Like it's predecessor "Warzone: Rebel Storm Rising", this level's plot is more like a story. In fact, it's even more detailed then the first one, so I certainly couldn't show the whole thing here. As far as plot problems go, there weren't any. I couldn't make much sense of the title though. It sounds like you're boarding a ship called the Intruder. However you're not; you're boarding a ship called the Vengeance. Therefore, if the Intruder is you, then the title really says "Boarding Yourself". It was a little confusing, but it's not very important, so on with the review!

This level had two distinct architectural sections: mediocre and good. The mediocre section was in the city of Ubbar. Most of it was a vast expanse of nothingness with a pylon in the center, square buildings serving as the boundaries, and a giant fuel cylinder near the start that doesn't serve any purpose whatsoever. The whole city is way too big, and blocky. Granted, the author uses sidewalks, and the occasional slope, but there's nothing that draws you away from that feeling of emptiness. The buildings are huge and rectangular (like most buildings), but you can't get inside most of them. This gives them a false appearance, like they are a façade with nothing beyond them. Maybe if, you could go inside some of them and walk around, then my views would change. However as it is, the city gives off a false appearance. Texturing wasn't that great either. If you look carefully enough you can see some of the stitches. Also, the same textures were used over and over for some of the buildings. Others look like the textures were painted on, which adds to that false appearance I was talking about earlier. Fortunately, the city is no the only part of the level. There is a whole other part which takes place onboard the Vengeance. Architecturally speaking this section had some really good scenes. Slopes are abundant, and it was obvious that the author knew what this true 3D engine was capable of. There were some rooms that were boxes, but usually there was enough detail (cargo crates, beams, pillars, multi-tiers, etc.) to keep the eye from becoming bored. Texturing was varied, but not to point where it was a patchwork quilt. The best part of the texturing was how the author used the elevators as brakes between textures. That way, you always felt that you were traveling to a different part of the ship. It was done subtly, but the end result was a balanced mixtures of textures.

For a city that's under the iron grip of the Empire, it sure didn't feel like it. Even on hard, there wasn't more then about 25 enemies. Bear in mind though, that all of them are spread out, and if you're quick, you don't have to fight some of them. It made the city seem a little too vacant. The Vengeance, however, had tons of enemies, and in one spot it seems that the reinforcements don't stop. Fortunately, there were never so many enemies that it became more frustrating then fun. Items were well balanced throughout most of the level. For the low number of enemies, I felt that the city had a few too may power-ups, but that's only if you are able to find the secret areas. The Vengeance was well balanced early on, but towards the end I started to get a little low on health because the shields and health packs disappear after making your way through the detention center. I must say that I was very impressed some of the enhancements that were in the level. In fact, the number of enhancements is so great that I had to make this section of the review it's own little paragraph. As far as textures go, you will find plenty of MAT's and BM's. Most of them reside in the city part of the level, but there are a few new ones on board the Vengeance. There are plenty of 3DO's. Some of the more prominent ones include Mari Hari's ship, and WeeGee's speeder. There are new AI's including the murderous 8T86 and the Captain of the ship. COG's? Oh yeah, this level is practically choking on COG's. They range from small ones (elevators, switches, and locked doors) to huge and complicated ones (like the Pylon puzzle and a few others I won't mention. Although you would have to be either new or unconscious for the past couple months not to know some of them). This alone is more then most levels, but it doesn't stop there. As an added bonus this level is (currently) the only level to feature actors and an actual (though small) script. It's wonderful to hear the characters talking rather than having the speech in text like we're in one of those silent movie theaters. I know that something as big as that is hard to do, but that won't stop me from rewarding it when it happens. The only downside is that the WAV's balloon the level to gigantic proportions. Also, Mari Hari's opening line is garbled. She kind of sounds like the Peppermint Patty's teacher from the Peanuts comic strip and TV show. Still, a brilliant piece of work nonetheless.

There's a lot of tension created in this level. Part of it is due to the actors who due a good job in bringing it out. For example, the scene where you're running around the ducts with 8T86 taunting you the whole way was done beautifully. The low light and 8T86's menacing voice bring out the pressure to it's fullest. There's some good use of lighting in the latter part of the level. One of my favorites was in the hyperdrive control room. The entire area is basked in an eerie red glow, while the features from an adjacent room are dark due to the contrasting light. The city, unfortunately, does not bring out the mood as well as the ship scenes. Much of the area is one degree of light. The only part worth mentioning is the sewers, but it's not on the essential path, and is very easy to skip over. As far as realism or setup is concerned, they were no problems in the city section of the level other then the fact that the temple was too easy to find. I honestly cannot believe that the imperials could not find it when it was sitting in front of their noses the whole time. However, that's my only problem with city. The Vengeance, however, raises a couple of questions. For one thing why are the cargo rooms right next to a fuel tank. I've never seen ships setup like that. Another minor issue is with the elevators. The first one is fine. It moves vertically like other elevators. However, the second one moves horizontally (if you look at the lights). That in itself is not a problem, but the fact that you exit the elevator from the same place that you entered it is. This means that the elevator actually transports you through the various rooms and then deposits you right in front of it. In other words, the elevator has to move through the rooms that you are about to walk through in order to get from point A to point B. If you're still confused by my cryptic speech, just look at the way the elevator moves, and where it stops. There's no way that the second elevator could have gotten from point A to point B because to do that would mean that it would have had to go through several walls along the way. There, I think I helped clear it up. As far as gameplay is concerned, much of the level will be fast and fluid. Only the speeder chase scene will slow down a computer without a 3D graphics accelerator. Other then that, the gameplay was smooth. Bugs were minor - only one door with a HOM and couple places that weren't stitched properly.

There's a lot of reasons to play this level. The most obvious are the new features that populate the level. However, this is a level that, overall, will grab hold of you, and make you come back ready for more. I recommend you give it a shot.