The Emperor's Reach Part 1
Mission Type:
Author:
Post Date:
Download:
David McHale
April 11, 1999
Level Review
Basics
Reviewer:
Overall Score:
Date Reviewed:
Antilles
70 / 100
April 23, 1999
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
85 / 100
70 / 100
0 / 100
First Impressions
This was a pretty decent level. It was a new premise for a level to have a dark side training base, and this one was supposedly on Coruscant. The only problem was that the planet only had little resemblance to the true Imperial Center.
Review Screenshot 1
Review Screenshot 2
Design / Visuals
The architecture of Force Training on Coruscant was fairly good. In the beginning of the level, there is a small cutscene showing your arrival at the Secret Order's building. The buildings were a little boxy, but pillars and sloped surfaces turned them into a fairly nice city. I felt that a good amount of effort was put into making the city look nice. Throughout the level, the architecture was basically boxy, but this time around there are more small details than previous levels. As you pass through the level, there are numbers of pillars, light panels, and niches to add to the dark, evil, intimidating architecture. The texturing of this level was average. I found that many of the textures were overused, especially when they cover the ceiling, walls, and floor. Fortunately, this was not a regular occurrence. The variety could use some improvement, but as far as I could tell in the dim light, they matched up well. Furthermore, the author took some textures from the original Dark Forces and converted them to MotS for the city. They made things a little more interesting because they're new to this game, and they looked good too. Overall, a decent job on level design.
Dynamics / Interactivity
The enemy placement in FTC was good, yet limited. There were only a handful of enemies, but they were placed well. First, you fight three lightsaber robots, separately of course. Then you move on to an elevator and the floor opens; you're dropped into a vornskr lair. After they're eliminated the next step is to get across a big cavern which is infested with mailocks. As you near the end, you fight a number of turrets, and as the finale, two more battle droids. At one point you even have to prove your skills to Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith! Item placement was also very well done. There were some power ups like med kits, bacta and ammo scattered around, as well as a few shield units. After you fight a few battle droids, you get a revive, and an armored vest is provided right before you take on 2 more of the buggers. All in all, there wasn't an absence or overabundance of power ups, just enough to keep you happy and moving. A small downside of item placement was that the gear was laying on the ground most of the time. As everyone knows, I'm a great fan of gear shelves. The level had some interesting enhancements. The author created a new skin to serve for Vader's battle droids, and there were some other interesting elements. You had to kill these foes to advance to the next section, and in the elevator, the floor suddenly drops open and lets you fall. The cutscene at the beginning of the level was nice also.
Playing Experience / Atmosphere
The atmosphere of FTC was very intriguing. It took place in a dreary, evil infested place with dim lighting and many dangers lurking in the dark. The only problem is that it seemed much more like some remote planet than the capital planet of the galaxy. One chasm is deeper than the eye can see, and on Coruscant there is no area like that. The whole planet is one huge city, hundreds of levels deep. Also, the city just didn't look real Imperial. It lacks the crisp architectural design of an Imperial planet, and just feels like a normal occupied city. Otherwise, the level atmosphere was very interesting. Gameplay, too, was very enjoyable. This training course offered a different kind of playing experience. For example, in one area you had to jump from pillar to pillar over a huge pit with no bottom in sight. This differs from your typical, straightforward level with its armies of stormtroopers to wade through.
Review Screenshot 3
Review Screenshot 4
Final Thoughts
77
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
85 / 100
70 / 100
0 / 100
Overall:
70