Celestin

MAP15-MAP18 MAP15: Where Hate Runs Red by Kira MAP31: Cybernation by Eternal MAP32: Go 4 It by Kira and Thomas van der Velden MAP33: Chocolate by The Green Herring MAP16: Predatorium by Gusta MAP17: Nuclear Horror by Gusta MAP18: Buckets of Blood by Gusta

Also, Hellevator.

MAP04 Get ready for your first true Equinox experience, but not right away. See, I love the first half of MAP04. It's set in a similiar lobby as MAP01 and even more loaded with monsters. It's mostly imps, pinkies and hitscanners, so you'll be recovering more ammo than you are spending, health is hardly and issue and there's a backpack available that you'll need for the second part. It's a blast until you reach the cyberdemon. This is IMHO where the map takes a nosedive. I'm not talking about the visual, as the all-white arena is an interesting choice, but having a free-roaming cyberdemon while you have to ride up on a lift is just a bad design and I have no arguments to defend it. My condolences to anyone playing this saveless, not getting blasted to pieces is a lottery. Also, unless you want to max the map, don't bother killing him, the cyber is a massive ammo sink and you'll need the resources for the rest of the level. Instead, jump down into a hole on the edge of the arena and proceed. The second part leaves the futuristic halls and instead takes place in the utility part of the facility. I have no complaints about the visuals, but the monster roster changes here. There's less hitscanners (and, as I've mentioned yesterday, B.P.R.D. puts little ammo on the map, making scavenged weapons your only source of ammunition), so you have to rely on chainsaw and ration ammo on enemies that can't be killed in any other way. After an action-heavy start, this slows the pacing to a crawl. Save as much as you can for the room where lowering walls unleash a horde of imps and pinkies and the ending: a walkway overlooking skyscraper-sized cloning vats that you have to destroy. What a spectacular view. I have to spotlight the music, a MIDI rendition of "Mars, Bringer of War", despite being a century old, fits a grand, futuristic map like a glove. I feel like this map, and Equinox in general, is an acquired taste, it looks great and offers a sense of place unlike anything else, but man, it's so hostile I wouldn't be surprised it's where many players quit the wad.

MAP03 The ammo famine Equinox is notorious of starts here - while B.P.R.D. loaded the map with hitscanners that let you easy replenish your resources, there's almost no ammunition available otherwise. This can become a problem by the end, when you run through a narrow maze of tunnels, where pinkies lurk behind every corner. I nearly burnt through the shells I had and was elated to find a chainsaw. The ending have several tankier enemies (cacodemons, pain elementals and a hell knight) that are hard to kill with no ammo left. There's also a secret with chaingunners, just like pistol, weapon 4 is replaced with a new graphic. Again, the dual miniguns look out of place compared to stock Doom 2 guns. I like the design of the place, it's a small techbase with a massive ravine in the middle. Also, midtex rain outside. I was confused about the progression and had to wait for the lifts a couple of time, it's a pain due to the map's height. MAP03 is a fine level, the controversial design choices of Equinox don't annoy me too much here.

MAP02 A quick and transitionary level, a teleport hub of sort that takes you to the next destination. I appreciate the new textures, such as the map of the complex, but it passes in a flash and there's little to talk about here - some zombies, shotgunners and imps to kill and when you rach the teleporter for Genome Labs, the map is over. About the music, I've heard this track before in Super MAYhem '17, where it scored Aztec Ruins by Killer5. According to Doomwiki, this is a snippet from a soundtrack of Chariots of the Gods, a 1970 Oscar-nominated documentary about ancient aliens (which seem to be classier, though hardly more factual than the slop that airs on History Channel nowadays). I started digging through that movie's OST and I think I found the match. The MIDI seems to be a remixed version of "Return To The Stars", made even more ethereal.

Woof!, -cl2, pistol-start with saves Equinox is a wad I've checked out when I was new to Doom. I played it with a gameplay mod (I believe it was NAKU-NARU) and dropped it around MAP11 either because I was bored, or was constantly running out of ammo. I've also seen MtPain27's review, so I am fully aware what the final two maps are. So yeah, no blind playthrough here either. If you wonder why I'm pistol-starting, it's precisely to have at least 50 bullets when starting a map, I know I'll need them. MAP01 The best word to descibe the Equinox facility would be "imposing". The silver walls, blue carpets and everpresent white lights have this sterile feeling and coupled with tall ceilings, you have this thought in the back of your head how hostile and alien this place looks. I like how MAP01 plays, it's exclusively imps and zombies in large numbers. Despite being limited to a pistol and scavenged shotgun, it didn't feel grindy. Speaking of the weapons, they have new sounds, that give them even more heft. I'm not a fan of the pistol sprite's replacement. It looks like it is zoomed in way too much (or was supposed to be some sort of high-tech blaster, I don't know) and isn't placed in the middle of the screen, making it somewhat awkward to aim. I have to compliment the music, it seems to be a modified Enya song, but the end result is an industrial track that reminds me of Laibach. Overall, a great introduction level.

In no particular order: Annihilator from Eviternity - cyborg hell noble that fires a rocket followed by machine gun fire. I always like when wad authors do something creative with barons. Veil-Imp from Eviternity II. I think its "teleportation" mechanic (where the monster turns invisible and quickly moves to a different place) make fighting him really unpredictable, combined with low health and hard-hitting attacks and you have a challenging glass cannon to fight. Flamethrower Guy and Flame Cacodemon from Rowdy Rudy II, specifically the flame attack - lethal at short range, but easy to dodge. Kamikaze from Valiant and Heartland. Do I really have to explain? The last one I think would go to the final boss of Eviternity II. Without spoiling, it's a multistage fight with a growing number of attacks and a massive improvement over Archangelus.

MAP17: Sacrilege After leaving a starting room, the map proper opens in three-way teleport hub, taking you to three distinct places, and a cyberdemon that is best ignored for now. The blue key area is a somewhat forgettable base, though the part where you reveal two archviles in a tiny room while cacodemons appear if you try to escape did made me focus. I think the red key part is more interesting, most of the fights here take place on a walkway above green sludge, enemy density is much larger and there's an archvile-lead monster closet. The rush of imps that spawn when you press the blue switch was also an interesting encounter. I strongly recommend finding the BFG near the red key, it takes care of the cyberdemon quickly and helps a lot with the finale. You're back at the start, except the walls have lowered to unveil a fiery ravine with a mastermind on the opposite side. Crossing it requires jumping through a series of randomly-moving pillars, I'm not a fan of this, it's annoying and slows the map down. Some exploration for the yellow key later and the map is over. I think it's an improvement over the previous level, as it doesn't feel as empty and has some moments. Out of all maps Harbin made this is among the best ones, though it's still far from the type of levels I like. MAP18: Die Heuschrecke Die Heuschrecke (German for "Grasshopper", I have no idea what's the story behind this name) hands you all the guns and a mountain of ammo in the starting room. This is followed by a handful of rooms and corridors to clear - the most notable aspect are revenants and archviles that stand suspended in the void. It reminds me of MAP30 from TNT a bit, but luckily, doesn't drag as much. The second part of the map is the Icon of Sin, arguably one of the easiest I've seen in a while. Press a series of switches while avoiding monsters, jump into the maw of the final boss and fire at the exposed core - no lift to worry about. Easy IoS maps are the best IoS maps. Conclusions I enjoyed Operation: Biowar when I was new to custom Doom maps. However, with more experience and exposure I can confidently say it's not the best megawad, even considering the releases of its era. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible set and besides MAP02 and MAP16 it lacks obvious failures, but it's very mediocre. The backtracking-heavy, dungeon-crawling gameplay is something I've grown to dislike, especially since the low-impact combat and overscaled size lack any excitement. The fact the maps I've enjoyed the most were made by guest authors isn't lost on me. Regarding the visuals, Biowar is very inconsistent. The maps switch from chunky doomcute and detailed lighting to monotonous textures and basic geometry. It's not bad when it works, as some maps have creative ideas behind them, but I don't think they are fully realised. The new sound effects are an interesting choice, as I couldn't get used to them and they succeeded in making me uneasy, unsure of what am I facing, this is definitely a strong point. Regarding the music, the wad borrows Mark Klem's tracks from earlier works and it's a good selection. It feels like I just happened to play Biowar at a right point in time. It's a rather easy wad (despite the info file calling it "medium to hard" - I don't think it's earned considering Plutonia and Hell Revealed were available for a couple of years by then; the only remotely difficult level was MAP13's hitscanner hell), a solid starting point for a rookie player, but I don't think it stood the test of time and I doubt I'll be returning here.

MAP08-MAP14 MAP08: Harmany by Tango MAP09: Wormhole Zone by Gusta MAP10: Cosmodrome by Thomas van der Velden MAP11: Arch-Violence by Gusta and Thomas van der Velden MAP12: Imprisoned by Ebola, Thomas van der Velden, Metabolist, Pagb666 MAP13: Hard Facility by Fredrik Johansson, Metabolist and Gusta MAP14: Charon Eclipse by Eternal

MAP16: The Killing Fields I'll be honest with you, this one nearly put me to sleep. The Killing Fields is just too big for the amount of monsters placed. Like, you teleport into a gigantic field that wouldn't look out of place in a slaughter wad, but only has a handful of imps and zombies. There's an awful amount of backtracking, since you'll be hitting switches and trying to figure out what the hell they did. If you add an anemic combat (single mid-tier monsters, small groups of weak ones and generally lack of any difficulty), you have an overly long and boring slog where nothing happens. This is the lowest point of Biowar by far.

MAP15: Heat It's a network of caves filled with lava, so the name checks out. The shorter maps make a return, though I feel like there's a lack of standout moments in Heat. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid level and I like the fiery caverns it takes place in, but there's little to grab me. Go to one place, flick a switch or grab a key, return to open a previously locked door, sometimes take out several monsters that appear, rince and repeat. One thing of note is a pair of archviles, since Biowar has been rather reluctant to use them so far. Neither is particularly threatening, but hey, it's something. I've found the secret exit by accident, pressing on a random wall opened a cubby with a switch, which in turn lifts a bar in the final room. This one is fine, I guess, but I doubt it will stick with me. MAP31: Juggelo Funhouse I don't know about you, but I find the stock MAP31 text screen funny and weirdly fitting. New textures aside (which I won't comment on, since I'm not familiar with Insane Clown Posse), Juggelo Funhouse ditches the dungeon crawl for a series of distinct arenas. After riding down an elevator into a basement, you are greeted by a two strobing rooms of teleporting monsters (though the barons were a drag to kill). The mastermind room gives you a plasma rifle if you flank her and eliminate the archvile guardian and the last fight is a large arena with a cyberdemon. Either kill him outright or avoid his missiles, press series of switches and obtain a BFG. At that point, the map is done. The single-colour visuals of the basement reminds me of Killer Colours (which is funny, as AV wouldn't have been released for 2 years) and the combat style offers something different from Biowar standard, as far as weird, gimmicky secret maps go, it's a solid one.

MAP14: Absolution The red sky means in we're in the hell now, specifically the E2 kind where human and infernal come together. There's a couple of cool sight to visit, such as the chapel and a crescent-shaped corridor that reminds me of River Styx. Luckily, Absolution is more generous with ammo than TNT's penultimate map, but still, if you don't know how to find a rocket launcher or a secret SSG (behind an unmarked wall that requires a blue key, nice), get ready to grind down cacodemons and occasional barons with a shotgun. Speaking of barons, in two separate instances they just pop out instantly from the floor, where you have no chance of avoiding them. The progression is similiar to MAP05, meaning there's a lot of going back and forth to get the keys. I wasn't a fan of this approach back then, I'm not still. However, I think the map ends with a bang, a large teleport trap triggered after picking up the red key. If you kill a pair of perched chaingunners ASAP, it should be safe enough to circle the courtyard, making the monsters fight one another and eliminate the stragglers. It's a good ending to an otherwise average map.

MAP13: UAC Prison by John Bishop The last of three maps by guest authors and it's a complete change of style. Pretty much anything you do or anywhere you go, UAC Prison spawns hordes of imps and hitscanners. Fighting this many enemies was a shock at first in a wad that tend to prefer smaller groups of monsters, but damn, it was fun. I stopped my no-save run here, as shotgunners up-close can melt your health and there might not be enough to recover, though the map gives 3 blurspheres that are particularly helpful here. The visual style is one aspect I'm not sure what to think about. I like the courtyard at the start with a curious metal structure (which also serves as an intense finale, where you run with a plasma, pushing back the teleporting spam of monsters) and the fiery caves the complex sits over, but the actual prison is a box of gray rocks and a corridor with cages. I know I shouldn't expect much from a jail, but it could have done better. Despite this, UAC Prison was one hell of a ride, providing a challenge Biowar so far lacked.

MAP12: Military Center Military Center feels like an expanded version of Terror Core. There's a hub with four teleporters, each leading to a combat challenge that reveals one of the keys. What's different here is the size and much more varied texture use. Unlike MAP02, this feels like a proper level, rather than discarded fragments, stitched together to make something playable. The combat is fine, the hub is inhabited by some basic enemies and the side rooms, while nowhere near as cramped as MAP11's fights, feel like they offer something. I'd say this is a decent map, but it makes Terror Core feel completely redundant.

MAP11: Frozen Terror Arctic wasteland is another cool idea for a map and I think Frozen Terror succeeded in creating a memorable experience. The grand scale definitely helps, jumping from one column to another or making leaps of faith over freezing water (it's not harmful, so don't fret) makes the player feel small in this cold and uncaring place. The large size has one issue and that is the long time spent waiting for that one elevator near the yellow key. This is actually the first place where I died Biowar, as there's a pair of chaingunners waiting on the top floor. Did I mention the map has no armor at that point? After restarting, I prepared a secret plasma rifle and took them out handily. Generally, I like the combat in Frozen Terror, it relies on ambushes in limited spaces, but the best setpiece is the finale: a descending elevator that spawns monsters for you to fight. It's a great way to end the best map so far.