Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Fate reversal for Half-Life

***New***
Level name:Fate Reversal

Author: Mikko Sandt

Release date: 7 June 2010

Size: 35 248 ko

Number of maps: 10

 website: here

alternative download: here

Review :

and so it begins: "What if Freeman weren't held in stasis during the portal storm that ravaged the Earth and caught the attention of the Combine? What if Freeman had a chance to prevent the Combine invasion from ever materializing? What if Freeman could reverse mankind's fate?" this is a small abstact from the author's page at moddb.

I need to mention that Mikko, who I know virtually for more 10 years, ask me to be part from the beta testing team for his release which I really consider as an honor (regarding the amount of people Mikko knows  from all the forum he visit) So I did my job and played this one for 3 times without any boring or frustration putting in adavance that it was fun to play through but after I never could find the time to replay it after beta stage for a review now nearly two year after it's done.

Design: was great looking, I know how not to difficult a level construction can be with the duke nukem editor but everytime I wanted to go to those other type of Editor included wordcraft I was totally lost and unefficiant to do sometime correct except a squared room, so Mikko estonish me already with a  good quake1 level (here) and one more time with this new episode for Half-Life it took him 3year on and off to create something really good, he should be proud of that.
Mostly all the stuffs that are necessary to create a good package his here present cutscene, new textures and skyboxes, models,sounds everything is present except perhaps some new weapons or music.
The archticeture is also well put together in a not linear way with traps and tricks and a good variety of texture and details (door and other stuff could have be a little bit more used,  in the other hand vent grids and lights source could have perhaps be a little less used but that's part of the author choice and if you look to every tiny detail you never finish you work...There is a good mix between outdoor and indoor, animation, battle scene and even some travel with a truck or even a vessel...the experience flows perfectly in a quite wide environment and also with a good variety to layout with doesn't disturb the storyline.

Gameplay is quite difficult to juge after you play it more than one times but in medium skill it's perfect, lots of time I had nearly no life left but enough to survive and find some rewards the progression is not complicated and objective seems quite evident I never encountered any frustration through my progression, open place your are visiting look sometime a little boxy in therm of overal view but in compensation most of indoor area are perfectly put together so that the travel through this episode is enjoyable.

 In conclusion: Mikko is really able to create anything you want with any editor avialable and this with a great skill...If you never play one of his release it's never too late and why not starting with this one.



Playtime: 1 hour 10 min

 Rating: A B C D E (89%)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Dead Memories for Quake 1

***New***




Level name: Dead Memories

Author: Scampie

Size: 1 854 ko

Number of maps: 1


Author's website: here

download: from quaddicated

Description

Non given from the author in the txt file

Review :

This time you are in an industrial base or a classic action packed experience that will turn in a original way because of the malfunction of a portal that will bring you unwanted enemies from the past.

The theme of this single map is Industrial base mostly and is really neat, texture is perfectly use to create a good floability attention is also put to detail and everything you go across like wall screens bring you a text message.
The progression through the whole base is well organised with a not linear approach and linked to the
finding of keys.
the background story is also a good point with the fact that a portal problem is bringing to the base lots of wierd enemies coming from past, this makes me think to several more recent game
Challenge is increasing with your progression but never brings frustration through unbeatable battles,
puzzle are just there to make you a little think evendow the first thing is to progess and kill, but if thinking and searching is part of your gaming pleasure then there are secrets places for you happyness.
I've got sometimes the feeling to have something quite new in Q1 in therm of storyline and the way to transcript it in a map
Gameplay is well balanced it becomes something challenging but never frustrating, enemy placement
and the respawning to put you in difficulty is well used sothat the experience flows without any
slowdown in interest. The progression allows you also to jump from place to place and try to find all those secret places

In conclusion: The author really is able to imerse you in a really enjoyable gaming experience
without using special stuffs or effects, in a classic way it's just nearly perfect



 Statistics on normal skill:    playtime 26' 57''    secrets 3/9     kills 128/128




Playtime: 30 min



Rating: A B C D E (93%)



Sunday, March 18, 2012

Magellanic Stream for Half Life 2 Ep 2


***New***



Level name: Magellanic Stream
Author: Miiga

Release date: 19 February 2012

Size: 6 469 ko

Number of map: 1


website: none


download: at planetphillip

Story
 
None by the author



Review :

Design:  Is well put together only in an indoor environment lot's of puzzle are well made and certainly add a special atmosphere to the design it's for shure never tremendous or exiting to enter a new room because it's simpe krafted in the way it should but there was no aim and no time to look at the environment and since it's only indoor it's not that easy to catch the attention visually especially when the environment is limited by the puzzle and combats to make it challenging

Gameplay: The map is design for it, from easy puzzles to surpising one this map will provide you in term of gameplay and excellent challenge and especially the one with the water rising, this one is reallty trilling through all the stuffs put on your route to brake you progression there is a good mix between simple puzzle and traps and thaught combats especially the ending one. Everything is well put together to provide the experience we like and which motivate us to play. It's not that easy too and this may cause disapointed to some gamer like the fact that you will never see any sky which could have been a good end suprise.

In conclusion: this is not the fist experience from Miigga and ones more this will catch you attemption perhaps sometime with frustration but also when you manage to win the final battle with some rewardness of finishing it. A good map for a short but intense experience



Playtime: 1 hour



Rating: A B C D E (88%)

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Altar of Storms for Quake 1

***New***




Level name: The Altar of Storms

Author: Corey 'Necros' Jones

Size: 47 680 ko

Number of maps: 2


Author's website: here

download: from quaddicated

Description

2 Large maps set in a frozen world.  Sort of a tribute to TES4:Oblivion: The first map is a pseudo open-world map.
The theme for the second map is similar to ayleid ruins and the layout for the second map is based on the 'Miscarcand' (all 3 sections) dungeon.

Review :

The place where all happens is a castle like an iceberg (only 1/10 is visible) lost somewhere in a montain on a cold age, this level used a lot of features included new monster and boss a new shotgun and a great overall atmodsphere

You start in the outdoor area and need to go incide and collect runes and keys to progress through different places


Design is perfectly crafted, the use of custom textures  and well put together architecture create a unique atmosphere, lot's of even and traps are also include in this release which really breaks from classic gaming experience, every progression make you come accross new feature, and you know tahn when you enter a big room something awaits you

Gameplay is fantastic there is good display of feature from weapons to munition and health everything show mostly at the right moment, you can also break thinks arround to collect special bonus but pay attention not all of them are good suprsise, the combat are well equilibrate from challenging room to more tiny battle the progression also increase the challenge all new enemies really add a great enjoyment in your travel quest....dont simply forget that in quake if the combat is closer is more efficent to kill enemies  .
The progression is quite evident but this isn't the case for the secret places that need more attention which was not my case, no really chance to get lost but at the end some event force you to hurry and this give also some trilling, another great moment, then it's time to quite the undergrund to face the bost who will provide more bad surprise, the 'bath of health' like seen in Half-Life Xen part  give you another original alternative to a direct fight, and at the end the is a great scene to complete the pak

In conclusion: Just wow... playing this kind of release really immerse you in the past gaming which was so fantastic, if this come with lots of new features in an excellent achitecture is pure happyness

Note: The auhor provide some usefull info in the reame file to prevent crashing the game, I didn't encountered any problem with my machine 

 Statistics on normal skill:  map fingers of the gods  playtime 24' 32''    secrets 1/6     kills 261/278 
                                          map Ruins                    playtime   6'  02''    secret  0/0     kills     8/39    



Playtime: 1 hour



Rating: A B C D E (98%)



Monday, January 02, 2012

Happy new year 2012

I wish to all visitors a happy new year, just enjoy every good moment of you life and don't think to much about future because you don't know anything about it

So I wish a great gaming year for all of you ;)