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Danne’s E1

Game: Doom Year: 2013 Port: Limit-Removing Specs: E1M1-E1M9 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Daniel Jakobsson aka “dannebubinga” idgames | onemandoom

dannebubinga’s gameplay tastes quickly outgrew his early forays as an author, being known now for his super-hard slaughtermaps that carry on the legacy of Sunder. In spite of hating the pacing of Doom, he felt obligated to finish this, an Episode One replacement. You can see where he injects harder, crowd-based fights, and if you want something that looks kind of like Phobos but requires more skill than Fava Beans, this might fit the bill.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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An idgames Troll Walks Into a Bar…

Game: Doom II Year: 2013 Port: Any Specs: MAP01 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Michael Jan Krizik aka “valkiriforce” idgames | onemandoom 

valkiriforce has been pretty quiet since his 2011 tidal wave of Doom Core and Reverie (spilling over into Eternally Yours). This is a cute little city map where you’re the /idgames troll and the bar of commenters is full of demons. It’s not a sprawling level by any means, requiring little in the way of exploration. Enjoy this brief diversion.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Vanguard

Game: Doom II Year: 2011 Port: Boom-compatible Specs: MAP01-MAP32 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Paul DeBruyne aka “Skillsaw” idgames | doomwiki | onemandoom 

Skillsaw made a big splash in 2011. Of all his releases, Vanguard remains the most popular with its varied themes and gameplay gimmicks, with a mix of normal action, slaughter, and Tyson. There’s even a Punch-Out!! level to end the whole thing that will put your berserk skills to the test. I cut my teeth on this episode and unless the archviles / slaughter stuff turns you off I’d say that it’s riotous, great fun and well worth your time.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Explanada

Game: Doom II Year: 2013 Source Port: Limit-Removing Specs: MAP01 Gameplay Mods: None Author: vdgg idgames | onemandoom

vdgg has been recording demos for a long time. Explanada is his first true foray into authorship, a culmination of his tastes as a player that has strong echoes of the golden age of Doom (‘96-'97). The difficulty is very tricky and brutal; vdgg knows all the tricks speedrunners use to trivialize fights and designs encounters specifically to combat them. If you’re not prepared to get throttled, I’d dial the skill level down on this one.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Bloody Steel

Game: Doom II Year: 2014 Port: Boom-compatible (GLBoom or GZDoom preferred) Specs: MAP01-MAP10 Gameplay Mods: None Author: “ Big Memka ” idgames | onemandoom

A secret UAC facility hidden beneath a steel mill is jeopardized following the outbreak of a deadly plague that makes way for demonic occupation, which shouldn’t come as any surprise when the research being conducted is as usual matters of time and space. It’s up to you to defend the very fabric of reality from being rent asunder by demonic aims…

Bloody Steel’s realistic environments shine, with the bulk of it taking place in a dystopian industrial complex, followed by field trips to what look like 18th century France and 3rd century Rome. The gameplay is a mix of styles, from open-air free roaming to cover shooter, corridor shooter, Eternal Doom, slaughtermap, and all parts in between. Expect a healthy dose of claustrophobia, too, when battling stronger enemies in close quarters.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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900 Deep in the Dead

Game: Doom Year: 2013 Port: Any Specs: E1M1-E1M9 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Jay Townsend aka “Jayextee” idgames | onemandoom

Another takeoff of the 100 Lines project. Jay Townsend sticks with the 100 linedef limit but attempts to use the stylings of Knee Deep in the Dead. Some of these maps are gimmick drawings but some of them squeeze way more out of 100 lines than I would have expected at the time. E1M5-8 feel like proper Doom wizardry, especially E1M7.

Click here if you would like to read my full review.

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The Inquisitor II

Game: Doom II Year: 2013 Port: GZDoom Specs: MAP01 Gameplay Mods: New monsters, new weapons, new items. Author: “Shadowman” idgames | onemandoom

The sequel / prequel to Inquisitor has none of the drama and a completely different feel as it attempts to bring the experience of Diablo to Doom / Hexen. The environments are pretty good, considering many of them were built within the confines of an RDC “freakmapping” competition. The only problem is that the hordes of Diablo were way slower and gave you much more room to move in, which you’ll discover when you find yourself being massacred by lowly zombies and skeletons while frantically swinging your sword. Some of the fights are insane enough that you pretty much need the secret consumable items. It’s an interesting experiment, and I love the peaceful town that forms the overworld, but the gameplay could use an overhaul.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Khorus

Game: Doom II Year: 2013 Port: Boom-compatible Specs: MAP01 Gameplay Mods: None Author: “Shadowman” idgames | doomwiki | onemandoom

Khorus is the name of the world where the Inquisitor series takes place, but that’s about the only relation

Shadowman has an unusual aesthetic that blends wilderness and ancient ruins with Russian folk music. Personally, I like the tracks, and I enjoyed some of the puzzle play. I quickly tired of the grid 64 mazes, though, a common theme of Shadowman’s levels, and some of the maps are overwhelming. “Sepulchre” has an amazing atmosphere but you’re harried from all sides with little or no relief.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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The Inquisitor

Game: Doom II Year: 2012 Port: GZDoom Specs: MAP01 Gameplay Mods: New monsters, new weapons, new items Author: “Shadowman” idgames | onemandoom 

Inquisitor earned a lot of infamy in its initial release due to some graphic depictions of sexualized, executed women, mainly because the author explicitly linked their inclusion to his opinion on the Pussy Riot imprisonment in 2012. Now that the controversy is over and it’s been somewhat sanitized, here’s Inquisitor, a single map for Doom II that takes place over one giant castle and has a strong Hexen II vibe, which is no mistake as it takes place on a world that’s been undergoing a slow corruption by the Serpent Riders. It’s also really hard because the enemies are pretty lethal and the player feels very fragile, particularly with the early reliance on melee weapons. It’s still got a pretty cool atmosphere and if you can endure the opening and make it to the shotgun, you’ve got a pretty neat ride ahead of you.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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The Adventures of Square Episode 1: Cornered by Circles

Game: The Adventures of Square (standalone game) Year: 2014 Source Port: ZDoom Specs: E1A1-E1A10, TRAINING Gameplay Mods: All new everything!! Author: James Paddock aka “Jimmy” et al homepage | doomwiki | onemandoom 

Doctor Octagon has been kidnapped by the Circle Jerks and the cigar-chomping Square is out to rescue him. The two-dimensional hero must battle through a number of enemy strongholds in Shapeland before reaching the transfer point to his next destination - the moon.

The Adventures of Square is basically a brand new game in the ZDoom engine. You’ll see some similarities to Doom’s equipment and monsters, but only because when you’ve played so much Doom, you start noticing parallels everywhere. It’s got tons of wonderful colors, plenty of monster types, and lots of unique destinations. I was kind of expecting more cheesy BUILD jokes, but the only thing I was really promised was a glut of cheesy puns, so I guess we’re good. If this is only the first episode - “Squareware” - I’m waiting to see what other madness the mappers can fabricate. Note that this is pretty dang hard on the UV equivalent; those cannon balls have a way of sneaking up on you…

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Unholy Realms

Game: Doom II Year: 2013 Port: Limit-removing Specs: MAP01-MAP32 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Brian Knox aka “Snakes” et al idgames | doomwiki | onemandoom 

Snakes started this labor of love back in 2010 only for it to turn into a Herculean feat of endurance. After a handful of guest maps, it’s out, and loaded with short, Scythe-like arena maps (disclaimer - i haven’t played Scythe). Unholy Realms blows by really fast but if you aren’t fast it’ll blow you away. Expect a lot of locked-in fights where you have nowhere to run but the holes you make for yourself.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Combat Shock 2

Game: Doom II Year: 2012 Port: Boom-compatible Specs: MAP01-MAP07 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Daniel Jakobsson aka “dannebubinga” idgames | onemandoom 

The sequel to Combat Shock brings more cohesive theming, less grindy dead-time encounters, and many, many monsters. The sense of scale is impressive, a virtual playground for the wholescale slaughter of demons. Better yet, this episode actually has difficulty settings, if you’re not prepared for true ultra-violence you can dial it down to something slightly more manageable. The incredible vistas of slaughtermaps has always appealed to me and Combat Shock 2 definitely delivers.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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10 Years of ONEMANDOOM

My WAD review blog, ONEMANDOOM, has been open for 10 years today. I wish I could say that it was open consecutively during that time but after getting married and having a few kids it has been officially relegated to a backseat passion. I’m still updating, though! Stop by and read up on one of the 830+ WADs (and mods) that I’ve played.

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Combat Shock

Game: Doom II Year: 2011 Port: Boom-compatible Specs: MAP01-MAP04 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Daniel Jakobsson aka “dannebubinga” idgames | onemandoom 

What started out as a Plutonia tribute turned into an excellent example of newschool slaughter after some influence from the imaginative landscapes of Sunder. The levels of Combat Shock are long and hard and certain sections can feel like ultra-demanding grinds or simply too tricky to tackle. They’re excellent demonstrations of Doom’s slaughter gameplay taken to the extreme, though, where crowd control is an important skill and masses of monsters seem like the cells of a massive organism bent on your destruction.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Back to Saturn X Episode 2: Tower in the Fountain of Sparks

Game: Doom II Year: 2014 Source Port: Any Specs: MAP01-MAP27, MAP31 Gameplay Mods: None Author: various doomwiki | onemandoom

Another year and a half, another BTSX episode. After escaping death by sea after bailing out of the Unsinkable Fats Domino, you wash ashore at the mysterious Shadow Port on Saturn X’s dark side, where the majority of the alien ruins lie. You are drawn inexorably toward the ominous Tower in the Fountain of Sparks; to what end, no mortal can say.

BTSX E1 was all techbase; this is mostly something else. If you got tired of the former, here’s your chance to gorge yourself on Doom’s more ruinous side, showcasing a boatload of brand new textures. The hub maps are full of dark wonder and sightseeing, a big improvement over the humdrum strolls of E1 (sorry Essel!), and the music is as gorgeous as it’s ever been, this time with a more… mysterious flair, if that makes any sense. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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Eye of the Beholder II

Game: Doom II Year: 1995 Port: Any Specs: MAP01-MAP07 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Jon Landis idgames | onemandoom 

The sequel to Eye of the Beholder would naturally end up in the more varied Doom II engine. EOB2 is less dependent on certain death traps and more about difficult combat situations. Some of the levels are much shorter than I’d expect but it’s got an interesting variety and is still pretty much Landis to the core.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.

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ConC.E.R.Ned

Game: Doom Year: 2013 Port: Limit-removing Specs: E1M1-E1M9, E2M1-E2M9, E3M1-E3M9 Gameplay Mods: None Author: Matt Powell aka “cannonball” idgames | onemandoom 

Uh oh. It’s 2150 and Switzerland’s Hadron Collider has torn a hole through space and time, with Hellspawn pouring through the opening. As the only survivor, you enter the locked down facility to correct yet another scientific fuck-up.

ConC.E.R.Ned follows the same themes as the original Doom but it quickly accelerates toward more difficult, slaughter-based gameplay, peaking in the final map. Things run a bit simpler with the limited bestiary so the player is put under more pressure to compensate but there are plenty of non-slaughter encounters to sink your teeth into. The first episode is composed of Powell’s earliest efforts, so don’t let them deter you from trying the rest of the megaWAD out.

Click here if you’d like to read my full review.