Review: Revenge of Poopdeck Willie: Resurrection

Details
Title: Revenge of Poopdeck Willie: Resurrection
Creator: Monkeeworks (Elmer Fudd (AKA Majik Monkee))
Released: 31/08/2004
Length: 12 Levels (No secrets)
Level Format: Episodic (3 x 4 levels)
Story: New
Graphics: Original
Sound: Otriginal
Special Features: None
Dos/SDL: Dos

Initial impressions: Using original Wolf the maps have been designed as more 'Challenge' level than introductory. There are multiple Bosses on each level and some are placed so as to really give the player a surprise in their location. There is ample health and ammo, but backtracking is usually required at times as one never knows quite when the next Boss will appear. There has been ample use of other guards and the levels have been nicely decorated.

Gameplay: The game play is quite challenging and has been made so purposefully. There are plenty of difficult scenarios and the player is best to use all their tricks and previous playing experience to proceed through the maps. Majik Monkee has repeatdly stated that these levels are tough and may be so for some players, this may turn off some less experienced players but this should also give a good sense of achievement for those that stick at it.

Mapping: A lot of the levels have been taken from other Monkeeworks mods but most work well in this set. Those chosen have been selected for the best suitability to this and none sit out of place.
There are plenty of health and ammo caches, little treasure is used though, which doesn't seem to make a difference, and there are plenty of secret areas.
The Bosses are many and it's common to find multiple on each level. They aren't all placed where you'd expect them though!

Likes: That the levels have been made with the more experienced player in mind. There are very few true 'Challenge' sets out there and this is one set that the hardcore Wolfers will get a decent challenge out of rather then blasting their way through Episode 1 of the original game in 10 minutes again!
The changed artwork, especially the Bosses amd Hitler Ghost replacement has been done brilliantly, all look fantastic and fit the original wall set extremely well.

Dislikes: Some of the levels have been used before, which isn't always a bad thing but in 2 situations here I feel there are. In the first, the same level has been used twice (E1-L1 & E2-L1) with only a few guards changed on the level. The second (E2-L2) is a recycled map from another Monkeeeworks mod, 'Halls of Stonehenge'. The problem with this is that it has a section with multiple push walls, all of which can't be accessed, meaning that the player can not get 100% of secrets on this level. I know most players wouldn't care about this but as I am a 100% of everything type player, like some others, so this type of thing can be a little annoying, especially when you search every inch of every wall in the entire level trying to find the missing pushwalls to get your 100%.
The end episode stats are incorrect anyway and haven't been changed to reflect only the number of levels you play in the episode.


Ratings
Dean's Score: 7.0/10
Difficulty: Much harder than original Wolf with multiple Bosses on every level.
Best Level: E1-L3
Worst Level: E2-L3, E2-L1 isn't much either as it's identical to E1-L1.

Wrap-up: This is a challenging mod that is more geared towards experienced players. I'm not sure why Majik Monkee chose to release this under a psuedonym but I'm told it was at least a year after release before it was revealed to be his work.
At only 12 levels this is a short, but entertaining, mod to play through that should keep players of all levels interested. Possibly one of those mods not a lot of people have either heard of or played but one everyone should give a try of at some time.

Where Can I get it?: You can download the mod HERE or by clicking on the screenshot at the top of this post.

This is a bonus review of another of Majik Monkee's 'Monkeeworks' projects. The previous weeks reviews of 'medEvil', 'Operation: Mutant Strike', 'Operation: Mutant Strike 2' and 'Operation: Hundschiesse' can be read HERE (medEvil), HERE (O:MS), HERE (O:MS2) and HERE (O:H).
I have also previously reviewed Monkeeworks mod 'Halls of Stonehenge', the review of which can be read HERE.

Disclaimer: All reviews are only my opinion when playing the mod and are not intended to discredit anyone or the hard work they have put into creating their mod.