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Reviews: 5th November 2003. Review 1

SUMMARY
Game - QUAKE
Map - heresp2: Bulls on Parade
by - here
Download - heresp2.zip
Overall Verdict - small map which mixes base/medieval themes.

FULL REVIEW:
A quick review for this smallish map, which still manages to pack some close quarters combat into its relatively limited layout. The theme is kind of metallic base with medieval mosters added as well, in other words a mish-mash of ideas with no clear, coherent architectural or textural style emerging.

Architecture is a bit weak, the beginning area is good, but after that many areas are rather plainly textured and lit and also cramped. Its basically a smallish base combined with a castle, which overall feels somewhat haphazard. If this cramped and squashed design does have an advantage it is that gameplay is often reasonably exciting as you run around corners and find fiends or vores waiting for you.

Overall gameplay i felt was slightly too easy, mostly due to too much health. There was also a very weak ending where you can simply run past the last fiends to the exit, this should *never* happen in a good Q1SP map. Overall OK, but gameplay needed to be more challenging and architecture more consistent, with better lighting and textures.

Overall Score: 11/20 

Reviews: 5th November 2003. Review 2

SUMMARY
Game - QUAKE
Map - hhouse: Fall Cleaning
by - Scragbait
Download - hhouse.zip
Overall Verdict - Neat haunted house map packed with tough monsters.

FULL REVIEW:
A special Halloween map, this is nicely built, smallish house which soon turns out to be packed with a huge number of monsters. Texturing and architecture have a definite old skool feel to them. There is some nice detailing that goes to make up the construction of the house, including some good windows, a nice iron gate in the garden and so on. There is also some decent detailing in the attic [windows again] and the basement [furnace]. Overall though brushwork is on a small scale and relatively simplistic. Lighting is good and the numerous shadows enhance the Halloween atmosphere considerably.

Gameplay is the main focus and feature of the map, i played on hard skill and it was a fun challenge, some might find it too frustratingly hard however. There are lots of tougher monsters; ogres,fiends, vores [especially] and also quite a few shamblers. Then again this is offset by adequate supplies of armor [most importantly] and also weapons and ammo. Monsters tend to cluster in rooms and spawn in by successive waves. A tough point is when you first enter the house and also after the blue key door, when you still don't have all the weapons but are still facing numerous vores and so on. Once progression is made through this area [medium skill may be recommended for some players], progression is easier as the full range of weapons is attained, so that the final attic/basement showdowns should not be too tricky. Overall a fun map, featuring tough, old style, no-nonsense quake 1 gameplay at its core.

Overall Score: 15/20