Shaun [Kona] Ross is quickly becoming one of
the most prolific authors out there. With his
latest, the 3rd map in the Mel Soaring series
(the first can be found here and the second
here), he returns to Q2 editing and provides
a gorgeous new map for everyone to enjoy, with
the lengthy title Mel Soaring 3: Tomb of the
Makron God.
After almost releasing this one for Half-Life,
Shaun decided to port it to Q2 due to the lack
of good singleplayer enemies in HL. I must say
I'm glad he did. The resulting creation is simply
a treat to behold.
I suppose I should tackle gameplay before launching
into my adjective-laden visual speech. =) Shaun
focuses on pure action in MS3. There are a couple
objectives to accomplish, but they take a backseat
to true fragging pleasure in a beautiful environment.
All the standard devices of destruction are
here, and there's definitely no shortage of
Strogg for you to plow through with your Railgun
or Chaingun. On the whole, I thought the level
was very well balanced, as I always had plenty
of ammo but still had to be careful and watch
my health level. Very nicely done.
OK, now I get to rave about the visuals! In
a word: stunning. You really have to play through
this one to get a feel for how great it looks,
the screenshots just don't do the map justice.
I have to admit I skipped playing this on my
older computer and went straight to 1024x768
resolution on my TNT. Wow...
As you can tell, a plethora of new textures
are used on the majority of surfaces in the
level. A couple new ambient sounds are thrown
in as well and the result is a wonderfully atmospheric
experience. You won't be disappointed by how
this map looks.
Really my only complaint is the abrupt ending.
I was so into the level that the quick ending
with no real climax was a bit of a letdown.
Perhaps some earthquakes, explosions, or maybe
an escape that was timed to increase tension
would have been in order?
Mel Soaring 3 is definitely an enjoyable map
on its own, though the end result would have
been much more satisfying with a better ending.
Still, if you want some great-looking visuals
and good action, you shouldn't miss this one.
