for most of its existence, a cultural landmark that can now be easily referenced in pop-media, but one of the curious things is that, despite its extreme popularity, we've never had a truly DnD game in the FPS genre... until now. Introducing project number 20 of the Doomer Boards Projects; Dungeons and Demons. The perfect amalgamation of everything I love about Doom plus my nerdy side combined in an exotic phase of magical dimensions and visual wonders.

Dungeons and Dragons is a WAD of 9 total maps designed based on nothing more and nothing less than the visual style and narrative of Dungeons & Dragons, the famous and beautiful RPG board game. As expected, the visuals of this mapset are totally amazing and deliver with fantastic results a graphical theme as great as entertaining. The main color here is purple, being denoted by the skybox and many of the items, but all the textures have received a tweak to look more fantasy-like, almost Heretic style, and the monsters have been, in part, revamped to create that fantasy atmosphere that I love so much. It's not only the fantasy visuals, but also the new weapons that go perfectly with the whole set. This WAD makes Doom as Heretic as possible without necessarily being Heretic, and I must say that I absolutely love it and would be more than happy to play a full megawad in this style, as every single map is a marvel in every aspect. The visuals alone are more than worthy of receiving a hug of congratulations from me. They deserve it.

Starting things off, or should I say, summoning? We have @Walter confetti with MAP01, a crypt-like map with some fantastical magical effects that work extremely well to set the mood. MAP02 by @dmdr transports us into a black library of star-like fun. MAP03 by @xvertigox, the one leader of this awesome project, is a beautiful adventure that cranks up the challenge into a fun magic-fest. MAP04 by @Jaxxoon R is what happens when you have a perfect idea and execute it in a very simple, linear way, that works fantastically well to create a lovely gameplay flow. MAP05 by @SOSU is a great combination of interiors with exteriors that showcases some awesome combat. The one and only @Big Ol Billy brings the big guns with the first fantastically hard map. MAP06 Is a giant fortress of black magic and some spidermasterminds, full of keys and some really awesome secret/easter-eggs. MAP07 by @Xyzzy01 is the literal manifestation of power-fantasy, a lovely square adventure full of blood. @glenzinho closes this mapset with the great MAP08, a huge kingdom filled with magic and cults of the underworld. Things quickly turn into a full-on battleground of magical proportions that will leave us with a big smile once we achieve victory. And, of course, this is a DBP, you can’t miss the credit MAP09, a lovely little room where the table is set for us to throw the dice.

Dungeons and Demons is a fantastic adventure that takes us to places we have never been before. Few WADs in the history of Doom decide to approach Heretic's fantasy style, much less a unique fantasy style with different tints than usual. DBP20 fulfills the fantasy of many fans of, uh, fantasy, to enter a world full of violence, surrealism and D20 adventures, where if you get 1, you're worth a damn, but if you get 20, welcome to the BFG. As expected, this mapset brings with it a solid balance of difficulty designed to entertain those hardcore gamers looking for something fun, fast but with a good flavor that will leave them yearning for more. Each map is an adventure and each one is one to remember. It may not take months like a DnD campaign, but the time it takes to finish this great set will be one that we will remember with charisma and smiles for a long time to come. Above all, can I ask for a sequel? Thank you.

» Full review «

baja blast rd. · March 26, 2021

On 3/3/2021 at 2:12 PM, Endless said:

Now that I have finished my 50th review, I just want to say thank you to all those who read and enjoy my reviews, as well as to those who comment and support me in this odyssey.

I would like to hear your opinions about my style. Feedback or criticisms on how I write and what I could do to improve, things that respond to:

Hey, it's cool when people ask for feedback directly like this.

I think you are great at conveying the enthusiasm and joy of playing wads, at conveying gratitude for stuff existing. Negativity in the world is easy to come by, so that sort of thing is refreshing. Plus things like the Wadazine and your productivity here show a natural skill and drive for managing projects well -- which is one of those things that is harder than it looks. That is a pretty good basis to start from.

(This post is long enough that I felt compelled to do some basic formatting stuff.)

On Review Content

In the reviews I've read, you are mostly playing the role of providing a "distant overview" of a wad. You mix verbal flair with catchy hooks and outros, and the body of your reviews tends to be heavy on commentary and analysis and overarching description of broad elements.

That is not out of the ordinary or anything, but personally, as a reader, I think I probably have outsized standards for the strength of "commentary and analysis"-related insights. When someone goes there, I really expect to be sometimes taught new things, or to be given deep windows into someone else's perspective that I might not have (which is the same as "being taught new things").

So because of that, I think it stands out to me more when a review uses that mode a lot but isn't backed strongly with especially deep knowledge of the wad, its genre, or the landscape it is part of.

I'm the sort of reader who expects specificity. When I read something like "simultaneously that gives us a good variety of encounters in different scenarios," part of me wants to see some implication about how exactly the encounters are varied, or what is the "locus" of variety: monster use? choreography? intensity? scale? etc.

Lines like this -- "What I can say, uneducated and ignorant of numbers, is that the fact that this map has been built in such a style means that we will find a pretty interesting level design that stands out for offering depth and detail. " -- often prompt thoughts like, "offering depth and detail? that is pretty general, like in what sense do you mean?"

You sometimes do that well. For example the Mercury Rain ending is spot-on and informative:

Quote

Mercury Rain is a fantastic level that embraces ambience and visuals with a graceful touch on simplicity, without, of course, leaving behind or sacrificing gameplay. Is a simple, yet visually pretty map that offers a good challenge without getting super hard nor boring. You’ll find yourself quickly immersed in this green world full with rain and a nicely done MIDI that is surely going to satisfy your WAD cravings. For those that want some Doom escapism, this is quite the good choice.

But generally, the "analysis mode" demands *a lot*. I don't want to suggest you avoid it, but that it'd help to be more rigorous when you go there. Basically, demand more in the way of depth and accuracy. It could help to talk about the wad with people you know, just to bounce ideas around.

[Also if you are wondering why I deliberately phrased everything from the POV of "my taste in reading reviews," it's because I realized I probably have really high standards for that aspect of reviews. I don't want it to sound like these are necessarily objective faults. :)]

--

Something I've noticed in reviews, even by actual professional reviewers, is that writers sometimes feel they *have* to be omniscient scholarly observers, saying objective truths about what they are reviewing. That is probably why that commentary-analysis mode is often the default.

But another really good mode is to key in on the specifics of your experience: on what happened to you in your playthroughs, on what you did, on what you felt, on the little bits and parts you thought were cool and interesting, on the wad's effect on you, what you took away from it. (Priority should be given to specifics that characterize the wad. You don't want to throw in any random thing that comes to mind, because then you have more of a free-written diary entry than a review.)

The funny thing about that: people are naturally better, naturally more interesting writers, when working in that personal mode. Everyone has their own unique perspective that a game will filter through. Player A's experiences are going to be different from player B's, which are going to be different from player C's. All are likely rich and interesting accounts in their own way. That will happen even if, when you ask them to analyze the game critically from a more remote distance and come up with some "true facts" about the game, they're more likely to settle on a much narrower pool of generalities (assuming they haven't given tons of thought to the subject, aren't analysis experts, or don't work from a great prompt).

So my personal suggestion is adding a bit more of your direct experience. I've already seen hints of it. You are good at it when you try. It is a good fit for your voicy, "recognizably you" writing style.

On English

Here, my practical advice is two-fold:

1) Look at sentences that are on the longer side, and think about whether you could split those up. What I'm getting at here is not that long sentences are fundamentally bad, which is pretty far from true. It's that a lot of the longer ones in these reviews are "really" two or three sentences that happen to be glued together, such as:

"Realm manages to show us an excellent level design even with stock textures of the vanilla Doom 2, but by making use of excellent skills to place textures and a good color palette, it creates an attractive panorama that feels so puritanical in appearance but reveals itself with a more modernist touch that influences quite well the general perception that the visual theme offers."

(I'd be generally skeptical of constructs that are "that [something] that [something]." I've seen that in a few reviews, and it has always indicated overload.)

2) I'm not sure what your process is, but it could help to introduce more time between editing and writing. If you edit soon after you write, lapses in the flow of thoughts might not jump out to you. After all, you already know exactly what you mean and want to say. You don't have to rely on the writing to give you that information.

But edit a week later, when you've forgotten all the finer details of what you wanted to say, and you might hit on parts that have you going: "Wait huh? What was I getting at here, this is confusing!" or "I remember what I meant, but a reader would struggle to understand this."

The reader has a lot more in common with that latter version of you than "just wrote the thing" you. As a result, putting yourself in their shoes, understanding what they might feel, and making important corrections, becomes a lot easier with critical distance.

Stuff that falls in those categories has tripped me up the most. Imperfect grammar and occasional language miscues aren't the end of the world as long as you're still readable. So while it might be a larger project of yours to tune up your English more broadly, I'd say those two areas are worth prioritizing here, for now.

I hope this is helpful!

Endless · March 26, 2021

I gratefully express my gratitude for your in-depth feedback @rd. (was actually a bit bummed that I didn't get any feedback/criticisms) it's always great to receive feedback like this that helps me to improve my work in a satisfying and tangible way.

Quote

I'm the sort of reader who expects specificity.

This particular point made me turn on a light bulb. The specifics is something I've long ignored in any kind of review I do, I tend to go in the ''take a picture of the overall panorama'' field, rather than focusing too much on the details, however, I think that very thing causes me to lose a bit of the personal touch I wish to convey. I hope to improve in the future and I will use this as a guideline to try to get it right, in a process where I can forge my identity, maintain my enthusiasm and create an enjoyable and personal experience for the reader that shows them both the big picture and the inner juice.

Big thanks, mate!

Endless · March 27, 2021

DBP21: Occult Secrets of the Third Reich on Mars (2020)

By the Doomer Boards Community

Well, well, well, look what we have here, a conglomeration of the most controversial topics in history under a new coat of paint that may or may not have lots and lots of blood and some specks of Satanism. I can neither confirm nor deny that, yet on the other hand, I can confirm that what we have here is an absolute surreal work that brings us the best of both worlds in an engine ready to rumble, one where BJ would be happily smiling over all our glorious, rip and teary, work.

Occult Secrets of the Third Reich on Mars is a project created by the famous Doomer Boards krew where we are thrown into a world full of Nazis in space (Mars, to be exact) along with a few demons that possibly have something to do with all the related chaos. The project is an extensive example of the use of Wolf3D textures used under a strict but accurate layout system that creates images as provocative as cool to admire at all times, under any circumstances of combat and always with the great touch of quality. Self-proclaimed as the biggest agglomeration of sectored swastikas in history, I can say that probably that claim has a lot of weight confirming such a thing. Every map is a blast that shows us what Wolfenstein could have been if it had been given some love during the Doom era, luckily, Doom already gives it more than enough love in one form or another, otherwise, this project gives it not only a big hug of appreciation, but forms a respectful ode full of inspiration and grace.

As usual, I like to acknowledge the work of each mapper in these projects, even if it's just with a few words: Starting this time, we have none other than @Big Ol Billy with MAP01, an ambient intro that immediately traps us in the new spooky atmosphere while showing us some of the juice of the WAD. MAP02 by @Phobus pats us on the back as he throws us into a small but intense map with good flow. MAP03 by @hardcore_gamer shows classic tints in its design that remind me a lot of the original Wolf3D. MAP04 by @Big Ol Billy is a huge base with a multitude of secrets and interconnected paths that work synergistically to create a fun adventure. MAP05 created by @Walter confetti and @Benjogami expands on the previous map and opens the doors to exploration, intense combat and excellent entertainment that never stops. MAP06 is an opportunity to unleash our power-fantasy desires, created by @joe-ilya , it pleasantly fulfills that function. MAP07 by @glenzinho is an absolute blast from start to finish that takes my heart by possessing an unstoppable flow, a fantastic layout with a well thought out design and a gameplay that combined with an exciting MIDI creates an orgasmic work of bloody proportions. MAP08 by @valkiriforce, as we can expect, is a huge labyrinthine adventure with a multitude of interconnected paths and an evolving level development that features different encounters with varied and entertaining combat. Finally, MAP09 by @Big Ol Billy brings us a rain of pain in a boss-fight arena where we face off against the boss of the Nazis on Mars. A glorious final battle that, accompanied with Rammstein, gives birth to a totally rewarding finisher. And of course, MAP10 is the credits map that curiously gives us, literally, the credits. Tarantino somewhere?

Occult Secrets of the Third Reich on Mars is a fantastic project from start to finish, with 10 total maps that are an absolute blast to play thanks to their incredible unparalleled presentation and excellent balance that allows players to enjoy a challenging but well-designed adventure for every type of doomer out there. I love the simple fact that it takes inspiration from the great father of all FPS's (at least that's what they call it) and recreates it in a new version that is able to present a unique, engaging, fun and well identifiable style. With great use of new textures and skins for the demons, as well as extra sounds and even a few new tricks up its sleeve, Occult Secrets of the Third Reich on Mars gives us a head-to-toe tribute to what Wolf 3D was and what it could have been. With little references like collecting the gold relics on the maps, or simply finding the hidden secrets where we can find wonders, WAD fulfills its purpose of delivering quality under a nice shade of, uh, Nazis and demons.

By this point, the projects have demonstrated a superior ability to enhance crazy ideas and give them new life. The idea of creating a WAD with such hardcore themes as Nazis, demons and gore in a total project of 10 maps sounds crazy, and could prove catastrophic if not done correctly. Fear not, for this WAD demonstrates with absolute grace how to create something that even though it sounds like a bad idea, can give a fantastic result. This WAD should definitely be on your must-play list, not only because of the simple idea and concept it brings to light, but because it's a blast that offers fun maps, with an entertaining combat flow and perfect MIDIs; do you like Rammstein? Do you like to have fun? Do you like Doom? You like… uh, never mind. Play this, dammit!

» Full review «

Endless · March 27, 2021

180 Minutes Pour Vivre (2020)

By the French Doom Community

The French community has been responsible for providing us with different works over time. Starting with the great series of 3 heures d'agonie, 3 complete megawads made in speedmap style, followed by Tangerine Nightmare, a great medieval beast and finally, 180 Minutes Pour Vivre. A speedmap that collects the best skills of the mappers under a violent French toast. A somewhat burnt one that will give us a good bite on the tongue if we are not careful. The French community has been responsible for leaving us a huge legacy that has no end, and this megawad is here to prove it.

What we have here is a complete megawad with 32 more (plus 1 extra) created under the supposed assumption of 180 minutes, although some suspect that certain authors took more than that. Rumors, people say, right? Anyway. As we can expect, the team has sought to create a cohesive adventure that takes us through a variety of scenarios under the same visual touch and following a progressive balancing system, presenting an increasing hostility curve for each map, but always showing mercy to the idea of overexposing the player to too strong madness. Speaking of crazy, 180MPV also includes two new curious enemies: A common one, the Nightwatch Cacodemon, which is a slightly stronger version of the Cacodemon with a lethal attack, as well as Hexen's Heresiarch that now replaces the Spidermastermind, being a worthy boss in every sense of the word and a dangerous threat. And let’s not forget the awesome re-skins of the Arachnotron, the Mancubus and the scary looking demon Revenant. With a solid concept and the inclusion of new enemies, as well as a well-laid foundation, 180 Minutes Pour Vivre presents fascinating inclusions and new maps for the community that are totally welcome.

180 Minutes Pour Vivre follows a clear and defined visual theme, with dark colors, browns and strong contrasts between the exterior and interior scenery. The vast majority of the maps tend to be similar in visual style and color/texture theme, with a few exceptions. With no clear episodic separation, megawad truly feels like a huge adventure that goes on and on, following a narrative with no real pause at any point. Even the intermission screens often say ''press space to continue'' or something similar. A rather simple touch but one that manages to work as a modest way of saying: don't stop playing. On the other hand, this also creates a cacophony of quantity, creating a huge project that can feel empty of identity at times due to maps that are generally solid, but lack true identification. This could be partly blamed on being speedmaps, but it still doesn't change the whole fact; despite this, each map clearly states its goal and achieves it in an excellent way. There’s no ugly map, or even a boring one. Is plain good, plain fun and plain brutal from time to time, more on that next. From @Roofi, @datacore, @WH-Wilou84 and @Oxyde (to name some of my favorites) and various others, this project is one that brings the best of French world into the Doom world.

One of the aspects that make this megawad stand out is undoubtedly its gameplay, one of its golden factors that give it a truly unique touch. The Slaughter stage, 2020 was a year filled with a huge multitude of projects following that theme, 180 Minutes Pour Vivre on the other hand manages to establish a good balance between traditional gameplay with a few final surprises. Starting with a solid map that perfectly establishes its intentions, to a final map that will blow our minds. Each map manages to deliver something for all tastes. From casual lovers (in part) to lovers of brutal violence. The new enemies help to create this atmosphere of difficulty with a bit of freshness, as well as the creation of new combat scenarios welcome for those looking for a little change in their traditional gameplay. 180 Minutes Pour Vivre is not an easy megawad, it must be said, however, neither is it an elitist one that blocks the doors to every player. Pleasantly balanced in all skill-levels, it opens the doors to a wide range of players who wish to delve into a glorious example of combining two worlds under one successful mix. With a multitude of maps ranging from tiny adventures to huge fortresses with more than 800 demons. A brutal experience that will take us a few hours to finish, but will leave us fully pleased at the end.

» Full review «

Edited March 27, 2021 by Endless

Endless · March 31, 2021

Sacrament (2011)

By Clan [B0S]

Deep in the snowy lands, far to the east and hidden in the veil of mystery and poem, lies an abandoned world, without faith, without time; a world where man does not exist and sin reigns, desolate lands, lost lands, home of the devil and battlefield for all those who dare to desecrate the... sacrament. Whoops! I missed the rails. That little paragraph may encapsulate a bit of the idea and excitement behind this 14 map WAD designed to totally blow your mind in the most unorthodox and fantastical way you can find within the confines of Doom. Sacrament is an episode created by the B0S clan that shows how the world of Doom still has much, much more to offer.

Sacrament's story is something that would make a writer's cheeks swell with the desire to make it a novel: The plot follows a "Clan [B0S] fighter" as he wakes up from a nightmare into an apocalypse already in-progress. It is then gradually revealed that "the worthy" have already ascended to heaven, while everyone else have turned into bloodthirsty demons who are left to infight. He journeys into a now-desolate world, searching for answers as to what had happen, and why only he retained his humanity. Extract from the Doomwiki. That alone sounds like something absolutely awesome that inmediatly gathers my attention, and as expected, the rest of the WAD also did. With 14 maps, you'd better be ready to embark on an adventure of your own that is worthwhile in every way and demonstrates with considerable quality how to create a world entirely within the confines of Doom in a creative, inventive and different way to what we are used to. As a result, a kind of environmental son that evokes distant sensations of desolation, added to an explicit combat that sometimes is silent and then surprises you with brutal violence.

Sacrament knows very well what it is trying to achieve and succeeds with flying colors, even if it is not to everyone's taste. The main aspect of this WAD and its distinctive point is nothing more and nothing less than the amazing presentation it has. When I talk about presentation, I mean the shared set of visuals, progressive narration and extra details like music or even the titlescreen. WAD makes extensive use of all these details to create an ironically perfect conglomeration. While presentation is often overlooked or of regular importance in the mainstream Doom landscape, it is an aspect that can still pleasantly elevate the value of a WAD. That's just what happens with Sacrament. @Lainos is the mastermind behind the conception of this work, and he manages to successfully convey the idea of desolation and abandonment that each map possesses. The cohesion is generally understandable, and even though the maps are not dependent on each other, each manages to create a shared atmosphere among the entire WAD, either through the use of realistic architecture combined with muted colors, or even sharing design similarities that evoke a shared history in different areas. Sacrament successfully manages to give that fantastic feeling; that of playing in an environmental adventure like no other.

It is worth mentioning the incredible use of music and colors. Music used to be a factor that ranked as a rear position among the overall quality of WADs in the old days. A positive factor, but not essential. On the other hand, modern times have begun to highlight the essentials of music and how they can pleasantly increase the quality of a WAD. Proof of this is the recent Cacoward for OST. Well, Sacrament makes extensive use of music from different sources and all in an .OGG format, which means that we will hear high quality music in glorious sound true to the way the author intended. While the music is not of original production for the project, the selection of each tune was done with enough attention to create a comprehensive odyssey of ambient symphonies. MIDI breaks the mood at a certain point, yes, but the great job they have taken in choosing songs that match the color palette of the map and the ambiance is a good example of how this format is perfect for drowning us in a world. Add to that an excellent use of skybox, dark blue colors and lots of creepy textures reminiscent of rust and confinement, and surprise, Sacrament is a work of pure ambience.

But not everything that shines blue is sapphire, and here we must see the strange, unorthodox and polemic side of this WAD, the gameplay. Sacrament tells you directly in its structure that it is interested in the environment, leaving the gameplay to take a back seat (not entirely true, but you get the point), something that many would consider sacrilege, but thanks to good management decisions and excellent production, it works under the same aesthetics of this project. Most of the maps make a great focus on exploration and environment, especially the @Lainos maps, which bleed pure desolation and loneliness. The influence of @Lainos is felt in most of the maps, especially with the intense use of music and skybox, on the other hand, not everything is generally pure exploration, it would be somewhat detrimental to steal the gameplay completely to this map, and if what we want is action, well there is, in one way or another there is. Intense maps that offer explosive combat like MAP07: Arena by @Dragon_Hunter or the huge and challenging MAP13: Controlled System by @BeeWen , both maps that show incredible use of design and devastating gameplay at times. However, if Sacrament is a black sheep, then these maps are Sacrament's black sheep, so to speak.

Sacrament is not meant to be a run-and-gun, nor a kind of traditional WAD. It comes with all the right to break schemes and demonstrate something different and well produced, something that however strange and fascinating it may be, it manages to establish its place within the annals of the history of WADs. While its complex layouts and divergent gameplay may be somewhat detrimental to some players, that doesn't detract from the simple fact that Sacrament is a quality work that deserves to be tried just for the one virtue it possesses, that of allowing us to plunge into a world of Doom.

» Full review «

Edited March 31, 2021 by Endless

Endless · April 1, 2021

Drought (2019)

By @Tango

^{Pics by Tango}

Drought is a small WAD of 3 maps (4 counting a credits map) that shows how small packages can bring big gifts without needing to be wrapped in gold or extravagant diamonds. With simplicity and a great love for exterior design, these maps reveal a unique visual quality that added to a new touch of gameplay thanks to the use of the D4V gameplay mod, create a glorious battle season that goes from dry brown to autumn yellow. A journey of colors, a journey of combat. Let's see what we have here.

To understand the essence of the map we have to look at the type of design that Tango usually looks for when making its creations. Easily, we can detect a great attention to detail, but something that stands out in my eyes is the use of exteriors. He tends to create maps that are pleasing to the eye, making extensive use of natural environments and geographical features that represent semi-realistic conceptions of nature. Drought, despite the name, floods us with a beautiful sense of nature and beauty in every movement, in every scene. If there were a story attached to WAD, I could say that it is about recovering nature from corruption and giving life to the green color of the world. Part of this I draw from my conclusion based on MAP04, a beautiful green map that relaxes even the most dull-minded, like me. On the other hand, the beauty of the maps also matches the combat style; colorful and unrelenting, in a constant flow that will put us in total attention to our environment if we want to survive. A contrary synergy that in one way or another, works to give us a violent play.

@Tango combines the mapset with the D4V gameplay mod, a mod that combines the aesthetics, weapons and demons of Doom 2016 under the classic Doom 2 palette. The mod, in its own merit, is absolutely brilliant and excellently implemented under its own features that give it a special place within the large mod community. On the other hand, balancing the mod directly to a map can be a somewhat tricky task at times, behold, Tango. An author who apparently likes to combine mods within his projects, he manages to establish the clear differences between the vanilla and the new, creating a mapset that manages to dance fluidly with the machinations of the gameplay mod, offering a new playthrough mode that is as refreshing as it is fun, though at times quite challenging in UV.

The first map launches us into the action by introducing each enemy one by one a in simple, small yet detailed theater of combat where the brown-ish aesthetic makes wonders for the overall ambience of the map. A great introduction to this fantastic little WAD. It's a tiny map but with good punch and a design that manages to deliver good quality without being in your face, that meaning that detailed is concentrated in small bits that work wonders to showcase the great quality in a modest way. Near the end part of the map is where things can get quite hot in a matter of seconds, so get ready for some berserker action. By the second map, and the half of the WAD, we’ll see ourselves in probably the hardest starting area in the whole WAD, and one that truly deserves the moniker of challenging, because it is, in UV, its damn hard. Fortunately, the map features new weapons and items that are designed to make this odyssey easier, but we must not let that deter us from the fact that the combat will still be tough and will require our utmost attention. We expanded our limits and we have a bigger and much more brutal map than the previous one. The new enemies are truly a nightmare to face, but our weapons, although more powerful than the vanilla ones, will manage to take care of the enemy depending on how we use them. If we still want more action, luckily, we have the third map to give us all the hot massacre satisfaction we desire. This is, apart from a challenging map, a beautiful one that really shines for its excellent design, making fantastic use of a style where we seem to be stuck in a kind of cave that hides beautiful secrets. Autumn leaves fall on the ground, vines and orange moss cling to the wall, and secret zones reveal reddish areas of suspiciously hellish feel. The simple but well-placed lighting gives a weighty atmosphere that catches the eye, as well as a layout that offers direct advancement but also the opportunity to explore in magnitude. Overall, it's a beautiful map with brutal combat, too brutal at times for my taste.

Many times I found myself in precarious situations in which I was close to dying, either because of my lack of familiarity with the new gameplay mod or because at times we are flooded with a large number of enemies. The waves of Revenants are something common here, and taking into account that the new Revenants attack twice as fast and now have the ability to float for a few seconds, I can tell you that I didn't really enjoy those events in particular. The Barons of Hell now also stand out for being brutal, becoming a kind of mini-boss that if we overestimate, we will get the surprise of our lives. The combat zones are usually tight, so I have to admit that I was not a fan of being 3 meters away from one of these bullies. If you just want to play a few maps quietly, I'd recommend lowering the difficulty, but don't expect a trip to the park.

Drought is a preamble to the Tango era, where it would reveal excellent projects of incredible magnitude. I can't say that this is an easy start, since this WAD bleeds quality, but I can say that it is one that shows how an author, with a specific and well patented style, can create works that transcend their own history, leaving a special mark that remains relevant even with the passing of the years. Sure, it is only two years old, but it is proof that where there is talent and hard work, there is talent and good work.

» Full review «

WH-Wilou84 · April 3, 2021

Thanks a bunch for your analysis and review of our megawad, Endless :)
Really appreciate it. You've covered the core elements of 180mpv in a positive and enthusiastic way, as you do in all your reviews actually - and that's really nice.

Your wad reviews here, as well as the Wadazine and all the Doom-related projects you've started recently, are a testament to your love and dedication to this game. Don't get burned out though !
(On that matter, I considered participating in the Stardate 20X6 Endurance Tourney as I adore this wad, but work and IRL life are too taxing these days)

As regards to thematic consistency and visual identity in Doom wads, yeah that's something of high value to me.
When we were compiling the maps for the 3 Heures d'Agonie series, I always came up with suggestions on maplist arrangement, taking into account both skill curve and visual cohesiveness, to try and mitigate the "random collection of levels" aspect of such speedmap-based works. For 180mpv, this idea was pushed even further with a select texture theme and new monster sprites. I also gave the team mild theme suggestions for each episode. The end result is pretty satisfying to me even though I agree that individual map identity could be negatively impacted by such design decisions. :)

Endless · April 3, 2021

6 minutes ago, WH-Wilou84 said:

Thanks a bunch for your analysis and review of our megawad, Endless :)
Really appreciate it. You've covered the core elements of 180mpv in a positive and enthusiastic way, as you do in all your reviews actually - and that's really nice.

Your wad reviews here, as well as the Wadazine and all the Doom-related projects you've started recently, are a testament to your love and dedication to this game. Don't get burned out though !
(On that matter, I considered participating in the Stardate 20X6 Endurance Tourney as I adore this wad, but work and IRL life are too taxing these days)

As regards to thematic consistency and visual identity in Doom wads, yeah that's something of high value to me.
When we were compiling the maps for the 3 Heures d'Agonie series, I always came up with suggestions on maplist arrangement, taking into account both skill curve and visual cohesiveness, to try and mitigate the "random collection of levels" aspect of such speedmap-based works. For 180mpv, this idea was pushed even further with a select texture theme and new monster sprites. I also gave the team mild theme suggestions for each episode. The end result is pretty satisfying to me even though I agree that individual map identity could be negatively impacted by such design decisions. :)

Makes me happy to read that! Thanks a lot, but also, big thanks to you guys for giving me the content that allows me to sustain my addiction :P

180 MPV is one fantastical megawad that I highly enjoyed. I look forward to the next project. Surprise me!

Endless · April 9, 2021

2002 A Doom Odyssey (2002 original release, 2010 Tenth anniversary edition)

By various authors lead by Paul Corfiatis aka @pcorf

The year 2002 was an interesting one for the Doom community. Content was still coming in on a regular basis, with certain periodic WADs offering a nice touch of quality over the norm. On the other hand, the megawad project was still in a cold state, where most authors preferred to release standalone maps and almost all of these were for Doom 2. On the other hand, things changed a bit when Alien Vendetta was released and changed the basic thesis of quality community projects, but this was a project for Doom 2. For The Ultimate Doom, another group of guys decided to take the reins and deliver a pretty special treat that holds a clear position in the annals of Doom history. Introducing, 2002 A Doom Odyssey.

2002 ADO is a megawad from, you guessed it, the year 2002 that was released as a special project for The Ultimate Doom, replacing all the maps in the repertoire and including an extra one in its original ZDoom release. This megawad also features a special re-release edition, the 10th anniversary edition, which contains a multitude of changes to map geometry, details, re-arrangement of certain map slots, new MIDIs for episode 4 and two new maps, as well as improved titlescreens and intermission screens. In short, the improved version. In this review I will focus on the anniversary edition, since it is the one that contains the most interesting changes that may seem attractive to most players. Come on, it has more MIDIs, we all know that the more music the better. This project was directed by Paul Confiartis, a prolific author of the 90s who is still active to this day. During this period, he released an absurd number of maps of all kinds of themes and shapes, from solo projects to full megawads on his own like The Twilight Zone. 2002 ADO is his community project where he functioned as the main organizer of the megawad and also contributed a large majority of the maps. 18 to be exact. This guy has quite a repertoire under his resume. Other authors include prolific veteran @Chris Hansen , @Metabolist , @Nebula aka Kristian Aro and others who contributed individual maps or a couple. In short, we have a team of incredible veteran mappers, a total of 8 if I’m correct, who already had a good concept of their skills by 2002, resulting in a unique in essence megawad that still endures in quality more than two decades later.

The megawad starts with a classic map that we have surely seen more than once randomly in youtube playthroughs, mod showcases or others. A simple but quite solid map that manages to handle well the player's expectations as to what he will find. The first episode is, clearly, tech-base fest with new tints, creating nice maps with understandable path systems that give a fascinating touch to the flow of the episode. For the second episode we return to the hell lands and things get hotter both visually and in difficulty. We now face a greater number of enemies, though sometimes more than we should, but we traverse new maps that work as an excellent foothold to establish the clear visual theme. The third episode takes us back to a mix of hell with a bit of Thy Flesh Consumed and a few surprises thrown in for good measure, adding a nice touch that finishes off with grace and violence. And, to finish, we have the fourth episode that pleasantly lives up to its title, Torment Ultimate; a collection of maps clearly inspired by Thy Flesh Consumed that work beautifully as excellent examples of more-is-less in most cases, giving good challenges in partially enclosed locations where tactical gameplay is recommended for the successful progress of each level. And of course, we have a few secret maps that give a nice change of pace to the episodes, offering slight breaks for resupply or entertainment.

2002 A Doom Odyssey is, in particular, a pretty engaging and solid megawad from head to toe. Considering the year of its original release, we can see why it is among the list of the best WADs of that year and of Doom's history. It's a fantastic piece of work that pays beautiful homage to the original through the inspiration in its design philosophy and also a few direct references that warm my cold heart. With a solid visual design in every way, delivering maps that look as excellent as any other WAD released in the year, or more, 2002 ADO is a project as beautiful as it is brutal. At times the combat can be a bit devastating and wear on our patience, but the simple flow that the episodic system produces makes it worth it.

While certain gameplay factors are a bit outdated and tired for the time, and also my tastes, such as: Lost Souls abuse, too many enemies of one type in small rooms, or overuse of teleporter traps, etc. The visuals of this megawad manage to balance the balance and give it a very attractive essence that keeps the foundations of the project under a good stability, meaning that even with the passing of the years, it is a fascinating project that manages to satisfy all these years later. Sure, some things can be a little too simple and The Ultimate Doom may not be everyone's favorite cup of tea, but 2002 A Doom Odyssey turns the negatives around and adds the positives to give us a solid installment that deserves its good reputation and holds its position as one of the best megawads of the original Doom, as well as one of the ultimate classics of history. Is it worth it? It's worth it.

» Full review « ^{(last map reviews got fucked thanks to internet)}

Edited April 9, 2021 by Endless

Endless · April 30, 2021

THT: Threnody (2016)

By various authors led by @Chris Hansen

A collection of 20 maps makes this a respectfully large megawad that works in the style of Community Project, with the difference that the authors have managed to work under a fairly cohesive factor that gives a certain palpable identity to THT. Speaking of THT, this is also a WAD in the form of a tribute to one of the legends of the community, one of our greatest pillars and fantastic creator. THT stands for Ty Halderman Tribute, creator of the iconic TNT mappers group and also the maintainer of /idgames archive from 1997 to 2015. That's an amount of effort that very, very few of us in the community will ever manage to encompass. That's a lifetime of providing us with both content and pure hard work. This WAD is a dedication to Ty, a love letter of sorts that without needing to be an exact replica of his past works, has certain monuments to his legacy. A WAD that contains a particularly special essence, let's see what it is all about, shall we?

With 20 maps in total, created by legends like @antares031, the didactic @Chris Hansen, the passionate @Doomkid or the extra prolific @pcorf (just to mention a couple of the ones I've played before) this megawad leaves no loose reins and brings with it a pretty special cast, who working under the direction of Chris Hansen, managed to create something with a touch of palpable identity that at the same time works as an excellent museum of memories to all that many of us have appreciated thanks to Ty. Mainly, we have to frame that this WAD makes special use of textures created by TNT, the OG group, as well as a few references to other projects that can be found within the repertoire of Ty's work. Each map is a blast in terms of its visual design, delivering such a dynamic variety of visual themes that it becomes a complete visual pleasure in every encounter; even the small and short maps have such an attractive design that it makes us want to create a photo gallery of this megawad alone. This is in part thanks to the incredible texture set that manages to combine a perfect blend between the classic gothic style ala Hexen and a bit of pure Doom technology. Like a discordant dichotomy of two separate styles that together manage to establish themselves quite well. It's common to find more than one TNT logo there and then, and every time we look at them we probably end up smiling either from nostalgia or simple charisma.

The maps are, to put it simply, fantastical. The first set starts off slow, setting up a dynamic progression with a little extra challenge and a UV that gives us an idea of the type of combat we'll encounter as we progress. After the first 10 or so maps, things get more violent and at the same time more spectacular. MAP10: Fomalhaut by Brett Harrell ( @Mechadon ) is probably the wake-up call that will make us realize what kind of beast we have. This gigantic map is a work of detail and fortifications, combining lavish combat with somewhat bogged down but always steady progress. @antares031 also delivers huge maps of magnificent dimensions and incredible themes. MAP11: Parallel Dimension is probably one of the most unique and attractive maps we will find in the set, as well as a challenge that will ask for patience. MAP12: WormHell by @Z0k and @Fonze is another giant that combines very well a 90s style that evolves to reveal a gothic work. MAP19: Big Freaking Guardians by @Fonze and @didy takes the prize in terms of violence and magnitude, a huge map in every sense that will undoubtedly make us suffer through an adventure in the beautiful dimensional spaces of TNT. These are huge maps, violent and somewhat frustrating at times, but with an attention to detail and absolute visual glory that make us feel in another world. As I said before, a photo gallery. Of course, it's not all beastly here, we also have modest, short and simple maps that will deliver a rich pleasure in what we could describe as a quickie. MAP01: Eirene by @Chris Hansen, the first map, delivers an excellent moment of fun in a short but dynamic and constant level of pure balanced action and welcome for all types of players. MAP05: Nukevil by Adam Post ( @Doomkid ) and all his maps, are excellent examples of medium to short maps that work as excellent points of intermission where the balance between gameplay and aesthetics is perfectly succeeded in total linearity of evaluations. Nothing beats the other, and everything beats the other at the same time. MAP13: Binde Haldetmand Palae by @pcorf is another great example of a short map with a compact design that evolves on itself, offering an excellent hard to miss layout that never stops progressing, while giving us an excellent visual style. These are some of my favorite maps, maps that work as well in their gameplay factor as they do visually, and of course, I can't forget the last one: MAP20: Sky Pillar by Seongbae Park ( @antares031 ) is a magnificent work that ends this megawad in an arena of eternal confines where melancholy combines in the air with the blood of eternal demons under the autumnal sky of a forgotten hell.

While the megawad is designed in the form of a tribute, it does not attempt to replicate Ty's style exactly, nor copy directly from his creations; on the contrary, it chooses a system of references so subtle that they function like little poems whispered in silence. As we move forward, we will see things that remind us of his great contributions, while at the same time we play with the vague notion that we were already in this place once. A kind of dream that we never dreamed, and in that this megawad manages to carry that fantastic tribute idea.

On the other hand, while the megawad is a marvel for the eyes, I'm sure it won't be to everyone's taste for those who prefer to focus on the fast gameplay. Only 20 maps, but you can expect about 5 hours of gameplay in UV, counting deaths. The final maps are incredibly long and challenging, giving us an excellent beating if we are not prepared for it, to the point that many will have to rely heavily on trial-and-error to overcome these maps. This, added to the sad side effect of large, layouts and confusing/complex paths, makes the levels often feel overcomplicated for what they are, punishing the player with an unstable, tiring and extremely long progress. But then I get to thinking, isn't Eternal Doom like that? Maybe it's all part of the tribute, who knows. One way or another, if you want to throw yourself into this megawad, I think I can tell you with a firm hand to do so. It's not just a simple project, it's one made with dedication, passion and a lot of love. The maps you will find here are of a higher quality than normal, and each one of them feels like a long and memorable adventure.

I may have felt quite frustrated at times thanks to the constant hordes of enemies and the pseudo-slaughter gameplay at times, but every stage made it worthwhile. On the other hand, I'm capable of putting up with punishing combat, but confusing layouts? That really kills my patience, but I understand that sometimes the glory and fun lies in this singular aspect, the exploration and the feeling of being lost. On the other hand, don't let my words sound so extreme, this isn't Eternal Doom either, but you will need to pay attention and take note of where you've been and where you're going. If you like that, then you will love it. But even if you don't, let me tell you that I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the megawad. It's a long, but satisfying adventure that ends on a nostalgic note through space and time, like a dimensional goodbye from mirrors we don't see. A fine tribute that I'm sure Ty would love.

» Full review «

Edited April 30, 2021 by Endless

Chris Hansen · April 30, 2021

Thank you very much, Endless! I think, I speak on behalf of the entire THT team when I say that we really took it very seriously and wanted to sincerely pay our tribute to Ty. It might not be perfect, but I'll be damned if everyone involved didn't give it their all.

Endless · April 30, 2021

5 minutes ago, Chris Hansen said:

Thank you very much, Endless! I think, I speak on behalf of the entire THT team when I say that we really took it very seriously and wanted to sincerely pay our tribute to Ty. It might not be perfect, but I'll be damned if everyone involved didn't give it their all.

It really shows. The entire project feels like a love letter. The last textscreen right at the end of the megawad was quite something :'D

Endless · May 19, 2021

Doom 2 in Spain Only (2021)

By @Trustworthy Software

Bienvenido! Welcome, to an imaginary world where Doom is not a release made by a bunch of American nerds, but was actually released by a bunch of Spanish programmers! Delivering us one of the best cult games in history, highly inspired by the geography of Spain and carrying with it a cultural value as epic as it is magnificent. Not really. But it was made by Juan Romero, so that's epic.

Doom 2 in Spain Only is, in one way or another, a mesmerizing megawad released entirely for Spain (and the world) and created by a group of Spanish guys. Supposedly. It certainly has a pretty funny, unexpected and mysterious context. This megawad came out of nowhere and took the world by storm with a classic set of 32 maps that re-imagine the non-existent Doom 2 maps in a new, more Hispanic context. Most of the maps, for example, bring direct or ''bad'' translations of their original names, and of course, we can see how the names of the original authors have been modified in order to bring the blood of Spanish speakers inside. Juan Romero? Somebody give him a Cacoward for the best name. So, what was once Sandy Petersen is now the Pedersen, or what was once the Icon of Sin, is now the Evil Logo. If you know Spanish, reading these names becomes part of the experience and I'm sure it will give you more than a few laughs as it did me. The sheer charisma of the idea makes this a great touch of unexpected comedy that deserves applause for the simple idea of establishing a new yet old trend, encapsulating the best of two worlds: Spanish and ''Re-imagine Doom for the nine hundredth time''. A simple concept but one that works very well under the right circumstances. From the cool titlepic to the end of the megawad when we get the ridiculously weird surprise. Spoiler: It involves mariachis. Spoiler: Those are from Mexico.

As we can expect from a megawad that seeks to re-imagine the classic Doom, what we have here is a vanilla-compatible project that follows a similar scheme to the original, but changing the theme to deliver a direct translation of the names of each map to the design. So, the Refueling Base will finally be a Refueling Base, and the Icon of Sin is, well, a real sin logo. It's little touches like these that deliver a solid experience, that coupled with a good vanilla map design that gets its priorities straight. The first maps follow a classic formula but deliver a slightly more urban feel, while the final ones evolve into a hellish nightmare that also contains a bit of architectural realism.

The style of each map tries to evoke a bit the idea of Spanish architecture, but in a simple and modest way, of course. Part of the story takes place in Madrid so we can expect a few vague influences here and there, such as a bull rising in the skybox. A nice surprise, comical and interesting at the same time. Not bad at all! Of course, each map will follow this kind of structure so at times you may feel like you're walking through the same map over and over again. At times the design can feel a bit bland on some maps, and at times a bit lost, but there is no map that is truly bad. A select few will stand out for their unique style and introduction of interesting concepts, as well as well-balanced combat with a vanilla factor that tastes great.

If you like olé, you'll probably like this, and if you like Doom 2, you'll probably like this too, and of course, if you like vanilla, then you'll love this. A classic example of a megawad that reimagines Doom 2 under a crazy but solid concept, giving us an interesting, funny and full of funny little references that fill the spirit with laughter. While the map design itself is serious, the charisma it brings lightens the concept and makes us enjoy it in a pleasant way. Olé!

» Full review «

Edited May 19, 2021 by Endless

Endless · May 26, 2021

Abyssal Speedmapping Sessions #10 (2014)

By various authors led by @Obsidian

Ah, speedmapping. We all love it, we all hate it. An art as old as the history of WADs itself, and one that has proven to bring with it both the worst mappers in history and the best. It's a difficult technique to acquire, but one that with time and practice can yield fantastic results. The very idea of limiting ourselves to a certain set time can be detrimental at worst, but at best, when we give the tools to an artist looking for a challenge, masterful work can result. Here we have a group of illustrious intellectuals who have come together to form a cooperation that is as unique as it is discordant. One where love and hate mix to enjoy one single thing: creating maps. Abyssal Speedmapping Sessions is all about speed, asses and Alfonzo. So, let's dive into this hole and see how deep it goes.

After a somewhat long break from the first sessions, I suddenly had the urge to return to this iconic series that from time to time hides more than a few gems, or a total disaster. Luckily, session #10 seems to be a good balance between shitposting and good map design. Very entertaining maps, indeed! Mappers had the option to choose 3 textures from: Erratic Texture Pack 1, DrDoctor Texture Pack and Marcaek's Super Special FIREBLU Ensemble! So most of the maps are quite simple to look at but contain enough touches to establish a good visual rhythm. Considering there are no stock textures, that alone gives it some appeal. Especially striking are the fireblu textures, which create a rather techy atmosphere that reminds me of the original Tron movie. A certain visual touch, from a couple of colors that manage to create enough depth to establish a sense of place. Not all maps are entirely blue with red, and there are a few surprises that turn the color around and bring attractive designs. Quake-inspired maps and some that look like sapphires to boot. Undoubtedly, even if most of the maps have a rather simple and plain layout, no map is truly ugly and some even stand out for having a solid visual quality.

The sessions stand out for being crazy gameplay as well. It's often hard to balance something if you have a time limit, especially if it's only two hours, but the guys here know what they're doing... mostly. Most of the maps throw you right into the action, trying to create a tactical feeling that tells you how to move and at the same time how to fight. The maps aren't fucking difficult but maintain a solid and balanced challenge that welcomes all types of players, in my opinion. While certain combat can feel a bit simple at times, overall, each map brings something different to the table and creates a nice variety of treats to try.

And now, since this is such a short WAD, let’s dive into each map and see what we have here, shall we?

MAP01: Dirge of the Blighted Ovum by @Obsidian

The introduction to this new project throws us into a small, compact map that seems reminiscent of fireblu but in a more attractive way. The glitched visuals and the use of two-color textures remind me of Tron, creating an interesting environment that matches the square box architecture. With only a handful of monsters, the action unfolds quickly in effective single combat that works to keep us on our toes. With no secrets or further exploration, this map works effectively without needing to be extremely complex or bombastic. A solid example of a good introduction.

MAP02: Tyson Fun! by @Darsycho

As short as the previous one but with a simpler style and more adaptable to the eyes. This is a classic map in terms of structure and design, without major revolutions or anything special to offer. The title indicates that it is designed for Tyson, but if we bring the shotgun from the previous map it is slightly faster, although doing it in Tyson is balanced enough to offer a good minute of fun. The combat is simple and the layout understandable, go left and then right and that's it, you have completed it. It's not bad, but it's not great either, it's just average.

MAP03: Jimmy Has An Essay Due Tomorrow But Instead He's Speedmapping With These Assholes by @Jimmy

Jimmy is considered a master of the art of speedmapping, and here we can see that even in his early days he was able to handle the concept in a theatrical and fantastic way. This is a medium sized map with a more practical and classic design that shows us an interesting facet of the project. With simple but attractive visuals and a decent queue of enemies, the map follows half-traditional routes that create an environment quite attractive and entertaining to play, as well as slightly challenging at times. While my enjoyment was being quite high due to the map's great length, it is interrupted with a stupid exit at the end of the map that I still don't understand exactly how to overcome. A dozen Archies on top of you and I don't know what the fuck to do. Mind you, this is a common thing in A.S.S. so, anyway, how's that?

MAP04: Nazi Tittyflake Tornadoes by @Unholypimpin

Such an extravagant title brings with it a map that is relatively simple. This map has an air of shovelware shit, and for some reason that gives me a charismatic charm that makes me feel graceful. It's a simple, straightforward map with no major problems or bugs. On the outside it looks pretty simple but as we go deeper we find some pretty hellish and rusty textures that remind me of Silent Hill, as well as a bunch of blue Nazi sergeants ready to attack us and a few more surprises involving Cyberdemons and a few little spiders. Not bad, very enjoyable and for some reason I can't get out of my head that feeling that I just played a hidden gem of shovelware from the 90s. That's good in my book!

MAP05: Cookies 'n Wine by @ClonedPickle

Fairly square and open in the beginning, presenting a simple layout with bland combat without much complication. The map then changes to cave-like interiors and launches us into an adventure of hunting spectres and so on. It ends with an obligatory death-exit, in my opinion, and that's it. Nothing more, nothing less. This is a fairly simple map that is not complicated at all and follows a somewhat boring system at times. With quite simple visuals and without much work, it is probably one of the most mediocre of the WAD.

MAP06: Spatterblue 2: Mosh Galosh by @Alfonzo

It is hard to believe that this map is a speedmap, but the truth is that it contains certain features that give it that air, but above all, it overcomes the restrictions and works perfectly well under its limits. The blue visual theme and the compact but excellent way of creating a well-designed circuit layout make this a very enjoyable and challenging map under its own justifiable terms. It is fast, intense and has a good flow with no bugs or major problems. Even the little secrets feel like they blend perfectly under the established system. It may be quite small, but it's so much fun that it's among my favorites of this session. Pretty cool and done as it should be. Speedmapping done right!

MAP07: Industrial Butt Scream by @RottKing

If you like Quake, this map will give you a good game. Quite brown, enclosed and with an industrial feel. Designed with a system based on a block layout, the map is simple in its flow but has enough touches to make it entertaining, attractive and fun in gameplay and action. Without major complications and with a basic closed layout. Not bad at all!

MAP08: Alfonzo and Gary Oldman Visit The Museum of Social Decay! by Tarnsman

Oh oh, I hope you like fireblu and pain. This map has a style that reminds me of the first one, but it opens its limits and shows us a bloodier and more intense frontier. Plenty of chaingunners serve as the main appetizer, but things get even fatter when we're thrown into an insane room with dozens of archies and a Cyberdemon for company. With a super simple and compact layout, the real juice of this map is centered on its atrocious yet cool gameplay. A bit bland visually at times but interesting and engaging.

MAP09: Avoid by @General Rainbow Bacon

More blue and red but in a style that reminds me of a dungeon. This dark map establishes an eerie atmosphere thanks to the silence and anticipation, but ends up being a traditional map with a few explosive surprises near the end. Simple, without much to offer and quite short. Not bad, not good. Decent.

MAP10: Half-Assed Fun! by @Darsycho

The title gives us an idea of the type of map it is. Half finished, half fucked up, but decent by its own standards. Dark and full of Spectres, the real fun of the map lies in the BFG spamming and the pile of monsters we have to kill. Difficulty is almost nil, aside from the first room that features some fun combat, after that it's just point-and-click or fire-and-forget. I guess it's entertaining enough under ASS's own characteristics to say it does a good enough job. But it's meeh in my opinion.

In conclusion: Play this if you have like 30 minutes to kill. It’s fun, simple, looks good enough and offers you a look into a different world. One obscure and full of mysteries that are as fantastic as painful to enjoy. I got to admit it, speedmapping is like diving blind into a pool. You might catch a giant skid and die deep in the depths, or you might stumble across a chest full of treasure. Take the dive and find it yourself! I did and now I’m missing one eye. Good times!

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