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4-23-98
Saturation Point 3.38M SP/DM (first two levels) Authored by- Jim Hughes | ||
Here is a three level level pack packed full of action and fun. Each of the levels are all very good maps in themselves and deserve their own Killer Map award. The architecture is very large and solid with enough detail to make things look interesting but not to much as to effect any slowdowns in game play.
The plot as stated in the text file is followed very closely helping to make this an extremely realistic setting. You will start on the outside of this level and fight your way into and find the lower lab where it will be your job to take out a computer and save our planet from the Strogg's evil plan to poison the waters.
Once inside you will have to deal with an enemy which will not only be well placed but they also for some reason don't want you to be there! I really thought Jim did a great job connecting all three large levels by making a very smooth transition between them all.
Each of these levels had many fun things to do to get to the final end. There were many secrets throughout all three levels which will definitely come in handy when you are in the hard skill and were mighty fun to find as well. The lighting was excellent in most places and really added to the mood of this set. I can't wait to see more of Jim's work as this was one hell of a good start. I'm sure most people will really enjoy these levels as I did. There are many hours of action packed fun waiting for you so get them today!
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| 11-8-98
PCGamer Presents- Saving private Monkey 8.4 megs
SP By- Neil Manke |
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| It's here! The final installment in the awe-inspiring Coconut Monkey Series! CM3 sees Coco beaming into World War Two to stop the evil Pierre as he infiltrates the third reich with his strogg forces, complete with fetching Nazi uniforms! More top notch textures, maps and new skins from Neil and his team of dudes makes this pak all the more. There's bunkers, and underground forts and huge guns and Pierre with an Uzi. Groovy. Also making a welcome return to the Quake scene is the dog! It looks like it's lifted from Quake 1 totally but it still rules. Baddie placement is perfect. Jumps await and dogs stay with their Nazi-masters, until you here the immortal cry "Sick balls chopper!" (Not really, but I love that movie...). This map is also a total double-hard bastard. It took me a couple of days to fight through it and even the first beach is a bitch to get out of (there are two ways. Easy and hard. Dumbass that is me went the hard way...). All in all, this is a fitting a nearly perfect conclusion to Neils trilogy. Not as good as Dry Gulch but still better than the best of the rest. 
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| 12-2-98
Space Odysees: part 2 1.5 megs approx
SP By- Yuri Davidov |
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| This map is not for the faint of heart or the faint of processor. I'm reviewing this level now, a month or so after I first got it because I couldn't run it on my old Cyrix P150. Now, a P400 and a Voodoo2 card later, it runs like a dream with Sandra Bullock in it: fast and gorgeous. As the name so subtly suggests, this is part two of a lil' two part saga and although I haven't played part one yet, I may just have to hunt it down, because this baby is nice. Drop dead lovely archetecture, really good and hard baddie placement and a flow like an un-naturally fast river. the use of vehicles, both at the start and at the end is a welcome and refeshing change from the usual formula of "base style+all mates dead+boredom=substandard level". Docking with the station you see something that really blows your mind. Awe-inspiring alien archetecture greets you as well as a darned good and fiendish puzzle to commence. Confused me, anyway! This is Quake 2! Shooting! Maiming! Killing! Using my brain is not the first thing that I do, but I loved it. These some slightly annoying features, such as some ladders that don't quite waork, but ingenious level design makes up up for it. Without wanting to ruin too much, let me say this: Spaceships rule. So there you have it. You've read to spooge, now play! It's worth it! Yuri, my hat is yours.
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12-31-97
Strogg's Garage 544K SP/DM ? players Authored by- Ludovic Texier | ||
| A really good single player level as well as a deathmatch level. I really enjoyed the layout and the architecture was great!
There are 3 good secrets for you to find and the author has the skill setting implemented. I had a great time playing this level in all settings. The monster and powerup placements were very good giving the player just enough stuff when needed. When trying the deathmatch portion I found it to be a little disappointing in the balance dept. but still a lot of fun. Get this one today and start the new year right!
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6-20-98
SLAUGHTERSHIP 3.36M SP Authored by- Neil Manke | ||
| Another masterpiece from the level wizard himself... This two map episode is as different as they come. It is the first space theme level I have seen so far in user maps and really ROCKS! It has a great beginning where you get to ride on a captured shuttle to the ship crashing into a landing bay using some effects that only Neil seems to know how to do.
The whole thing is based on a secret Strogg ship in space that even intel didn't know about and has a pretty good story in the text file explaining what's going on.
The architecture is amazing to look at in most places. He has done just the right things with it to make the player actually feel they are on the ship! This ship really is in space and you can actually clip through it and see the whole thing! There are plenty of cool combat situations to challenge you all throughout it and the monster placement is really exceptional!
There are tons of secrets to find and explore for which makes the level even better for me =). I especially enjoyed the special effects like the asteroids that crash into the ship and I can still hear the special screams he put into this! They were really nice to see and Neil did a great job of creating them. This level is a lot unlike Neil in that he used mostly Id textures for it but he sure did a great job using them.
Some of the view points were magnificent with the player being able to see not just the space environment we are usually used to seeing.. but you can actually see the hull of the ship itself! And did i mention it is really gruesome and full of torture scenes like swimming through the blood and up into a human deboner/juicer machine? I could ramble on for hours about this level but you really have to see it to believe it!
I really hope to see a sequel to this as its a great start for a new kind of Quake 2 style... The space theme!
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12-27-97
Slipgate '98 697K SP/DM/CO Authored by- Erich "Master Fett" Heintz | ||
| The first single player map to hit the net =) This is almost an exact replication of the slipgate complex in Quake. It really felt sweet playing this very familiar map with the q2 engine. From the moment I first started playing this level I was all smiles and am sure you will be too =) Be sure to read the text file for installation instructions of the .pak file.
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1-12-98
Strogg Particle Laser 831K SP Authored by- Doug Magee | ||
| This is a very well constructed level with some great architecture.
With all of the difficulty levels implemented and a few changes here and there, this level is now quite a challenge and even more fun then the first version! I enjoyed the smooth game flow and it's plot and know you will too.
I certainly hope you are able to jump because in order to finish this level you will have to be right on target! The monster placement was pretty good throughout the level and I was even surprised a time or two. Enjoy this level today =)
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5-31-98
Soldier of Fortune Inc. - Mission 2 1.71M SP Authored by- Neil Manke | ||
| Been wondering where Neil was hiding all this time? Well now you will see some of his Quake 2 work with this very refreshing "Soldier of
Fortune" level he has made for Rysher Entertainment and is featured on the PC Gamer Cd for June. This version is a little better with a few new features than what is on that CD. Finally, a level that isn't a typical Quake2 level!
This is a nearly totally outside level which will keep you busy for hours! I really liked the new mountain environment and the new textures Neil has added to this.
You will be able to kill monsters with your helicopter, which i found pretty neat, and there are a lot of other surprises as well like having to pop a grenade down the air intake of a small submarine to get into it. There are around 4 fairly large areas on this map packed full of action for you and he also has included 6 secrets to find too.
I found the design of the map to be pretty good with more than one way for the player to go to get the job done. The monster placement is excellent and will be a great challenge for most especially in the hard skill. So if you think you have what it takes to be a good soldier, get this great level today!
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3-16-98
Starseed 649K SP Authored by- Jeff Turner | ||
| I was very impressed with the quality of this first ever level by Jeff. It has a good mix of outside, inside, and underground areas which make the level very interesting.
The only thing I didn't like was there were no difficulty settings but there are 80 enemies to dispose off which will keep you pretty busy. The author did a good job with his secondary objectives so I pretty much knew what I should be doing most of the time.
The flow of this level was outstanding and helped make it a lot of fun. The placement of the monsters and the items you will need were pretty good and made this not only fun to play but a good challenge as well. Get it today!
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3-25-98
Starseed 2 731K SP Authored by- Jeff Turner | ||
| This level is a sequel to his last level, Starseed. You will see that this author has vastly improved his editing skills with this really well rounded level. Some of the architecture is put together really fine adding to the realism of the level. The gameplay is very smooth and you should really be able to get into playing it as there are plenty of things to do and places to go. I liked the layout of the level and all the neat things you will get to do.
The mission objectives work really well throughout the level and were pretty clear on what you needed to do at all times. The monster and item placement is pretty good making for a good fight, I was even surprised in the end by two different things the author has done. Hard skill is just what it claims to be... HARD but do-able. There is just enough ammo to get the job done. I think Jeff did a great job with this level and will be looking forward to seeing more from him in the future. This level was just what the doctor ordered so get it now!
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4-4-98
Starseed 3 703K SP/CO Authored by- Jeff Turner | ||
| It looks like Jeff just keeps getting better with this very well designed level that was an awful lot of fun for me to play. I couldn't believe he had made another great level so darn fast because it was just 9 days ago when I reviewed Starseed 2! I liked just about every part of it and know you probably will too!
His architecture was pretty nice to see in most places with some fine details and it was a very pretty level with nice lighting. Only one detail that kind of bugged me was left out of this level... I felt he should have done something with his doors... i'm sure you will see what i mean when you play it. It doesn't really distract from the overall game play but it was very noticeable to me. His placement of items and monsters was just right. There always seemed to be the right ammo and other powerups when i needed it but not too much. The game flow was pretty basic but its a very smooth level to play from start to finish.
There was a good mix of combat situations which will provide you with a good challenge in the hard skill. So quit reading this and get it already!
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5-22-98
Tab5: House of Jorg 670K SP/DM 6 Players Authored by- Michael Contorno | ||
| Another good all around level to play from Michael who has produced 4 other good maps so far. I liked most of the layout of this level as it was filled with fun from the start to the end and never let me down as far as the action goes.
The ammo and powerups are just sufficient to get the job done in hard skill so you will want to conserve on some of your ammo when possible to have enough for the end boss.
I particularly enjoyed the combination of the ambient monster sounds in the beginning giving it an eire feeling off the starting block. There are three secrets to be found and they are not too hard to spot which is fine because you wont have a lot of time to explore because you will be pretty busy.
There is a good trap in the level but not so deadly if you keep your cool. It is well marked but still surprised me! There is one part where you get to ride a train. I enjoyed it enough to include it in one of the pictures here.
Have some fun and get this fine level today!
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6-3-98
Tab6: The Mutator Labs 915K SP/DM 6 Players Authored by- Michael Contorno | ||
| Another fine level from Michael from a long line of levels he has been making. This time your mission is to infiltrate the base and shut down two mutator labs the strogg have made changing humans into their own kind.
Even though this level isn't the prettiest level I have seen you will be faced with a tough battle as the author has set up quite a gauntlet of enemies to keep you very busy. Game flow was really good and consistent and the monster placement in most areas was excellent.
He had quite a mix of monsters for you to deal with and also included two fairly easy secrets as well. I really liked his bridges and some other pieces of architecture even though I believe they were prefabs but they all worked pretty well in this level.
This level should also work well as a deathmatch level for 6 people. I had a lot of fun beating this one on hard skill since the ammo and other powerups got pretty scarce so you will want to be sure to not take too many hits and you will have to almost always hit your targets.
One thing is for sure about the level, you will have fun playing it! Get this level and start playing it today!
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3-19-98
The Relay Station 1.09M SP/DM/CO Authored by- Rick Troppman | ||
| This level blew my doors off! Rick has really done a great job with this soon to be one of your favorite levels. Your mission will be to disable the Strogg's 20 gigawatt
Ku relay transmitter. The Strogg will not be happy to see you as you will soon find out in this heavily populated level! The first thing that impressed me from the very beginning was the use of ambient sounds throughout the entire level.
They gave it almost and erie feeling as I went on. The monster placement was really good creating a very challenging level in all skill levels. I liked most of the architecture and the authors use of the lighting is really nice.
The only problem with this level is a slowdown in a room which is mentioned in the text file. The mission objectives will let you know what's happening and what to do next.
There are some very good secrets to find and will provide you with all of the necessary things you will need to finish. Very nice work!
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1-23-98
The Training Ground 365K SP/DM ? Players Authored by- Ledman | ||
| This level was a whole lot of fun for me even though there were no difficulty levels. The monster placement was great as well as the general design.
The item placement was great too and provided enough ammo and weapons to get the job done. As its name implies it is a training map and had a lot of fun things to do and was great for basic training for any player.
I found the level to be a little too dark for my tastes but the author used the darkness to give a lot of advantage to your adversaries. It says in the text file that this is a deathmatch level also but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. For a lot of fun playing a level get this one today!
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1-10-98
The Man's Base 456K SP/DM 1-7 players Authored by- Jon Seigel | ||
| Here is a pretty good single player level which will make a good deathmatch level as well. I had a lot of fun with this map and found it to be quite a challenge in the hard skill.
The architecture is pretty much the basic Quake 2 stuff and there didn't seem to be any new textures but it looked fairly good and played well. You will also have fun finding the 3 secrets scattered throughout the level. The level's size wasn't to big but it felt pretty big. You might enjoy the maze in the warehouse.
It wasn't to hard to follow and provided lots of different combat situations. The game flow was pretty good and the monster placement was good as well. I'm sure you will enjoy it =)
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| 11-1-98
The Widening Gyre or the mirror site here 2 megs approx.
SP By- Carson Utz (Riscchip) |
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| This level is huge, and it rules. The first thing I saw when I entered was a beautifully structured corridor. Now, usually, corridors are corridors, but this... this was a corridor. Angular archways gave structure to it as it streached away into a door rimmed with blue light. I was in for something good, I knew it. I opened the door, and walked in, boom, I was dead from a hidden gunner. Slightly peeved, and more than a little humiliated, I rushed back in, kicked some ass and never looked back. This was the beginning of a journey that would last for 3 days as I explored and fought my was through a huge, 5005 brush level. And it was great. Let me elaborate. Bad guys were perfectly placed to keep the action smooth and exciting. I died lots, but I never got fed up with it. It was a masterfully crafted challenge. The archetechture blew me away totally. Even the attention of detail and effort shown in the stairs was cool. Sectors were lit moodily with greens and blues and reds, adding to the atmosphere. Tank "bosses" and huge gauntlets were used every now and then to break the level up and the texturing and attention to detail rivaled the iD levels. Outdoor sections, something that the Quake engine is notoriously bad at were as fast on my P150 as they could be on my P400 (ninja bastard PC that I never use for reviewing. I stay with the tech specs on the box). In fact, my P150 is lower than the base specs and it ran like a dream. I would even go so far to say that this could probably run with a little slowdown but not much on a P133 w/ 48megs of RAM and a 3D card. You do have a 3D card, don't you? I may even go so far as to say this surpassed my favourite, COS2. Okay, so maybe it's on par. This isn't just a level, it's an experience. Miss this, and you have no right to call yourself a Quake 2 fan. Now stop reading, go grab!
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