You might remember the time—it was literally a day ago—when games media sites all across the world informed you that a selfie stick had been modded into Doom. Important, nay, life changing news, I think we can all agree. Still, that's exactly the quirky kind of attention-grabbing mod that's able to rise to the surface. Underneath, there's a bubbling array of mods and maps being shared around by the Doom community.
Here's a recent one: Valiant, a 32 map megawad. It's an entirely new set of levels, all with a distinct look and some surprising design. It's neat, and a good reason to spend more time with the classic shooter.
"I did aim to make a wide variety of maps," writes creator 'skillsaw'. "There are short punchy maps (MAP03, MAP22), sandboxes (MAP06, MAP18), long adventure maps (MAP10, MAP28), silly gimmick maps (MAP07, MAP19), and everything in between. Most maps are densely packed with monsters, and occasionally you'll see something resembling full on slaughter."
It can be a little too trap-heavy for my tastes, and that leads to some pretty awkward sections that feel somewhat removed from the type of gunplay I associate with Doom. Nonetheless, the quality and effort that's on show is remarkable.
You can download Valiant from the link above. If you want to play it, you'll need a copy of Doom 2 and a source port like GZDoom.
