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WAD Reviews - Disturbia & Crimson Canyon
11 years ago
General
Every artist needs to take a few breaks from commission work. I use that free time to play Doom and then write about it. XD
Disturbia (click to download)
Click here for screenshots
INFO: 1 map. Requires DOOM2.WAD and Boom-compatible port.
RATING: 2 out of 5
One of Disturbia's most unique features is that it has no shotguns whatsoever, which is virtually unheard of in Doom maps. In their stead is a "new" weapon: the super chaingun. While not really all that different from the regular chaingun aside from a slightly enhanced firing rate (and a darker paint job), it's a lot of fun to use, and it's hard to resist the temptation to cast aside all your years of well-honed Doom training and hold down the trigger until you make them all pay for shooting up your ride! (Oh wait, wrong game.) Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that not only is this super-powered chaingun and its tremendous 800-round clip capacity totally necessary, but it's also completely insufficient for the torment you're about to endure.
This is just one of those kinds of levels I hate, where any bit of progress whatsoever always has some sort of drawback. "Wow, you fought really hard and barely survived, so here's some supplies for you. ...HA! It was a trap! Now you're almost dead again! Ha-ha! But no, no, seriously, here's an item that'll help you... OH MY GOD YOU FELL FOR IT AGAIN! What an idiot!" Even the exit pulls this sort of bait-and-switch cockteasing garbage. I guess this type of level design appeals to somebody, but for me, it was just an exercise in randomness and futility, where everything is staged just so for maximum annoyance, requiring more luck than skill on occasion. (The part where you have to run up a hill with no cover whatsoever just a short distance away from a cyberdemon -- a cyberdemon that, if killed, is instantly replaced with another cyberdemon -- comes to mind.)
It's like the level doesn't want you to feel any accomplishment, because anything you do accomplish is immediately crushed by a new crap-boulder dropped on top of you. I eventually just gave up out of utter frustration and hopelessness. And that was on Hurt Me Plenty! Ultra-Violence? Oh good golly, I'm not even sure Jesus could exorcise all the demons in UV. The latter areas seem to be an experiment to see just how many arch-viles and cyberdemons can fit in a single room.
The map avoids getting a 1 out of 5 score for two reasons. One reason is because frankly the map looks great. The architecture is intricate, impressive in scale, varied in color and not too shabby with lighting. The other reason is because, while I didn't enjoy the gameplay, it is elaborately staged and planned very well, and there's some genuinely clever and good ideas here. They're just buried under an insurmountable pile of frustrating cheap tricks the likes of which I haven't encountered since I last played the arcade version of Gradius 3.
So if you feel like spending an hour brute-forcing your way through an insanely tough map using a boatload of quicksaves, have at it. (And it might be good for a cooperative run too, since it's really more than one marine can handle.) Personally, I'd rather avoid the whole mess and maintain my blood pressure.
Crimson Canyon (click to download)
Click here for screenshots
INFO: 12 maps. Requires DOOM2.WAD and a limit-removing source port.
RATING: 4 out of 5
Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to cover this one since it was one of the winners of the 2005 Cacowards so it's probably pretty well-known, but I played it and if you wanna know what I thought, here you go. XD
The maps lean towards being large in scale, not necessarily being overly lengthy but featuring big, wide open areas on a fairly regular basis. Visually, these large areas are often pretty impressive in scope, with the multi-tiered design adding three-dimensional depth as you revisit areas often from higher or lower vantage points than before. The architecture itself also occasionally does a nice job of forcing pleasing curvature out of Doom's inherently blocky design.
This epic size occasionally comes with a price however, as you'll sometimes be storming up giant empty staircases and wondering why you need to hoof through so much desolate terrain just to get to the next area. This style can give the maps an "Eternal Doom Lite" quality, with all the switch hunting that entails. Thankfully it's never nearly as complicated as Eternal Doom was and you can generally figure out where to go if you retrace your steps and try to remember locked-off areas from earlier. But do expect to have your brain teased at least a little (which is either a plus or a minus depending on what kind of a Doom player you are).
The dazzling immensity of the bigger environments also masks the fact that detail is lacking on the small scale, with boxy hallways being lined with plain, flat walls with little of visual interest. (This is especially noticeable in the later levels, which are paradoxically cramped corridor crawls compared to their predecessors.) Texturing can be a bit repetitive as well, with levels often being painted almost wholly in one color. (And with this being Crimson Canyon and all, expect a lot of red.)
In terms of combat, the action is pleasantly moderate. There are larger fights with big squads of bad guys, sure, but there's generally plenty of maneuvering room and supplies to recharge you for the next battle if you look hard enough, and revenants and arch-viles tend to be rare. It's just enough carnage to keep you interested without kicking you in the teeth.
It's not without its share of shortcomings and the quality of the levels seems to taper off a bit after you finish Map09 (with the final level being especially mediocre), but with an often impressively grand visual scale, accessible challenge and brief playtime, Crimson Canyon is a decent way to kill a few hours. Even if you don't love it, it's over too quickly for it to be a problem. XD
~
Disturbia (click to download)
Click here for screenshots
INFO: 1 map. Requires DOOM2.WAD and Boom-compatible port.
RATING: 2 out of 5
One of Disturbia's most unique features is that it has no shotguns whatsoever, which is virtually unheard of in Doom maps. In their stead is a "new" weapon: the super chaingun. While not really all that different from the regular chaingun aside from a slightly enhanced firing rate (and a darker paint job), it's a lot of fun to use, and it's hard to resist the temptation to cast aside all your years of well-honed Doom training and hold down the trigger until you make them all pay for shooting up your ride! (Oh wait, wrong game.) Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that not only is this super-powered chaingun and its tremendous 800-round clip capacity totally necessary, but it's also completely insufficient for the torment you're about to endure.
This is just one of those kinds of levels I hate, where any bit of progress whatsoever always has some sort of drawback. "Wow, you fought really hard and barely survived, so here's some supplies for you. ...HA! It was a trap! Now you're almost dead again! Ha-ha! But no, no, seriously, here's an item that'll help you... OH MY GOD YOU FELL FOR IT AGAIN! What an idiot!" Even the exit pulls this sort of bait-and-switch cockteasing garbage. I guess this type of level design appeals to somebody, but for me, it was just an exercise in randomness and futility, where everything is staged just so for maximum annoyance, requiring more luck than skill on occasion. (The part where you have to run up a hill with no cover whatsoever just a short distance away from a cyberdemon -- a cyberdemon that, if killed, is instantly replaced with another cyberdemon -- comes to mind.)
It's like the level doesn't want you to feel any accomplishment, because anything you do accomplish is immediately crushed by a new crap-boulder dropped on top of you. I eventually just gave up out of utter frustration and hopelessness. And that was on Hurt Me Plenty! Ultra-Violence? Oh good golly, I'm not even sure Jesus could exorcise all the demons in UV. The latter areas seem to be an experiment to see just how many arch-viles and cyberdemons can fit in a single room.
The map avoids getting a 1 out of 5 score for two reasons. One reason is because frankly the map looks great. The architecture is intricate, impressive in scale, varied in color and not too shabby with lighting. The other reason is because, while I didn't enjoy the gameplay, it is elaborately staged and planned very well, and there's some genuinely clever and good ideas here. They're just buried under an insurmountable pile of frustrating cheap tricks the likes of which I haven't encountered since I last played the arcade version of Gradius 3.
So if you feel like spending an hour brute-forcing your way through an insanely tough map using a boatload of quicksaves, have at it. (And it might be good for a cooperative run too, since it's really more than one marine can handle.) Personally, I'd rather avoid the whole mess and maintain my blood pressure.
Crimson Canyon (click to download)
Click here for screenshots
INFO: 12 maps. Requires DOOM2.WAD and a limit-removing source port.
RATING: 4 out of 5
Maybe I shouldn't have bothered to cover this one since it was one of the winners of the 2005 Cacowards so it's probably pretty well-known, but I played it and if you wanna know what I thought, here you go. XD
The maps lean towards being large in scale, not necessarily being overly lengthy but featuring big, wide open areas on a fairly regular basis. Visually, these large areas are often pretty impressive in scope, with the multi-tiered design adding three-dimensional depth as you revisit areas often from higher or lower vantage points than before. The architecture itself also occasionally does a nice job of forcing pleasing curvature out of Doom's inherently blocky design.
This epic size occasionally comes with a price however, as you'll sometimes be storming up giant empty staircases and wondering why you need to hoof through so much desolate terrain just to get to the next area. This style can give the maps an "Eternal Doom Lite" quality, with all the switch hunting that entails. Thankfully it's never nearly as complicated as Eternal Doom was and you can generally figure out where to go if you retrace your steps and try to remember locked-off areas from earlier. But do expect to have your brain teased at least a little (which is either a plus or a minus depending on what kind of a Doom player you are).
The dazzling immensity of the bigger environments also masks the fact that detail is lacking on the small scale, with boxy hallways being lined with plain, flat walls with little of visual interest. (This is especially noticeable in the later levels, which are paradoxically cramped corridor crawls compared to their predecessors.) Texturing can be a bit repetitive as well, with levels often being painted almost wholly in one color. (And with this being Crimson Canyon and all, expect a lot of red.)
In terms of combat, the action is pleasantly moderate. There are larger fights with big squads of bad guys, sure, but there's generally plenty of maneuvering room and supplies to recharge you for the next battle if you look hard enough, and revenants and arch-viles tend to be rare. It's just enough carnage to keep you interested without kicking you in the teeth.
It's not without its share of shortcomings and the quality of the levels seems to taper off a bit after you finish Map09 (with the final level being especially mediocre), but with an often impressively grand visual scale, accessible challenge and brief playtime, Crimson Canyon is a decent way to kill a few hours. Even if you don't love it, it's over too quickly for it to be a problem. XD
~
nice review. the canyone thingy looks intressting.
Also if I can suggest you a GZDoom Mod/Wad. I suggest to try out PirateDoom. Played it myself recently after seeing bits of it on youtube. And I think its a very well put together mod/mappack/tc
And thanks! I've actually upgraded the status bar a bit since those pictures were taken and I figured out how to use the IsSelected command to make the weapon slot numbers change color when equipping a weapon. This is useful when you're in extremely low-light areas or are invisible and can't even see the weapon in your hands, so now you know for sure what you've equipped.
For example currently I enhanch Brutal Doom with a wider range of player weapons. Using up the slots 1 to 10.
For Default Doom2, I had kinda mapped to existing weapons from slot 1 to 10 and enhanched the weapon display box acordingly. Then again you dont want to mess with vanilla doom when you like to be vanillaish.
For PD if you bored I think its a option to try out. At last quality wise it stands out from averge mega wads.