Video Games
Use The Force in This ‘Star Wars’ Meets ‘DOOM II’ Mod
Mixing Star Wars and DOOM is kind of a no-brainer. Sure, there was the excellent Star Wars: Dark Forces back in the day, but I’m talking about mods. Luckily, Xim’s Star Wars Doom mod for DOOM II does more than just bring over weapons and enemies from Dark Forces. The mod also gives us something that was lacking in Dark Forces: Force powers like Push, Pull, Heal, and Choke.
Originally released last year, the mod has been updated with a few new fixes. The mod eliminates the DOOM II hitscan weapons (which was almost all of them) in favour of the projectile-based mechanics of Dark Forces. Also, enemy infighting has been removed. Imperials, aliens, and bounty hunters will fight the other side, but not amongst themselves. So, you can’t provoke Stormtrooper into taking each other out, but you can get them to take out bounty hunters. The mod includes 25 weapons (many from Dark Forces), more than 40 enemies, and new music and sounds. There are also optional add-on packs will replace props, add more new music, and fix compatibility issues with some mega WADs.
Oh yeah, and those Force powers. Finding two lightsabers in the mod will unlock Force abilities, and with each new one you come across, a new power unlocks. Along with the Push, Pull, Heal, and Choke, you also have the Mind Trick, which causes confuses enemies and causes them to wander around temporarily, Lightning (which does extra damage to mechanical enemies), and the always enjoyable Saber Throw.
To play the mod, you’ll need a copy of DOOM II, along with GZDoom, which you can snag here.
Bobby Prince, the composer who provided the soundtracks to legendary titles such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Doom II, has passed away.
Prince’s family confirmed the composer’s death on June 16 late last week at the age of 81. No cause of death was released.
id Software, the company that gave Prince his first job in the industry, paid tribute to the composer, referring to him as a “video game music pioneer.”
Indeed, in addition to providing the soundtracks to id Software’s hits in the FPS genre, Bobby Prince also provided the soundtracks to other id Software classics, such as portions of the scores for Commander Keen series and the forerunner to the modern FPS, Catacomb 3-D. Prince also worked with Apogee Software and 3D Realms, providing the soundtrack for Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, and teaming with Lee Jackson for Rise of the Triad and Duke Nukem 3D.
Bobby Prince’s death comes just after the Library of Congress announced back in May that his soundtrack for Doom would be preserved in the National Recording Registry.
The soundtrack for Doom and its sequel took inspiration from designer John Romero‘s collection of CDs at the studio, which included the likes of Alice in Chains, Pantera, and Metallica. In spite of the limitations composers faced with the sound cards of the era, Prince was able to replicate riffs from songs like “Master of Puppets” and “Painkiller” for tracks like “At Doom’s Gate”, the iconic opening track for Doom‘s first level, E1M1.
For Doom II‘s soundtrack, Prince continued to employ the same tactic, lifting rifts from songs like “Sex Type Thing”, “After All (The Dead)”, “South of Heaven” and more.
In addition to composing, Bobby Prince was also a practicing lawyer, and had pursued a career as an attorney before making his way into the video games industry.
Bobby Prince is survived by his wife Connie, and his sons, Robert Caskin Prince IV and Andrew (Cristy) Prince.