***this review was previously available at Alejandro Map Center***
Level name: Half-Life : Trespasser
Author: Eivind Larsen
Date of release: 25 December 2002
Size: 12 027 Ko
Number of maps: 8
website: Author's site
download: At Planetphillip.com
Story:
Your name is Mark Hunt, an elite Marine sent in to "clean up" the Black Mesa incident. Near evening your platoon was ambushed by a superior force, taking you completely by surprise. In the chaos you became separated from your C.O. and by sheer luck evaded the atomic blast that followed. The Brass didn't call it luck. You were courtmartialed for desertion and sentenced to ten years in a maximum security prison. Two years into your sentence, something happened...you awoke in your cell one morning to find a clean-cut stiff with a briefcase standing by the door. He was government issue lackey all the way, complete with crew cut and quiet smirk. Your instincts screamed not to trust him, but he made an offer you couldn't refuse. Pull a simple operation for him, and you're a free man. You couldn't say no.
The G-man worked for a top secret paramilitary branch of the FBI. A conspiracy theorist's dream; Stone faced puppeteers pulling invisable strings, operating above and beyond the law for their own inscrutable purposes. As of that day, you ceased to exist.
That was two weeks ago. Last month sitting alone in your concrete cage, the walls cold and crushing, the thought of a mission was ambrosia. Freedom was all you could think of. Now that cell's looking pretty cozy. The mission as the director explained was simple. Infiltrate an underground weapons facility owned by a massive multinational corporation, 'procure' a canister from the bioweapons lab and get out in one piece. Just like stealing candy from a baby. A baby in the seventh circle of hell.
You are to enter the main facility and work your way to the labs. How is up to you but should you err and trigger the alarm, your chances of getting to the chemical are going from impossible to worse. Upon reaching the office complex you will find a Hazardous Environment Suit belonging to one "Gordon Freeman." His "absence" has already been arranged by the department; assume his identity and enter the labs. From there it should be a cakewalk, if you're lucky. But if there's one thing you've learned in two years in the brig, it's that Lady Luck is a bitch. Intelligence has recieved reports of a radical terrorist organization planning actions against the facility. At least the security guards aren't out to kill anyone they see. Should this organization interfere with your plans, remember: you are above the law. Don't let anything stand in your way.
Contact with headquarters will be maintained via a special encrypted radio. As with the rest of your equipment, under no circumstances may any evidence of the department's existence fall into enemy hands. Good luck, soldier.
Review:
Half-life : Trespasser is a relatively good surprise that came out at the end of 2002. It is more reliable, in my opinion, to a kind of Opposing-force mission ( no presence of aliens/Xen world, military objective oriented). Your goal is to infiltrate a research facility center where you’re gonna face a lot of events (through cutscenes and set pieces), solving or surviving them is your only objective in order to reach the end. The author (this is his first release) tried to use a lot of new stuff to accomplish this one year work: new textures, remodelled enemies and a new weapon (Uzy). This all adds something personal to this release (makes me think of affliction). Naturally it has its flaws because after a perfect start (small puzzles, simple but good designed rooms, impressive new texture), the author enhanced his skill but also, in my opinion, worked faster. Results of this are a close to classic HL texture, some r_speed problems (with a new 3d card you wouldn’t notice them) and finally the final piece that is put in a launch facility with a countdown. This provides more a frustration feeling than one of accomplished work (like in ground zero). He could have added some HEV and health distributors or given more time for the countdown.
In conclusion: we have seen less releases than in the past years, but on the other hand, there is nearly no crap left. Even though it has some flaws, Trespasser is a really interesting enjoyment. Just thinking at the end that it was a little bit too short…but this was only due to the fact that I didn’t see time passing…because I enjoyed it.
A good mission pack that you should try.
Playtime: 1 hour 20
Rating: A B C D E (83 %)
Picture were curtously taken from tenfour...without permission...
