The Tides of War

Content - Quake - Quake Conversions - Quake Partial Conversions

Author: Tim Elek | Rating: 6.75 | Download: elek_neh_episode4.zip / nehupdate3.zip / nehmusicfix.zip

Here we have a 4 map episode, the first release using the Nehahra entities, brought to you by the man who made the majority of Nehahra’s maps. It also follows on from Nehahra, read the story provided. You must have Nehahra installed to play this. ( Which you should have anyway considering that it’s real good ) I felt that overall this was much higher quality than Elek’s original Nehahra maps, and he made the game play much better. Even though things are almost always hard, health and ammo are always adequate. Things start out in, well, a start map, which is a nice, curvy structure. This structure is adorned in green stone, perched above slime and built into stone. This map uses just id textures, and is a fine introduction. Then the real journey starts in…

Turbulian Heights: 125 monsters 3 secrets
Things start off in a base map that mixes id base, hipnotic base, and ikbase, in a seamless integration. The map starts out in a great looking ship, unlike anything I’ve ever seen in quake, where the entrance to the base looms out over the void. This map looks great everywhere, many, many details abound, pipes, moving generators, and great texturing. Layout is just as good, with very high interconnectivity, and being somewhat nonlinear without getting too confusing. Also included are glass windows that show areas that you have yet to tread, a very nice touch. With game play, Elek has found a way for Nehahra base combat to be actually fun. Although it is still very hard, it’s manageable, but grunts and enforcers are used so that it’s a fair fight against them. The ending is pretty hard, with many grunts and enforcers defending your ticket out of this base, a great looking ship once again.

Soulstice: 77 monsters 9 secrets
The highlight of the pack, decaying metal and wood beams and structures, built into rock faces rising out of the void. One of the most atmospheric maps ever, with wraiths floating around everywhere, and general spookiness abound. Build quality once again is very high, with detailed bridges, with perilous gaps in them, all platforms being supported by metal ties, and a spooky house adorned with bloody skins. ( That was my interpretation anyway ) Layout is great, it’s fairly linear if you don’t count the secrets, being four main areas connected via teleporters. But this map has many secrets, with many being balanced on the side of rock faces, inches from the void, leaving you to figure out how to reach them. game play is good, with the scrags, with their strafing abilities, suddenly becoming a pain. Many teleporting monsters are used, vores being particularly prominent. The ending is pretty good, requiring a careful approach.

Summon Crypt: 125 monsters 2 secrets
Medieval map that starts out in a strangely serene looking snowy cabin, where you must rid a friendly gaunt’s front yard of jaggers. Once done, you proceed into the labyrinth of bluish-gray stone, with runic detailing. Everything looks nice, the said runic detailing on walls and
ceilings and occasional curved ceiling. Although their are plain looking walls, in the maze areas. And on that note, layout is pretty good, you have to find both keys and press a lot of buttons, but there are mazes. Two of them. The first is not too bad, but the second, not only is confusing, but has traps. Ugh, but I have to give Elek credit for attempting a different type of climax. game play is very good, lots of zombies, knights, ogres and fiends, with the occasional vore and shambler. Their is a great fight near the beginning, against a very large contingency of zombies, and vomitus adding support. The ending is amusing, being three waves of tough monsters.

Tainted Grounds: 55 monsters 0 secrets
The final map is pretty much just an arena map, although a great looking one. You start out in a area reminiscent of the start to Soulstice, and are given a cryptic message before plunging into a teleporter that takes you to an underground cathedral, where with the help of a fellow marine, you fight a very hectic battle, with 54 enemies in one room. It’s hard, but very very fun, a very worthy finale. Although after this, the next room is a seemingly random ikbase exit room, although the escape means do look cool. Then you read a somewhat ponderous text, and it’s over.

Simply excellent episode, absolutely no reason to miss it.

- Edgecrusher