DoomX Not Dead!

Pierre Ramirez's DoomX project site went down for a good few days, sending a smidgen of incoming traffic to my blog. Apparently it was hacked, but it's back up with a minor update, concerning his badass-looking "freeze thrower" (and "freeze gun"). I wanna play this so bad.

Hanging Gardens (HGARDEN.PK3)

HANGING GARDENS
by Paul "Skillsaw" DeBruyne

Hanging Gardens is a single map for GZDoom by Paul DeBruyne, released concurrently with Lunatic. It's the only part of an abandoned project he deemed worth releasing. It was supposed to take place on some kind of desert base, and judging from some of the elements present, it appears to combine elements of Serious Sam's gameplay with Doom's, but after having played DeBruyne's other maps I think this kind of slaughtery action is just his style. It also has a few new monsters, pulled from the Realm 667 Bestiary, the Suicide Bomber and the Archon of Hell. If I'm not mistaken, HGARDEN also has its own special effects pack, derived from Nash's gore mod.

Plutonia Revisited Community Project (PRCP.WAD)

The Plutonia Experiment was a megaWAD created by the Casali brothers for id Software as part of the Final Doom package. In the years since, it's enjoyed a more favorable legacy than its sibling, TNT Evilution, so much so that it's had two unofficial sequels, Plutonia 2 and the WAD which this review covers, Plutonia Revisited. Plutonia Revisited's scope is a bit narrower than Plutonia 2, however, as the PRCP focused on vanilla compatibility (the trend of 2011). The only flaws you'll encounter when playing the original .EXE are a few maps that invoke the savegame buffer overflow (hooray for source ports!). In fact, this project has a few instances of mapping tricks that require vanilla emulation in source ports (notably some linedef hoodoo in MAP31). Redacted 05/01/12.

Helltrip (HELLTRIP.WAD)

HELLTRIP
by Jason "Hellbent" Root

Root initially introduced Helltrip fishing for possible titles to a WAD he was working on that was freaking him out:

"Maybe because it's the middle of the night and the lights are off, but this wad I'm working on is really freakin' me out. I mean, if this isn't hell, I don't know what is. Doom doesn't scare me that much anymore, but the second half of this wad does. It feels like the monsters are coming out of the walls. It is twisted evil, hellbent on seriously deranged destruction. Too bad it's designed for only the most hardcore and intense doomers."

Reception on the archives has been split dead even, with people despising it as boring, absolute trash or loving it to death as an intense, spooky experience. I myself am split. I certainly see where both sides are coming from, erring a bit more towards the lovers than the haters.

Nilla Doom (NILLA.WAD)

Nilla Doom is a seven-map episode for vanilla Doom II (duh), courtesy of Doomworld forum superstar Use3D (Mike Alfredson). The plot is simple and winking, following the adventure of a post-retirement marine as he attempts to warn his neighbors of another incursion of Hellspawn. It's a mixture of outdoor / indoor techbases and underground maps before finally settling into Hell itself, mostly to the familiar soundtrack of Rise of the Triad. This of course invites comparison to Hell Revealed, which isn't far off the mark. Nilla Doom is challenging, as though the first episode of HR got together with The Plutonia Experiment and had a baby. Those who fear Doom II's bestiary should avoid; Use3D puts the expanded roster to good work.

Favored of the Doomed

On the 10th anniversary of Doom's release, a bunch of Doomworld regulars got together and came up with a list of the Top 100 WADs of All Time, with ten representatives from every year. Unofficially, this feature constitutes the first ten years of Doomworld's current annual institution, the Cacowards, though the Cacowards are a bit more extended. Because these WADs come so highly recommended, they're part of my review itinerary. And, well, I figured I'd slap together a master list for visitors to leaf through. The lists are hidden via javascript; click on the headings to reveal them.

Doomworld's Cacowards aren't a definitive list of the ten best WADs of their eras, a fact detractors take care to point out. They're a good starting point, though, for those wishing to sample the cream of the crop with regards to PWADs.

1994 Top Ten WADs

Crossing Acheron	Aliens TC
Doomsday of UAC	Galaxia
Serenity	Eternity
The Unholy Trinity	Return to Phobos
Slaughter Until Death	The Evil Unleashed

1995 Top Ten WADs

Fava Beans	Infinity
Boothill / A Fistful of Doom	H2H-Xmas
The Final Gathering	Artifact
Nostromo's Run	Obituary
The Enigma Episode	DWANGO5

1996 Top Ten WADs

Memento Mori	Memento Mori II
Dystopia 3: Re-Birth of Anarchy	All Hell is Breaking Loose
Army of Darkness Doom	Icarus: Alien Vanguard
Polygon Base	99 Ways to Die
The Troopers' Playground	A Hidden Mountain Factory

1997 Top Ten WADs

Requiem	Eternal Doom
Gothic DM	STRAIN
Mordeth	The Talosian Incident
Dawn of the Dead	Hell Revealed
Hell's Eventide	CHORD_NG

1998 Top Ten WADs

Gothic DM 2	Cyberdreams
Phobos	Earth
Venom	Tantrum 2
DICKIE10	Run Buddy
ODESSA14	Crestfallen

1999 Top Ten WADs

Batman Doom	The Darkening
KZDoom1	Crusades
Chord G	Jägermörder
Twilight Warrior	Demonfear
Tei Tenga	Herian 2

2000 Top Ten WADs

The Darkening Episode 2	10 Sectors
Chord 3	Classic Episode
Hell Factory	Painful Evil
ZanZan	KZDoom6
Atomic Tomb	Containment Area

2001 Top Ten WADs

Sin City	SlayeR
Null Space	Doom Resurrection
The Darkest Hour	Equinox
Vrack2b	Phobia
KZDoom7	TVR!

2002 Top Ten WADs

Alien Vendetta	2002: A Doom Odyssey
Caverns of Darkness	Dark 7 / Mission Pack
Nimrod	CH Retro Episode
Ruma	License to Spell Doom
Rip It, Tear It, Smash It	Congestion Control

2003 Top Ten WADs

Phobos: Anomaly Reborn	Void
Scythe	Brotherhood of Ruin
Doom 64: Absolution	Massmouth 2
Doom Raider	Helpyourselfish
RTC-3057 Demo	Space Station Omega

2004 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best DM Level	Honorable Mentions
Action Doom	8-Bit DM	Super Sonic Doom
Decade	Worst WAD	Deus Vult
RTC-3057	Doom: Rampage Edition	Massmouthmas
Grove	Mordeth Award	Daedalus
Tremor	Hellcore
Chosen	Mockaward
Phobos Revisited	Doomworld Forums 3
Hell Revealed 2	Mapper of the Year
Community Chest 2	B.P.R.D.
ZDoom Community Map

2005 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best DM Level
Simplicity	Nimrod: Project Doom
Scythe 2	Worst WAD
HedRox	1994 WADs
Suspended in Dusk	Mordeth Award
Kama Sutra	Jägermörder 02: Terra Nova
Congestion 1024	Mockaward
Hi-Tech Hell 2: Alien Tech	Kama Sutra
Temple of Chaos 2: Warped Reality	Mapper of the Year
Crimson Canyon	AgentSpork
Total Control
Honorable Mentions
For Whom the Bell Tolls	Altar of Evil

2006 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best DM Level
Phocas Island 2	Dynamite Deathmatch
IC2005	Worst WAD
Hellcore v2.0	Auferstehung
Newdoom Community Map Project	Mordeth Award
Operation Overlord	Crucified Dreams
Vae Victus 2	Mockaward
Phobia: The Age	How Not to Be Seen
Foreverhood v1.0	TurboCharged Arcade!
Classic Episode 2: Singularity Complex	Mapper of the Year
Crucified Dreams	Dutch Devil
Honorable Mentions
Impossible: A New Reality	Oniria
Zen Dynamics

2007 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best DM Level
Genesis of Descent	32in24-5
Cheogsh	Worst WAD
Songs of the Damned	Anything Gamarra
The Dying End	Mordeth Award
Sine Die	Knee Deep in ZDoom
Knee Deep in ZDoom	Mockaward
Community Chest 3	It Only Gets Worse
Epic	Mapper of the Year
Ultimate Torment and Torture	Alexander "Eternal" S.
The Outer Darkness
Honorable Mentions
Demons of Problematique	Wonderful Doom

2008 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best DM Level
Deus Vult II	32in24-7
Gravity	Worst WAD
Urban Brawl: Action Doom II	UAC Military Nightmare
Eternal Doom IV	Mordeth Award
Thunderpeak	Deus Vult II
Back to Basics	Mockaward
BGPA Missions: Liberation	Community is Falling 3
Chex Quest 3	Mapper of the Year
Escape from Castle Chezcrea	Björn "Vader" Ostmann
Cold as Hell
Honorable Mentions
Remain III	XXXI Cybersky
Diaz: Last Hours of Purity

2009 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best DM Level
Hell Ground	UDMX
NewDoom Community Project II	Worst WAD
Harmony	Tormentor667's Detail Guide
Mapgame	Mordeth Award
Legacy of Suffering	Plutonia 2
Tribute	Mockaward
Ghouls vs. Humans	Killing Adventure
Whispers of Satan	Mapper of the Year
Demons of Problematique 2	Brett "Mechadon" Harrell
Plutonia 2
Honorable Mentions
Happy Time Circus 2	Cheogsh 2

2010 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
No Rest for the Living	Megaman Deathmatch	Beyond Revival
Arcadia Demade	Worst WAD	Base Ganymede ep2
Curse of D'sparil	Æons of Death	Doom: Threshold of Pain
UAC Ultra	Mordeth Award	Realm of Cheogsh
Unloved	Stronghold	Serpent: Resurrection
Valhalla	Mockaward	Temple of the Lizard Men 2
Speed of Doom	Facepalm	Paranoid
Drip Feed	TurboCharged ARCADE! The Sequel Episode
Epic 2	Mapper of the Year
Stronghold	Jon "40oz" Vail

2011 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer
Plutonia Revisited	32in24-11: Occupy Doomworld
Vapordemo	Best Gameplay Mod
Lunatic	Brutal Doom
Double Impact	Mordeth Award
Vanguard	1994 Tune-up Community Project
Reverie	Mapper of the Year
Jenesis	Paul "Skillsaw" DeBruyne
Icebound	Honorable Mentions
Mandrill Ass Project	Doom II Redux
Khorus's Speedy Shit	Doom64 EX

2012 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
Doom the Way id Did	WhoDunIt?	Beyond Reality
Strife: Absolute Order	Best Gameplay Mod	Masters of Chaos
Putrefier	Russian Overkill	Frozen Time
5till L1 Complex	Mordeth Award	Planisphere 2
Community Chest 4	Community Chest 4	Coffee Break Ep. 1
Reelism	Mockaward
The Eye	Call of Dooty II
Combat Shock 2	Mapper of the Year
Winter's Fury	Adam "Khorus" Woodmansey
Base Ganymede: Complete

2013 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
Back to Saturn X: Episode 1	Eyedea	Interception
Doom 2 the Way id Did	Samsara	Hadephobia
Unholy Realms	Eon Deathmatch	Hellbound
ZDoom Community Map Project: Take 2	Best Gameplay Mod	High / Low 5
Fuel Devourer	Project MSX	Soulcrusher
Kuchitsu	Mordeth Award	Stomper
Forsaken Overlook	ZDCMP2
Stardate 20X6	Mockaward
Pirate Doom	Extreme Weapon Pack
Swim With the Whales	Mapper of the Year
	Ribbiks

2014 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
Going Down	32in24-13	Bauhaus
The Adventures of Square	Push	Bloody Steel
Back to Saturn X: Episode 2	Rage CTF	Mayhem 2048
Plasmaplant	Best Gameplay Mod	Whitemare 2
Shadows of Chronos	DemonSteele	You Dig
Monster Hunter Ltd. 1/2	Mordeth Award	The Wailing Horde
Resurgence	Doom 2 in Name Only	Reconstruction/
Mayan Mishap	Mockaward	Decomposition
Urban Brawl: Dead of Winter	Brutalist Doom
Thy Flesh Turned Into a Draft Excluder	Mapper of the Year
	Joshy

2015 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
Sunlust	Don't Be a Bitch Remastered	Doomed Space Wars
Erkattäññe	ChaosCore CTF	Crumpets
Skulldash	Best Gameplay Mod	Prime Directive
Swift Death	DoomRL Arsenal	Pinnacle of Darkness
Breach	Mordeth Award	Ol' No Name
Valiant	ChaosCore CTF	32in24-14
50 Shades of Graytall	Mockaward
Sheer Poison	InstaDoom
dead.wire	Mapper of the Year
Return to Hadron	dannebubinga

2016 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
Tech Gone Bad	AeonDM	Warphouse
Ancient Aliens	32in24-16	THT: Threnody
Nihility: Infinite Teeth	Best Gameplay Mod	Bloodstain
Mutiny	Doom 4 Doom	Strange Aeons
Absolutely Killed	Mordeth Award	Echelon
Elf Gets Pissed	Doom the Way id Did:	Shadow of the Wool Ball
Comatose	The Lost Episodes
Miasma	Mockaward
Alpha Accident: Terra Nova	Ludicrium
Japanese Community Project	Mapper of the Year
Blades of Agony E1	Lainos

2017 Cacowards

The Top Ten	Best Multiplayer	Runners Up
Lilith	Pyrrhic	Rise of the Wool Ball
Shadows of the Nightmare Realm	Progressive Duel	Return to Hadron Episode 2
No End In Sight	Best Gameplay Mod	TNT: Revilution
dead.air	Doom Delta	Waterlab GZD
Brigandine	Final Doomer	Disjunction
Counterattack	High Noon Drifter	Hexen: Curse of the Lost Gods
Legacy of Heroes	Mordeth Award	Water Spirit
Saturnine Chapel	TNT: Revilution	Hellscape
Stardate 20X7	Machaward	Dark Tide
Void and Rainbow	The Gift
Codeaward	Mapper of the Year
OBLIGE	dobu gabu maru

Top 25 Missed Cacowards

Scythe X	Invasion... Level 2: The Upper Decks	The Warlock's Hearth
Sunder	Zaero: Episode 1	Plutonium Winds
Jade Earth	Nova II: New Dawn	Alpha 1 Trilogy
Doom: The Golden Souls	SkePLand	Toilet of the Gods
A.L.T.	The Inquisitor 3	DemoniZed
Osiris	Rylayeh	City of the Damned: Apocalypse
Vrack 3	Eternal Slumber Party	Sacrament
No Chance	Vile Flesh	Hideous Destructor
	Psychic

Lunatic (LUNATIC.WAD)

Lunatic is a five-map minisode by Paul "Skillsaw" DeBruyne for limit-removing Boom-compatible ports. To make a long story short, if you enjoyed Vanguard (another 2011 release by DeBruyne), Lunatic should be right up your alley. It's a similar style of gameplay with smaller, tighter maps (compared to Vanguard's later, sweeping epics), and a few new twists. It's set on the moon, which recently collided with a giant ball of demons, the combined mass breaking it from its orbit and sending it toward Earth. You've got to fight your way across Luna's surface and through the resident UAC outpost to make your escape.

Upkeep

I've been undergoing a phase of site improvement that's 95% under the hood, stripping out garbage HTML and some slight edits here and there. All of Sverre Kvernmo's Cabal levels have an appropriate "series" TOC similar to Titan, Inferno, and the Top Ten. And, in case you're wondering... Yes, I've elected to take an extra three day period off for reviewing that forty-map monster, Doom 2 Unleashed. Lunatic will be posted on Saturday. Additionally, I have a tentative list of WADs set aside for the period between 2011 / 1998 and 1999. It's pretty big, but not as big as 2011 is turning out to be. Jeeze. I may post it at some point in a desperate bid for comments / suggestions. Also added an About page.

Pallace Skorn (PLCSKN.WAD)

PALLACE SKORN
by Callum Guy "phobosdeimos1" Oliver

After playing through Digon Base and Spire Complex (and bits of Corebinder and Zfactory) I got the impression that Callum Guy Oliver (aka phobosdeimos1) was a techbase man. Imagine my surprise when I loaded up Pallace Skorn, finding some never-was alien world more typical of Hexen's wild environments. It's crammed full of textures not native to Doom II (though you may recognize some of them, if not many) as well as, surprise surprise, some new monsters / weapons. The WAD has no story associated with it; it's just a Boom-compatible MAP01 replacement.

Happy 18th Birthday, Doom

Another year has come and gone and a dozen or so nominees lie smoking by the roadside. Congratulations to award winners and thanks to anyone who earnestly made anything during this period of Doom's life; indeed, in all periods. The biggest changes this year include a) the removal of the worst WAD award and Mock awards, and in their place installing the Best Gameplay Mod category, given to the ever-evolving Brütal Doom. Here's to another year of excellent releases! And, uh, Mordeth and Millenium. Keep on truckin'.

Also taking a moment to mention community members that were unfortunately lost this year, The Engineer and the patron saint of Legacy WADs, Jive. My condolences to their loved ones.

Doom 2 Unleashed (PC_CP.WAD)

Paul Corfiatis is a veteran Doom mapper, the author of ancient WADs like The Twilight Zone. Upon releasing his Whispers of Satan megaWAD with best Doom buddy Kristian Aro, he opted to start a community project, which debuted in 2011 as Doom 2 Unleashed. It's a forty map megaWAD whose last eight levels constitute their own episode, titled "No Hope for Peace". The scope of the project was restricted to maps that functioned in any limit-removing port and used only stock Doom II textures. I'm not entirely sure how the bonus episode is handled outside of ports that support maps in excess of 32, let alone custom episode definitions, but in ZDoom NHFP shows up as a selectable episode, backed by the soundtrack from Inferno.

Zfactory (ZFACTORY.WAD)

ZFACTORY
by Callum Guy "phobosdeimos1" Oliver

Zfactory is Callum Guy Oliver's (aka Doomworld forum superstar phobosdeimos1) first foray into wadbuilding, a speedmapped MAP01 replacement for ZDoom. The map doesn't use any of Zdoom's gameplay features, instead taking advantage of ZDoom's format idiosyncrasies, including a new (edited) titlepic. Zfactory has no plot; it's just a small techbase-style map clocking in at 56 monsters. They're mostly smaller trash, but cacodemons and mancubuses will grace your final moments as you make your way to the map exit.