FATAL
June 18th, 2007, 11:53 AM
Wad Title: Phantasm(The Tall Man's Domain)
Author: Steve Schulte
Filename: Phantasm.zip
Size: 1.16 MB
Download Link: ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/pc/games/idgames/levels/doom2/p-r/phantasm.zip
Requirements: Doom2
Play types: SP, DM, and Co-Op. # of maps: 1
Created on: March 1997
Reviewer: Crash OverRide
Port Used: ZDoom 2.0.98
Score: 6.5
Overall Review Score: 6.5/10 - Slightly above average
You are Mike Pearson, and your family is gone. What can you do? Kick some Tall Man butt of course. This med. - large sized level has many custom or ripped sights and sounds which will help you immerse yourself into the Phantasm phenomenon, as you frag your way through room after room of death and decay. The level is also not too linear, with several areas to explore at any time(and in any order) during the gameplay. Killing most monsters is also made more fun with the addition of voice clips, different with each type of demon. As for DM, the non-linearity of most areas would make this a good DM candidate, especially for fans of the series.
Note: Beginning players may want to save often and keep an eye on health, as this level has only one difficulty: Badass.
Graphics/Lighting: Score: 6.5/10 - Slightly above average
Most of the rooms use greenish tile as their main texture base, and you may get sick of seeing it after awhile, but it does fit quite nicely(IMO) with the theme of the level.....as well as the movies themselves. The level is also complimented at start and finish with pictures from the movies, and (I assume) the console game(s).....as well as a few custom sprites for monsters and weapon effects.
All rooms are adequately lit or darkened, with a few shadows in some spots, thrown in for good measure. Not the most spectacular lighting job in the world, I guess, but it gets the job done.
Weapon/Health Placement: Score: 6/10 - Slightly above average
Health/Armor are in average quantities in the level, and placed appropriately in most cases, but at the beginning and in most areas you will only find the 1% boost types......meaning that unless you're very good at staying safe, you WILL take some damage and have to go through one or more areas looking for health/etc at the start. Most of the larger health/etc & better weapons will be found a bit into the map, as well as ammo and the like.
Monster placement: Score: 6/10 - Slightly above average
Yes, the monsters are here, but alot of them are dormant.....as in "Let's wait until the player actually comes around the corner before we see/hear him/her." dormant. They are placed in good amounts though, which basically means that you won't run into too many empty rooms with nothing to shoot at/do, but a few more in several of the larger rooms would have made the level even better in this regard.
Praises - Good tribute to the Phantasm movies. Several rooms based off the movies. New, themed health/armor graphics. Custom midi version of the Phantasm theme. Ripped voices from the movies used as most SFX.
Cons - A skybox effect near the end of the level. Fugly textures on the silver sphere pillar in the central room. A few of the ripped voices are hard to hear with the music playing. The silver spheres show the lost soul death animation when killed.
Fatal Bugs - None.
***NEW***
Comments: While the level as a whole gave me the nostalgic pangs of remembrance towards the famed cult horror movie, Phantasm, it only succeeded slightly in recreating the horrific feelings I experienced years ago when watching it for the very first time. Now, this isn't saying that the level was bad. No, it was very "authentic" in setting the atmosphere.....both in sight and sound, yet it lacked something here and there.
Seeing Reggie once would have been nice, if only a picture from the film plastered on a wall somewhere. Or maybe the silver spheres could have been made to have the ability to pass through walls somehow, like in the film. Maybe a few random screams from the film could have been added to the sound file.
Little things, I know, but things which might have set the hairs on the back of your neck on edge a bit more....if only that. There also could have been more usage of textures other than the green marble ones, in more of the rooms, but the player will be happy to note that several rooms/props from the movie will surprise you from the slight blah that the green madness brings.
<a href="http://img420.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phantasm10xd.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/2518/phantasm10xd.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Nice homage to a cult classic.
<a href="http://img420.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phantasm24tj.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/20/phantasm24tj.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
It's definately got balls, all right.
<a href="http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phantasm34ew.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/508/phantasm34ew.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Ever see the devil's tuning fork?
Author: Steve Schulte
Filename: Phantasm.zip
Size: 1.16 MB
Download Link: ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/pc/games/idgames/levels/doom2/p-r/phantasm.zip
Requirements: Doom2
Play types: SP, DM, and Co-Op. # of maps: 1
Created on: March 1997
Reviewer: Crash OverRide
Port Used: ZDoom 2.0.98
Score: 6.5
Overall Review Score: 6.5/10 - Slightly above average
You are Mike Pearson, and your family is gone. What can you do? Kick some Tall Man butt of course. This med. - large sized level has many custom or ripped sights and sounds which will help you immerse yourself into the Phantasm phenomenon, as you frag your way through room after room of death and decay. The level is also not too linear, with several areas to explore at any time(and in any order) during the gameplay. Killing most monsters is also made more fun with the addition of voice clips, different with each type of demon. As for DM, the non-linearity of most areas would make this a good DM candidate, especially for fans of the series.
Note: Beginning players may want to save often and keep an eye on health, as this level has only one difficulty: Badass.
Graphics/Lighting: Score: 6.5/10 - Slightly above average
Most of the rooms use greenish tile as their main texture base, and you may get sick of seeing it after awhile, but it does fit quite nicely(IMO) with the theme of the level.....as well as the movies themselves. The level is also complimented at start and finish with pictures from the movies, and (I assume) the console game(s).....as well as a few custom sprites for monsters and weapon effects.
All rooms are adequately lit or darkened, with a few shadows in some spots, thrown in for good measure. Not the most spectacular lighting job in the world, I guess, but it gets the job done.
Weapon/Health Placement: Score: 6/10 - Slightly above average
Health/Armor are in average quantities in the level, and placed appropriately in most cases, but at the beginning and in most areas you will only find the 1% boost types......meaning that unless you're very good at staying safe, you WILL take some damage and have to go through one or more areas looking for health/etc at the start. Most of the larger health/etc & better weapons will be found a bit into the map, as well as ammo and the like.
Monster placement: Score: 6/10 - Slightly above average
Yes, the monsters are here, but alot of them are dormant.....as in "Let's wait until the player actually comes around the corner before we see/hear him/her." dormant. They are placed in good amounts though, which basically means that you won't run into too many empty rooms with nothing to shoot at/do, but a few more in several of the larger rooms would have made the level even better in this regard.
Praises - Good tribute to the Phantasm movies. Several rooms based off the movies. New, themed health/armor graphics. Custom midi version of the Phantasm theme. Ripped voices from the movies used as most SFX.
Cons - A skybox effect near the end of the level. Fugly textures on the silver sphere pillar in the central room. A few of the ripped voices are hard to hear with the music playing. The silver spheres show the lost soul death animation when killed.
Fatal Bugs - None.
***NEW***
Comments: While the level as a whole gave me the nostalgic pangs of remembrance towards the famed cult horror movie, Phantasm, it only succeeded slightly in recreating the horrific feelings I experienced years ago when watching it for the very first time. Now, this isn't saying that the level was bad. No, it was very "authentic" in setting the atmosphere.....both in sight and sound, yet it lacked something here and there.
Seeing Reggie once would have been nice, if only a picture from the film plastered on a wall somewhere. Or maybe the silver spheres could have been made to have the ability to pass through walls somehow, like in the film. Maybe a few random screams from the film could have been added to the sound file.
Little things, I know, but things which might have set the hairs on the back of your neck on edge a bit more....if only that. There also could have been more usage of textures other than the green marble ones, in more of the rooms, but the player will be happy to note that several rooms/props from the movie will surprise you from the slight blah that the green madness brings.
<a href="http://img420.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phantasm10xd.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/2518/phantasm10xd.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Nice homage to a cult classic.
<a href="http://img420.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phantasm24tj.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/20/phantasm24tj.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
It's definately got balls, all right.
<a href="http://img209.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phantasm34ew.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/508/phantasm34ew.th.png" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us" /></a>
Ever see the devil's tuning fork?