This level wasn't quite as good as the author's most recent levels, but download it and see for yourself. Now on to the review...

The architecture of this level was rather mediocre. There were a couple pillars, a few low-tech buildings, ramps and ledges, and a set of stairs or two. A nice spot in the sewer had two wooden bridges with support struts, not to mention my greatest nemesis: the sentry droid! In a few other areas, there were alcoves in the walls and doorways which offered a somewhat affective cure for the boxiness that filled the level. Architecture over all was pretty low-key. Texturing suffered in this level, and brought down the level design scores significantly. A great deal of the textures just downright conflicted with the others that were in the same room. The variety was a bit extreme, to say the least. Furthermore, in many spots, they were not aligned correctly. I do believe however, that the level design has promise. The texturing job could use work, but it could be improved by choosing textures blend well together and then applying them to the architecture. Also, there were a lot of dull grays and such, so maybe a bit of blue or black would have offered a nice contrast. The architecture as well, could be improved. Some of the larger areas could be cut down and made smaller and more detailed, with each area having numerous pieces of "eye candy" to make it appealing and to help build the overall atmosphere. All in all, the architecture is pretty basic, though a little more time could have been spent on really spiffing it up.

The enemy placement for this level was a pleasant surprise. The enemies weren't used too liberally, and they were placed well for maximum killing efficiency. As a result, less troops were needed. Finally! An author discovers the uses of good enemy placement! David McHale, I commend you! Hopefully all the others will learn from him and follow suit. The item placement was slightly lacking however. There were not quite enough powerups, and when you did find some, it seemed that you didn't need them at that time. They didn't show up after a big fight or a tough area, they were in the easy sections. The armored vest located in the sewer, on the other hand, was placed perfectly. I was just running low after I fought the beloved security droids, and there it was, waiting for me. One funny part of the level near the bar had a drunk Tusken with some bottles laying by him – pretty cool. The waterfall in the sewer area was pretty nice as well. Most other enhancements in the level were kind of weak, however. I found basically nothing but a number of typical doors, a forcefield and two or three slash grates. Additionally, I wish the train that you find later in the level would have been able to move - that would have been a great effect. Overall, the level needed a little bit to spice it up.

The atmosphere of The Emperor's Reach II was a sub-standard. There were some things that were rather unrealistic, such as the sniper scope laying on a ramp for no reason. Also, the button that opened a door by the waterfall was down on a little catwalk that you had to jump over the guard rails to get on. Why would it be there? Once again, the button that shut down the forcefield was just on a wall near the infirmary. It wasn't in a control center or anything. Anyway, these things could be worked out pretty easily, either by constructing a new area, cog, or just moving an object. Gameplay suffered a little bit from the waterfall area which pulled the frame rate to subterranean depths. There was a cool spot where you had to crawl through some vents to proceed through the level, but that interesting aspect of gameplay was alone in its glory.

I think that if a little more time and energy had been put into this level, it could have turned out as good or better as its predecessors. Download it and check it out for yourself.