The /newstuff Chronicles #223

Expect a certain rift, an inconsistency in the reviews this week. That's because this week is a double feature; it is a mixture consisting of WADs left unreviewed last week and WADs right reviewed this week. You can easily distinguish the style of the two different reviewers; one speaks his mind and is truly uninhibited, and the other states the known facts. One takes aliased, jagged screenshots of empty rooms, and the other takes smooth screenshots of active scenes. One parties hard with a twist, and the other believes in a secluded, sterile existence. There are other obvious indicators, but we won't take away all the fun. Strap on your thinking socks, because this week's challenge is to figure out who did who in the latest edition of The /newstuff Chronicles.

• My Second Level, What Fun. by Richard Chapin
  44kb - Doom - SP - -
  The name just screams out the agonizing gameplay that you'll be going through on this one. Most of the time you'll be spending is in these mazes like shown in the screenshot. There's some good snippits of gameplay along the way but seriously gets a 'wtf' for the strangest and one of the most frustrating levels to even get though in my life. Not to mention, I couldn't find an exit in this map.
  
  
• Kneepaul by Paul Ladas
  702kb - Doom - SP - - -
  Alright. Worst week ever, 2nd 1994 wad in, and i'm begging for mercy at the feet of the gods. This wad is named egypt, but the actual name of the wad is supposedly 'kneepaul.wad'. Before I burst out into tears of fury, i'll try to review this. The first map, shown in the screenshot above. That's it. That's all there is. No exit, only a few monsters, and like, one pickup. The 2nd screenshot shown seems to be nothing but a brown based area with 5 billion tree objects. But no that's not the case, because there are doors, that has the exact same texture as the walls around them. I only found this out in a map editor believe it or not...I highly suggest you stay away.
  
  
• Illyngo Underworld by Mephisto
  289kb - Skulltag - Doom 2 - SP - -
  The world is saved from world domination of evil 1994 wads by a modern wad by everyone's lovable teddy bear Mephisto. Ahahahahaha you thought I was serious? This wad is the most tedius thing I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN THE HISTORY OF MY LIFE! Not that it's long but jesus christ, I wonder if the author was on cocaine when he made this map. Lets jump from stair to stair of about 10 stairs and then get to another platform, go around on a 64 unti wide platform in the sky and the jump more stairs, fight off minimal amounts of demons, jump onto pillars that are barely as big as you are, for about 5 levels and then fight a Cyberdemon with a Railgun. I honestly hope this is a joke.
  
  
• The Tiger Den by Jim Young
  47kb - Doom - SP - -
  The flood of old wads needs to stop. I can't stand it anymore. Here, you start in a e3m1 esque pit, hit the eye up you go, into a flesh walled room but it has carpeting! The demons are renovating I see. What I find a tad funny is for a E1M3 map this does not have many techish elements, so you'll need the registered doom to play this, no shareware doom for you! The gameplay is moderate, just grab the shotgun and shell box and that's prettym uch it until you face the spiderdemon then you get a invul sphere, bfg and cell pack which makes it all too easy. Oh well, pick it up for a quick play I guess.
  
  
• Doom Tournament Wad Pack by Various Authors
  114kb - Doom - DM - -
  A bunch of near identical wads for a 1994 augest tourny in some LA place. Not only that, it's for Doom 1. Did you see that coming? I bet not. Anyway, the wad consists of about 5 wads that are nearly the exact same and 1 super cramped wad with a few pillars and a giant X shaped wall. Shotguns are the choice of weapon for most maps too. Except for the fact that you may or may not find your opponent in these spaces and wads, it's a fun play anyway. Made for a frantic fight when I played it with 3 others though.
  
  
• Yapper1 by Eric Buchanan
  28kb - Doom 2 - SP, DM - -
  Ok judging from the title you may question the sanity of the author of this wad, and decide not to play based solely on the name. And to sum it all up I couldn't agree more. The gameplay is far out of whack in this one, as is the actual needs to complete the map. For instance, in order to get the yellow key you need to get past the yellow door. That should give you a sense of what you're up against. Also, be prepared for little more than none ammo in health. Have fun with this one.
  
  Side note: Don't try this with DM. Please.
  
  
• You Can Run But You Can't Hide by Tony Engle
  33kb - Doom - DM - -
  Another. Doom 1. Deathmatch. Wad. I'm overjoyed. Ok i'll cut the BS and review it then, spoilsports. In SP you fight an entire legion with little armaments and fall into a pit which seems near impossible to actually climb back up, but it is! Making for a fun filled DM adventure of cliffs and...well...pits. Weapons and items are well typical for a 1994 DM wad, so if you're that cooky guy who collects dusty DM and/or 1994 wads, give it a spin.
  
  
• Yerdeath by Alan Steinhauser
  19kb - Doom 2 - DM - -
  Funduke needs to be banned from uploading 5 lolzillion 1994/1995 wads to slowly tick off reviewers or to try to achieve world domination. This 1995 wad is yet again another DM map for your viewing pleasure. It starts you off in SP mode in a room with those damaged hotel-like walls and a door, you got some ammo and medkits around you. Open up the next room and monsters await you! This map functions as both some strange SP map and a DM map with only corridors and very secretly hidden areas. It's not bad, could use some detail and more guns, but for a 1995 wad, it's a good one to DM on. Have fun.
  
  
• The Ghoul's Forest by Cutmanmike
  274kb - ZDoom - Doom 2 - SP, Co-op - 1 map - -
  Sometimes we get something small, simple, and unique. This is a dark, creepy forest, with one deadly monster to avoid. The main idea is that you navigate your way through the blackened woods, collect the necessary items, and then destroy the kill-you-twice-before-you-die main monster. Perhaps accidentally, though, it is possible to finish the map in about twelve seconds, without even encountering the ghoul. But perhaps the brightest (or darkest) aspect of this WAD is that it introduces an enemy where it is extremely difficult to stay alive once you meet it. I can't remember ever having any difficulty running away from an enemy, especially in such an open area. In other words, this WAD has one nasty mother.
  
  
• Return to Phobos by Hobomaster22
  182kb - ZDoom - Doom 2 - SP - 1 map - -
  This is a snappy tech-base-themed map for Doom 2. It is medium in its size, but above-normal in its visual detail. For the most part, it emulates Episode 1 of Doom. There are differences, though. It is somewhat harder than most E1 levels. It is fairly tight with the ammo and very tight with the health. It is a bit of a challenge, but nothing unreasonable.
  
  
• Onslaught DM 2 by Various Authors
  1,460kb - Enhanced Port - Doom 2 - DM - 20 maps - - - - - - - -
  Deathmatch maps come and go, and they generally fade out of memory quickly, but history shows that the megawads that stick with people. This 20-map smorgasbord lands in the deathmatch pool with a large splash. It is a collection of high-detail maps, all small to medium in size, with a mild of variety themes. The maps range from dark to light and flat to tall. None of the maps are symmetrical, and the weapons are always placed generously. The WAD itself is obviously inspired by certain deathmatch classics, including Brit11 and Judas23. It also includes some common metal music replacements; ones that are very traditional for deathmatch. Overall, this is a solid repository of new maps that should make for constant fast-paced action.
  
  
• Infected Telecom Stations by Karoly Horvath
  1,617kb - Enhanced Port - Doom 2 - SP - 11 maps - - - -
  There will be a quantity of single-player maps this week; whether there is a quality is uncertain. These are eleven single-player maps for Doom 2, and their design is very random. In fact, everything about this WAD seems random. A wide plethora of textures are used in every room and area in this WAD. Enemies are scattered randomly, and item placement is often arbitrary. For the most part, there isn't enough ammo or health to go around. Enemies from small to large are used in every map, so there is no build-up. If you are able to overlook this, and maybe use cheat codes, then you may find a few interesting puzzles to solve somewhere in the WAD. On the plus side, there are some decent music replacements.
  
  
• BastetFurrys Deathmatch Maps by Markus Stehr
  33kb - ZDoom - Doom 2 - DM - 2 maps - -
  This is simply a tiny drop in the community's bucket of deathmatch maps, and it isn't very significant. These two maps are small and small-medium in size. Both are indoor. One is a cramped solution based around the Nazi symbol, and the other is a storage room full of crates. Weapons as large as the rocket launcher are provided, and some armor is also made available.
  
  
• Project666 by Stealthy Ivan
  1,031kb - Doom 2 - SP, Co-op - 2 maps - -
  Supposedly, this WAD is a work in progress. These two maps are of a nameless theme, with a mixture of indoor and outdoor areas. More than most maps, these maps allow you to hide behind pillars and walls while dealing with the enemies. Unlike other single-player features this week, ammo and health are balanced quite well. The gameplay is slightly challenging, but manageable if you conceal yourself properly.