Title: Doom 2 review - Alien Vendetta
Description: 10/10
Description: 10/10
Major_Rawne - July 19, 2005 04:09 PM (GMT)
Authors: Anders Johnsen, Brad Spencer, Mattias Berggren, Vincent Catalaa, Pablo Dictter, Yashar Garibzadeh, Madani El Hariri, Martin Aalen Hunsager, Jan Endre Jansen, Kristian K„ll (sic), Kim AndrŠ Malde, Anthony Soto, Lee Szymanski.
Release Date: 24/12/2002 (revised version)
(Note: Date is in British style DD/MM/YYYY)
Download: http://www.doom2.net/~av/index.htm
(NOTE: Links to Alien Vendetta home page, please visit the site)
---
Alien Vendetta is a 32 level megawad for Doom 2. The aim of the project was to produce a series of visually appealing maps which on the highest difficulty setting would be as tough to beat as the Hell Revealed wads.
I should tell you now that in terms of level design, co-operative fun and that vague, indefineable sense of majesty which makes for the ultimate experience, Alien Vendetta beats the Hell Revealed twins into bloody pulp and leaves their wrecked, torn, charred bodies mewling in a corner.
In terms out outright challenge Hell Revealed 2 still reigns supreme. There is just no way that such an insane wad can be overshadowed for utter violence, and Alien Vendetta's own greatest strengths - its staggering level design, and general co-op compatibility - actually hamper its effort to be the baddest.
Don't think of this as a criticism though. I dislike wads which are only challenging because you have to fight fifty Revenants at once. Alien Vendetta does hit you with this and other (harder) battles, especially in map 25 which is probably the best of the bunch...but if you drop down to Hurt Me Plenty or lower, you will still be up against it but this time you'll actually have a chance.
---
Difficulty: Extreme
It's hard to give an accurate rating which takes all the maps into account. There is also a big difference between Hurt Me Plenty and Ultra Violence, both of which have been renamed in Alien Vendetta. To be honest HMP is not going to challenge Doom Gods on many of the maps and Ultra Violence is far too hard for normal gamers. But this wad is meant to be played at Ultra Violence so it gets an Extreme rating.
---
Gameplay: Excellent
Almost every level in Alien Vendetta is an adventure. My mind still reels from the sheer talent on display here. Some maps are less fun than others but the quality is far higher than, say, Hell Revealed 2, which is simply a series of box-shaped rooms. Alien Vendetta takes place in fully decorated castles, and we're talking the real deal here chaps. It's uncanny.
Anders Johnsen proves himself beyond the ken of mortals with this incredible megawad. If the man never achieves anything else for the rest of his life the world will still know his name (well, we will know it, and that's enough!). If he charged £50 per download I would still recommend every Doom player in the world pay it and be amazed. If I seem to be leaving the other authors out I don't mean to; I get the impression that Anders was team leader for the project and he deserves carrying round on his friends' shoulders for this achievement.
Single player and co-op mode are supported in full, but don't expect a blast on Deathmatch. Load Dwango instead. Alien Vendetta is all about blasting demons.
Highlights: I think Map 8 (Beast Island) was once called the best wad of all time. I wouldn't go that far. It is pretty awesome on co-op, less so on single player mode, but it's a lot of fun. Map 25 is the pick of the bunch, exciting on Hurt Me Plenty, terrifying on Ultra Violence, but do-able if you are quick and accurate.
Lowlights: Few of the maps support Deathmatch mode, but if you're playing Deathmatch you are missing the magnificent level design. The final map, Point Dreadfull (sic), is so incredibly beautiful that it's a shame all you get to do is fight that skull thing. A couple of maps are just Ultimate Doom techbases and don't look anything like as nice as the rest.
A map called Valley of Echoes (or something similar) was dropped and replaced with an average playing, but better looking, nukage map. The new map needs a bit of skill to beat but isn't anything special, but at least it is a lot better than what it replaces.
---
Aesthetics: Excellent
Warning: This wad could cause you to shit your pants. There is an Egyptian themed level which is quite simply a dark masterpiece. The earth itself is fractured inside and you get to fall through several levels of geological strata, escaping the magma-infested hell by climbing a mountain - and I mean a mountain!
Without doubt the castle maps are the next best thing. Menacing light levels and some formidable views weave a kind of spell around the player. I played this on Legacy co-op (which I recommend, as ZDoom and Boom still don't have anthing similar that I know about) and the play kept crashing to a halt as my friend and I just couldn't believe what we were seeing.
There are castles in Hell, underground caverns with the walls crumbling away, nukage-infested sewers, military bases, even an entire city which you can't get to but looks fully complete - an indication of the ball-busting effort these people went to.
---
Overall Score: 10/10
Pros:
- The best-looking collection of levels I have ever seen. The Egyptian level makes me feel like Britney Spears just asked to sit in my lap.
- The greatest display of map making talent to be gathered in one megawad is headed by none other than Anders Johnsen himself.
- Some awesome music replacements, all of which fit their respective levels.
- Co-operative mode is so much fun you'll wet yourself.
Cons:
- You will have to switch it off and go back into the real world at some point.
Release Date: 24/12/2002 (revised version)
(Note: Date is in British style DD/MM/YYYY)
Download: http://www.doom2.net/~av/index.htm
(NOTE: Links to Alien Vendetta home page, please visit the site)
---
Alien Vendetta is a 32 level megawad for Doom 2. The aim of the project was to produce a series of visually appealing maps which on the highest difficulty setting would be as tough to beat as the Hell Revealed wads.
I should tell you now that in terms of level design, co-operative fun and that vague, indefineable sense of majesty which makes for the ultimate experience, Alien Vendetta beats the Hell Revealed twins into bloody pulp and leaves their wrecked, torn, charred bodies mewling in a corner.
In terms out outright challenge Hell Revealed 2 still reigns supreme. There is just no way that such an insane wad can be overshadowed for utter violence, and Alien Vendetta's own greatest strengths - its staggering level design, and general co-op compatibility - actually hamper its effort to be the baddest.
Don't think of this as a criticism though. I dislike wads which are only challenging because you have to fight fifty Revenants at once. Alien Vendetta does hit you with this and other (harder) battles, especially in map 25 which is probably the best of the bunch...but if you drop down to Hurt Me Plenty or lower, you will still be up against it but this time you'll actually have a chance.
---
Difficulty: Extreme
It's hard to give an accurate rating which takes all the maps into account. There is also a big difference between Hurt Me Plenty and Ultra Violence, both of which have been renamed in Alien Vendetta. To be honest HMP is not going to challenge Doom Gods on many of the maps and Ultra Violence is far too hard for normal gamers. But this wad is meant to be played at Ultra Violence so it gets an Extreme rating.
---
Gameplay: Excellent
Almost every level in Alien Vendetta is an adventure. My mind still reels from the sheer talent on display here. Some maps are less fun than others but the quality is far higher than, say, Hell Revealed 2, which is simply a series of box-shaped rooms. Alien Vendetta takes place in fully decorated castles, and we're talking the real deal here chaps. It's uncanny.
Anders Johnsen proves himself beyond the ken of mortals with this incredible megawad. If the man never achieves anything else for the rest of his life the world will still know his name (well, we will know it, and that's enough!). If he charged £50 per download I would still recommend every Doom player in the world pay it and be amazed. If I seem to be leaving the other authors out I don't mean to; I get the impression that Anders was team leader for the project and he deserves carrying round on his friends' shoulders for this achievement.
Single player and co-op mode are supported in full, but don't expect a blast on Deathmatch. Load Dwango instead. Alien Vendetta is all about blasting demons.
Highlights: I think Map 8 (Beast Island) was once called the best wad of all time. I wouldn't go that far. It is pretty awesome on co-op, less so on single player mode, but it's a lot of fun. Map 25 is the pick of the bunch, exciting on Hurt Me Plenty, terrifying on Ultra Violence, but do-able if you are quick and accurate.
Lowlights: Few of the maps support Deathmatch mode, but if you're playing Deathmatch you are missing the magnificent level design. The final map, Point Dreadfull (sic), is so incredibly beautiful that it's a shame all you get to do is fight that skull thing. A couple of maps are just Ultimate Doom techbases and don't look anything like as nice as the rest.
A map called Valley of Echoes (or something similar) was dropped and replaced with an average playing, but better looking, nukage map. The new map needs a bit of skill to beat but isn't anything special, but at least it is a lot better than what it replaces.
---
Aesthetics: Excellent
Warning: This wad could cause you to shit your pants. There is an Egyptian themed level which is quite simply a dark masterpiece. The earth itself is fractured inside and you get to fall through several levels of geological strata, escaping the magma-infested hell by climbing a mountain - and I mean a mountain!
Without doubt the castle maps are the next best thing. Menacing light levels and some formidable views weave a kind of spell around the player. I played this on Legacy co-op (which I recommend, as ZDoom and Boom still don't have anthing similar that I know about) and the play kept crashing to a halt as my friend and I just couldn't believe what we were seeing.
There are castles in Hell, underground caverns with the walls crumbling away, nukage-infested sewers, military bases, even an entire city which you can't get to but looks fully complete - an indication of the ball-busting effort these people went to.
---
Overall Score: 10/10
Pros:
- The best-looking collection of levels I have ever seen. The Egyptian level makes me feel like Britney Spears just asked to sit in my lap.
- The greatest display of map making talent to be gathered in one megawad is headed by none other than Anders Johnsen himself.
- Some awesome music replacements, all of which fit their respective levels.
- Co-operative mode is so much fun you'll wet yourself.
Cons:
- You will have to switch it off and go back into the real world at some point.
doomedwarrior1981 - July 20, 2005 07:01 PM (GMT)
I agree this is 10 times better then HR and HR2 I don't know why people go apeshit over those. I mean level design alone I was wowed more by AV then either of the HRs keep up the good work of reviewing I'm glad there's a new place to turn to for reviews since most of the review sites are outdated
Major_Rawne - July 20, 2005 09:57 PM (GMT)
Hi, welcome to the site. You are my first member! Pity I can't award you anything other than a cyber-handshake. ^_^
I think many people prefer gameplay over appearance. The problem is everyone's idea of gameplay is different. Mine is NOT fighting hordes of big monsters all the time. I like to be scared and excited as well as bloodthirsty! Happy that someone out there feels the same!
I think many people prefer gameplay over appearance. The problem is everyone's idea of gameplay is different. Mine is NOT fighting hordes of big monsters all the time. I like to be scared and excited as well as bloodthirsty! Happy that someone out there feels the same!