amackert

Note: Played continually on UV. This wad definitely gives a great first impression: The architecture is excellent, the music is fantastic and the maps are complex. The issue for me is that it just wasn't all that exciting. The biggest reason for this is frequent predictability in the map design. For instance, you'll walk across the exit halfway through the map, only to realize it's locked. This normally wouldn't be a problem, except that it's used time and time again over the course of the wad. The same goes for the use of symmetry. I don't think it's as bad as others have made it out to be, as one door might lead you to a room that's carved out differently than the one on the other side, but it is something you learn to spot a mile away and it adds to the overall repetitive feeling. Lastly, enemy layouts are supremely predictable and pose little challenge (here are a few shotgunners; OK, now here are a few imps; OK, now here's one mancubus; OK, now here are two hell knights; OK, here's a single revenant; All right, back to a few shotgunners, etc). Very rarely do you face groups of enemies, nor do you typically face larger groups of same types of enemies (imps and pinkies aside). Also, while there was a clear attempt to vary the enemy variety in each map, the way enemies are mixed into each map becomes predictable in and of itself. It doesn't help that rocket and plasma ammo is quite limited overall, leaving you to the SSG for much of the playthrough, and all this does is compound on an already tedious experience. I do feel that for those that like a more traditional "vanilla" experience that's on the easier end of things, this is surely a four or five star wad. However, for people that need some semblance of a challenge, not to mention some kind of progression in this area over the course of the wad, this one will not do it for you. I'd personally rate this two-stars from a gameplay standpoint, but am leaving my rating at three overall due to it being clear a lot of care and effort was put into this. It's just not for me--I need something that is going to make me work a little bit more than this does (tedium is not the solution to that).