2006 review by me of Hell Island mod on GameSpy's PlanetDoom

The writing contained here is years old and GameSpy no longer exists but they are a reflection of the work I used to do then. Some of the links found in these posts will no longer work however they will remain as part of the original work. These posts are under the label: Outdated articles and works.

This review starts off with a simple scenario. Imagine that you are on Earth; the UAC has assigned you a mission right after your return from mars. You are sent to an island. On the way there, your helicopter gets attacked and you are alone on the island. Alone, except, for the undead. Welcome to the “Hell Island” mod.

This mod has a lot of new textures but uses original characters from Doom 3. The guns are the same but have undergone a few changes. These include sounds, and ammo clip. The Doom Marine keeps in contact with someone from the UAC however there is a slight change to this over the standard Doom 3.  The doom marine’s voice is heard.
This mod also attempts to create effects such as water (pools, basins and streams).

The mod plays much like doom 3 however not every level has a torch available. The mod doesn’t feel that hard to do. If you thought being set on earth can’t possibly make it as scary, think again! A good mix of indoor and outdoor really works for this mod to create that “hell island” feel. The sudden inrush of hordes of creatures certainly creates the fear factor.

I really liked the way the levels are designed. Not only does it show signs that a lot of thought went into the creation of the levels, but it has something more. If you like some of the classic Doom 2 levels, you will find that the level design feels a lot like it was inspired from Doom 2. Everything from spiralling staircases to unstable rock formations that can give way under your feet to leaping tall buildings with a single bound. You even get to climb/jump boxes and walk across paths so thin it feels like tight rope walking.
There are also timed secret doors, where once triggered, you rush back to get in before it closes.

This mod does have one annoying bug that returned over and over again. It’s very easy to get stuck to a wall or furniture. You could reload the level which is good because while there are lots of levels, the levels aren’t that big.

In conclusion, this is a well put together mod, which creates a nice story like atmosphere. The levels are very classic doom like. If I were to say just one thing about this mod it would be that this mod is not boring by a very long shot.

The mod can be found at:  http://www.doomwadstation.com/doom3/maps/hell_island/

--Reviewed by Shadow Master