victoriaviper here, spamming up your FA inbox with yet another WAD review. On the bright side, this is actually a brand-new set of maps that came out this year instead of some old, dusty thing I dug up out of the mid-90's. XD


ConC.E.R.Ned (click to download)

Click here for screenshots

RATING: 5 out of 5

On the surface, the outline of this WAD doesn't bode well. Oh sure, the story makes mention of you infiltrating the facility where the Large Hadron Collider is kept, which is certainly unique, but in the end, it's a Doom 1 WAD with the typical three-episode techbase/tech-Hell/Hell theme progression. Sound familiar? I do wish more Doom 1 WADs would break free of this routine. Regardless, ConC.E.R.Ned has more than enough modern touches to its visual flair to keep it from feeling like a retread, and generally looks quite good overall. Some areas look more plain than others (especially certain parts of the Hell maps, since visual design in Doom levels seems to go down the toilet when you're wandering through the dirt and rocks of the netherworld), but overall, it's repeatedly fresh to look at and pleasing to the eye, and occasionally looks outright great, with impressive skylights, archways and other bits of complex architecture.

In terms of gameplay, it's great fun. The first half of the WAD, I wouldn't say is difficult, just action-packed. Enemy counts are plentiful, but you generally always have plenty of supplies, cover and maneuvering room to take them all on. It's not until the latter portion of E2 that the true insanity of the WAD starts to shine through, and the BFG starts seeming like less of a luxury and more like a necessary tool to deal with the overwhelming odds. (I feel sorry for those folks that start every level with just the pistol and base stats.) Even so, the difficulty is generally balanced wonderfully, and while things are definitely tough and the odds are stacked against you again and again, it rarely feels cheap or frustrating: there's always a number of ways to approach a problem, sometimes including just running for your life if things look too overwhelming. (Although the demons aren't going to let you get away that easily!)

It's not a perfect WAD, of course: the soundtrack has a "random MIDIs I stole from other games and TV shows I like" quality to it (complete with some tracks being way louder than others, and one even fading out before looping), I got stuck in one secret area (I entered it in a way the level designer hadn't planned) and had to cheat my way out, and there are a couple of annoying spots. (Barons teleporting directly behind you in cramped hallways? Argh!) But in general, I just had a great time the whole way through and recommend this WAD to any Doom fan. If nothing else, it shows how you can have an exciting, challenging good time without a single corpse-resurrecting jerkoff or homing missile-hurling bonehead in sight. XD

Special mention must be given to E2M5: a large four-quadrant complex that's sprawling and impressive on its own, but also with teleporters leading to Earth and Hell mini-levels within the same map. What a cool idea! Oh, and I really liked how this WAD "stacked" its health/armor bonuses, so picking up one bonus might actually add 5% or 10% to your totals instead of just 1%. It's a small thing, but a nice touch.

Also, yay! Finally, a status bar where it says "ARMOUR" with a U for my friends in Canada and the UK to enjoy. I always wanted one. XD