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RSS Reviews
7

The Apocalypse

Mod review

Pretty good, if a bit short. I finished it in one afternoon.

The story is what you would expect. You've got a weird nebula out in space, the crew goes crazy, and now you arrive to find out what's going on. You know how this goes.

The inventory system is pretty neat. It seems to hijack HL2's weapon system where your weapons are your inventory items, and using an item is the same as firing your "weapon".

The game's difficulty is very easy. Yes, the game handicaps you by never letting you sprint, and no, this doesn't matter. You only ever need to deal with one enemy at a time, enemies can walk as fast as you, and they forget you exist when you hide in a vent or close a door in their face. I also had one time where I jumped on a pile of crates and the guy just stopped attacking me and walked off.

This doesn't mean you should let them get close, though. They can demolish you in seconds if they are able to smack you, and they can smack you for lesser damage if they are right behind you during a chase. Despite this, they aren't very threatening. I was never able to lock them in a room, but they are pretty easy to evade.

Just for giggles, I wanted to see if anything would happen if I actually went back to the shuttle when the captain told me to leave. Nope.

It can be a bit confusing where to go at times. I got lost in one part where you had to find three batteries, but I couldn't find the third. Turns out it was at the end of an out-of-the-way darkened hallway.

The flashlight is also limited use. The game is extremely generous in giving batteries to you, though. Same with medkits and other healing items. There was one part where I couldn't sneak past one guy so I just kept chugging wine while the guy slapped me until I reached the safe zone.

All in all, a pretty good mod for an afternoon.

1

The Dark Secret 4

Mod review

I was intrigued by the other review. I was hoping it would be one of those So Bad It's Good mods. No, this is one of those So Bad It's Horrible ones. I lasted about 10 minutes before I had enough.

When you begin, you see the stock Episode 2 background with some missing textures. Oh, and there's a weird flashing on the menu textures too.

Not a good start, but maybe it's just a map pack right? A few maps where you run around, shoot some Combine, and you're done. I could work with that.

When you start, you will see a bunch of assets ripped from Nightmare House 2. Actually no, that's not entirely correct - I did notice an admittedly okay apparently original zombie model that had a buggy right shoulder. The rest is ripped.

There seems to be at least two voice actors in this: A guy and a kid who seems to be 10 years old. I think your character is voiced by the 10 year old? So you're probably going to want to shut off the VO quick.

The maps are a bunch of blocks glued together that somehow still have trouble with player navigation. In the first 5 minutes, you need to open a chest that has the NH2 axe in it. I tried smashing it, picking up every key-like thing in sight, exploring the map. Couldn't find a solution. So I just noclipped in there.

The maps are also tiny and a bit broken. I think the game forgot I had the suit when it turned off the lights in the prison level. Nothing a little console commands can't fix.

Things happen with no context. It seems to be some Silent Hill inspired place? I didn't stick around long enough to find out.

The save text is also messed up too.

The mod has cutscenes. Didn't know what anyone was saying because 10 year old kid, but they're there.

So yeah, the mod isn't good.

6

Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

Mod review

Here's the idea:

Level design isn't too good. The driving section was too dark, and the other stuff was essentially rectangle corridors. There's only a few enemies about - you get a few pistol users and shotgunners, as well as some zombies with sounds ripped from zombie panic source.

The story? After breaking out of the world's worst-run prison, you escape outside and find some zombies around. Then, out of nowhere, some demon zombies show up and chase you around a bit. Then you go back to the prison and get killed. That's it and it's about a 15 minute mod.

Still, this is an okay mod - might give a few minutes of entertainment if you're really bored.

9

Below the Ice

Mod review
6

Hopeless Night

Mod review

The mod isn't bad, but it also isn't good. I bumped it up to a 6 because the good slightly outweighs the bad.

Good Parts
- There are actual characters that talk.
- The zombie models not ripped from NH2 are well-made.
- I generally knew where to go in the outside areas.
- Very, very, good level design.

Bad Parts
- Painfully short.
- Audio is tolerable, but still annoying.
- I had to try every door in sight to find out where I was supposed to go next.
- The sniper that shoots at you near the end is never mentioned or directly fought.
- Obvious ending, with a silly cliffhanger.
- Since the hordes need to be avoided by dashing to the next objective, there is very little time to enjoy the scenery.
- The indoor sections consist of running from one room to another to get the next room's key with maybe a zombie between rooms.

The mod is still worth a play, though.

10

Underhell

Mod review

At the time of this writing, Chapter 1 (2007 Source version) is out. The mod is surprisingly good considering the development time; it has its own story, gameplay mechanics, and is completely voice acted.

Initially, the first 3 hours of the game are spent in the City to handle a hostage situation. However, the player character, Jake, is sent to the ARC Facility as a prisoner. There, you will fight zombies, and later, military personnel like in the Prologue. You also play a few minutes of Chapter 2.

During Chapter 1, Jake joins a group of survivors intending to escape. Of course, this is one of those "Anyone Can Die" stories, so don't expect everyone to actually get through the first Chapter alive. Chapter 1 is both its own contained story as well as a part of the overall story arc in the game. It is clear at the end that a greater conflict will be seen in Chapter 2.

The Dreams and House involve no actual combat; instead, they are more similar to Amnesia. Jake's Wife, Guilt, and a surprise in a well will follow Jake around the House and woods. There are collectibles, as well as physical achievements for doing certain actions in the campaign.

You should play this mod immediately; it will have you occupied for several fun-filled days.

10

BetterSpore

Mod review