2023 Gaming DooM Awards

Here, I present the 2023 edition of the Gaming DooM Awards, the annual jerryrig award where Gaming Room members choose the best or at least most interesting mods for Doom that came out during that period, whether they are compatible either vanilla or source ports engines.

This year, we had a lot of extremely attractive new work, and we wanted to list them all here, however, the for with this award, the 36th episode of our Gaming DooM series, were he have narrated content about the id Software's classic, would be very long and impractical.

Anyway, added to Gaming DooM #36, which comes next, in this article, we have the mods, videos with them, summaries of their descriptions, the reasons why they were chosen and also the links for more information and, of course, their downloads.

Gaming Doom 36

The background footage that appears at the beginning and end of the video is a Doom 2 match played with the mods The Punisher, Payback Enemies, Hollywood Holocaust, Mega Punisher Jukebox for Doom, Steve's Flashlight Mod and Gun Bonsai. You can watch the full gameplay here!

Attention

This article is still under construction. This last few days have been crazy, but at least I was able to make a list with the mods and their downloads so you can download and play them. I'll update and complete it as soon as I can.

Content

The Punisher

I'll start right away with what I thought was the best this year, The Punisher, YukesVonFaust's mod that adapts elements from Capcom's 1993 beat 'em up of the same name, which includes weapons, gimmicks, pick-ups, a score and none other than Frank Castle, the Punisher himself.

The Punisher is addictive, extremely enjoyable and has very unique mechanics, that is, it goes far beyond a simple weapons pack, etc. Its retro style is also interesting, something that should be expected considering how much it tries to be faithful to the original's material.

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

Followwing, I tried to make a crossover between The Punisher and Cadillacs and Dinosaurs by loading this mod along with Dino Rampage, Ashes: Afterglow Sterilized Edition, Bloom Boost, Gun Bonsai and Jurassic Jukebox:

Zeppelin Armada

Another well-crafted, challenging and sophisticated project from the Doomer Boards Community, Zeppelin Armada is the only mapset in this Gaming DooM Awards edition.

It's a megawad that features 18 new maps with a steampunk theme/ambiance and adventure elements for Doom 2. Although I prefer the cyberpunk dystopia of something like AUGER;ZENITH, it's interesting how they managed to really give the mod a steampunk feel, typical of an optimistic Victorian Era, or something like that.

Zeppelin Armada only presents changes to the stages and aesthetics, which includes the soundtrack and some atypical puzzles in Doom. While there are no substancial changes to the gameplay itself, there may be some problems when combining with other PWADs, but it's nothing that should stop you from playing the desired combo.

▶ Download & info @ Doomer Boards

Video

Below, I explore the first levels stages of Zeppelin Armada with Combined_Arms v1.0, the Gothic Skins for Doom's monster pack, Brother in Arms, Gun Bonsai, and Steve’s Flashlight Mod:

Raging Bull

Raging Bull is a weapons mod from LossForWords and MACE where they took Scarface, Hotline Miami, Hard Boiled, Miami Vice and other things from the 80s and mixed everything with a retrowave style.

The weapons are satisfying to use, and the mod also brings new HUD, sound effects, difficulty levels, graphics, screens and background music, but the highlight goes to the 100% original voice acting and the mechanic called Rage, a state that doubles the damage and speed of weapons that can be used when collecting a Berserk Pack or after eliminating a certain number of enemies.

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

The following gameplay shows Raging Bull facing the mutants from Ashes Monster Pack on the Cyberjunk along with the mods: Nash’s Gore Mod, Bloom Boost, Critical Shots, Universal Rain and Snow and Universal Weapon Sway:

Ballad of Blue Tiger

Ballad of Blue Tiger is a Wild West-themed weapons mod developed by Alberto Balieiro that features a very original style, inspired by the traits of Ken Navarro's (Happy Tree Friends) characters.

I chose this work to list here because of its unique look, very colorful and with many hand-drawn resources, although it also has sprite edits. The items in the arsenal can also present unusual, peculiar and amazing behaviors, not what we'd usually expect in Doom.

It's worth noting that Ballad of Blue Tiger is still under development, and some weapons may need balancing and/or adjustments, but I really liked what I saw. I recommend it to anyone looking to try something out of the ordinary and/or need an example of how modding can be used to promote or at least bring our creative works to life.

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

On the second National Gaming Room’s Vacation episode,I play a Doom 2 match on the A Fistful of Doom map with this mod, Steve’s Flashlight Mod e NINTENDOOM:

Volatile Material

Another good work by LossForWords and MACE, Volatile Material puts you in the shoes of a vigilante who is hell bent on clean the streets from the urban scum. This weapons pack features fast-paced and contemporary items and a minimalist HUD, the problem is that you can only use one weapon at a time with only the ammunition on its clip!

Get ready for frantic and risky action, especially against multiple enemies on the screen.

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

The following video is a good showcase of this mods' weapons.

UnexDoom

UnexDoom is an "unexpected" mod developed "on an old Android tablet" by ZWolf14. Compatible with Doom, Heretic and Hexen, this work has a pleasant retro style, with pixel art graphics on weapons, HUD, pick-ups and other elements.

Although many graphics were made from resources seen in both vanilla Doom and other mods, but with a pixelated and colorful appearance, UnexDoom presents its own interesting mechanics that can be seen in its three classes, several weapons and many powers- ups. It's worth highlighting again that the visuals are very good, even disregarding the fact that it was made on a mobile device.

▶ Download & info @ Mod DB

Video

Down below, we have Tyrant120 playing Doom 2 with UnexDoom, Argus, Rebel Rumble Monsters-Only, Indestructable, Hotline Combo System, PaintTextures, Precise Crosshair, Custom Crosshair Pack e Madness: Project Nexus OST:

Nightmare Logic II

This year, Dr_Cosmobyte decided to release the first sequel to his satisfactory Nightmare Logic, a mod that aims to bring a more survival horror tone to Doom, which is reflected in its weapons and features, while occupying a small space in disk.

Well, Nightmare Logic II maintains this line, providing a tactical arsenal that should work against any monsters in a small mod. The visuals also remain consistent, but is different from the original, both in HUD and weapons, and has some new features, such as night vision, somersaults, quick melee kick and other things.

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

Next, there is weapons showcase from version 1.1 of Nightmage Logic II on a map that simulates a shooting range or something like that:

Payback Enemies

Payback, commonly called Payback Enemies, is the Payback/ROGUES monster pack developed by its creator, DeeDeeOZ. It is themed around a dark urban environment where organized crime and gangs terrorize the normal people. It is also something long awaited, as everyone was looking for enemies to face with the Payback's classes.

In other words, along with Russian Mercenaries and Hell from Earth, it is another option for those looking for a more realistic list of enemies in their games. Of course, the very own DeeDeeOZ already has Manhunt Carcer City Monsters and the Punisher Monster Replacer, but these have a different visual style than Payback. With this new mod, that is no longer the case!

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

Down below, I used the enemies from Payback in a combo with Led's Generic Weapon Mod, Cidade Endemoniada, Nash's Gore Mod, Military, Bloom Boost, BattleTanx Global Assault OST, and Steve’s Flashlight Mod:

NAKU-NARU 2

Naku-Naru 2 is a gameplay mod for Doom 2 created by Joblez based on Japanese folklore. It is also a reboot/sequel to Naku-Naru, a 2019 Cacowards winner.

In Naku-Naru 2, Oeyama, an ancient Oni (a type of demon) is sent to the world of the living to defeat the demonic invasion that occurs during the events of Doom 2. Naku-Naru 2 features replacements for each of the weapons, a new hero class and new menu music, but what catches attention right away is the beautiful, original, consistent and dark look, combined with very fluid animations and an unique style.

▶ Download & info @ Itch.io

Video

Down below, we have a showcase of the mod's weapons:

CVP: Carrot's Vanilla Project

CVP: Carrot’s Vanilla Project (CVP) is basically a vanilla Doom re-skin developed based on Smooth Doom, although with different graphics and less stuff. It was created by Iamcarrotmaster2, who named his project in reference to EVP: Enhanced Vanilla Project, by A_D_M_E_R_A_L.

The result is a mod with quite fluid and attractive animations, with new consistent sprites and some changes in the visual effects related to the weapons, such as the projectiles etc.

CVP is a good choice for those who want to give a new twist to classic Doom but without going beyond what can be done with the original engine.

▶ Download & info @ ZDoom

Video

Next, we have a Doom II match played on the Hangar 2001 map with CVP along with the add-ons VBLUD, Newschool Classic HUD, Box Art Doomguy Helmet Mugshot, All Clear Message, Precise Crosshair and Custom Crosshair Pack:

Honorable mentions

The mods on the list below were not directly included in the awards and may have been left out of the video, but they are well worth taking a look at:
  • Dino Rampage - A monster pack that features dinosaurs and other related enemies. It's very colorful and meets an old demand from the Doom community: a mod with antediluvian animals.
  • Outback Anarchy - Weapon mod with a post-apocalyptic punk theme.
  • Carnivore Disaster - Another dinosaur mod. It has a different style than Dino Rampage, with a more serious tone.
  • Doom Wick - This work brings the protagonist of the John Wick franchise together with an arsenal that he could very well use. It still doesn't replace all weapons, but the new ones are satisfying and pair well with human enemies packs.
  • ArmyOfOZ - Another work by DeeDeeOZ that replaces monsters with human/modern enemies.
  • Dwelling Sin - A Resident Evil style gameplay mod for Doom. I didn't have time to try it, but it seems like a good and very solid work.
  • The Bee Holder - A beautiful, pixelated, colorful and cartoonish mod that involves bees, stingers, stings.... All those things.
  • Reds Over World - I talked about this beauty in Facínora News #220, it's a mod that completely converts Doom into an alternative Cold War game, something that will immediately remind you of Red Alert.
  • Xmas Fever - This mod was released at the end of 2022, but now it has a gun pack, Xmas Night Weapons. I think it still needs a lot of adjustments, but I wanted to mention it here because it is one of the few Christmas mods for Doom that don't always use the same resources, thus having a very original look.

Full Gaming DooM #36 gameplay

As said before, I used footage of a Doom 2 match in order to illustrate parts of the Gaming DooM Awards 2023 video with two awarded mods The Punisher e Payback Enemies. The full game without babbling and stuff can be watched down below:

Well, that's all for this year.

I hope this list has good suggestions for you to play and have fun in 2024, or, who knows, get ideas to build your own project and further expand what can be done with Doom.

Be sure to mention in the comments which of these you liked the most.

Cheers!

More info and Doom

Comments

Post a Comment