This map has been ready for a while,
waiting for the right time to be released
- right time as defined by the authors,
because The Resident SPQ2 Fiend and other
SPQ2 fans in the know have been looking
forward to this one for quite some time.
Right off the bat, we are treated to
a typical Kona map - visually very slick
and detailed, with textures by Metlslime
from Oblivion, according to the text file.
The sky, though, is trademark Kona: blue,
beautiful, and very different from most
other skies, even if we do not see a lot
of it in this map. The theme is another
Strogg base, but this one is by no means
YASB. The MetsFan was very taken with
the lighting, and The Fiend concurs. Again
typical of a Kona map, the action meanders
around and around, and you get to revisit
the same area many times from different
vantage points and through different doors,
very reminiscent of Machine Reborn. In
other words, if you see a door you cannot
go through, either it will open for you
later, or you will find yourself coming
through it from the other side. The Fiend
found only one of the two secrets - it
is in plain sight, but requires taking
damage to get. Actually, there are a couple
of places that require taking some damage
to proceed, which both The Fiend and MetsFan
find distasteful - but one could argue
that Real Life(tm) also requires damage
occasionally... Layout was fairly linear;
there are alternative paths to pursue,
but not very far if one wants to progress.
Still, it did not feel like cattle-in-a-chute
construction to The Fiend. Maybe it was
the lighting.
Watch out for that slime, though - if
you fall in it, you're toast, because
there is generally no way to get out of
it.
Gameplay?
Well it is up to the usual Kona standards,
but maybe not as tough as some. Satyr
was a a lot harder, with 197 enemies to
the 120 here, and even Machine Reborn
had a tougher ending. Nonetheless, you
are never going to be bored. Placement
is excellent, and the authors are not
afraid to spawn new enemies in cleared
areas. In fact, this may be another minor
gripe for The Fiend: the enemies spawn
with no teleporter sound and no warning
except for the typical Quake 2 "thunk"
sound. Still, the combat is quite survivable,
and ammo is quite adequate, especially
for us Blaster Fiends. Be careful of the
health, though. There is enough of it,
but by no means too much. MetsFan was
not too fond of the ending, and it was
indeed a tad difficult, particularly if
one does not have the Quad Damage for
the Makron. Not too many places to hide,
but The Fiend managed, after some On-The-Job
training, in the form of getting killed
out...
Final remark: once you've taken down
the Jorg/Makron mentioned in the story,
that's it. You will be thrown into another
map, but you have accomplished your mission,
and can take a rest.
Another Superb effort from Kona, this
time in conjunction with Metlslime. Go
forth, all you Fiendlets, and blast those
Strogg to gibs in these delightful surroundings...
and remember to let Kona and Metlslime
know how much you enjoyed their efforts...
Ummmm... the short form of the review is "Superb!"
Want more words? OK, "Absolutely Superb!"
Those of you who just want to see the bottom
line, who always read the end of novels before
reading the beginning and middle, can now do
that download and begin playing. As for the
rest of you who would like a leeetle teeeny
bit more detail behind The Resident SPQ2 Fiend's
pronouncement...
Disclaimer/disclosure: I playtested this map,
as mentioned in the news item that probably
got you here. While I do not believe that this
leads me to excessive or even any significant
prejudice in its favor, you may wish to keep
this fact in mind, at least until you can play
it and judge for yourself.
It's been quite a while since The Fiend has
been so immersed in a map, so much at the edge
of his seat. The first, last, and greatest impression
left is one of suspense. "What foul monsters
are waiting just around the corner to eat my
face? Oh, I see. Now where can I get a new face?..."
Shaun Ross somehow manages to grab you by the
eyeballs and never let go. While The FIend is
normally something of a sneak, he found himself
positively oozing around corners, trying to
look in all directions at once, ears cranked
up on high gain, just waiting to get hammered.
What is it about the map that does this? The
Fiend is not really sure, to be honest, but
it has to be a combination of factors.
First of all, if you have not read the story,
go do so now. It really sets the stage well,
and also provides a real warning for you: enemies
will appear in areas you thought were cleared.
Kona is nasty, mean, and cruel, but he is not
totally unfair: the appearance is accompanied
both by a noise and a visual effect. You may
recognize the noise from DAV's Strogg Towers
and Teleportation System Complex. You will surely
grow to hate this noise... This use of (virtual)
teleporters allows Kona to play games with monster
placement that will guarantee that even the
best players will take damage regularly. In
all fairness, health is quite adequate - though
it never feels excessive - so aside from getting
killed out with great regularity, you can get
through the map OK. In fact, the F1 computer
pretty well sums it up: your immediate task,
all through, is "...survive...".
The rest of the architecture and environment
supports this feeling of impending doom quite
well. There are lots of dull reds, greys, and
blues. The castle formation is not quite as
rounded and flowing as with Mel Soaring 5: Ancient
Rigby, but it still has an unearthly flavor
to it, as is appropriate for the stage set by
the story. (No, I'm not going to repeat the
story here; go read it for yourself!) I could
not find any visual flaws anywhere. If they
exist, they are too subtle for The Fiend. I
never noticed any slowdowns at all, though I
admit I did not test R-speeds. The layout is
decidedly odd, in that things twist and turn,
transitioning frequently between upper floor
and what turns out to be the ground floor. Doors
do not always open initially, but eventually
will do so later. There are only two doors that
require keys; the opening of the rest appears
to be related to the action and progression
in general. Every once in a while, you will
go through a door and think, "...Oh, I've
been here before from the other side. So that's
where that door led to..." Game flow starts
out pretty linear, and in fact overall remains
fairly so, but Kona frequently provided different
(fairly short) passages around to the same room,
so it does not feel linear at all. There are
three secrets, and none of them are needed,
but the last one is decidedly helpful in the
end game. (Should I mention the Invulnerability?
Naaah, you'll find out about it for yourself.
Kona is NASTY!...)
Gameplay is outstanding. The new enemies are
tough, particularly the laser guards and the
ones with the blue ray and the boomerang Ion
Rippers. The enhanced Gladiators with the shield
and the Phalanx Particle Cannon are incredibly
tough, especially since the Cannon is essentially
a single-hit killer. (Paradoxically enough,
the Blaster really is the best weapon against
these beasts. Just lure it into an open area,
and circle-strafe it until it goes down. That
is, of course, if you can find an open area,
and if there is only one of them...) The Iron
Maidens come with heat-seeking missiles, and
it is a real surprise to see that thing go curving
around as you are dodging - just before you
get nailed. The Brains, though, are probably
the nastiest. I'll save the description to keep
you in suspense. Monster placement is excellent,
and with the teleporter effects, serves to heighten
the suspense. Though it has two levels, it is
really the main level (143 enemies on Medium
Skill) and the end game (less than 10 enemies).
The best part of the map, though, at least
by implication, is the final frame, which contains
the words "To be continued..." The
Fiend is tempted to buy a ticket to New Zealand
just to stand over Kona and drool and gnash
fangs until Kona creates a successor map - in
SPQ2, of course...
In the interest of space, and getting you playing,
I am going to stop here with a summary note:
this one may end up being the best map of 2001.
At the moment it is one of my five favorite
SPQ2 maps of all time. At 5MB, it is an incredible
bargain. After you've played it, go tell Shaun
"Kona" Ross how much you enjoyed it.
Gameplay?
Well it is up to the usual Kona standards,
but maybe not as tough as some. Satyr
was a a lot harder, with 197 enemies to
the 120 here, and even Machine Reborn
had a tougher ending. Nonetheless, you
are never going to be bored. Placement
is excellent, and the authors are not
afraid to spawn new enemies in cleared
areas. In fact, this may be another minor
gripe for The Fiend: the enemies spawn
with no teleporter sound and no warning
except for the typical Quake 2 "thunk"
sound. Still, the combat is quite survivable,
and ammo is quite adequate, especially
for us Blaster Fiends. Be careful of the
health, though. There is enough of it,
but by no means too much. MetsFan was
not too fond of the ending, and it was
indeed a tad difficult, particularly if
one does not have the Quad Damage for
the Makron. Not too many places to hide,
but The Fiend managed, after some On-The-Job
training, in the form of getting killed
out... 
