Dersulbob

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP09 - Temple del Sol This map was big, wide open, enjoyable and pretty difficult at points. I struggled with the opening area in particular, died a few times there before remembering I have a plasma cannon that could deal with it all pretty easily. I enjoyed having such a large secret in the north of the map and the teleporter ambush was again fun to blast through. I haven't read through the posts here so I'm interested to see how others dealt with the Spiderdemon room and the huge ambush. I tried to deal with it using the Berserk knife but didn't have enough time on the invincibility, so I ended up going with the plasma cannon on my second attempt and picked stragglers off with the knife. Grade - A- MAP10 - Kalua Atoll Really fun map serving as the introductions to the flamethrower. This thing is crazy powerful, it dealt with the Cyberdemon in seconds! This really was a power fantasy level, watching everything simply melt before you. Caco-cloud went down easily, Cyberdemon went down easily, Arch-Viles, Barons, it was easy to be honest, but very enjoyable. The visuals were brilliant, it was a bit annoying to have invisible walls in the beach area but not too bad. Grade - A- MAP11 - Vacation Gone Wrong A less enjoyable one for me. There doesn't really seem to be any link between the various areas, there aren't really any memorable fights here and I can't really recall any visually striking area, with the exception of the final area which looked pretty cool. Grade - C-

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP07 - WARehouse The first miss of the set for me. Confusion about where to go, no real notable combat, the nature of where the majority of this level takes means that visually there's nothing particularly impressive to comment on either. A disappointing level at this stage after many back-to-back great levels. Grade - C MAP08 - Chocolate Island Not much time to rest on this one until everything is dead. A good shorter map, visually distinctive from the other maps due to the water and wood aesthetic throughout. The usage of the Cyberdemons in this set has been lacklustre so far, they have all been placed in positions where they can't really hit you. Thismay be by design as these are still the early levels but it does beg the question as to why they are included in these maps at all, other than to be ammo sponges. The encounter with the Hell Knights and Barons was particularly nasty and killed me a few times as there was very little room and rather a lot of enemies. Overall the map felt open and fluid (other than the encounter mentioned above) so no complaints, however I don't think it matches up to some of the other efforts so far in this set. Grade - B

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP04 - Surf's Up In Nuketown Another really fun map to blast around. The large opening fight that took place over the entire exterior area was another great opportunity to test the plasma cannon. The Arachnos and Revenants acting as snipers got me a fair few times, but i had no issues with the enemies on the ground as I found the Berserk pretty quickly (it's ridiculously fun to use in this map). Another A and this megaWAD has been consistently good so far. Grade - A MAP05 - 11 Holidays A surprisingly short map, surprising only because of how quickly I was able to wipe out 170+ plus enemies with the newly-introduced auto-shotgun which feels incredibly OP, even amongst the OP weapons already introduced. I don't think the map is as exciting or as memorable as the rest of the set so far - there's nothing particularly wrong with the map, perhaps I didn't enjoy it as much because the areas were less open in previous maps. Still fun, but less so. Grade - B MAP06 - Hidden Ship in Pirate's Cove The grandest feeling level so far, this map was a real adventure, taking you to various distinct areas, each housing its own notable encounters. The chain gun introduced in this level is another silly weapon which is really fun to use and which made pretty short work of the beefed up Cyberdemons, also introduced in this level. The combat in this map felt a little easier than the earlier maps, but I feel that the the aesthetics and the story were the main focuses on this one, and the result is very impressive indeed. Grade - A

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP03 - Beachside Bookworms My favourite map of the set so far. An unusual concept to have a library/beach map, but it works very well in my opinion, the contrast between the bright colourful exterior and the browner, more dimly lit interior making for a good aesthetic experience. The combat was challenging but not unfair, the new cell cannon really helping out in the more densely populated areas. Again, a very wide open exterior area helped the gameplay flow nicely. Also nice that this was non-linear, I can't recall how often that's been the case throughout both megaWADs so far, but it stood out to me, so probably not too often. Really fun to blast around this one. Grade - A

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) RAY MOHAWK 2 - Ray Wreaks Havoc MAP01 - Back Ashore! Back to the beach/island theme, which I'm a big fan of - hope it sticks as around a bit longer this time. The map in general was fun, I like the open nature of it, lots of space to move around to dodge the several projectiles which may be flying at you at any one time, given the large number of enemies. There are a lot of enemies in this one, including a new enemy, which I like, and some colour changes for existing enemies which I'm not a huge fan of. Whereas the Hula Imp is a tongue in cheek alteration which also adds to the island theme, the colour changes for the Baron and Hell Knights seem fairly pointless and I think they look a bit... I don't know, cheaper? It's only an aesthetic thing but I don't know, it irks me. Also, whilst I am a fan of the new weapons, I am not a fan of them being re-positioned on the screen over to the right-hand side rather than being more central. I'm struggling to aim properly as a result, which will take a lot of getting used to. I won't count that as an issue with this map though, it may result in an overall reduction in the final grade of the megaWAD if I can't get over it, but not for this map. The design of this map is great, it feels a lot more intense than Ray Mohawk 1 already and I'm excited to see where it goes next. Grade - B+ MAP02 - Ossuary of the Hula Imps A bit different with an Egyptian ruin theme. Again, lots of enemies but this time in a much more compact map. There's still a lot of room to move around in the main central courtyard area but things can get a bit cramped in the surrounding hallways. I struggled quite a bit just due to the sheer number of enemies (and this is only MAP02!) No additional enemies or weapons in this one but I was able to make use of the Berserk pack in this level, which is just as fun to use in this megaWAD as it was in the last. I do think I'll need a weapon capable of wiping out more enemies at once though if this is how the set is going to continue. The final room was a struggle, Berserk did the trick in the end but it took a couple of attempts to get through without dying. Not quite as enjoyable as the first map, nor as visually distinctive, but still a solid level overall. Grade - B

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP04 - Little Oasis I really enjoyed the compact feel of this map. It starts with a really nice "opening shot" with a number of hitscanners looking towards the Arch-Vile in his quarters. Is he their leader? Is he their prisoner? Is he an experiment gone wrong that they have to lock in a safe place for their own protection? Who knows! I do find it a little strange to place the Arch-Vile in such a prominent place in the map but not have him able to attack - I note that this was intentional but unsure why. I did find the rest of the map tough, particularly the narrow hallway after the opening area, which is filled with many enemies with hitscanners and several others hurting you through windows on either side. Didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two but still an enjoyable time. Grade - B MAP05 - Big Room with Baddies One of my favourites of the set. Right off the bat, I love the name, was nice to get a bit of forewarning about what to expect. I don't remember many specifics about the map to be honest (played it a few days ago and did it in one attempt) but I recall it being a blast. It's not slaughter map but it really doesn't give you any chance to stop moving until they're all dead. To complete it without deaths felt like an achievement. Not many visually distinctive points in this one but still is a nice looking map. Grade - A- MAP06 - The Maw of Industry I liked this map but not as much as the majority of maps in this set. The opening area housed a fair few enemies but nothing too challenging. Again I found that it was the hit scanners that were hurting me the most. The positioning of the Arch-Vile in the opening area made it fairly pointless, it didn't present any type of threat. The yellow and red key area was fine, other than the pop-up encounter in the red key room (I mentioned this last month, I can't explain why I find them more difficult to swallow than standards teleport ambushes but I just don't like them). The circular room with the "exit door" was nicely done and felt like the climax of the level, particularly after the surprise group of enemies behind the door with some teleporting behind you. I thought it was clever to put that door on a switch, meaning that the Arch-Vile would have time to revive some fallen enemies whilst I turned back to press the switch. The Cyberdemon section of this map felt very tacked on and I didn't enjoy it unfortunately. I couldn't be bothered to hang around and kill them after my invulnerability wore off and my plasma ran out so I just ran through the remainder of that room and exited through the titular Maw, grateful that I did not have to do an Icon of Sin battle. I understand it's the last map and that mappers often feel the need to chuck a few Cyberdemons in to make the player to feel like they earned it, but I just don't find them any fun to fight, especially in groups of more than 2. Grade - B- Overall Thoughts This style of Doom is right up my street. Combat that is challenging but not soul-crushingly difficult, made more enjoyable with the massively beefed Berserk boost. Plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments and pop-culture references in the form of the midis and posters in that opening room. The design of the maps was great for the most part, each map seemed to flow nicely from the last as Ray progresses towards his goal. I think Doomkid did a really great job in that respect. My favourite maps were MAP01 and MAP05. Overall Grade - B+ I am excited to play the sequel but fear that if it becomes as slaughtery as some have mentioned I'll struggle to make it through. Fingers crossed!

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP03 - We Love Pollution I think I'm starting to get a bit of hitscanner fatigue after three maps of fighting them in open areas in fairly large numbers. I struggled quite a bit in the large courtyard area having taken fair amounts of damage from the enemies in the opening section of the map, I died a few times from this. That said, I did enjoy the later parts of this level where Revenants, Cacodemons, Hell Knights,a Mancubus and Arachnotron joined the fray to help me wipe out all the hitscanners and then each other. I wasn't keeping an eye on the enemy count, so the ambush after picking up the red key took me by surprise and was the most enjoyable fight in the map. The map design was great, as I have come to expect from this megaWAD already. Grade - B

(GZDoom 4.8.2, Seeking Validation, continuous, saves allowed) MAP02 - The Bridge Another fun level. Was very enjoyable to see the Hula Imp in a more serious setting, I hope we end up in some sort of hell map with the Imp still inexplicably in its hula gear. Having missed the berserk secret on the first map, this was my first experience and wow, the knife + the berserk combo really is a match made in heaven. I barely used any other weapons (why bother wasting ammo when you have all the power you need right there in your hand?!) I think I preferred the first map slightly due to the unorthodox setting, it's certainly more memorable, but I still really enjoyed this one. Grade - B+

I'm familiar with some of Doomkid's content on YouTube but have no experience of him as a mapper. Looking forward to playing these sets. As I'm still very early into my Doom discovery, I'll be playing on Seeking Validation difficulty, but continuous and with saves allowed. I'm playing on GZDoom 4.8.2. MAP01 - House by the Bay A nice open map to kick things off. The punch has been replaced with a knife attack which feels a lot more powerful, I used this to kill most of the Pinkies and Imps in this level. Speaking of Imps, the Hula-Imp sprite is hilarious, I'm a big fan. Really enjoy the setting here which is like a small beach-village. Very different to your typical MAP01 and I'm here for it. It's very early to tell but I think I'm going to really enjoy this megaWAD if it's all of this quality. It feels pretty tongue-in-cheek, which I quite like in my Doom. It's going to be very difficult not to race ahead and play the full thing based on this map. Grade - B+

(Blind run, UV, Continuous, saves allowed, GZDoom) MAP29 - Chair Brulante After the stress of MAP28, this was a welcome change of pace. There wasn't anything particularly difficult after the somewhat challenging opening room but I don't mind a power fantasy every now and again. The map looks as you'd expect at this stage of the megaWAD late in the game, very red, very hellish. Nothing particularly special but no complaints Grade - B MAP30 - 3 Heures d’Agonie 2 Icon of Sin. Meh. The empty caves leading to the battle were quite nice and the new Icon of Sin texture was good, though as others have said it's not easy to know where you're aiming. I never like Icon of Sin fights so I DQDd this one. Overall thoughts 3 Heures D'Agonie 2 is my first experience playing along with the megaWAD club and is my first experience interacting with the Doomworld forums in general. It's been a blast and I look forward to taking part more going forwards. As for the megaWAD itself, it's certainly a mixed bag, which is pretty much what I expected given the nature of the project. Some left no real impression on me at all, some left a sour taste in my mouth, but others were very enjoyable. I am still left thinking however that there's only so much you can do with a three hour time limit, so I would say that none of these maps are amongst my favourite of all time. I say that without any disrespect to the mappers, who have completed maps in 3 hours that would have likely taken me months. Amongst my favourites of the set were the following: MAP08 MAP12 MAP13 MAP19 MAP23 MAP25 MAP26 MAP31 As @Biodegradable says, I think this set would be best to blast through in a day or so, rather than stretching it out over a month. Hoping for something with a bit more meat to it in August, however I've refrained from voting as I really have no idea how to find out about any megaWADs of decent quality (my only source up until now has been MtPain27's Dean of Doom series, any tips on finding other quality megaWADs would be appreciated!) See you all in August!

MAP26 - Pacte de Noirceur (Blind run, UV, Continuous, saves allowed, GZDoom) Wow, this one was tough. Really challenging combat throughout, the full forces of hell kicked my ass in this one. It was already a difficult level before the blue key fight, but it really ramped up during and after that point. The final fight was a memorable moment, I could just tell when I pressed that switch that things were about to get real, and sure enough hitscanners, Imps, Hell knights, Barons and a Cyberdemon made me regret my decision to do so. Really fun map with surprisingly good visuals for a dank dark cave level. One of my favourites so far. Grade - A- MAP27 - Passage a Vide Very challenging, too much in my opinion. A better player than me might be able to navigate this compact map easily, avoiding all projectiles etc. Unfortunately I'm terrible at dodging stuff in limited space and ultimately it prevented me enjoying this map in any real way. A shame really, because I think the idea of steadily populating the same small area with more and more threatening enemies is a good one, and the map looked pretty decent. Unfortunately lack of skill is a barrier to my enjoyment in this one, which is my own fault, not Oxyde's. I did get there in the end though, having lost count of the number of deaths I suffered. Can't even imagine how horrible a pistol start attempt would be. Grade - B MAP28 - Gutter Grave Nope, not for me thanks. I'm sure there must be something good about this map since so many of you are singing its praises, but I can't see it myself. Maps like these are what discouraged me from playing custom WADs for the longest time - it seems like the intention is to make the map impossible to complete without cheating. To those of you who have the skill, I applaud you. I do not have the skill. I won't grade the map since I couldn't complete it, but my enjoyment of the experience was a big ol' F!

Haven't had much time to play recently so having to catch up again. Map 21 (Blind run, UV, Continuous, saves allowed, GZDoom) The opening encounter with the hitscanners was the one I found toughest in this map. I enjoyed the simplicity in the concept of this map, which was that it was a map of two halves linked by teleporters, each half containing a key. The map looked good despite being fairly tame in terms of combat. Grade - B MAP22 My lasting memory of this map is that it was green. I guess the issue with writing up multiple maps at once is that the less interesting ones are going to be forgotten. I do remember that the combat was fairly unremarkable until the final battle with the Mancubi and the Cyberdemon is a room that felt too small for such an encounter. I escaped through the door I entered the room through and picked the Cyberdemon off with the SSG. Overall, didn't really enjoy this one, but it is still far better than the weaker efforts in this set. Grade - C MAP23 A compact map which was challenging at the beginning as you enter a courtyard with well placed mid-high tier enemies in all directions. Once this opening battle was finished, the challenge dies down completely until hitting the switch behind the blue key door, which spawns Arch-Viles seemingly every and makes to essentially relive the opening encounter. Unsure whether the Cyberdemon was meant to be stuck in his little room at the end, but he was in my playthrough so presented no threat. Grade - B+ MAP24 - Supplice Claustrophobe A pretty easy map for this late into the set. I liked the visuals but found the combat lacking. I kept waiting for there be a moment where the forces of hell would flood the map but it just... didn't happen, the result being a fairly slow and forgettable experience. I guess the Cyberdemon was thrown in to present some sort of challenge which had been lacking through the rest of the map, it didn't feel like it belonged here. Three maps in a row of unnecessary Cyberdemon endings. Grade - C- MAP25 - Crise Infernale No space to breathe in this one. A very small central area with Pinkies, hitcanners and Imps on ground level, a strange moving elevator gate topped with Barons acting as meat shields to the two Arch-Viles beyond guarding the blue key. Revenants, Chaingunners and a Mancubus acting as snipers and an Arachnotron and Lost Souls guarding the entrance to the yellow key platform. Once both keys were collected, you could open the gates to the exit. Clearly I wasn't paying attention to the monster count because it came as a surprise when I pressed the switch and the level ended. An enjoyable map. Grade - B+

MAP20 - Charnage I really the setting of this map, It feels like some sort of castle built over an entryway to hell. Unfortunately there were too many things that irritate me for me to truly enjoy this one. After the decent first fight in what I think of as the entrance hall, the pop-up encounters I despised in MAP18 returned, which got an audible groan from me each time. After that you make your way in the castle grounds where you find a hedge maze. I don't typically enjoy playing through labyrinths in doom and this did nothing to change my mind, particularly because the enemies were all already awake as I entered the area, meaning anything could show up around the corner at any point without any real warning. After two decent fights before and after picking up the blue key, the final fight was with a Spider Mastermind, completely neutered due to it's placement in the tiny exit room. Admittedly the things I disliked about this map are entirely subjective things that I personally dislike in Doom, but unfortunately this resulted in one of my least favourite experiences in this megaWAD so far. Grade - C-

Removed post as posted too soon.

Unexpectedly busy weekend so having to catch up. I'll keep them brief because it's very hot and I can't be bothered to type. Map 16 - Vile Sombre (Blind run, UV, Continuous, saves allowed, GZDoom) Needless to say, this map had a lot of Arch-Viles. They killed me a lot. I quite liked the layout, which was compact but clever in the way that it required to you to return to find new things (maybe a key, maybe a new set of enemies). Grade - B MAP17 - Infiltraction Fun map. The first pair of Arch-Viles is positioned annoyingly well meaning that nowhere really feels safe, especially when you're also trying to dodge Imps, Chaingunners and Spectres. The fight in the courtyard after pressing the first switch kicked my ass a few times. Layout was a little symmetrical for my liking but the combat made up for it. Grade - B MAP18 - Somewhere over the Slime Ocean Another compact map. I really despise the 'pop-up' encounters. I can't really describe why I hate them more than your standard teleport ambushes, but I do. The use of Arch-Viles over the last few maps has been really good and this map is no exception, however I am a bit tired at this stage of playing maps centred around them. Fingers crossed that the next one provides a different challenge. Grade - B MAP19 - Brexin A different challenge indeed. I'd call this a slaughtermap though I don't know if it would qualify in the eyes of you more skilful players. I found the first fight in the main area to be quite challenging in particular due to the Arch-Viles in the alcove with the Knights and Barons. If they've started an attack on one of their pals and take damage from you, the attack instantly switches to you. That killed me a few times. The Revenant ambush was also difficult. I ended up picking most of them off with BFG shots from height before finishing them with the SSG. After that it was fairly smooth sailing. The encounter with the Cyberdemons was fine due to the ample cover and the remaining Arch-Vile spawns were fairly easy to wipe out with rockets. I thought the layout worked well for a map of this type and I enjoyed the effect of the blue texturing. After the Arch-Vile theme in the previous three maps this one was a breath of fresh air. Though they do appear throughout this map, it doesn't feel completely centred around them. Grade - A-