How would you rate Ultimate Doom's episodes?

[Teo Slayer]

Rate the 4 original episodes of Ultimate Doom here, uncluding Sigil from Romero. My ratings are:

Episode 1 - 9/10 = It's a great starting episode and also good to revisit it

Episode 2 - 10/10 = The coolest episode in my opinion. There's a map which allows you to punch every demon, how cool is that? And the boss fight just awesome at the first time

Episode 3 - 6/10 = It's ok I guess. The first two maps where BS and the boss fight was easier than the previous one. But I just really hated the first two maps. Limbo was pain, but the rest seemed fine to me

Episode 4 - 1/10 = Biggest BS ever. The first two maps are so hard and they're starting maps, map 2 uses too many Barons, too many, E4M6 is so evil, truly evil, instead of creating new songs they just threw up tracks from previous eps and instead of creating a brand new boss fight, yet an another Spooder. I really hate that episode

Edited July 6, 2021 by Teo Slayer

[omx32x]

episode 1 6/10 sure it has cool visuals and great level design but the combat gets boring because they dont give you many weapons for you to use

episode 2 10/10 my favorite every map has the plasma gun with the exception of fortress of mystery so and its way more experimental on the level design and on the gameplay i also think that all maps look great

episode 3 7/10 the bfg doesn't add much to the gameplay loop of doom 1 and while there are some good maps even the best ones have one thing about then that makes then a chore to play like the teleporters in unholy cathedral or the starting area of map 1 where you have to pistol cacos to death

episode 4 10/10 the first 2 maps are probably the hardest but they arent bad in any way and for me this is where doom 1 takes the most  advantage of all of its weapons with a lot of variety on the gameplay it also looks great though it does not look like earth  at least doom 2 look a little like earth

[xX_Lol6_Xx]

Episode 1 = 9/10

Episode 2 = 8/10

Episode 3 = 10/10

Episode 4 = 6/10

[Hawk of The Crystals]

I'll give episode 1 a 10/10, mainly due to the fact that I don't get bored of it anytime I replay ultimate doom.

 

Episode 2 is rotten spaghetti; definitely gets a 7/10, mainly because of how much I like the atmosphere and textures, but damn does it get boring.

 

Episode 3 is a disappointment, I wanted hell to be cooler.

 

There is my totally serious review of ultimate doom's episodes.

[Teo Slayer]

Just now, CrystalHawk_Doom said:

Episode 3 is a disappointment, I wanted hell to be cooler.

If you want cooler Hell, try Scythe. It has the best Hell maps (Maps 20 - 30)

[Hawk of The Crystals]

6 minutes ago, Teo Slayer said:

If you want cooler Hell, try Scythe. It has the best Hell maps (Maps 20 - 30)

I'll check it out,

[Arrowhead]

E1: 10/10

E2: 9/10

E3: 6.5/10

E4: 8/10

 

SIGIL: 7/10

 

I think Sigil - despite being unoffical, still makes for a better hell atmosphere than E3.

[Biz!]

Knee Deep in the Dead - 4/10, too bland

The Shores of Hell - 10/10, perfect setting

Inferno - 7/10, not cool enough

Thy Flesh Consumed - 3/10, imagine if there were doom 2 monsters in it

[Mayomancer]

E1: 9

E2: 8

E3: 4

E4: 7

[Nevander]

E1 = 10/10

E2 = 10/10

E3 = 5/10 (I hate Limbo and the maps themselves are pretty lacking in comparison to E1 and E2)

E4 = 9.9/10 (wish it had new music)

[ApprihensivSoul]

E1: 8/10 - High production value, but the levels run together.

E2: 7/10 - I love it's strong points, especially atmosphere but it slips a bit when it comes to gameplay. E2M2 is the high point, E2M4 is the low for me.
E3: 9/10 - Sandy really figured out encounters here, and the hectic sprawl of chaos really made me feel like I wasn't sure where I was. Points docked for all the techbase textures, but E3M6 and E3M7 are my favorite maps in Doom.
E4: 6/10 - I really wish they had worked these levels into the earlier episodes instead of making a new one. I love the harder maps, but E4M9 should have been in one of the first two episodes, and E4M4 was a joke. Points earned back for the single best final map in the game though, E4M8.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

E1: 7.5 (iconic, but I'm not a huge techbase guy)

E2: 7 (decent and surreal, but nothing special)

E3: 6.5 (worst ending ever, some boring and unpolished maps)

E4: 8.5 (e4m1 and e4m2 are not half as much of a pain in the ass as some would claim, nice texture work and architecture)

SIGIL: 8 (nice atmosphere, combat, and music)

Edited July 3, 2021 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[garudave]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1moEF0EK48SgzujsuOgBR2BKBoeKL5Dh5u7eOxV2hQ8A/edit?usp=drivesdk

 

That's my spreadsheet for Ultimate Doom.

 

E1: 7.4/10 - Probably the most consistent of the Doom episodes, just feels good to run through.  The only weak points are the boss and secret levels, just seems like more could have been done with them.

 

E2: 6.3/10 - Still a pretty strong episode in spite of having Fortress of Mystery, the worst level in og Doom.  Halls of the Damned is one of my favorite atmospheres in any Doom 1 or Doom 2 map.

 

E3: 6/10 - Consistent in its averageness.  The high point is Mt Erebus, one of the weirdest of the lot.  Gate to Limbo is my least favorite map in Doom 1, not counting Fortress of Mystery (which I think you shouldn't).

 

E4: 7.2/10 - I think I like it better than episode 1 in spite of the lower average score.  The high points in TFC are higher than anything else in UDoom and Perfect Hatred is a masterpiece imo.  In general the challenge just feels more satisfying than what has come before.

 

I unfortunately haven't rated Sigil yet in spite of playing through it.  It feels kinda unfair to compare it to the old episodes, it has a lot of cool stuff going on that wasn't possible back in the day.  I'll go back through and rate the maps one day.

 

[HLRaven]

E1 9/10: Good starting levels which teach you the basics of the game, such as: Secrets, the importance of exploration, and how you can use barrels to your advantage, while the soundtrack is amazing in this episode. It's nothing compared to E2
E2 8.5/10: I feel like this one isn't as loved as it should be. While it does have some faults like some maps just being forgettable and boring, however this episode is the peak of the Soundtrack and it's final level with the Cyberdemon is iconic
E3 4/10: Yeah this can go to hell. These Levels leave you confused as to where to go even on repeat playthroughs. It's final Boss Encounter is lackluster. At it's best is okay, at it's worst is awful, It's soundtrack is what carries it for me
E4 8/10: First two maps are a bit stupid and weird, but repeat playthoughs made me realize how fun it actually is. I do agree on a first time playthrough this chapter just sucks, and there are some questionable design choices.
Sigil 9/10: I like the direction Romero went with this chapter, and the atmosphere is done way better than Inferno. Having to fight enemies in the dark and the only way you can see them is their outlines was such a cool idea! that and the green eyes being a switch.

[Kuro_mahoh]

Episode 1: 9/10
Episode 2: 8/10
Episode 3: 6/10

Episode 4: 7/10

Sigil: 9/10

[ENEMY!!!]

Episode 1: 9/10.  Iconic, consistently high quality, perhaps the secret level isn't up to the standard of the others but it still has its plus points.

Episode 2: 9/10.  I don't enjoy E2M1 and E2M3 as much as the others, but several of my standout favourite Ultimate Doom maps are in Episode 2.  The E2M8 Cyberdemon battle was very well done for its time.

Episode 3: 7/10.  This one is more uneven, and E3M8 was a bit of an anti-climax when I completed Doom for the first time back in 1995.  I really like E3M3, E3M4 and especially E3M6 though.

Episode 4: 7/10.  Again, uneven in quality, but it has good moments.  E4M6 and E4M7 are two very good maps in a row in my opinion.  E4M2 also stands out.  I don't like E4M1 much, too much having to run for cover from shotgun guys.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Episode 1: 7/10 - A fairly solid set of maps with only a couple of hiccups in the middle. As this was the first DooM, the more linear and basic designs can be excused since ID had very little idea on what to do for level design (I'm guessing). Nothing hard, nothing bad, just a solid set of maps. :)

 

Episode 2: 6/10 - Despite it being the episode that kick started my unhealthy addiction to the plasma rifle, E2 is literally just there. Some great maps exist here but I can barely remember Episode 2 half the time.

 

Episode 3: 9/10 - This WOULD be a 10/10 buuut... E3M7 - LIMBO. Quite possibly the biggest mistake in level design... until D2's maps 25, 28 and 30 came along. Outside of that, Ep3 DID introduce the Big Fronkering Gun that has more or less become the most iconic weapon from DooM (and for good reason :D ).

 

Episode 4: 3/10 - Whilst I was thinking about giving this a 1, if you can look past the first 2 maps Episode 4 is a fairly bland and mediocre set of maps. What didn't help is this came out AFTER DooM 2 so people were starting to warm up to the super shotty and the D2 enemies. I can understand adding all of that into DooM 1 would be rather weird (maybe) but I don't think Episode 4 really built upon DooM at all and literally rehashes the Spider Mastermind as the final boss.

 

Sigil: -10/10 - JUST NO.

[Endingghost]

E1: 8/10 - Most consistent map design

E2: 5/10 - Zzzzzzzzzzzz

E3: 4/10 - E3M6 is good, everything else is mediocre at best.

E4: 7/10 - Looks (mostly) great, def captures the hell theme better than E3. I appreciate the challenge, the only issue is that it runs out of gas towards E4M4

[Rytrik]

3 hours ago, Teo Slayer said:

Rate the 4 original episodes of Ultimate Doom here. My ratings so are:
 

Episode 4 - 1/10 = Biggest BS ever. The first two maps are so hard and they're starting maps, map 2 uses too many Barons, too many, E4M6 is so evil, truly evil, instead of creating new songs they just threw up tracks from previous eps and instead of creating a brand new boss fight, yet an another Spooder. I really hate that episode

Episodes 1 to 4 = 5/5.

E4M2 was lacking in barons. 7/5, needs more barons.

 

[Noiser]

E1 = most solid
E2 = most atmospheric
E3 = most creative
E4 = most challenging
 

They are all good for different reasons.

[TenenteZashu]

E1 - 8.5/10

E2 - 10/10

E3 - 7/10

E4 - 3/10

[Xeogred]

E1 - 10/10: for nostalgia? Still some of the coolest techbase vibes ever.

E2 - 7/10: real mixed bag but I like the weird surreal design and ideas more than the subpar flat Hellscape of E3

E3 - 6/10: see above. I also think E3M5 might be my most hated map in Ultimate Doom.

E4 - 9/10: A real grower over the years, I think the Romero maps are even harder than his Doom2 stuff on PS/UV.

Sigil - 8/10: Haven't played it since release but I recall having a blast with it.

 

I actually did a recent PS/UV run of E2-E4 so here's my map by map random notes:

Spoiler

E2M1: Deimos Anomaly-------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Memorable but never liked it much?
E2M2: Containment Area------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Also memorable warehouse, but subpar, key door hunts...
E2M3: Refinery----------------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Finally a litle challenging. Weird Supercharge near end.
E2M4: Deimos Lab-------------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Never liked this one much, switch hunts. Big mazey map.
E2M5: Command Center-------Sandy Petersen - Great. Don't miss early backpack/Berserk, limited ammo! Love this BGM.
E2M6: Halls Of The Damned----Sandy Petersen - Stupid crusher in chaingun room, but fun. Cool dark section and fake exit trap.
E2M7: Spawning Vats----------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Pretty cool! Love some of the architecture, tech base. Pinky warehouse!
E2M8: Tower Of Babel----------Sandy Petersen - Cyberdemon debut. Spectre more dangerous? lol
E2M9: Fortress Of Mystery-----Sandy Petersen - Fun little Baron/Caco arena.

 

E3M1: Hell Keep----------------Sandy Petersen - Killer BGM, showing off Hell textures, fun quick one.
E3M2: Slough Of Despair-------Sandy Petersen - Always been iffy on this one.
E3M3: Pandemonium-----------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Nice tough fortress. Found BFG. Little confusing though.
E3M4: House Of Pain-----------Sandy Petersen - Awesome. Tough Baron/Caco corridor near the end. Found BFG.
E3M5: Unholy Cathedral--------Sandy Petersen - Ugh, no. The 4x 4x4 forced teleporters map.
E3M6: Mt. Erebus--------------Sandy Petersen - Decent, big open prototype Doom 2 map? Lame teleporter to blue key hunt.
E3M7: Gate To Limbo----------Tom Hall and Sandy Petersen - Big and mazey but I like it. Feels like E1M6 + E2M4.
E3M8: Dis---------------------Sandy Petersen - Tricky on PS, need Baron/Caco to help take down Spider Mastermind.
E3M9: Warrens----------------Sandy Petersen - Weird E3M1 remix.

 

E4M1: Hell Beneath------------American McGee - Still makes me sweat. Tricky!
E4M2: Perfect Hatred----------John Romero - Absolutely insane.
E4M3: Sever The Wicked------Shawn Green - Awesome, intense. Eases up when you get blue armor and rocket launcher.
E4M4: Unruly Evil--------------American McGee - Decent. Easy first two secrets, short and not too hard.
E4M5: They Will Repent--------Tim Willits and Theresa Chasar - Very easy in comparison. Feels like E2. Fun key progression.
E4M6: Against Thee Wickedly--John Romero - The castle I mix up thinking is in E3. Brutal. Romero E4 > D2 difficulty wise.
E4M7: And Hell Followed-------John Anderson - TNT-esque, big castle. Dumb crushers. Weird, easy gear...
E4M8: Unto The Cruel---------Shawn Green - Annoying beginning hitscanners, easier when you get gear later.
E4M9: Fear--------------------Tim Willits - Excellent! Unique tech base arena.

 

[out_of_service]

Episode 1 is perfection! My earliest and fondest memories are of Knee-Deep in the Dead. Seeing this for the first time back in 1993 I was totally blown away by it. I had not seen anything like this before. Sure, I played Wolfenstein and Catacombs, but they didn't have the same impact that Doom had on me. The gameplay, progression and level design of Knee-Deep in The Dead ensured the beginnings on my obsession with Doom for the next twenty eight years. It's true that there are other games that got me hooked from the start (Resident Evil and Silent Hill), but none have ingrained themselves into my very being like Doom. It's kind of hard to explain.

 

Episodes 2, 3, 4 are all very good as well. Perhaps not as polished as Knee-Deep in The Dead, but they still nail the things that made the first episode awesome.

[pcorf]

E1 9 out of 10.

E2 8 out of 10.

E3 8 out of 10.

E4 7 out of 10.

 

My favorite maps for each episode are E1M7, E2M2, E3M6 and E4M6.

Edited July 5, 2021 by pcorf

[Doom-X-Machina]

6 hours ago, CrystalHawk_Doom said:

Episode 3 is a disappointment, I wanted hell to be cooler.

Hell is hot man... fire, brimstone... burny burny...

[Doomkid]

Interesting to see that most people find E3 the weakest of the bunch, but it’s the worst of a good lot - in other words, it’s still fun despite some shiftiness.

 

The “Hell Keep” being paper thin was unfortunately one of the first things I noticed about E3M1 even as a youngster, and as crap as it looks, it gets used yet again a second time! I know that’s a shallow detail to latch onto, but the entire episode felt slapped together in a similar way. E3M2 is nothing to write home about either.. just has a really weak opening segment, then near the end is Limbo which is a frustrating POS that isn’t particularly inspiring on the visual front, and it ends with the Pushover Mastermind..

 

E3 to me feels on par with those half decent 1994/1995 maps you might come across while shifting through shovelware. E1, 2 and 4 have a degree of consistency to both theme and challenge that is lacking in E3. Like I said, not a bad time by any means, just the weakest of the bunch.

[Bobby :D]

E1: 5/5, the trope definer. This legendary episode set in stone precedents so ingrained in game design we would be lesser without it. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY ROMERO

E2: 4/5, definitely not as refined as E1, but the emphasis on horror and distortion, combined with off kilter level design, has been influential to the "classic" aesthetic.

E3: 3/5, only really higher than average imo, felt that some of the level concepts were a bit under baked and we don't get the warped hell aesthetic we have become so accustomed to due to other wads of its era. Even then, some really cool concept maps like Mt. Erebus set precedents that would be expanded upon in Doom 2

E4: 4/5, technically weaker than E2 in terms of its importance, but for its time it was yet another banger put out by the masters of Doom, with levels that rival some of the best Doom 2 and PWAD levels of its era.

E5 (Sigil): 3/5, call me spoiled, but Romero's aesthetic for hellisodes feels outpaced by neoclassical mappers of our era. Even then, some of the level design is great, some very questionable (especially with UV balance), but otherwise a solid episode filled with some nice highlights.

 

 

[JustCallMeKaito]

Episode 1: 10 / 10. From the map layouts to thing placement, it's perfect. Every barrel you hit next to a pinky feels insanely rewarding.

 

Episode 2: 7 / 10. There are a couple of bland maps here with Halls of the Damned & Fortress of Mystery, but the rest of the episode is pretty fun. Not as good as the first episode, but not as noteworthy as the third.

 

Episode 3: 8 / 10. Gimmicky as all Hell and I love it. The episode is bogged down by a terrible opener, and E3M7 can be confusing as hell, but it's good fun overall. E3M5 is, weirdly enough, one of my favorite maps.

 

Episode 4: 5 / 10. This episode feels like it was rushed. The first two maps are harder than the rest of the episode on their own, making E4M8 look like a bad joke. E4M3 & E4M7 have inaccessible secret areas. E4M4 feels like it was meant to be the episode opener, but was shoved to the wayside for being a near-monotextured mess.

[Astronomical]

Episode 1: 8/10, Fun but it's like water. It doesn't have the flavor of other episodes, Doom 2 and Final Doom.

Episode 2: 10/10, The best episode. The game peaks in experimentation that the community would use the results to make some of the best doom maps of all time.

Episode 3: 5/10, Would have been 4/10 if the BFG wasn't introduced in this episode.

Episode 4: 7/10, Less consistent that E1 but feels much harder because of the first 2 maps.  Definitely play the first 2 levels. Skip the rest of the Episode if you want to save time. To conclude play Fava Beans.

[Cruduxy Pegg]

Around the time of release half a life-time ago? They are all 9/10 by default. After Heretic and Duke 3D released they go down 1-3 points, they just look really bland and have no atmosphere to speak of compared to what Heretic and Duke added to their engines.

 

Using a newer FPS like Ion Fury as a standard? E4 is the only one that gets a score higher than 2/10. Maybe a 3 or 4. The newer games with their newer editors are just on another level of map\encounter design.