victoriaviper here again, doing my WAD reviewing thing because I feel like it. In this installment, a classic 5-level set for Doom 2, once voted as one of the greatest WADs ever made:


The Final Gathering (Doom 2 version, aka, Gather2)

(Click the name to download the file!)

You certainly wouldn't understand this WAD's legendary status from its first few levels. Map01 is about four rooms all total, populated entirely by zombies and a handful of imps. You could probably speedrun through it without firing a single shot. Map02 is like a laundry list of things I hate to see in Doom levels, including surprise instant-kill crushers, barrel traps, hidden doors that must be found in order to finish the level, and -- oh no -- radiation suit mazes. Radiation suit mazes are never, ever fun. If you like them, you're even more of a masochist than I am. And I like to wear leashes. XD

The action picks up significantly in Map03, with a battle in a large arena -- so large in fact that you can dodge most enemy attacks with relative ease. But it's Map04 is where things truly start to get interesting, with a semi-large complex to explore, as well as the grounds around it. The highlight for me was how it's relatively nonlinear, letting you stomp around outside and blast the interior monsters through the windows, delve right into the heart of the building, or simply wander about, finding random hallways and doors at your discretion. The level uses height variance to great effect as well, giving some impressive three-dimensional depth to the layout and navigation. (The "trick" that you discover later in the first room is especially charming.) Heck, there's even a little patio area with a bar and presumably a jacuzzi -- at least the best jacuzzi that could be rendered in Doom circa 1995. One can presume this hot tub was enjoyed by humans prior to the invasion of Hell, but now I imagine it's commonly filled with beefy, glistening demon studs needing to rest their bulky, overpumped muscles between battles. Yes, I'm certain this is exactly what the original author of the level intended me to think. XD

(Random cool moment I had in Map04: A heavily weakened spiderdemon and hell knight are approaching my position. I hold my fire. Suddenly, an unforseen volley of arachnatron plasma surges from far off in the distance and destroys the biomechanical spider behemoth, piercing straight through it and then killing the knight as well in quick succession. Convenient!)

Map05, the finale of the WAD, is easily the best-looking of the maps. The "manmade structures and caves" theming gives it a nice Heretic/Hexen vibe. The complex architecture, employing great use of elevated walkways and windows, is extremely professional. It's easily on par with -- occasionally better than -- the visual design of the commercially-released Master Levels. It's also probably the hardest of all the levels in the WAD, with the initial minutes of the map spent largely in a mad dash while you're attacked from every nook and cranny, of which there are many. But once the initial adrenaline rush dissipates, the map is a disappointingly brief affair.

It's hard to rate a WAD like this. Maps 01, 02 & 03 seesaw between being amateurish fluff and seemingly intentionally trying to be obnoxious. Map04 is genuinely inspired. Map05 looks great, but its limited scope almost makes it feel like a deathmatch map with monsters added. Several of the maps require you to find secret rooms in order to win. All things considered, this classic WAD that graced Doomworld's 100 Best of All Time list only gets a 2 out of 5 from me. However, skip the first three maps and it's probably more like a 4 out of 5, though largely for Map04 alone.