Doom ][ WADs r


REQUIEM.ZIP

Title
REQUIEM
Filename
REQUIEM.ZIP containing REQUIEM.WAD, REQMUS.WAD
Size
About 3700Kb
Authors
Adelusion, Dario Casali, Jeremy Doyle, Orin Flaharty, Anthony Galica, Florian Helmberger, Rhys Hughes, Iikka Keranen, Mark Klem, Bill McClendon, Thomas Möller, Jens Nielsen, Ian Quick, Michael Rapp, Eric Sambach, David Shaw, Chris Thornton, Adam Williamson, Adam Windsor, Matthias Worch
E-mail Adresses
adelusion@aol.com, dario@casali.demon.co.uk, jdoyle@mindport.net, helmberg@ins.at, hughesr@azh.bt.co.ukm, not given, mklem@merlin.ebicom.net, crash_@ix.netcom.com, vorph@tic.de, djinni@danbbs.dk, dalamar@magna.com.au, michael.rapp@aquila.com, munyul@viper.net.au, davids1622@aol.com, tolwyn@televar.com, thornton@healey.com.au, Adam@scss.demon.co.uk, s339890@student.uq.edu.au, langsuyar@ocrana.de

Play Information

Game
DOOM II
Episode and Level
MAP01-MAP32
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
New Graphics, New Flats (doesn't need to patch original data or EXE though =P); New Music in REQMUS.WAD
Demos Provided
1, 2 and 3

Construction

Base
New levels from scratch
Editor(s) used
Lots
Bugs Found
Map 12 has the savegame bug, and be warned that when it crashes, it will blast a load sound through the speakers, so be careful if you use headphones. Map 15 also has this bug, though once you have got the first keycard it is generally then safe to save.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors did not say (unless I missed it).
Where to get this WAD
Compuserve Action Games Forum

The Review

REQUIEM is a complete replacement for all the Doom ][ levels, and most of the textures and flats too. The new textures are impressive; they give the episode a style which pervades all the levels. There are a good range of new graphics, giving some excellent industrial textures as well as some more atmospheric ones.

The new musics are pretty good too; as a rule I dislike new music that is imported, but some of these are good. I still made liberal use of IDMUS to pick out my favorites, but that's what it's for.

I won't make level per level comments. Partly because there are too many levels, and partly because I haven't played them all.

The levels all stick well to the style, helped along by the excellent new graphics. There is a wide variety of interesting and complicated architecture used. The authors clearly know their stuff; a number of special effects are used, including some excellent walk over-and-under bridges at later levels.

The levels are all atmospheric, and there are lots of impressive rooms at every level. I could have included any number of screenshots, but I had to choose, so you've got these. There are very few defect at any of the levels.

There are lots of clever traps and secrets at all the levels. The early levels make some excellent use of chaingunners, perhaps the best I have seen. The secrets are suitably subtle, and are well judged.

Unfortunately, I have some gripes too. MAP12 has the savegame bug. In fact this MAP is vastly too big; it was barely playable on my 486, I took a few attempts to finish it. I doesn't help that there are some nasty traps in places. This level is utterly over the top, and should definitely have been broken up. MAP15 also has the savegame bug, and has even more nasty traps; fortunately the save bug goes away once you have got the first keycard or 2 at this level (but don't quote me on that, be careful if you use headphones).

Also, the levels end up being too similar for me. Sorry, I should have warned you; me saying levels are too similar is very unusual :D. But I found that the new textures gave all the levels a very similar feel. What I found the episode really lacked was a progression. In Doom 1 or Doom ][, you feel the levels change around you as you progress; gradually the levels become darker, more sinister, more chaotic, less industrial. However, in Requiem the levels (or at least the first 19 or so that I have played) didn't seem to progress in this way; MAP04 is as sinister as MAP14 etc for me.

Don't get me wrong; the levels are all individually excellent (those that I have played, excluding Maps 12 & 15), and any 5 of them make a great mini-episode. But without a feeling of progression, the player feels as if they are getting nowhere, and this is why I stopped playing. If I want some more great levels, I start playing again, but Requiem does not get me the same way Doom 1 did to keep playing to the end.

Maybe that's an unfair test. If everyone else disagrees with me on this, let me know. Still, these are my reviews, so it's my opinion in them. Notwithstanding these fairly minor complaints, Requiem is an excellent episode. Clearly a lot of effort has gone into it, and it was well worth it.

Difficulty
7
Size
32x(3-9)
Architecture
9
Interest
8
Overall
8