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| Paul
Corfiatis has recently made quite a name for himself after completeing
his own Ultimate Doom episode. He has also released his own 32 level
megawad, and another one is almost complete. Not to mention a couple
of levels for Doom Millennium. Verada gets its name from a type of
car - this is what happens when every possible name for a Doom level has
already been used :-) According to the text file, Verada was created
"because people complained that some levels in PE4M_ALL were too easy".
No such problems with this level, it's a real bastard on UV.
It can't be that bad can it? Yes it can... The start room was enough to put me off UV for life. Pick up the soulsphere and 4 chaingunners on either side pummel you at close range. You can't even escape unless you somehow manage to manouver past them and reach a switch. This area can be done, but it's not very fun... Kind of reminds me of the start of Mike Watson's level Dismemberment where four revenants greeted you. Of course, he was kind enough to hide the BFG just behind you... Other scaringly impossible areas include the dreaded window area. On the lower difficulty levels this area is quite interesting with cacodemons coming out of nowhere and flying through the windows - very nicely done. But on UV I doubt many people will get past this area. With no room to dodge, you get trapped by revenants, barons, and of course, what else but the dreaded Arch -Vile. I hope those people who complained that Paul's levels were too easy are happy now :-) There are also numerous traps, and sometimes they are in places where you wouldn't expect them. Usually they protect keys, powerups and weapons. But in Verada you can be walking peacefully down a corridor only to suddenly hear the screams of revenants, or packs of demons running straight into your SSG. Of course, taking it a step further, there are also traps within traps... The level itself is of quite high quality, but it doesn't manage to capture the atmosphere that Paul's Ultimate Doom levels had. Texture use and alignment is top notch, and the Starbase theme is kept to well, although it does change drastically at the exit. One thing about the level which may appeal to Doomers is the fact that it is simply pure doom without any gimmicks. Don't be put off the level by its difficulty on UV. That's what the skill levels are for. I found the level easy enough of skills 1 and 2, but after that it got a little too tough since I wasn't saving. Some of the secrets are damn hard to find, but they certainly make the level a lot easier. Of course, if anyone can finish this on UV and record a demo SEND ME A COPY!! |
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Overall: 8.5/10
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