Leeza Haynes: Dark Past
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Level Review
Basics
Reviewer:
Overall Score:
Date Reviewed:
Matthew Pate
81 / 100
July 14, 1999
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
60 / 100
60 / 100
70 / 100
First Impressions
The level loaded very quickly so I was into the action quickly, which I like. The story seemed pretty good, although there were quite a few spelling mistakes in the dialogue, creating some humourous mistakes, such as the Emperor stating "Foolish Women" instead of "Foolish Woman". Oh, and this is one of those recent 'saber levels' that have seemed to be springing up all over the place, just in case you were wondering.
Review Screenshot 1
Review Screenshot 2
Design / Visuals
Architecturally the level was a little above average, some stairs, poles, round rooms etc, although the level only consisted of one main room, sort of like the Emperor's Throne room in RotJ. The textures were chosen well, with the same windows that were in RotJ offering a glimpse of the stars outside which was nice.
Dynamics / Interactivity
There were a total of two enemies, both saber, Mara Jade (as a Dark Jedi) and Darth Vader. Both offered a nice compromise between too easy and overpowering, with Darth Vader being a little harder, although you faced him before Mara Jade. This was due in part to Vader's overwhelming obsession to choke me, though... Item placement made the level a little area. Behind two pillars were two bacta tanks each, and besides the other two were two shield recharges. This was completely necessary, as Vader was literally gripping every 10 seconds, so you needed the health. The shields weren't necessary at all, because there wasn't anything that could take off shields, as sabers and grip only effect health. What made it easy was that the bacta tanks recharged every 30 seconds or so meaning that every time you were gripped you could grab 4 bacta tanks and recharge. Enhancements were rife in this level. Vader had a brilliant new gripping.key, and there were several cutscenes, although the spelling tore out the realism a little bit. Also the ending seems a little un-realistic, although I won't spoil it for you.
Playing Experience / Atmosphere
The level was pretty much all day bright, and there weren't any ambient sounds besides the saber sounds coming from the jedi. To it's credit, the level feels as if it is the throne room of the galactic emperor, and the way Mara Jade just stands there while you fight Vader is just unnerving. There weren't any gameplay errors that I could see.
Review Screenshot 3
Review Screenshot 4
Final Thoughts
Overall, for some reason, I just found this level fun. I don't know why, but I just liked it. It is only a quick download, and will provide 20 minutes or so of quick fun, and you can play it a couple of times for some saber practice, so I recommend downloading this for a quick whirl.
Design:
Dynamics:
Experience:
60 / 100
60 / 100
70 / 100
Overall:
81