Escalation II: Centurion Night is a single map replacement for Doom II by
James "Phobus" Cresswell. Designed for use with a limit removing port,
Escalation II is a great test of your survival and combat skills.
Design: 8
I'll be honest here, I'm no stranger to Phobus' works. Architecture-wise,
this is about par for the course for the author. The map starts you out on
the outskirts of an island, moving you toward a breached military harbor.
Your goal is to reach a dingy on the opposite end of the harbor and escape
the facility. Sounds easy enough, right? A few well placed monsters and
traps later, the map's architecture lures you into a false sense of security
- Every step you take, you unleash another wave of beasts to fight. The map
isn't particularly huge, either, so for the most part, you'll figure out
where you need to go quite quickly.
Difficulty: 8
This map is no cakewalk on UV! I took quite a pounding fighting through
these hordes, often a bitchslap from a Revenant that just teleported in
behind me, or the Mastermind guarding the harbor. If you don't watch what
you're doing, you'll get overwhelmed pretty quickly.
Pair this with a low ammo count and having only the chaingun and plasma
rifle at your disposal. I found myself having to burst fire often to
conserve ammo, and toward the end, it was a mad dash for the exit through a
pack of pissed off Revenants. While difficult, though, the map plays fair
for the most part, often rewarding your struggles with a box of ammo or
health pack after each fight - but don't go getting your ass perforated!
It's only enough if you aren't running in guns ablaze!
That being said, if you're a shotgun fan like I am, prepared to be out of
your element here. I'm not saying avoid it, far from it. Just learn to
adjust your weapon preferences.
...Also, there's no armor (or I didn't find any). Prepare to be reminded
that you're a squishy target.
Playability: 9
This map is accessible with a massive difficulty spike after breaching the
facility, but once you adjust to it and keep patient, you should be able to
escape serious damage. Or if you're an idiot like me, you'll have to respawn
a few times and take a minute to figure out WHY you're an idiot.
Overall (Not An
Average): 8
Download this map. Do it. Like, now. Stop reading this sentence and do it.
Didn't I just tell you to go download it? Not downloading Escalation II is
punishable by a Revenant punch to the face!!
