One Rebel's Sacrifice: Levels 1-9
Mission Type:
Author:
Post Date:
Download:
Jeremy Dooley
November 1, 1999
Level Review
Basics
Reviewer:
Overall Score:
Date Reviewed:
Matthew Pate
89 / 100
November 13, 1999
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
90 / 100
85 / 100
95 / 100
First Impressions
Although this review is coming to you much later than ORS was released, there are some of you still no doubt wondering whether the huge 7.5 meg .zip is worth downloading. It is, so go to the bottom of the page, and download this monster of a level series, and go get yourself a coffee or coke or something... you will be waiting a while. First off, some people may be wondering what ORS is exactly, seeing as there have been 2 previous releases. This is simply a third episode, with the first two attached, along with several bells and whistles such as new weapons, new .bms, and improved existing levels, plus of course the new 3 levels. Secondly, unless you have a spare 3 hours, don't start playing, because it will take about that long to play, and you don't want to be interrupted while playing, as it can be a little hard to follow what is happening, especially since the text goes by so fast. But I'm getting ahead of myself, read on for the review.
Review Screenshot 1
Review Screenshot 2
Design / Visuals
Architecture ranged from average to very good. The levels ranged in quality. The very first level was overall a little disappointing, especially since in one area, you can see out into space, but right next to it a window leads into a huge cargo area, destroying the illusion. The rest of the levels were a lot better, especially Ramos City and Beggar's Canyon, which both conveyed very well the feeling of a city under siege and a canyon at dusk respectively. Slopes abounded, so did stairs, pillars, angled rooms, 3d areas, and everything else you would expect a good level to have architecturally. Texturing was also well done, with the variety of textures you would expect in the variety of locations visited, which included a Corellian Corvette, Beggar's Canyon, Mos Eisley, Hoth, and Orbital Defense Platform, the planet Rosetta, the planet Ramos Kaas, a city under siege by Imperials, and finally an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Dynamics / Interactivity
On the whole I think that there were too many enemies and not enough ammunition and health. For most of the first 3 levels I was on about 5 health and 0 shields, with ammo ranging from 50 - 0. The other levels were better, but in some I was on the opposite side of the spectrum, with maxed out ammo and full health, knocking down Imperials left right and center. I think that the author could have made it the same the whole way through instead of changing all the time. Enhancements, as us reviewers like to say, is where the level shone. In fact, this level shone so brightly with enhancements I had to buy sun-glasses just to play the level... Tons of new skins for new characters, action packed cutscenes, new features like manning a blaster cannon, puzzles that were entertaining but not annoyingly hard, this level had it all. It's worth playing just to see what the author managed to cram in.
Playing Experience / Atmosphere
I'm finding it hard to write something bad about this level, and it doesn't stop here, fortunately. The lighting was very good. Scenes from Beggar's canyon have been used in nearly every lighting tutorial for JK, and there were even some lights you could shoot out, which made the room you were in darker. It was a lot of fun to get into a firefight and shoot out the lights so the baddies can't see where you are. Ambient sounds were also used liberally throughout the levels, making the levels feel that much more 'alive'. The gameplay section didn't fare so well, unfortunately, as there were quite a few errors made. Some of the objectives were stuffed up so I saw the wrong goals in the wrong levels, and there was a bit of HOMing here, a spelling error there, a pit you can't get out of, sections where you can't avoid being hurt by falling too far. The author even started a lot of the levels with the player under fire, which is a big no-no in editing.
Review Screenshot 3
Review Screenshot 4
Final Thoughts
Overall, though, the goods easily overweighed the bads, and this level is easily worth playing. In fact, I would say this is the best MotS level I have ever played. I recommend you download it now. Oh, wait, I already told you to... but you'll still be waiting for it to download for a while. Happy Gaming!
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
90 / 100
85 / 100
95 / 100
Overall:
89