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 (Size: 4.15 meg. Alternative downloads: Rstart11 / Rstart11) 
 "Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeload and come again selectaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"..... *Ahem*, where was I??? Oh yes, level reviews, that's the one. Reload is a compilation of levels by Zied Rieke - it is a mega-mix of his previous levels that have been tweaked and altered to form a whole cohesive unit (including a heavily modified version of the reviewed DXM). It's a base unit, which makes a pleasant change, and allows some interesting ideas and a vague "bio weapons" plot to be used. Your mission is to collect a gold key card, and return through the maps to where you started. This mission is fleshed out a bit more in the maps, and throughout there are lots of little messages and hints that add to the feel of the maps. You start in a neat little start map - though unfortunately the centre skill (Normal) is not marked, and you can get stuck below the start. From thence you are teleported straight into the action in the first map. Now, all of these maps have been released in various guises before, so they may be familiar to you - however, they *are* suitably different to still have interest, so don't be put off. The maps are full of Zied's trademark base styles - good *and* bad. On the good side, you get lots of interesting ideas, often with a "realistic" feel, for example, waste containers, security systems, stowed items, furnace chimneys - that sort of thing. Additionally, there are different styles added to the normal base style, that provide further visual interest, for example metal sections, weird light sections, and some creative texturing. On the bad side, there is an overuse of "stretched" textures, which generally look blurry and ugly - Quake textures are supposed to be used at a certain size, and they don't look right when they are stretched. Also there are some misaligned and ill used textures, as well as a few visual bugs. The actual designs and structures of the maps are mostly rather good - they vary from plain sections (like corridors and some overall room designs) to interesting futuristic designs within those rooms (such as the details mentioned above). Occasionally the rooms and their layout can seem a bit haphazard, but there are some impressive structures that catch the eye. Overall the architecture has some glitches, but is generally good. 
 Progession through the maps is very interesting - there is a lot of exploration, with many sections you can explore purely as sidelines, as well as multiple route choices (it's possible to get a bit lost on the 2nd map!). Additionally, there are some nice ideas that add to the feeling of exploration - in particular crawling along the rafters in the 2nd map, and what happens when you return to the maps you have previously visited. I won't give too much away, except that returning to these maps is *not* a repetitive experience, and the great use of water provides much interest. It's nice to see these maps having plenty of exploration without getting too confusing, it certainly adds to the feel of the unit. Gameplay, well, overall it is good, and as with the other aspects of the map, has plenty of unusual touches that provide interest and challenge. I don't like the start of the first map one bit - you are under attack immediately, and need a fair bit of speed and luck to survive. However, once that is over with, the maps provide a good but fair challenge for base maps, with cunning use of all sorts of enemy. You get Grunts round every corner, Enforcers well used in sniping positions, Fiends lurking in water areas to give you a nasty shock, occasional Ogres and Shamblers to spice things up. There are lots of varied (and often exciting) combat situations, from sniping and lurking to in-yer-face arena combats (which you often get dropped into) - but you do get plenty enough weapons and armour. There's also interesting ideas, such as giving you the lightning gun, then sticking you in water so you can't use it when you really need to, and even a use of the "grossly underused 'trigger_monster_push'", i.e. jumping monsters =). A couple of combat situations annoyed me though - firstly being stuck in waist deep water with Fiends - they can still jump, but you can only move very slowly, making it unpleasant trying to avoid them, and also occasional enemy shooting at you from the dark, which is cheap. Also, there are some annoying and pointless traps on the 1st map. Apart from those flaws, the gameplay is solid and diverse, with a decent challenge - up until the end that is, which as you might guess, is perculiarly easy and thus disappointing. Overall, a fun and interesting unit with plenty of good ideas. - - - - - -  |
