Intelligence has just discovered a massive Imperial energy mine on the
planet Parux. The mine drains the geothermal energy from the planet and
then uses it to power all the tools of the Imperial war machine, from the
mightiest Star Destroyer to the smallest blaster. You job is to shut down
the tap into the energy well, then place a sequencer charge in the core.
The buildup of energy will eventually become so great that the facility
and half the planet will be destroyed.
Review by: Geoffrey Elliott |
I think that we'll have to ignore the obvious misinterpretation of
energy. After all, this is Star Wars, so physics and reality don't play as
big of roles here as they might in the real world. And the level does just
fine without all the accuracy in the world being shoved inside.
You'll also find one of the finest examples of location construction in this level. Exterior shots look wonderful, and the sounds and other elements combine to make you feel as if you're looking out at a canyon, or standing at the edge of a cliff over the ocean, the sound of the waves breaking all around. It's really great stuff that I wish more authors would take the time to do. But you shouldn't expect that because the author has put so much time into the look and feel that he's forgotten the action. There will be lots to keep you on your toes. Stormtroopers by the hundreds are guarding the facility and when you are discovered it only gets worse. You get just enough weapons and shields to make it fun and help you stay alive, but you don't have the toosl available to overpower the opposition. This ensures that you don't fall asleep at the keyboard. If there was one thing that could have been improved about this level, I would suggest that a little more creativity could have been involved. The author takes cues from various other levels that we've seen, improving on each item and adapting it for his own level. You will be able to recognize certain things, and that tends to stop the pace for a little bit. The plot is certainly different, but it really boils down to just another facility to destroy. I would have liked to see a story moving along with the level, perhaps some alternative use for the facility is discovered, something like that. It could have added a different aspect to the usual method and given the level it's own distinctive quality. |
Review by: Jeff Walters |
You know how sometimes you get a level that's been hyped up and you're
sure will be great, but turns out to be ordinary.........well this level
is the oppostie.
I'd played this author's previous two levels a couple of times and while they had the odd interesting part they were fairly ordinary. Bearing this in mind, I wasn't getting my hopes up when I downloaded this level, especially because the name - Energy Mine on Parux - is hardly an innovative attention grabber.
This level doesn't have a lot of VUEs, but there wasn't too much call for them in a level like this. The level has been given a pretty good storyline and it has been integrated into the level design well, so that the mine's design doesn't feel like room after room without a purpose, but rather a well designed facility. A lot of scenes really worked well, like when you come to a cliff and are able to see a part of the mine you haven't been yet matched with a cool sound effect that provides a daunting feeling of what's to come. The architecture of the level is fresh and the author has managed to take ordinary things like elevators and make new interesting designs. There isn't too much repettion of design, and each location has it's own design features that seperate it from other areas of the level. |
This level really surprised me, the jump in quality from it's
predecessors is dramatic, and I recommend you play it as soon as possible.
It's just a step or two down from the really top-notch levels. The author
of this level shows a lot of talent and creativity, definitely someone to
label 'Watch this spot'.
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Level(s) replaced: | SECBASE |
Difficulty Settings: | Yes |
New BMs: | Yes |
New FMEs: | Yes |
New WAXs: | No |
New 3DOs: | Yes |
New VOCs: | Yes |
New GMDs: | No |
New LFDs: | Yes |
Base: | New level from scratch |
Editor(s) used: | WDFUSE 2.00 |
Known Bugs: | Lots of slowdown in very detailed areas. |
Download Energy Mine on Parux (parux.zip, 406k) |