Nuclear winter for Opposing force

***New***

Level name: Nuclear Winter

Author: Loki's mission (Mr White)

Release date: 15 July 2002


Size: 22 896 ko

Number of maps: 27


website: None anymore


alternative download:


Story
In the early 21st century the U.S. fight several anti-terrorist campaigns in the Middle East. Bickering in the world community over the morality of these campaigns eventually leads to the withdrawal of China and Russia from the U.N. Even NATO is divided and it soon becomes obvious that America's only real support comes from Great Britain.

In 2009 the league of Arab nations invade and occupy Israel. The U.S. and Britain come to Israel's defense but it is a struggle that will eventually be lost. China and Russia are supplying arms and troops to the invaders. Tactical nukes are used in the offensive marking the first time nuclear arms have been used in war since WW2. Six months later, India falls to Pakistan. The world is in a state of shock.

In 2010 Russia, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and the entire Middle East form the Eastern Alliance. They quickly expand into most of Europe, Asia and Africa. Since they possess a large nuclear arsenal plus most of the world's oil supply, no countries, including the U.S. are in a position to oppose them. A cold war sets in that would last for 7 years

It is suspected that the Alliance, headed by Russia is working on cloaking technology. It is rumored that they have discovered a way to bend light, making it possible to render things invisible, such as troops, weapons and even missiles. Despite their best efforts, U.S. scientists are unable to crack this technology.  This would prove extremely detrimental.

In January 2017 the Eastern Alliance launch an attack of cloaked nuclear missiles upon major cities and industry in North America. The U.S. is helpless as all but 2 of its retaliatory missiles are shot down. What's left of the free world watches in horror as Eastern troops invade American shores in an attempt to occupy the country. Even though most of the command structure has been wiped out, the Americans aren't just going to roll over. A fierce fight ensues that would last for months. This is where you come in. Corporal Adrian Shepherd, a soldier with grit and determination.


Review :

Intro: this is not the first try from Mr White in mapping I gave a some solid experience from a first pack review also on this blog called escape for Quake 2 to two interesting mission for Half-Life and a bunch of multiplayer pack and maps this seems to have been one, or even perhaps the last release. It has a good storyline, well interconnecting use of HL and OF and some custom content include music, texture and voice acting

Design: the mapping experience from the author is quite high already so you will find the best out here from outdoor to indoor places, with some interesting cutscene non repetitive expeirence without those hallways that get you boring, the use of custom texture and skyboxes, especially for the city part create something totally new, lightning is also really enjoyable like all those trigger effects that will happens while you progress. The experience really provide a well balance progression: barney will help you on some places on other you will need to travel to complex ,city, or even mountains without to forget to put here and there some well thaught puzzles also visualy enjoyable.

Gameplay is really well fitting with the design of the mod, the progression is mostly linear and oriented to combats with a perfectly placed ammo and health the experience is really immersing without causing any frustration even for the jumping sections and especially the radioactive one (second screenshot). All those cutsenes really add some breath to the mod and try most of the time to immerse a little bit more the player. Another interesting use of what can be implemented is the cooperative part with your squad ore some barney will help you out for your progression the minor flaws in that most of the time they just shine from a corner or a helicopter without any linking storyline.

In conclusion: Certianly the last release from Mr White that really use all the skill he has been implemented for arround 5 years to create this final opus. Even if everything is really enjoyable in this mod it's perhaps a little to classic regarding what came out the past 5 years and that's why it certainly deserve a 9 out of 10 but not more. I think it's still certainly one of the best mod for Opposing force

Playtime:2 Hours 30 minutes



Rating: A B C D E (89%)

Poll 3: would you like some build game related stuff reviewed here

the title was:

would you like to have some build game related stuff reviewed here ?


here are the result :




Not a great encouraging vote regarding the possibility to add build game, sothat I think people don't really care about and let me the choice to add them or not...my actual point of view is simple for the moment I don't have enough spare time to add classic review (like the one already present) so I will certainly in the close future not add those build games but perhaps this will get some evolution in 2010 or even after

I have also a quite mixed filling regarding both actual blog i'm taking care of:
first i'm pretty proud to have reach arround 5000 hits to my blog in one year (4000 for WWspmapcorner) I wouldn't thaught that so much people could pass by my blog thanks to all In addition to this 100 reviews have been added in arround 3 years witch is quite consistant
second i'm pretty disapointed by the fact I don't find enough spare time to play and review stuff this principaly because I actually more and more being involved into rally simulation and second that my private life also need some more attention than before if I don't want to ruin everything

I don't have any actual possible poll in mind to submit, but when I have one I will add it.

thanks for your visits

Arkanian for Quake2

***New***

Level name: Arkanian

Author: Mike 'Jerkoff' Daugherty

Release date: 7 March 1998

Size: 1 678 ko

Number of maps: 3


website: None anymore

download: from Talon's database

Story

With Stroggos in ruins and Makron and his body destroyed, you have now crash landed on Afeitazar, a military base built into one of the barren rocks in a nearby asteroid feild. Fitting, this military base is inhabited by Makron's twin brother, ARKANIAN.
ARKANIAN and his forces have but one mission:
***To destroy planet Earth.***
With Stroggos destroyed, Afeitazar is rapidly plummeting towards earth,as there is no gravitational pull holding Afeitazar in orbit.
ARKANIAN is not located in the military base as we first thought, but in a large Space Station that is using Afeitazar as a shield to get close to earth, where he will activate the doomsday device equipped on his station.
As long as ARKANIAN stays behind the asteroid, Earth forces will not be able to stop him.
**Your mission is as follows:**
As Earth's only chance for survival, you must infiltrate the military base on Afeitazar. There is only one point of entrance into ARKANIAN's space station, and Intelligence reports that it is heavily guarded. Find it, and enter ARKANIAN's lair.It is probable that you will encounter ARKANIAN and you *will* have to kill him. From satelite images, we have determined that once he is killed, you will have access to the doomsday device.
Once you have disabled the device, the space station will become unstable.
This is all the information we have right now, and it is unclear whether this station is equipped with escape pods. It is very unlikely that they are present, as this station was built to serve only one purpose.
Good luck, soldier - This mission may be your last...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
**Some information that might help you in "The Final Trial":
SAVE the quad that you get in "Ruins of Arkanian". It will help GREATLY in the final level.

Review :

Wouw it's over ten year that this one was produced the author shifted after to half-life mapping but i really lost it's trace. This one consist of a small episode featuring 1 major map intro and outro boss experience. the author didn't put as much effort as he would in this release so that he think this one isn't perfect and could have been really more developped but if you want something to be perfect there is never an ending to it's development.

I will be honest I was quite impressed with this release trough it's layout and architecture even if it's not that perfect, really creates something close to the original game but totally from scartch with a good storyline effect enjoyable texturing and quite a lot of travelling in a non linear way the experience isn't to much repetitive and alternates in the way we like puzlles and combats

Gameplay was perfectly balance with the progression and the weapons you find increasing the challenge while you're travelling; there is no secret to find and this is perhaps the only disapointment objective are well put along the expeirence to keep you busy all stuff (enemies and features) are well place and at the right moment to prepare you to the end battle that add the prefect challenge but without falling into a boring impossible ending.

In conclusion: this is the typical expirience i like it's well balance regarding design and gameplay and as a reasonable playtime certainly part of my best map for Quake2.


Playtime: 40 minutes

Rating: A B C D E (89%)

Induction for Half-Life

***New***

Level name: Induction

Author: Hazard team

Release date: 1 August 2009

Size: 18 943 ko

Number of maps: 8

website: None

download: at planetphillip's page

Author's note

None

Review :

In this one you will like in the original game, take you first day for your new just at Black Mesa, there is no combat it's a more original approach not taking in mean the fact that an accident could occur and so evreything seems to be working well today at Black Mesa...is it really?

Design except for the last part really takes advantage of what was seens before in the original game (2 of the 8 maps visited comes from the original game) and certain addon that started the same way. There is no outdoor area and you will just travel to get you suit go to the test chamber en so on several event will occur to give you some side event. Design may look repetitive simply because the theme is one of the most visited in the Half-Life history but there are no major flows and the test chamber will add some new touch in the testing approach. All this experience comes with a lot of voice acting sadly in russian (witch for non native speaking may sound a little frustrating) but also with some under title in english that try to add a different spirit an especially brakes the strict ambiance found in the original game (this ones seems more like an actual research center were all people are working together without too much preasure). Gameplay is quite limited ther is no combat nor complicated puzzle it's simply your first day of work like in real life without any really bad surpise

In conclusion: his time the approach is different you'r on a classic day of work without no real bad surprise it's short sweet and is perhaps, I just hope, a first introduction to something more consequent to come.

Playtime: 30 minutes

Rating: A B C D E (74%)

Lost Coast for HL2

***NEW!!!***

Title: Lost Coast

Author: Valve

Release date: 27 October 2005

Size: ?

Number of maps: 1



website: official Info

download: to get it just go to you HL2 steam folder and download it


General Info:


“Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, a single-player level custom-created to showcase High-Dynamic Range lighting (HDR) in the Source engine, is available now to all owners of HL2. As a technology showcase, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast’s system requirements are very high. During installation, Steam will prompt you if your system does not meet the recommended configuration. We hope you enjoy it.”

Review :

I never took the time to play this one before for to major reason (A bad bandwith connection and regarding the approximate size I wasn't that motivated to get it and most of the people had a mixed feeling about it and especially because since it was coming from valve as a techdemo everybody was hoping for something really interesting

This one was especially design to show dynamic lighting and for sure directly at start you have a wide open marvelous view a little submerged by the sun right in your ice you recieve a brief mission from an older fisherman and so starts your experience...Design is impressive causing my configuration (4 years old) to sufer from a drop in fps not dramatic but a little frustrating the climbing enhance the total view and lead you to the top village where your mission awaits you in a beautiful church where all the lightning effect shows it's advantage through windows

Gameplay is really simple: eliminate the combine protecting force, destroy the bombing system and escape back to the old fisherman through the special design of location and especially through the climbing combat, it may be a little enjoyable but this won't really add a lot of playtime (that can be spend on a more tech exploring qwest) to this quite short and easy experience.

In conclusion: after all those year this one doesn't really feel out of date but also I won't consider that waiting so long to play it was a shame. It was a little fun, provide some really good looking views but really felt too short in gaming time to let a memorable feeling.

Playtime: 20min



Rating: A B C D E (75%)

Poll 2 : For wich game would you like to see more review

the title was:

For which game (non-Half-Life) would you like to see more review


here are the result :

Thanks to the 17 voting people for encouraging me to continue this poll system, there are some interesting info that came through the follow up of this poll

the first option what multiple choice so you could have vote for diffferent game at the same time...but most of the people only use a one vote choice.

the last four people only voted for Q1 which didn't revieve anything before

another interesting suprise is older game reseive a lot of vote and especially quake serie

I Know which orientation I could give in the future for my blog and thanks ones more for you help with this ;)

So it just increase my opinion for the third Poll:

Would you like to see some build engine games review here ? (game such as Duke Nukem, Shadow Warrior, Blood, Redneck Rampage)

Curse: Episode 1 for Half-Life 2

***NEW!!!***

Title: Curse : Episode 1


Author: Curse team

Release date: 28 may 2009

Size: 240 047 ko

Number of maps: 3



website: official website

download: at filefront



Author's Note:


Curse Episodes is a Half-Life 2 single player total conversion : a mix of physics based combat, puzzles and exploration. In the first episode you can explore an egyptian necropolis and kill mummies, monsters with a morning star. Curse Episodes is a Half-Life 2 single player total conversion : a mix of physics based combat, puzzles and exploration. In the first episode you can explore an egyptian necropolis and kill mummies, monsters with a morning star.

Review :

Whoaw, when I saw the screenshots of this total conversion I was really impressed by the high quality view and thaugh I would give it a try as soon as I could.

Design is really from great quality in term of general layout and developpment (new monsters, textures, colors and features) the aim is to create a kind of egyptian experience more base on spirit effect and exploration in order to solve puzzle than real epic battles. You progression wil be catch by the wonderfull layout it's so impressive at the first look that you just stay in front of you screen and enjoy the instant. Attention has been put in everything great texturing impressive egyptian architecture, movable/breakable objects the color theme puzzles associted with 'colored theme' chambers and the mix between enemies and puzzles you will need to solve

Gameplay was perhaps a little be put in downward in my opinion simply because the objective is different from classic HL2, here like in an egyptian temple you will mix puzzle solving to access new locations and this agremented with some enemy fight base on a kind of spirit effect not that easy to use. then you will wonder what next to do do you really need to travel way back or is it just close to you actual progression you will more and more deliver access to new room but the complicated inteconnection (which seems totally justify by the egyptian theme) will make you catched attention decrease slowly. For the ambiance event if it comes with a perfectly suitable music theme, the real immersion missed something ( a toarch light progression, traps affecting you progression and some oppressing feeling). The project was perhaps a little to ambitious to integrate all those interesting stuffs without loosing a little of you attention for as long as the experience will take place.

In conclusion: visualy this modification is really tremendous with great reward through music and visual, sadly for me the easy way to get lost not knowing what to do next in addition with the lack of trill and fear created a downtrend attention while progressing...the main reason in my opinion was the fact that the team didn't focus on some choice but wanted to cover all new idea that came up and shine like THE stuff to add.

Playtime: 1 hours 30 min


Rating: A B C D E (87%)