Review: Master Levels for Doom II
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:This will depend on the source port you're using, but in general saving is not needed, as this is a collection of unconnected levels that you'll be playing one at a time. You can usually pause by pressing ESC. Time needed per session:As this is a pack of loose levels for Doom 2, there's no overarching story or campaign. Each level can take anywhere from three to ten minutes to clear, so plan your time around how many levels you're going to play.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | Some players may have concerns As this is a level pack for Doom II: Hell on Earth, all of the problems with that game are an issue here. To quickly recap, there's a lot of graphic violence and demonic imagery. |
Screenshots
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/master_levels_0.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/master_levels_1.jpg)
![[view screenshot]](../images/screenshots/master_levels_2.jpg)
Game Overview
In the late 1990s, the internet wasn't as commonly available as it is today. Some people tried to take advantage of this by selling low-quality CD-ROMs filled with WADs they'd randomly collected from the internet. Shovelware collections like these ripped people off, and id Software, the creators of the Doom games, decided to fight back with two expansions of their own. One of these was Final Doom, a set of two new campaigns for players to fight through. The other expansion, if you can call it that, was The Master Levels for Doom II.
Unlike Final Doom, this was a collection of 20 WADs that users could select between. Most of these WADs are unrelated to each other, essentially making this "expansion" another bundle of random levels. In fact, the original CD-ROM release of the Master Levels made things even worse, as it contained 1,000 additional WADs from around the internet as a "bonus" feature, making it exactly the sort of mess that it was meant to combat.
The versions of Master Levels sold online, such as the version sold through Steam, don't have this extra content, now known as "Maximum Doom". I actually have one of the CD-ROM copies of this expansion, and I've played a number of the extra levels. From what I've seen, you're not missing much, and most of the interesting WADs are still available online for free.
Now, while the Master Levels was basically another cheap level pack among dozens, id Software did try to make it more unique and worth your money. The levels are very well made, playtested under multiple modes, and several of them are especially good for deathmatch games. id Software also included a new tool called Doom-IT that allows players to select a desired level from a neat and user friendly menu. Doom-IT is still included in the modern releases, as it's the primary way to play these levels.
But, since this is just a dressed-up level pack, is it really worth buying?
I'm kind of on the fence about recommending it. I strongly prefer the Evolution campaign from Final Doom over this collection, but I do have to admit that these levels are good Doom-y fun. The main issue I have is that none of these levels link together into a proper story or theme; they just replace a level in the original Doom II campaign, and you can find WADs like that for free online with little effort.
Unlike Final Doom, this was a collection of 20 WADs that users could select between. Most of these WADs are unrelated to each other, essentially making this "expansion" another bundle of random levels. In fact, the original CD-ROM release of the Master Levels made things even worse, as it contained 1,000 additional WADs from around the internet as a "bonus" feature, making it exactly the sort of mess that it was meant to combat.
The versions of Master Levels sold online, such as the version sold through Steam, don't have this extra content, now known as "Maximum Doom". I actually have one of the CD-ROM copies of this expansion, and I've played a number of the extra levels. From what I've seen, you're not missing much, and most of the interesting WADs are still available online for free.
Now, while the Master Levels was basically another cheap level pack among dozens, id Software did try to make it more unique and worth your money. The levels are very well made, playtested under multiple modes, and several of them are especially good for deathmatch games. id Software also included a new tool called Doom-IT that allows players to select a desired level from a neat and user friendly menu. Doom-IT is still included in the modern releases, as it's the primary way to play these levels.
But, since this is just a dressed-up level pack, is it really worth buying?
I'm kind of on the fence about recommending it. I strongly prefer the Evolution campaign from Final Doom over this collection, but I do have to admit that these levels are good Doom-y fun. The main issue I have is that none of these levels link together into a proper story or theme; they just replace a level in the original Doom II campaign, and you can find WADs like that for free online with little effort.
Points of Interest
It's called the MASTER levels for a reason
Many of these levels are extremely hard. Not The Plutonia Experiment hard, but these levels definitely like to use traps and powerful monsters often. TTRAP.WAD's level even opens with you pinned between two chaingunners!
Several of the levels focus more on elaborate puzzles and secret passages than fighting, which can make them hard to clear on any difficulty (at least, until you figure out the solution for the first time).
Several of the levels focus more on elaborate puzzles and secret passages than fighting, which can make them hard to clear on any difficulty (at least, until you figure out the solution for the first time).
What could have been
Five of the levels in this expansion were originally created as part of a new campaign. When id Software offered to publish them, the project was abandoned in favor of having the files included in the Master Levels. While the entire work in progress was submitted, only part of it was accepted, effectively breaking up a matching set.
Use of a source port requires a copy of Doom II.
Doom-IT provides everything needed to play the included levels, but it's not a real copy of Doom II. Thus, if you want to play any of these levels using your favorite source port, you'll also need to have Doom II installed on your machine.
This is also complicated by the fact that some of the WADs don't replace the first level. Doom-IT is designed to skip directly to the new content, but if you use another source port, then you'll either need to play the entire Doom II campaign until you reach the new level, or use a level skip cheat code to warp to it.
This is also complicated by the fact that some of the WADs don't replace the first level. Doom-IT is designed to skip directly to the new content, but if you use another source port, then you'll either need to play the entire Doom II campaign until you reach the new level, or use a level skip cheat code to warp to it.
Missing content
As mentioned earlier, the 1,000 extra WADs included in the CD-ROM release of this title (aka Maximum Doom) aren't included in the modern releases. You're not really missing anything, but judging by the reviews I've seen, some fans aren't happy that these levels are left out.
Concerns and Issues
Pretty much everything mentioned with Doom II.
One of the "benefits" of this being a set of additional levels for Doom II is that there's nothing new when it comes to content warnings. Everything that was an issue for the original game is an issue here, the only real difference being how the different assets are arraigned.
For a quick recap, there's a lot of gore, graphic violence, and demonic imagery present throughout these levels.
For a quick recap, there's a lot of gore, graphic violence, and demonic imagery present throughout these levels.