The Cage for Half-Life 2

***NEW!!!***

Level name: The Cage

Author: Bill Adams

Date of release: 26 March 2007

Size: 2 711 ko

Number of maps: 1



website: here

download: here

Story:

None, it's a simple industrial plant that you need to travel through and it's designed with puzzle in mind.


Review :

This Power plant was created with puzzle in mind which doesn't mean that design or fight are forgotten in this release.

Design is quite interesting in a simple way. Use of texture is well done and the general design is not too squary... you progress in a not linear way in order to solve several puzzle (on text message) to make you progress further. Environment isn't repetitive from indoor to other including a sewer part.It's neat but not being excellent especially regarding the outskirt.

Gameplay is the interesting part of this map it's just a succession of small puzzles (jumping, activating,moving,...) that will canalized your progression some fight will take place but even if your not an experience player they will be easy to survive. The gameplay is in my opinion well balance and only lack some good music triggering a little bit more challenge according fights.

In conclusion : a not so old map that shines one more time from the guildhall community, it's puzzle oriented not perfectly designed but shurly enjoyable for a really small part of you gaming life

Playtime: 20 minutes

Rating: A B C D E (71%)

The Heist for Half-Life 2

***NEW!!!***

Level name: The Heist

Author: Josh Black

Date of release: 06 March 2007

Size: 3 605 ko

Number of maps: 1



website: here

download: here

Story:

Inspired by the Hero's Journey, The Heist puts the player in the shoes of a Resistance commando on a mission to steal a weapon prototype from the Combine. Gameplay features include sneaking past enemy guards and hurling boxcars at an enemy strider.


Review :

Here is was the author's tell us about the way he wanted to created this level : "I set The Heist in an urban environment at night to enhance the stealth aspects of the mission. I want the player to feel that he or she is actually sneaking through heavily patrolled streets and breaking into an enemy compound, and I do that by filling the environment with things he or she would expect in that situation - bright streetlights, sounds of patrolling helicopters, grimy backalleys, etc."

Design perfectly fits the objective of Josh, the ambiance is moody and not really exiting just after you was teleported and start you mission, you don't know what's next, but ontext message provide will guide you and make you, firstly, sneak arround and beware of an hypothetic attack.

The squale, the look at relaism, the ambiance is omnipresent . The way the author jungle with the ambiance from a quite start to a rush and push ending make this map a real well put together realisation and event if the author tell us in the readme that this was a beta that need some improve it's defenetly look professional. The only issue, but perhaps it's only accodring with my spec it was slowing a little to much...

Gameplay even if a little too challenging in the second part (the author tells that this was a major part to be modified for the last update) really handle in a particular way your 'player identity' through the whole unit mixing with a perfect surronding ambiance the sneaking part with the more fight through part, reaching it's paroxism through the helicopter escape and the 'boss fight' I didn't really manage to succeed and just decided to escape.

In conclusion: This is for me another more than interesting realisation that shows the number of talented people that got graduate from the guildhall. It's short, not perfect but certainly will let you a good enjoyable moment of gaming.

Playtime: 30 minutes

Rating: A B C D E (78%)