New Levels
New Levels
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SP = Single Player
DM = Deathmatch CO =
Cooperative
| 1-21-99
Homage to Mars 5.2 megs approx SP By- Ben Glover |
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| Once upon a time there was a girl called Doom. Bit of a stupid name for a girl, yes, but her parents were hippies, so you can't really blame her. Anyway, this girl had a dress. For the time, it was a gorgeous dress. It cost loads and she had it specially made by designers from italy and she loved it and wore it for years. Others loved it too. All the boys danced with her at parties, she had a lively and varied social life. However, as she got older, the dress started to fray and made her look frumpy. Then, a nice man called Ben came a long and gave her new dress and it was very nice indeed... Doom is back. Coloured lighting, real 3D, strogg AI, new levels, keeping with the theme of the original and surpassing that of the original designers. Doom's first dress was nice was nice, but her new one from Ben makes even the Italians look like amatures. Yum. 
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| 1-20-99
Breakout 3 megs approx SP By- Bob Sjollema |
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| Here's something that you rarely see in maps anymore: originality. In this map, imaginatively title Breakout you must breakout (hence the title =) from a strogg prison by waiting for a guard to come past on his rounds and shooting a switch (much like in a Jedi knight level) to open you door. Once done and your "Breakout" is made, you embark on an adventure to take down the prison camp and escape to a very impressive ship. The ship itself is driven by a turbine system, so when it speeds up, the ship takes off. All well and good, but what is really cool about it is when you walk under said turbines, the wind produce actually pushes you down! Great! This is an example of the attention to detail from the author who provides a continually intriguing and refreshing unit. Bob uses great rock, and high tech textures together to form what looks like an old prison that's been upgraded, an effect that brigdes between Quake and Quake 2 genres. Which is nice. The combat is really really hard and will keep an average player going for at least an hour, if not longer. I really enjoyed this unit and it goes to show that with a bit of originality a good set of maps can be produced.
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| 1-20-99
The Relay Station 1.2 megs approx SP By- Rick Troppman |
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| If there's one thing that I admire in Quake2 levels, it's a sense of scale. A deep, dark sense of hugeness really makes me stop and go "oh". This level, rather thankfully has that feature, along with good, solid, hard combat. While some of the graphical effects are a bit weird in places (like the generator) some of the areas that you pass through are bloody massive. Combat invloved is very hard, with enemies hunting in packs of gunners, or soldiers and becoming quite formidable, while liberal use of tanks breaks up the gameplay to give more of a challenge. Lighting is always great, giving a dark atmosphere to the levels with a feeling of evil eminating throughout. Coloured lighting is always nice and the colours don't often clash, though it does happen in a few areas. While nothing to rave about and run around naked because off, The Relay station is still a good solid level. If they made Quake 2 levels in the good old days after getting home from the mines, they would be like this.
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| 1-20-99
Premonition of Angron 5 megs approx SP By- Jonas N.P Lindstrom |
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| This maps gets 3 awards in total. Because it is on this page, it gets a Killer Map award. Because of the title, it gets the frst award of the year for The Title that Sniv Doesn't Understand. And finally, it gets the award for the best map I have ever played yet. Jonas has the formula to make a great unit. It goes like this: Jaw Dropping Archetecture + excellent combat + puzzles + huge, lasting mission ---> spoogefest. This formula works every time in in this case especially well. The story itself is pretty minimalist like most other 3D shooters so I won't bore you, and you can read it when you DL this baby. Howver, it's the execution of said yarn that Janas comes into his own. Traps, baddie placement, flow, and use of the hub system are all excellent. the great features are too great to mentions, but I'll go through a couple that stood in my mind: Lasers from textures eyes, trageting (?) blaster traps, trap doors, spinning laser gauntlet... The level of detail is truely amazing and someplaces, like the crypt are challenging without becoming annoying. Infortunately, if this level has one fault it's the ending, which is basically shooting lots at the end of game monster, which is a huge let down after what you've been through. Even after the fight though, you still have to get back to base after saving God's-- er, John Carmack's head. Its cool, it's double hard and it's quite probably the best thing I've ever played.
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| 1-20-99
Remains 800k approx SP By- Juha Koiste |
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| After his really quite nice Old Storage Area 2, which also gained a killer map award, Juha Koiste is back again and this time he is kicking some serious donkey. Blending a perfect mix of beautiful awe-inspiring arches and olde-worlde archetecture with Modern computers, you battle through non-stop action in a tiny level that proves you don't always have to be huge to be exciting, which is good news for midgets everywhere.
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| 1-1-99
Space Odysees 3 - Lost in Universe 3 megs
SP By- Yuri Davidov |
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| Space Odysees is a truly beautiful thing, without a doubt. Yuri Davidov, creator of the rest of the Space Odysees series (duh) has really pulled out all the stops in this baby to release a level that rivals some parts of Half-Life. Yes, the level really is that good. There's a part where a spaceship flies overhead and it really is jaw droppingly amazing. As well as being amazing, this is also bloody hard. I played it through on Medium skill and it really put my skills with the mouse to the test. Aiming when you've got a bunch of Stroggs breathing down your neck, especially when you're too busy gawping at the stunning archetecture to see what the hell you're doing. As is showcased in his other levels, his attention to detail bowls you over and the distinctly unique alien structures are a sight to behold. Transparency effects are used to good effect, combined with brilliant themed lighting schemes and combat so tough you'll want to kick the crap out of your new, $3000, ninja bastard PC until it apologises and then go back and play some more. So play it.
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| 12-12-98
Isolation Therapy 404k
DM 2-10 By- Jason Jeannette (aka Bugman) |
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Bugman comes through to deliver a great map in a time of need. This is a abandoned military outpost built into the side of a mountain, and it's really well done. In certain parts of the map you look at it and say to yourself, "Yeah, that looks like it's built into a mountain". It's difficult with the Quake2 engine to create believable outdoor environments but Bugman has done an exceptional job. I suggest playing this one with around five of six other people, it should be a lot of fun. Bugman just keeps getting better and better with every map. Lets hope that he continues to make them.
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| 12-9-98
Soldier of Fortune 4: Cold as Ice 3.5 megs approx
SP By- Neil Manke |
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| 'Tis a sad, sad day in the Quake community. Niel Manke, undisputed king of the original level design biz is leaving us for other, slightly better engines. Soon, the Half-Life and Sin blokies will be readying their spooge cannons for his latest masterpiece. But hey, we've got this baby. Set spooge connons to "Jaw drop", crewman. Yes, it's Neil's final part of the highly acclaimed and bloody great Soldier of Fortune series. For those of you with only 3 fingers and two brain cells, this is number 4 in the running and you've just crashed your mate's best Snow-mobile. No, this isn't a sitcom, it's the start of a roller-coaster ride through Commie land as you blast your way through snow-wolves (new model!), big Bears (Mutants with fur. Yum) and enemy soldiers, all sporting lovely new outfits. The skins themselves are marvelous and Manke's partner in crime, Andrew Ellington should have credit for his wonderful dogs. They're rather neat, really. As usual, Neil combines a story the likes of which the Quake II engine will never see again with top quality new textures and skies and atmospheres. The icey coolness of the aptly titled Cold as Ice really comes across in the snowy new art and the ice over the lakes is gobsmacking, with cracks and seams and icy stuff that Matt slips around on a lot, stopping to do a dance routine with Torvile and Dean (not really, but that'd be pretty neat to see =). It goes without saying that the level design is of professional quality, but seeing as this is a review, I'd better. The level design is of professional quality (sorry =). Action is thick and fast, terrifying and breatless from the start to the brilliant finish. You know you like Neils levels, and you should've clicked that link up there and started the download. Play the game, revel in its glory and then realise that you'll never see this sort of thing in Quake 2 ever again.
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