Reviews - cherrybuttcheeks

A pretty solid mod. Played from start to finish without any problems.

I'm giving this a rating based on what the authors set out to do, not on my own expectations on it.

I didn't get stuck once while playing it, unlike many other Half Life mods, and that is enough for me to add 1 point to the rating. Another for utilizing clues on where to go while incorporating backtracking.

Weapons are serviceable, not amazing but good enough. Plasma rifle type weapon is fun to use, along with the Unreal machine gun, but I did struggle using the rocket launcher and I felt it wasn't that great.

The theme is a mix of RTCW, Quake, Gunman's Chronicles, and even Star Wars. Environments that change constantly between levels always gets a point from me.

Story seems really cheesy and maybe it is because of the voice acting but I am not sure if the mod took itself seriously or not.

There's a few boss battles too. Though the last 2 are just remodeled after the previous 2.

Voice acting is bad, both in delivery and grammar but I guess this is expected now with most mods.

Overall, it's a good mod. If you just need something to pass the time, and leave you in a good mood later, certainly check it out.

My praise:

First, this mod is very well detailed. I didn't feel like any places had cut corners. If there is one strength this mod has it would definitely be the high level of detail.

I will admit however the use of flat textures for detailing does take one out of the experience, and is usually something I would expect from Doom modding, not Quake, but where it matters it shines through.

Second, this mod is insane. It took me a few weeks to finish it because this mod is just that long.

Third, I love the location variety. You visit cities, underground areas, underwater areas, space stations, medieval villages, medieval castles, lovecraftian towns, lovecraftian castles, ancient tombs, swamps, treehouses and pirate ships. It may not be cohesive narratively but I enjoyed how each area is unique and memorable based on its theme alone.

My criticisms:

First, for as detailed, vast and large as the levels are, it needs to be more focused. A lot of areas are there for the player to explore but they don't flow easily, leading to a lot of backtracking and getting lost. I think this sort of level design isn't bad but it just doesn't work well for Quake. I can see what the author was trying with various paths but I got frustrated more than I was fascinated while exploring.

There's also some sections that require you to destroy something in order to progress. In a narrow closed off area that's fine, but in a wide open space? Not fine.

I don't like Maze. I had to cheat to complete it just because I lost my patience.

Second, as I mentioned, the narrative isn't that cohesive. All this time I kept wondering: what am I actually doing? Why did I decide to just leave my apartment, kill some eldritch monstrosities then come back to my destroyed apartment? Would have loved some more backstory tbh.

It was especially disappointing when after finishing everything you're just booted back to the first level.

Neutral:

The combat and weapons are serviceable. There were some memorable encounters, but it could have been worse. I finished this on nightmare and to me combat leans more on good but not great. Lots of health and ammo however and I am biased to a fault to giving players more ammo and health.

Overall, I would say play this mod if you want to experience a very detailed world. Just be prepared to get lost every once in a while.

Balgorg, I salute you for this insane undertaking.

As of this writing, for all its faults, this mod is underrated.

For what it does and sets out to achieve in terms of environment and storytelling, I was invested the whole way through.

The claustrophobic environments and custom props are really solid. I am inspired myself to make a sci fi mod using the Xterrier assets.

I also like how the mod ties in with the previous works of the author, such as the mention of Woodrow Bell and Harry Hughes. It gives a sense of "hey I know who he's talking about!" So go play the other mods first before tackling this one.

Personally I am not a fan of horror, so admittedly I did cheat when it came to enemy encounters. I can't say much for the gameplay in that regard because of that.

I do like the puzzles and objective structure, it is clear what you should do and the big fonts are easy to read.

Subtitles are greatly appreciated~

Overall a good mod if you're a fan of Amnesia and similar type of horror games and you're looking for a quick bite of it.

It's a solid mod, but don't expect anything like Half Life 2.

Rather I'd say to play this mostly as a time waster or if you're in the mood for a pretty good story.

The environments are quite atmospheric, and I really like how through the environment it tells a story, adding a piece for you to puzzle out what has happened.

The voice acting for the most part is superb. There are some questionable deliveries, but for the most part, the important characters that talk a lot are at least pleasant to listen to.

I find the story to be quite interesting and I can't think of any media that does fascism in a sci-fi setting. I especially like how it is something that makes sense and is possible considering the isolation of space.

The gameplay and gunplay however, I'd say falls flat. It has more akin to something like survival horror, except they can shoot you. Very often gunfights lead to a conga line of dead enemies. There's no tactics or anything like that. You just have to hope you're in cover and kill them as fast as you can, as enemies have no sense of self preservation and bee line straight for you and the map geometry doesn't allow for much cover. That being said, I did enjoy the shotgun.

For a mod that has a heavy focus on dialogue, I also wish there were some subtitles, as it can be difficult to hear some logs.

Overall it's a good solid mod, though don't expect to be playing it again.

This doesn't even feel like a mod, it is pretty much its own game with how long it tales to beat it and the mechanics in it.

Demon Throne is very well made in the gameplay design department. Wizards with rotary shields, Demons doing weird attacks that travel across the floor and throwing rocks at you, enemies that stomp you by jumping and even able to navigate more complex terrain.

It takes advantage as much as it can to make many different enemy types, some with their own quirks.

The RPG system is really cool, being able to rest and buy your ammo or upgrade stuff is a welcome addition to something as large as this.

I also enjoy the non-linear progression. There's a lot of exploration to be done.

Gunplay is great in that you get a crap ton of weapons to play around and use on hordes of enemies.

Level design is often creative and detailed. I love the upside down sections. Expansive levels allow for a lot of enemies and fights with high tier enemies. Cyberdemons are a regular occurrence. Some levels do lack detail however though that's a minor nitpick.

My only gripe would probably be with the very last fight, against the Archonitron. Him alone is mostly manageable, but he gets help and you get not enough items or ammo to deal with him, and it makes it an insanely tough fight. This fight broke me and I eventually said enough is enough and dnkroz my way through. Sorry Will and Dan but there's only so much punishment I can tolerate :(

Still, this is a big mod, so expect to sink a lot of hours into it, and I would highly recommend it for anyone who's a fan of Duke Nukem~

For a Half Life mod, it's pretty challenging. But it's also fun.

It's interesting to see new elements in a Half Life game, such as the story, the weapons, custom skins and certain level mechanics.

For example, in the weapons department you get 2 magnums, and an anti-materiel rifle. And you get ample ammo to use them.

In terms of level design, I do like the detailing and the "props". I took a couple of screenshots as reference for my own maps in the future. But it's the keycard hunt that were most interesting to me.

Most Half Life mods tend to make you go in some really convoluted, alternate pathways to reach a place like some locked door. And more often than not, the player easily gets lost. I would prefer linearity if it meant I didn't have to search up a walkthru on youtube on how to get thru.

Delta however always manages to point the player in the right direction as well as give secrets on where the player should go. This is such a huge plus.

The starting area is atmospheric and rife with setpieces. Later levels however throw combat encounters at you almost all the way to the end.

Combat is balanced for the most part, it's quite standard for a Half Life mod for the most part.

The addition of a new character with her own animations is quite novel and nice.

I do have some complaints, but it would be mostly in areas that can be easily remedied.

First off, I think the crates health are way too high. Of course in Half Life this was the same, but it really isn't all that engaging or fun to wack so many crates to get supplies. Just give me some ammo on a table or make the crates take a few hits. There's a reason why HL2 took this approach.

Second, too much vent crawling. I get Half Life and Half Life mods do this, but it really isn't fun crouch walking then occasionally taking out a pistol to shoot a headcrab, all it does is waste the player's time. It'll be better to connect them using rooms or make the vents as tall as the player.

Thirdly, this isn't really a complaint, but more a personal gripe. The weapon switching is too slow. I understand maybe this is the author's vision, but it severely limits the amount of options the player has in combat.

I'm fine with the Xen levels teleporting in enemies though. I think it's quite refreshing, in its encounters, and a rather risky move by the devs.

The story is rather confusing to me, I'll admit though. I still don't quite understand the ending, but that's a very minor nitpick.

Overall I enjoyed Delta, it could almost pass as an expansion pack in that regard.

I have mixed feelings about this mod. I think like most people I appreciate greatly the work that has been put in, and at the same time it's an unpleasant experience playing both mod and retail.

This is not just a review for the mod but also for the steam retail version (I'd write it there but I am not allowed to post a review there cos the game isn't mine)

First, some backstory:

I was in my teens when I first heard about G-String. I still remember Eyaura stating that she was an 18 year old doing everything herself on the moddb page.

I downloaded the mod version, and gave up in the first hour cause I was just stuck trying to know where to go next(more on this later)

I revisited it and painstakingly finished it.

Why painstakingly?

The mod's level design in terms of layout is very difficult to navigate. A lot of the times you will find yourself stuck facing dead ends. Only to realize that you're supposed to look behind you or jump on this platform to get where you need to go. I used noclip a lot just to see where I can move to. And Eyaura still sticks to these unorthodox ways of making the player navigate the level in the retail, though I will admit she has improved on navigation somewhat.

Where you are supposed to go vs optional areas feel reversed. It sometimes feel like the way to progress is what the "exploration part" is supposed to be. Whereas it is very easy to find items and weapons in more straightforward paths but come to a dead end.

It's also easy to get stuck on all the clutter and rubbish on the ground, making you come to a dead stop when walking. It's very frustrating.

Platforming in G-String is rage inducing. A lot of my deaths are due to environmental hazards, because Myo didn't make this jump properly or something. I also feel like both platforming and the constant crouchwalking are there to pad out the game and vents are used as a crutch a whole lot because Eyaura didn't know how to connect 2 areas naturally.

The zero gravity sections in the retail ****** me off so much I turned off my pc and cried into my pillow.

In terms of level design aesthetics, I think this is where Eyaura's strength really shows. The world is crafted with such a bleak, dark and depressing cyberpunk theme that it really pulls you down and it sapped my energy as I wandered through the world of G-String. William Gibson might be proud.

The areas in the game are so dirty, rusty, corrupted, perverse, and decayed that you just don't want to touch anything in the game with a ten foot pole if you were actually there. I legit felt sick while playing this and had to take a break between sessions.

The themes of sex, lifestyles, and religion pulled me down and I felt sick and disgusted to my stomach. I never thought I'd see a "perversion" of sex as to be so mortifying.

The only uplifting thing in the retail is Riley. I enjoyed hearing him speak and it reminded me that I wasn't alone in G-String.

One of the worst things I did to myself was play this game while having a depressive episode. I couldn't calm down for the rest of the day until I went to sleep. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life.

Hence I give a warning to people to please not play this game if you aren't emotionally stable, are having a depressive episode or depression or if you're feeling ill.

This mod and the retail are torturous rather than entertaining.

Gunfights are inoffensive for the most part, the only thing I will say is "bad" are the soldiers placed higher than you where you can often barely see them. You are often ambushed as a result (intentional?)

The retail's last section on the other hand is a huge high, and I loved visiting the refinery, and the space sections. More areas like this please (also bring back the mall from the mod~)

So why an 8? Because I think Eyaura didn't make this for players per se. I personally feel like she made this to express herself and send us a message. And what a message.

Many will respect that it takes a lot of effort to make this, but what I find even more captivating is the theme of G-String.

It's not something "safe", instead it's incredibly mature as a subject that a majority of people would rather avoid. The most horrible things in life pushed to its extremes and packaged as a game.

For Eyaura to know this, yet go through with it, finish it and yet still have plans for it in the future?

G-String as a result is such a unique experience.

That being said, I do look forward to future works being a more fun and enjoyable game. Because I'll admit, I am not sure if I can stomach another G-String experience.

In Logistique, you play as Adam (no not from HDTF) who is searching for his wife (Hunt Down The Waifu) who has been kidnapped by the combine. This leads him to a seemingly abandoned building, believing his wife is held captive there.

Plotwise this is a pretty simple story. And easy to follow with motivations clearly laid out.

Gameplay wise this mod both takes and adds several things from base Half Life 2. For one, Adam doesn't have a HEV suit (which Adam does in HDTF), which means he can't sprint, doesn't have a traditional HUD, can't heal from health stations or gain energy from charging stations, doesn't have a crosshair and can't heal from healthvials or healthkits from vanilla HL2.

He instead needs to rely on iron sights, checking his ammo manually and first aid packs similar to the L4D first aids. His weapons do more damage along with the enemies. For example Adam can take out a metrocop in one headshot from a pistol or a soldier in a few smg rounds. Adam himself can't take much punishment.

Zombies can be dealt with by luring them to hopper mines, and it also takes less shots to put them down.

Because of this combat is fair without being cheap imo, I have no complaints about that.

What I didn't like are some of the puzzles and just progressing somewhere in general, which happens in other Half Life mods.

The section after getting the 2 fuses (despite the game showing you actually collected 3) presents you 2 paths, where you need to go (path 1), and where you actually don't have to go at all nor any strong reason to (path 2). Path 1 isn't clearly presented and path 2 seems like the right place to go.

Wooden crates in this mod break when you step on them, so I assume there is no stacking in this mod. However path 1 requires you to stack physics objects to get on top. Since I can't use physics crates I have to rely on barrels, which can have the tendency to be on the rounded end and don't work well as well as crates for stacking. I ended up using a cardboard box to get on top. You can argue maybe wooden crates shouldn't be used since they can break but at that point I didn't have a weapon or a crowbar, so there is no way for me to break them, if this was vanilla HL2.

And what about path 2? It teaches you that electric floors can be powered off. Which it also does in path 1.

Most of my deaths are caused by platforming sections, particularly the one that looks like the HL2 citadel. Platforming in this game requires you to duck while in mid air to clear difficult gaps. It's also sometimes difficult to know where to go because your eye is drawn to a lot of wrong places on where to go, with vital areas shrouded in darkness at times. Progression is also done by backtracking on a path that I will say is a bit too long for my taste.

The visuals are gorgeous however. You visit a prison, a citadel like area, and a small district. A lot of work was put into the presentation and the screenshots make it look like it could be something from a type of Half Life 2 spin off.

I can't be too hard on this mod, since I'm working on one myself hence I would recommend this mod, if only for a different kind of combat gameplay and gorgeous visuals. Though you may need more patience when in comes to progressing in certain areas.