Click on the pictures for a larger version

So when you hear that a Kurt Kesler level has been released, you don't exactly have to think about whether you're going to download it or not, do you?  Add to that, it's specifically designed for Randy Heit's, Team TNT endorsed, ZDoom.  Finally we can see a good number of ZDoom's features in action - although credit to Wildman for the first ZDoom level...

The first thing you will notice is the tougher monsters.  The pistol, shotgun and chaingun guys are about triple their original strength.  For example, a shotgun right to the face isn't enough to kill them - this means you can hit them at point blank range, and while you are reloading they can hit you.  To partially compensate for this, the SG has a faster reload rate.  As an example, it fires fast enough so that a Mancubas can't attack between shots.  Just the way I like it...

After playing through the level numerous times, I still couldn't decide whether I liked the tougher monsters or not.  The gameplay is still very fast with the better SG, but I couldn't say overall whether it was better or not.  It's definitely a lot more like Quake though.  There is also a new type of imp to contend with, which reminded me of Doom 64's nightmare imp.

The overall difficulty level is extremely high.  Ultra Violence and Hurt Me Plenty were too tough for me, with the lower settings being just right.  I always seemed to have an abundance of rockets which was refreshing.  In fact, after running out of ammo I had to finish the level with rockets only.

The level itself starts out nicely with the player being lowered from a lift into the monster infested factory.  And yes, the level actually does look like a factory.  Everything is very well detailed, and contains a lot of new textures - good quality ones at that.  Not only does the action take place inside, but there are also some well done outdoor areas.  The final section bringing back memories of Kurt's past wads, specifically the short KHills series.

The new ZDoom features you will notice are; ambient sounds, sliding doors, particle fountains, coloured lighting...  Perhaps the most surprising of them all took place in the final outside area - I won't spoil it...  Although there are a lot of ZDoom features in there, they are by no means overused.

At the risk of being flamed by the millions of Kurt Kesler fans, (hey, I like getting email anyway :-) the level definitely lacked something.  Sure, it was detailed and packed with new and exciting features - but it was nothing like Richard Wiles' Spooky 2 when it comes to atmosphere...  There just wasn't enough variation in lighting.  Take the bottom screenshot for example...

Well, why does the level still get 9.5?  You will know when you play it... Welcome back Kurt!