[ Reviewed by eXodus ]
Shaun [Kona] Ross is quickly becoming one
of the most prolific authors out there.
With his latest, the 3rd map in the Mel
Soaring series (the first can be found here
and the second here), he returns to Q2 editing
and provides a gorgeous new map for everyone
to enjoy, with the lengthy title Mel Soaring
3: Tomb of the Makron God.
After almost releasing this one for Half-Life,
Shaun decided to port it to Q2 due to the
lack of good singleplayer enemies in HL.
I must say I'm glad he did. The resulting
creation is simply a treat to behold.
I suppose I should tackle gameplay before
launching into my adjective-laden visual
speech. =) Shaun focuses on pure action
in MS3. There are a couple objectives to
accomplish, but they take a backseat to
true fragging pleasure in a beautiful environment.
All the standard devices of destruction
are here, and there's definitely no shortage
of Strogg for you to plow through with your
Railgun or Chaingun. On the whole, I thought
the level was very well balanced, as I always
had plenty of ammo but still had to be careful
and watch my health level. Very nicely done.
OK, now I get to rave about the visuals!
In a word: stunning. You really have to
play through this one to get a feel for
how great it looks, the screenshots just
don't do the map justice. I have to admit
I skipped playing this on my older computer
and went straight to 1024x768 resolution
on my TNT. Wow...
As you can tell, a plethora of new textures
are used on the majority of surfaces in
the level. A couple new ambient sounds are
thrown in as well and the result is a wonderfully
atmospheric experience. You won't be disappointed
by how this map looks.
Really my only complaint is the abrupt
ending. I was so into the level that the
quick ending with no real climax was a bit
of a letdown. Perhaps some earthquakes,
explosions, or maybe an escape that was
timed to increase tension would have been
in order?
Mel Soaring 3 is definitely an enjoyable
map on its own, though the end result would
have been much more satisfying with a better
ending. Still, if you want some great-looking
visuals and good action, you shouldn't miss
this one.
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