News
v21 of ‘Brutal Doom’ Mod Receives Release Candidate Update
Ah, Brutal Doom. The Doom mod that has given us so much in terms of pushing the original game far beyond what we could’ve imagined when it was released back in 2010. And now, the mod’s author, Sergeant_Mark_IV, has announced that after the public test version (which was released last year), the Release Candidate version of Brutal Doom v21. Apart from “minor cosmetic things” left to do, no new features will be added to this version, with only bugs to be squashed. They still recommend playing the final version once it’s out if “you plan to make lengthy playthroughs”.
So, what’s in this version? According to the changelog, “mountains of improvements”. This includes stun animations for zombies and imps, multiple improved fatalities, a reworked headshot system, and better particles effects. The update also includes a new weapon in the flamethrower. That’s on top of the other weapons (including the amazing Rail Gun) that were added in the original v21 release. The update also improves the performance of certain levels.
If you’re not familiar with how to get Brutal Doom running, this handy tutorial is all you’ll need to get going.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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