Monday, February 26, 2007

new link

I recently decided to add some review for the let's called them WW2 game release (so map for all version of Call of Duty and MOHAA)
If we consider Sp map corner as a place where we can see covering of most games that are related to science-fi and so to planetphillip, i thaught it was better to not mix WW2 and Sciense-fi.
If you're interest there is a link in the right toolbar called only for ww2 sp campain

if you want to add the link in your favorite : http://ww2spmapcorner.blogspot.com/


any suggestion or comment are welcome.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Abestos for FarCry



***NEW!!!***



Level name: Abestos

Author: Andrea & Davide Ranchetti

Date of release: 29 June 2004

Size: 5 702 ko

Number of maps: 1

website: -none-

download: http://farcry.filefront.com/file/Abestos;36948

Review :

This is my first try at Farcry Release, and i didn't really choose the best out of there. There is no storyline for this release it's just a shoot to progress mission with no objective. The mission just will lead you from place to place across three islands where you will need to eliminate all kind of enemies.

Design is below average, object are just put together in some place in a kind of atoll place consisting of 3 small islands first place is flat with quarters, miradors and other 'just put into stuff', when all enemies are out (pay attention that due to the fact there was not attention to frames per seconbd display several enemies does not always appeas) you will take a boat to the island you choose next (the ones in front is only consisting of non human enemies from all kinds) the last island being the best designed one (far away from a great designed map) where AI doesn't always react to your presents... I suppose the end is when you have kill all living entities.

In conclusion: without using some scripting and just putting things together doesn't offer a enjoyable experience. this release make me thinks to a lot of maps that where created for Duke Nukem with no archtitecture, oversize design and just being a killing feast. The only good thing for me is that the author understands basic tutorial that need to be use to create a map but didn't make any effort to create something consistant.





Playtime: 30 minutes







Rating: A B C D E (30 %)

Monday, February 12, 2007

Killing Shift for DOOM3

***NEW!!!***



Level name: Killing Shift

Author: GodMode

Date of release: 25 January 2007

Size: 3 007 ko

Number of maps: 1



website: -none-

download: http://planetphillip.filecloud.com/files/file.php?user_file_id=355641


Review :

Like the author tell in the readme file he builded the map in a classic Doom style. And this is really the case progression is streight forward with a mix between key hunting and monster killing.

Design is average with in some place perhaps to much details, link between places is well constructed with a good use of texturing, progression is quite easy and mixed between theme visited make the map a good enjoyment to play through. Architecture is perhaps a little to flat but provide a realistic outdoor and indoor environment.

Gameplay is well balanced, challenge is increasing with the progression and make it harder when you reach the end. Enemy placement are correct but could perhaps use more traps and ambushes. Ambience could have been anhanced by better use of lightning (quite good in the first part) and sounds (not enough present)

In conclusion: The author shows through this release that he manage to use in a good way the editor. There is still a lot of thing to implement in order to create a great doom3 release by, fpr example use of small cutscenes, more atmospheric architecture and certainly intercommunication through PDA. Even if the map could be rate as average since it produced a correct gaming experience i suggest you to play it to make your own opinion




Playtime: 30 minutes




Rating: A B C D E (66 %)

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Trite Breeding Facility for DOOM3



***NEW!!!***




Level name: Trite Breading Facility

Author: Thearrel 'Kiltron' McKinney

Date of release: 29 May 2006

Size: 25 895 ko

Number of maps: 1



website: http://meanarena.planetquake.gamespy.com/

download: http://planetphillip.filecloud.com/files/file.php?user_file_id=187411


Review :

For this mission you are send by a teleporter to a place where once more some scientifical experiment went wrong. You are send to the place to see if there is still something that could be done to clean the place.

Design is in this one a great surprise, All the area you will explore are massively created but never too repetitive (most great arena you will enter have quite the same feeling comparison between schreenshot), it's really a flash in the eyes how great it was put together. You are going to travell in a well organize way through the facility (from center place to vent 1 then get back to center place to go in vent 2 end after getting back to the main area for the boss fight before escape) progression is so linear but not in a linear way (forward-backward) if you know what i mean.

Gameplay is quite on the upper ranking providing weapons and ammo in the good place and not with overall profusion (health supplies goes in the same way) enemies placement is quite logic but also oldscholl (hard attack from different directions at the same time) and create an experience where too fast saving isn't the good solution. the whole experience is perfectly balanced and increase the gaming time without any frustration. there is no bug except perhaps the pain it takes to access vents (jump-crouch-forward...).

Ambiance is perhaps the only thing which disappoints me a little in this release, there is nearly no scenario that support you progression (through PDA for example) you are sometime in connection with you radio but for one of the place it seems quite interesting (control room with spider queen) the environment sound masked nearly all the conversation, most traps are way to predictible and not enough trilling (except the short attack moment after destroying the two cores) . Ambiance sound, lights effect and power failure trick could have certainly add something in this way.

In conlcusion: this release is a great piece of artwork quite atmospheric that just missed a small attention to general mission and ambiance to create perhaps a map part of the top 3 best DOOM3 release... it is still without no doubt part of my top 10 D3 map !

Playtime: 2 Hours



Rating: A B C D E (84%)

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Escape for Quake2

***NEW!!!***



Level name: Escape

Author: Mr White (Loki's mission)

Date of release: 09 September 1999

Size: 15.6 Mb

Number of maps: 5 + 1 secret


website: here

download: here

Story:

You are the only member of your platoon to be captured alive. You have been imprisoned on a Strogg space vessel on it's way to Stroggos, where you will most likely be turned into food. As luck would have it, you're able to overpower a careless guard in your cell and take his blaster. This is where we begin. What comes next is up to you. Good luck, you'll need it.

Review :

I just decided to replay some Q2 stuff recently and since other releases I have played from the author where great (the Xeno project 1&2). I decided to give this one a try. First of all I installed the mod (easy with the self installer) and then I start directly into the atmosphere by a short cutscenes that shows up.

Then starts you mission survive, destroy and escape. All put together this mod is really convincing with all what makes a release enjoyable: mostly above average design (with perfect set of textures, ambiance and creation) from outdoor to indoor, with hallways and quarters, in a mix of colours that only suffer from the old engine (structure and details looks sometimes to rough and not enough squaled to detail).

Scripting is perfect and link all maps together to make you fullfill objectives in the best way adding a lot (perhaps too much) travelling. The addition of a new weapon and some new codded soldiers add the perfect touch to transfer from a simple episode to full pack mod.

Gameplay is great from start to end and make it difficult to stop a while alternating puzzles and fights with some secrets hunting or looking for health to survive because it's also in some place a challenging experience. The experience isn't to complicated to solve and if this is the case there is a walkthrough available. After solving all those little objetive you will need to return to the starting ship to achive your last objective...destroy the research lab (there is also a kind of alterantive ending by a secret level) and so that's it...

In conclusion: playing through this mod (after playing Zaero demo) just reviel to my eyes that there seems to be a bunch of good Q2 releases I never tried before. If you still have you Q2 CD i really recommand to reinstall it on your computer taking in account that use of Opengl with up to date processor and grafic card could certainly give a second breath to all those Q2 release and particulary this one!

Playtime: 4 Hours

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Rating: A B C D E (88%)




Note: those screenshots were taken without permission from the 3d m r review mostly to show the quality of design you can obtain if everything is fixed correctly in High definition