The originalDoomgames have been a hotbed for modding since the very beginning in 1993. For decades, the community has been creating their own content and sharing it online, with some of it becoming rather famous itself, impressively. While many mods are rather simplistic in nature, some end up being such massive reworks of the game that they are referred to as “total conversions” by the community. These are mods that completely change the game, from its levels, enemies, weapons, music, and even storyline, hence “total conversion.”
RELATED:It’s Now Possible to Play Doom Within Doom
This phenomenon has occurred again and again in gaming with titles likeQuakeand even the originalHalf-Life, where the community takes a beloved game and basically makes a whole new one out of it for fun. With the original twoDoomtitles, however, huge mods like this are being made to this very day. In fact, some of the best total conversion mods thatDoomhas ever seen are mods that have come out somewhat recently.
5Trench Foot
Trench Foothas the player take on the role of the Master Templar, a devoted soldier of the one true faith hellbent on unleashing the horrors of holy mechanized warfare upon the demonic enemies in their way. The mod is heavily stylized asWorld War 1meetsWarhammer 40k, obviously with a fair amount ofDoommixed in. Developed by TrenchWork, thisDoom IItotal conversion mod is brimming with atmosphere despite beinga work in progress.
In the playable demo, the player is tasked with crossing muddy, corpse-ridden, and hostile-infested trench works in order to obtain a key and bring it back to base. Along the way, the player will face many monsters, enemy soldiers, and demons as they attempt to reach their destination, with the only option being to cut them down with righteous authority.
4Aliens: Eradication
TheAlienfranchise’simpact on theDoomseries has long been known, so it’s no surprise that the game would get anAliens-themedTC mod.Aliens: Eradication, however, is one of a few majorAlien-themedTC mods to be released, with the originalAliensTC mod being among the first total conversion mods ever for theDoomseries. Eradicationis itself built on previousAlienexperiences likeAlien Trilogy (UD),using its assets and music but on newly created maps set on the infamous LV-426 colony.
RELATED:Aliens Single Player Horror Game is in Development
The mod featuresa number of classesfor the player to choose from at the start, with each of them changing the experience in significant ways beyond their standard loadouts. For example, when playing as the Weyland Operative class, levels have more cover, and storage closets become more abundant, while the Colonist class is also vulnerable to the acid blood from Xenomorphs. There are also a series of authentic gadgets like placeable turrets and items like flares that the player can find and utilize against the alien horde.
3Bloom
Basedon the 1997 fps game,Blooddeveloped by Monolith productions,Bloomis a total conversion forDoom IIthat more or less combines the two games into one crossover experience.Bloomallows the player to swap between playing as Doomguy or Caleb, with both characters having their own loadouts based on their respective games.
RELATED:The Best First-Person Shooters Ever (According To Metacritic)
The game also includes enemies from both games, mashing them together in gruesome ways thanks to the dimensional rift plot device. This plot device is also behind the twisted and blown-apart level design, where classic Doom maps are mixed with Blood’s own levels and aesthetic, resulting in a wonderfully contorted, almost dream-like experience.
2Wolfenstein: Blade of Agony
Wolfensteinhas always been one of the most important FPS games ever and is usually listed next toDoomin this regard. That said,Wolfenstein 3Dnever saw the sheer amount of modding that its successor did. Fear not, however, asWolfenstein: Blade of Agonyis a total conversion mod that just turnsDoom IIinto one of the coolestWolfensteingames ever.
RELATED:Wolfenstein: The New Order Vs New Colossus: Which Is The Better FPS Game?
Blade of Agonyis as nostalgic a take on the old-schoolWolfensteinformula as it is a refreshing one. It boasts 30 large and complex levels that oftentimes task the player with juggling multiple objectives at a time. These levels are diverse, ranging from classicWolfenstein-stylestealth missions to the “on rails” kind of fast-paced action one might see in an earlyCall of Dutygame. Armed with a diverse collection of WW2-era weapons, players once again take control of B.J. Blazkowicz in his mission to eradicate the Nazi threat in Europe.
1Ashes 2063
Ever wondered what games likeFalloutorSTALKERwould look like as aDoomclone? Well, this is almost exactly whatAshes 2063and its sequel,Ashes Afterglowattempt to be. Stylized (at least in part) afterMad Max’sbrand of post-apocalypse, the player assumes the role of a lone scavenger, one who ventures out into the broken remains of the world in search of useful or valuable items. This time, however, they get more than they bargained for when they discover a radio signal coming from the former city of Atlanta.
From the outset, the mod isdripping with atmosphere. The player is tasked with navigating the dilapidated skeleton of society lying desolate in the scorching, irradiated desert; all of it set to an excellent soundtrack. Trigger-happy raiders andsadistic mutantsare all that occupy these ruins now. Outside this nightmare, there are friendly settlements the player will interact with between levels, talking and trading with NPCs as they barely eke out a living in the post-apocalypse. It’s a wonderfully bleak and ultraviolent experience from start to finish that never fails at grabbing the player’s attention.
