Zombie Shuffle - Doom 3

3D Gamers Edge Syndicated Review

Rating: 91

Award: 3D Gamers Edge Gold Award Winner!

Good:
- Insanely comical.
- Exceptionally creative.
- Great challenge.
- Excellent scripted sequences.
- Very professional presentation.
- Good action.
- Incredible attention to detail.
- Secret hidden ending.

Bad:
- Simple architecture.
- Uninspired texture choices.
- Small map with dull layout.

Review:
Wow, what a breath of fresh air this little map is! Take all of your doom 3 expectations and throw them out the window when playing this release, as starbug has taken one of the darkest, scariest, most gruesome video games of all time and turned it into an extremely comical and self-aware adventure that will have you screaming with laughter instead of terror.

Take a look at the screenshot I have posted and you’ll get a good idea of what this map is all about. Right from the loading screen starbug hits you in the face with his wacky brand of doom 3 humor - and it is quality stuff. Fat zombies with orange traffic cones on their heads is just the starting point for the nuttiness on display. Some of the comments in the emails received had me literally laughing out loud. The way they make fun of the map itself is just so spot-on hilarious that I will not spoil any of it by describing it here. Trust me, if the screenshot brought a smile to your face, then this map will have you laughing all the way through.

Zombie shuffle offers more than just silliness and laughs - there is some seriously impressive script work involved as well. You’ll encounter sequences that rival those in the retail game. And there is a quality challenge to be found in here as well. The map offers up more then a few surprise events that will have you scrambling to stay alive and wishing you have hit quick-save more recently.

In the complaint department I have a bit to say. First of all this map is not going to impress you via the quality of its design. The textures are repetitive and not very believable. The entire map is not something you want to think about critically, as the layout is simple and illogical; the architecture is very understated and unimpressive as well. Also found were some misspelled words in the PDA emails.

Let it be said though, that the designer acknowledges the shortcomings of this adventure in the readme file. The focus of this level is not on being blown away by wicked design and artistic visuals. What zombie shuffle does deliver is a very high-quality experience with tons of humor, fun gameplay, and a high level of challenge which all occur within a package that is extremely well-produced and professional in its presentation.

Even though this isn’t the highest-rated map available at 3DGamers Edge, it is one that I recommend to everyone who plays doom 3. At a tiny 4.40MB, this is by far the best user-created doom 3 level in terms of bang for you buck. Download, install, and be impressed!

Copyright:
This review was written by Tron and first appeared on 3D Gamers Edge and is republished by express permission.