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| It seems that
when it comes to Doom's 5th birthday, there is no shortage of people willing
to do something to comemorate the event. Many have made mention of the
event of webpages, etc., while others have put a bit more effort into it.
Artica, by Mike 'Cyberdemon' Watson, is a product of this extra effort.
What better way to celebrate Doom's 5th birthday than by releasing a level
especially designed for the event !!
Just because Artica was made in a short space of time, does not mean it is short on quality. No siree Bob. Artica, as the name suggests, uses plenty of ice textures and flats to give it a very chilly atmosphere. There is even a new sky thrown in, which complements the level perfectly. Speaking of textures, all are used well, and there were no misalignments that I could detect. If you had to describe the architecture, I guess you would say it is designed like an ice fortress. Not your modern-day high tech establishment, but your 15th century gothic kind of fortress. The level is well designed, and although you have to go over your tracks once or twice, you don't really notice it that much. However, one part that did annoy me was the puzzle bit. Don't get me wrong, the effect is pretty cool, but I got really frustrated with not being able to figure it out. Although after stumbling on the solution (by accident) I wondered why I hadn't thought of it earlier. Perhaps, a little hint towards the solution would make things easier for those of us who are less puzzle-oriented. I should also mention that this is a Boom only wad. The Boom effects include some deep water, which can acutally hurt you (hey, the water's cold...this is the arctic, remember ?), and some pretty cool friction effects. Another thing to mention, is that the 'level' is really one level that is divided into two. It appears Cyb had some problems with his level editor, and it is only the very last part that becomes the second level. It really doesn't make any difference to the way the level is played. Difficulty levels have been fully implemented, and UV should provide more than enough challenge for the average doomer. Monster placement is pretty damn good, and although there aren't heaps of them, there are more than enough to fill up the relatively small level size. There are plenty of traps to be countered, but thankfully, you should have enough ammo to complete the task. Overall, this is one of the best Boom only wads released to date. It should provide enough of a challenge for the majority of doomers, and will probably keep you coming back for more. What better way to celebrate Doom's 5th birthday... |
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| Overall: 8/10 | ||||||||||||
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