By James Parkman 3/23/98
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zip"Your goal is to destroy every PsiCrystal deposit in the mining compound, then escape the vile strogg by retaking a stolen viper that spies have discovered in the vicinity. God speed marine!" ~James
Parkman
With the
recent hiring of James Parkman by Revenant, "The Azure Mine" (a two level
pack also containing the gritty adjoining level "The Edge Of Forever")
may just well be the culminating capstone to a successful and prodigious
independent level author career.
And James certainly knows how to go out in style. The Azure Mine is a textbook primer of excellent mapping and gameplay skills. Solid construction with fantastic attention to detail. From the opening Strogg ship fly-by, to moving platforms, flickering malfunctioning lights, to crumbling tunnels, it is this attention to detail that really helps to create an atmosphere of reality. A very nice touch was his use of "you can't seem to pry this hatch open" instead of "this door opens elsewhere". This type of more personalized response is reminiscent of the ground breaking Infocom text adventures. It really helps draw you into the game. Responses of this type would be most welcome in future levels. This
map also contains some of the best lighting seen anywhere. Dark areas without
being pitch black, excellent.
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The
Edge of Forever - A dark, hellish gritty level that is as sardonically
fun to play as it is to behold.
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| NEXT |
Ground level view of the nightmarish The Edge of Forever.
A brighter but no less tough combat challenge scenario from The Azure
Mine. Gotta love those flying garbage cans (yeah right).