FATAL
June 24th, 2007, 11:39 AM
Map 01-Desecrated Paths.
Let me start with some words about the first map of every gaming experience... First maps tend to be impressive when a game wants to impress you: they pack spectacular looks, unexpected twists and turns, relentless gameplay and usually a lot of different gameplay approaches. Many games come to mind regarding this but I won´t be quoting them as I am no game critic... Anyway, how does this apply to Doom?. I don´t think there´s need to say that most of us know by heart each and every corner of the original E1M1 both on its Ultimate Doom and old Doom versions -yes there are... Didn´t you notice?- and many also know the beginnings of the original Doom2´s "Entryway" (it took a lot for me to find the rocket launcher and the shotgun there). Maybe these maps weren´t the most impressive on the pack but, for example, the impact the E1M1 had, both on its simple layout, relentless action and cheerful looks is the one that surely remains with many of us... In the same fashion, I tend to think that the first level of any wad pack has to pack a lot of personality, something that makes for a short play but is easily remembered as the beginning of a memorable experience.
Well, let me say that Desecrated Paths doesn´t do things this way. This entry map is really large to be the first offer of the project, maybe it´s just a bit too large and takes too much to finish, detracting from the original first impression but, on the good side, it makes for a good play with around 90 monsters in hurt me plenty... Yes, 90 monsters are a lot of monsters. But there are no only monsters, there are puzzles, switches, doors to unlock and everything you expected on a Doom map. Would you expect them in the first level of the map pack?. To be honest, I wouldn´t. It´s not like this map plays bad or too complex, it´s just that it´s a bit too complicated to be a level that opens your eyes to the project!.
Also, we mentioned something about the cheerful looks of E1M1, didn´t we?. We don´t want to make stupid comparisons like that because, to begin with, Doom2´s beginning was not as bright and cheery as its predecessor... Haven´t you noticed the brown and depressive looks of Doom2?. Expect then a lot of it: the map is set on what appears to be a deserted abbey and, while it keeps things simple and clear in terms of layout (something to be thankful for!), has lots and lots of mood and detail (broken floors, pools of mud, broken walls...)... Some of the details to be found are really surprising but the level never gets to a point in wich it seems excessive. I would say that it manages to convey a tidy and believable look without a lot of effort. Surely you won´t be remembering this look as the beginning of the 32 level experience but there´s no point in denying that it looks good and agile enough.
Gameplay, finally, is quite straight-forward but the tight amount of health makes it a nice challenge against the upcoming waves of monsters thrown at you... That´s also something to watch out for a first level: did I have to die that many times to get to the end?. Due to the lenght of the map and its relative difficulty level (take into account I was in process of getting use to play without a mouse ;D) it probably fails -in my personal opinion- to be an adequate opening map but feels like an excellent map to have in any other slot. Strange?. Indeed!. I wouldn´t expect the first review on this pack to come this way but well, though I personally liked the map I would have preferred other placement for an experience that is simple but also attractive and inmersive.
Map 02-Wetworks
Starting off with a deja-vu from the original Doom2 "Underhalls" map, the name of the author soon comes to the mind of those have played his works. As soon as you gaze upon the structure of the sewers, this suspicion becomes an assertion: This is a Mystic´s work. Personally, I had the feeling that I had been there before during almost the whole map: the sewers, the passages connecting them, the silver thech area, it´s structure... Everything seemed to me like something I´ve played before in one of Mystic´s Legacy maps and I´m almost sure that there was a bigger Legacy version for this.
In terms of gameplay and fun, the map turned out to be decent but not shocking: large groups of identical enemies lurk the corridors and some others ambush you on the top of the stairs and bottom of the elevators but in the end you will end up knowing where are they going to appear since most of the map is symmetrical even in that sense. The mazelike structure of the map and it´s open-ended character (just hit a couple of switches, the rest is optional) doesn´t help enhance the gameplay and makes you feel lost during certain moments when every monster is dead.
Visuals for this map are as expected from the author: perfectly clean, accurate and almost mathematical with a silver theme mixed with brown bricks. It would have helped to have different environments (at least I do think so) and some variations in the structure to make it more surprising but, well, that´s the way things go.
In the end, the map shapes up and proves decent to play, but surely I won´t be remembering it forever, not even when I´ve finally done with the 32 complete reviews.
Map 03-Doomsday machine.
Another resemblance (this time from E1M1) welcomes you to this map but as soon as you look out of any window you´ll notice how different things are!. This map´s design is both simple and flawless: nice architecture (with great detail bits and some bizarre machinery whose use I can´t even think of), great flow and great layout with a warm old Doom Episode 1 feeling. I particularly loved the outside walks in this map: they looked incredibly nice without going into excessive detail and, in a sense, there´s a lot to learn here. There are, of course and as always, problems but I would say they all relate to some misalignments and some textures that don´t seem to fit the size of the place they´re in. That´s regarding the visuals.
Gameplay flows nicely through the whole level with a pistol start as you´ll soon earn some armor and your shotgun. Ammo is balanced, maybe a little too tight in the beginning and too loose in the end but always with a great placement and related to the monsters you´re facing or the ones you´re gonna face. These monsters cover a wide range: most of them are weak zombies and imps but here and there you´ll find arachnotrons, mancubi and revenants used to great effect. There´s also the occassional baron or hell knight, but I can assure you this is not one of these maps wich face you with hordes of invincible demons with little chance of survival... I could talk about the two arch-vilesto be found here, but I don´t want to make you think this map overuses them: believe me, the arch-vile fights are also smooth. The puzzles are also a plus in the flow of the gameplay (this map is so, so smooth, with no interruptions or aimless wanderings) since they´re simple but functional and rely on some floor action, doors, keycards... There´s nothing brainbreaking or groundbreaking on them, but they help keep the interest on the map.
The only drawback I could find was some acid pit I fell in and could never get out of... Okay, I know this is a largely repeated mistake that we all hate but, isn´t it good that I couldn´t find anything else to dislike?. As said, a very smooth map. Brilliant on it´s simplicity and that could surely make a very nice solo release, if you ask me. It´s not that I love absolutely every bit of this map but most times it just takes a map above the average to enjoy and have a good time with Doom.
Map 04-Shotfun.
This is the map that, so far, has taken me more tries to finish - that´s not a lot to say since I only have 3 maps reviewed - . I´ve played this map from scratch more than ten times and each one of them (except this last one) I got killed by a different specimen of the monsters around. It´s somewhat fun: the title suggests a "Shotgunners only map" or a map in wich you will be using a shotgun most of the time and both impressions are true at first: you face a lot of hitscan monsters (the first encounters may seem a little massive, at least they do for my tastes) and you´re armed with a shotgun when beginning. This situation -much to my initial surprise- changes soon and you´ll face Imps, Cacodemons and some other monsters without entering in cheap battles. That very same thing, that is, the absence of cheap, massive and unfair battles, I liked a lot in this map: with 81 it manages to kill you each time due to cunning monster positioning. This makes the map both frustrating and challenging: you´ll be saving ammo and health, relying on finding some secret to get the rocket launcher and then, just when you think you´ve got it, you´ll get blown up by a hidden chaingunner. That´s frustrating. The challenging part is to play again and find out where this monster was, kill it and try not to be destroyed by some other creature lurking around... Frustrating, but also fair if you take it slow and with caution.
Then there´s the puzzles: some switch hunting, teleport action and key collecting are embedded in a very nice layout: walls will move here and there revealing new paths or sealing off others so you have to find new ways around, you´ll be visiting places you were before where more monsters are and, well, generally you´ll never get lost since it´s a quite linear map and the player is given little choices on what´s his next step. The funniest part of it is that you wouldn´t expect this map to be that small but a look at the automap just before the exit switch will change your mind. The whole place is covered in brown textures with a nice taste for architecture: there isn´t excessive detail, but there´s imagination and great concepts.
Finally, the map was frustrating, O.k, but it also was fun and satisfying to finish and in the end, given that the map plays fair and does not use lots of cheap tricks and battles, it happens to be a very nice level with outstanding monster positioning.
Map 05-Disdainful.
Disdainful marks the first slowdown in the wad´s momentum in both gameplay and look: it´s an average, medium-large sized map that offers little gameplay variation and is not as engaging as others. The map takes place at some kind of construction with marble, wooden and rock textures that mainly consists on large, almost bare rooms with some outside walks. That doesn´t mean that the map looks bad: in fact, there are nice curved structures, decorative stuff here and there and a sense of balance but, on the other hand, there are way too many square structures and the large rooms look naked and cold so the map doesn´t look bad, but doesn´t look good.
Sadly, gameplay was as engaging as the visuals to me: lots of ammo, health and powerups (blue armors, invisibility, berserking, megasphere...) enough to make things easy and non exciting battles: there´s a battle on almost each room. Most of them are damn easy, there is one or two that can be hard but in all of them you have a lot of room to move around and avoid fire with no real problems. You´re also given powerful weapons so fights on this map will be a walk in the park for experienced players.
Puzzles can, somewhat, save this level in some switch hunting that, without being frustrating, manages to be intuitive enough so you can find your way around. Other than that, I didn´t like this map a lot.
Let me start with some words about the first map of every gaming experience... First maps tend to be impressive when a game wants to impress you: they pack spectacular looks, unexpected twists and turns, relentless gameplay and usually a lot of different gameplay approaches. Many games come to mind regarding this but I won´t be quoting them as I am no game critic... Anyway, how does this apply to Doom?. I don´t think there´s need to say that most of us know by heart each and every corner of the original E1M1 both on its Ultimate Doom and old Doom versions -yes there are... Didn´t you notice?- and many also know the beginnings of the original Doom2´s "Entryway" (it took a lot for me to find the rocket launcher and the shotgun there). Maybe these maps weren´t the most impressive on the pack but, for example, the impact the E1M1 had, both on its simple layout, relentless action and cheerful looks is the one that surely remains with many of us... In the same fashion, I tend to think that the first level of any wad pack has to pack a lot of personality, something that makes for a short play but is easily remembered as the beginning of a memorable experience.
Well, let me say that Desecrated Paths doesn´t do things this way. This entry map is really large to be the first offer of the project, maybe it´s just a bit too large and takes too much to finish, detracting from the original first impression but, on the good side, it makes for a good play with around 90 monsters in hurt me plenty... Yes, 90 monsters are a lot of monsters. But there are no only monsters, there are puzzles, switches, doors to unlock and everything you expected on a Doom map. Would you expect them in the first level of the map pack?. To be honest, I wouldn´t. It´s not like this map plays bad or too complex, it´s just that it´s a bit too complicated to be a level that opens your eyes to the project!.
Also, we mentioned something about the cheerful looks of E1M1, didn´t we?. We don´t want to make stupid comparisons like that because, to begin with, Doom2´s beginning was not as bright and cheery as its predecessor... Haven´t you noticed the brown and depressive looks of Doom2?. Expect then a lot of it: the map is set on what appears to be a deserted abbey and, while it keeps things simple and clear in terms of layout (something to be thankful for!), has lots and lots of mood and detail (broken floors, pools of mud, broken walls...)... Some of the details to be found are really surprising but the level never gets to a point in wich it seems excessive. I would say that it manages to convey a tidy and believable look without a lot of effort. Surely you won´t be remembering this look as the beginning of the 32 level experience but there´s no point in denying that it looks good and agile enough.
Gameplay, finally, is quite straight-forward but the tight amount of health makes it a nice challenge against the upcoming waves of monsters thrown at you... That´s also something to watch out for a first level: did I have to die that many times to get to the end?. Due to the lenght of the map and its relative difficulty level (take into account I was in process of getting use to play without a mouse ;D) it probably fails -in my personal opinion- to be an adequate opening map but feels like an excellent map to have in any other slot. Strange?. Indeed!. I wouldn´t expect the first review on this pack to come this way but well, though I personally liked the map I would have preferred other placement for an experience that is simple but also attractive and inmersive.
Map 02-Wetworks
Starting off with a deja-vu from the original Doom2 "Underhalls" map, the name of the author soon comes to the mind of those have played his works. As soon as you gaze upon the structure of the sewers, this suspicion becomes an assertion: This is a Mystic´s work. Personally, I had the feeling that I had been there before during almost the whole map: the sewers, the passages connecting them, the silver thech area, it´s structure... Everything seemed to me like something I´ve played before in one of Mystic´s Legacy maps and I´m almost sure that there was a bigger Legacy version for this.
In terms of gameplay and fun, the map turned out to be decent but not shocking: large groups of identical enemies lurk the corridors and some others ambush you on the top of the stairs and bottom of the elevators but in the end you will end up knowing where are they going to appear since most of the map is symmetrical even in that sense. The mazelike structure of the map and it´s open-ended character (just hit a couple of switches, the rest is optional) doesn´t help enhance the gameplay and makes you feel lost during certain moments when every monster is dead.
Visuals for this map are as expected from the author: perfectly clean, accurate and almost mathematical with a silver theme mixed with brown bricks. It would have helped to have different environments (at least I do think so) and some variations in the structure to make it more surprising but, well, that´s the way things go.
In the end, the map shapes up and proves decent to play, but surely I won´t be remembering it forever, not even when I´ve finally done with the 32 complete reviews.
Map 03-Doomsday machine.
Another resemblance (this time from E1M1) welcomes you to this map but as soon as you look out of any window you´ll notice how different things are!. This map´s design is both simple and flawless: nice architecture (with great detail bits and some bizarre machinery whose use I can´t even think of), great flow and great layout with a warm old Doom Episode 1 feeling. I particularly loved the outside walks in this map: they looked incredibly nice without going into excessive detail and, in a sense, there´s a lot to learn here. There are, of course and as always, problems but I would say they all relate to some misalignments and some textures that don´t seem to fit the size of the place they´re in. That´s regarding the visuals.
Gameplay flows nicely through the whole level with a pistol start as you´ll soon earn some armor and your shotgun. Ammo is balanced, maybe a little too tight in the beginning and too loose in the end but always with a great placement and related to the monsters you´re facing or the ones you´re gonna face. These monsters cover a wide range: most of them are weak zombies and imps but here and there you´ll find arachnotrons, mancubi and revenants used to great effect. There´s also the occassional baron or hell knight, but I can assure you this is not one of these maps wich face you with hordes of invincible demons with little chance of survival... I could talk about the two arch-vilesto be found here, but I don´t want to make you think this map overuses them: believe me, the arch-vile fights are also smooth. The puzzles are also a plus in the flow of the gameplay (this map is so, so smooth, with no interruptions or aimless wanderings) since they´re simple but functional and rely on some floor action, doors, keycards... There´s nothing brainbreaking or groundbreaking on them, but they help keep the interest on the map.
The only drawback I could find was some acid pit I fell in and could never get out of... Okay, I know this is a largely repeated mistake that we all hate but, isn´t it good that I couldn´t find anything else to dislike?. As said, a very smooth map. Brilliant on it´s simplicity and that could surely make a very nice solo release, if you ask me. It´s not that I love absolutely every bit of this map but most times it just takes a map above the average to enjoy and have a good time with Doom.
Map 04-Shotfun.
This is the map that, so far, has taken me more tries to finish - that´s not a lot to say since I only have 3 maps reviewed - . I´ve played this map from scratch more than ten times and each one of them (except this last one) I got killed by a different specimen of the monsters around. It´s somewhat fun: the title suggests a "Shotgunners only map" or a map in wich you will be using a shotgun most of the time and both impressions are true at first: you face a lot of hitscan monsters (the first encounters may seem a little massive, at least they do for my tastes) and you´re armed with a shotgun when beginning. This situation -much to my initial surprise- changes soon and you´ll face Imps, Cacodemons and some other monsters without entering in cheap battles. That very same thing, that is, the absence of cheap, massive and unfair battles, I liked a lot in this map: with 81 it manages to kill you each time due to cunning monster positioning. This makes the map both frustrating and challenging: you´ll be saving ammo and health, relying on finding some secret to get the rocket launcher and then, just when you think you´ve got it, you´ll get blown up by a hidden chaingunner. That´s frustrating. The challenging part is to play again and find out where this monster was, kill it and try not to be destroyed by some other creature lurking around... Frustrating, but also fair if you take it slow and with caution.
Then there´s the puzzles: some switch hunting, teleport action and key collecting are embedded in a very nice layout: walls will move here and there revealing new paths or sealing off others so you have to find new ways around, you´ll be visiting places you were before where more monsters are and, well, generally you´ll never get lost since it´s a quite linear map and the player is given little choices on what´s his next step. The funniest part of it is that you wouldn´t expect this map to be that small but a look at the automap just before the exit switch will change your mind. The whole place is covered in brown textures with a nice taste for architecture: there isn´t excessive detail, but there´s imagination and great concepts.
Finally, the map was frustrating, O.k, but it also was fun and satisfying to finish and in the end, given that the map plays fair and does not use lots of cheap tricks and battles, it happens to be a very nice level with outstanding monster positioning.
Map 05-Disdainful.
Disdainful marks the first slowdown in the wad´s momentum in both gameplay and look: it´s an average, medium-large sized map that offers little gameplay variation and is not as engaging as others. The map takes place at some kind of construction with marble, wooden and rock textures that mainly consists on large, almost bare rooms with some outside walks. That doesn´t mean that the map looks bad: in fact, there are nice curved structures, decorative stuff here and there and a sense of balance but, on the other hand, there are way too many square structures and the large rooms look naked and cold so the map doesn´t look bad, but doesn´t look good.
Sadly, gameplay was as engaging as the visuals to me: lots of ammo, health and powerups (blue armors, invisibility, berserking, megasphere...) enough to make things easy and non exciting battles: there´s a battle on almost each room. Most of them are damn easy, there is one or two that can be hard but in all of them you have a lot of room to move around and avoid fire with no real problems. You´re also given powerful weapons so fights on this map will be a walk in the park for experienced players.
Puzzles can, somewhat, save this level in some switch hunting that, without being frustrating, manages to be intuitive enough so you can find your way around. Other than that, I didn´t like this map a lot.