Shadow of the Colossus

Screenshots taken from IGN

Story
Tales speak of a distant place where creatures the size of mountains roam free. Bound to the land, those beasts hold the key to a mystical power capable of bringing the departed back from the other side. Spurred by love, yet armed only with a sword and bow, one man faces an extraordinary challenge. A solitary quest to find and slay opponents so immense they seem to posses no weakness. But in this desolate, beautiful land, very little is ever as it seems. An the journey is only just beginning.

General
After the introduction of your task it is time to set out to find and defeat the sixteen Colossi that roam the land. However there is a lot of ground to cover in the game, especially when you check the map pressing the start button. But you only need to find one at a time though. The main character’s sword has an ability to find the Colossi and direct you to them by raising the sword in the air with the circle button and holding it down, looking around until the scattered light turns into a thin beam showing you the location of your enemy. You must travel in this direction each time, travelling the long distances on large terrain with the help of your horse, Agro to get there faster. Natural bridges and gaps inbetween the mountains break up the search from time to time and sometimes you will explore some old cave or ruin to embark in battle with the beast. The long journeys however can be a bother if you get lost but a majority of the time it is immersive to travel across the detailed lands with different types of locations such as desserts or grassland. Once after you have approached your target, a great cutscene will take place introducing you to your foe that can be rather breathtaking at the sheer thought of how you’re supposed to beat such a demon.

Controls / Battle System
Controlling the main character gets quite easy quickly out of the many functions you can do, on foot, on horse or while holding onto something which all have there uses throughout each of the battles with Colossi. A majority of battles will be set on foot while travelling will be done by horse but some of the fights will require Agro to join in. The controls can be modified as desired within the options menu which is a good touch so nothing is forced upon the player if they dislike the current assignments. A lot of jumping and grabbing is involved within the game itself as you’ll be climbing on top of ruins, rocks and even the Colossi to attack their weak points with powerful strikes, some of which will disappear and you’ll have to find another weak spot. Ofcourse you’ll have to find a way to actually get on top of the thing first and eventually you are going to have to use the enviroment around you and watch the behavior of your opponent to truely defeat it. However when in doubt, you’ll recieve a sort of hint from Dormin for what you must do and a few are almost riddle like but still helpful. Other matters also come into battle as well, such as your health which is the red bar in the lower right corner, and grip meter which is the pink circle above this. These can run out quickly if your not too careful but they will regenerate once you stand still. These however health can be increased by eating fruit from trees and grip can be increased by eating a lizards white tail, both of which are found in various of locations around the map. One major problem that affects the gameplay are the camera angles that can get very awkward from time to time ruining the experiences as it can affect the way your character reacts as well.

Difficulty
Once you have figured out how to get onto the Colossi, now you must stay on it without falling off. Ofcourse you can grab on for dear life as they shake around but you wont be able to grab on forever. Once the shaking about stops, you can stand in a safe area until your grip meter regenerates but possibly fall off if you’re not prepared as it moves around. Another difficulty for some of the beasts is that they move around a lot make it harder to stab their weak spot which then must be thought about a little more, nothing too tricky to figure out though. After defeating several Colossus however, they will start to attack you more than ever, usually with projectiles which can quickly kill you after several hits. Some of the battles requite Agro to gain faster speed to either run away or run towards opponents and the controls for the horse can be rather annoying. However, the overall game isn’t exactly difficult as the only thing slowing you down is the time to figure out how to get to it’s weak area which can sometimes take some time. Once used to the behavior of the Colossi and an understanding of the enviroment the battles can get pretty easy if attempted a second or third time.

Design / Music / Sound
Large, open, beautifully designed landscapes surround the map with several different types of regions and styles with old, broken down ruins in different types of locations such as inside caves, forests, underground or out in the open. Everywhere is detailed to look and feel realistic keeping the locations immersive to look at, including the forrests with some interesting lighting effects all over the land. Everywhere has its own atmosphere that fits perfectly and adds more variety in your journeys. When fighting the Colossi, debris and particles scatter about as they walk around and smash their weapons down trying to get you give it a more realistic touch. Each Colossi has a very similar style but each with their own design and size, detailed very well with the mix of stone armour, moss and fur covering their bodies which can give them a more menacing appearance. Music is one of the highlights in this game though, the soundtrack fits perfectly and has some very inspiring tunes in there. Soft melodies during some of the calmer situations but then some louder battle themes with a different playing style and excitement to them.

Replay Value
Once you have completed the game you will unlock two new modes the next time you decide to play. These being the time attack mode where you will load your saved game after the credits and pressing the action button at the idols. Beating the Colossi here can unlock special items. The second unlocked feature is Hard mode and the time attack mode here once completed is ofcourse at the same level with other unlockables to find.

Overall Conclusion
Epic battles with huge foes that can only be defeated with some thought. Original and interesting throughout all set in a beautifully crafted land.

Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console(s): PlayStation 2
Rating: 95%

Affliction

Gameplay
Easy at first but the difficulty raises slightly the further you get but nothing too hard and straight forward, with some switches here and there. Very few walks through vents which is good as it keeps the travelling in the main areas so it didn’t get boring with some light action here and there. Plenty of health and ammo around with a large amount left after completing the mission.

Design
Simple yet detailed typical Black Mesa design with a solid structure throughout. Nothing to complain about in this department since everything looks fine without any problems. Texturing is also good, aligned well and mixes perfectly with other choices but again in a typical Black Mesa style.

Overall Conclusion
Quite easy yet balanced gameplay with a solid yet typical Black Mesa design.

Author: Toni Hiltunen
Type: Singleplayer
Rating: 84%
Download: Here

ic2005

Gameplay
Quite a long experience with a lot of fighting throughout. The goal of the map is to find each key to access each area until you find the red skull key for the exit. The map uses a majority of different enemies which are balanced out as the easiest are used first and gets harder later on. There are also several respawns and ambushes to keep the action going at all times with plenty of supplies around, with some special items to help in combat in tough spots. There is usually enough room to move about it during the fights but some tight spots here and there, although some objects to take cover behind, can make things a little difficult. Other than that, everything is rather balanced out and the flow is good, but it’s easy to get lost as well. Luckily the author added in the auto-map pickup.

Design
Detailed areas at a good standard with good looking structure and texturing throughout. Textures have been used and aligned well, which mix well with other ones without standing out keeping the colour tone moderate. The same design is used in a lot of locations of the building with some variety in a few sections here and there with different levels of lighting to change atmosphere. Although all the crates eventually got old, boring and repeatitive to look at where they were used.

Overall Conclusion
Balanced gameplay, good flow and some tough spots with a decent desigh throughout.

Author: Ian Cunnings
Port: ZDoom
Rating: 91%
Download: Here

Phocas Island 2

Gameplay
Taking a step away from the typical Doom gameplay and giving the map a different approach makes this one interesting to play. Instead of the average waves of enemies and obvious respawn traps while searching for switches and keys you are stuck on an island where you must find objects, solve puzzles, defeat bosses and find journal entries to develop the story slightly or give out clues. Ofcourse you also have a variety of new enemies on this island adding to the challenge, using sprites from Doom or Hexen with new scripting. The map starts inside a small intro room with some information and areas to set monster spawning on or off, which adds to difficulty and then to choose a skill. It also tells you to set the new controls which can be found at the bottom of the “customize controls” option. Back to gameplay, you must explore each area finding clues to what you must do to proceed on into new areas. Some require some careful looking while others won’t be accessed until much later when you found a certain object. Some of these can set traps that spawn an enemy or force you to fight a boss in either a large or small area. There are three weapons to find, one which is an axe and the other two are guns. Although there isn’t any ammo elsewhere in the wad, your ammo will still run out but will refill after some time. Health and weapon levels can be increased affecting the overall gameplay making the task a little more simple, especially with a high amount of health making you surive in those boss fights longer. Health can also be recharged when blowing out the candles where you level up from. Other than that there are two endings depending on how you play through the map, since if you leave most of the main bosses alone you will get a bad ending so it would be wise to find and beat them all but it won’t be easy since some areas are well hidden. Flow can get a little tiresome a lot of the time when you get stuck and don’t know what else you can do, however the author included some tips in a text file to be somewhat helpful, although finding you way around will get simple enough as you can get used to the layout quickly.

Design
The author makes a lot of use out of 3D floors throughout the map and a lot of sloped terrain to give it a more natural touch, although a lot of the rocks get boring to look at when travelling between each of the areas back and forth as the textures get dull. The map has been designed well though with several interesting locations such as a forest, some caves, ruins and much more to explore which have been textured well to give the area it’s own look except for most of the rock terrains. Structure of the ruins are really good however with solid details and good set of matching textures to stand out from the rest of the map. A lot of curves and ceiling details also keep these places from being empty, while other ruins are completely destroyed with nothing left except a few walls and some candles. Several waterfalls, rivers and lakes are placed around the map added a bit more colour in some areas and looking more natural with some hidden locations underwater also to explore. The skybox has also been chosen well for the map, although a little dull, fits well with the atmophere of being stuck and alone on this island. Some ambient sounds are used in certain locations but it was far too quiet most of the time, although this can add to that lonely feel it makes the map feel dull when venturing through each area. New music also comes with the wad to add a bit more atmosphere to several locations but nothing enough to remove the boring as mentioned.

Overall Conclusion
Different style of gameplay which is a love or hate situation. Great design but the wad can get somewhat tiresome or dull at times.

Author: Chopkinsca
Port: GZDoom
Rating: 94%
Download: Here

Justice

Gameplay
You’ve been taken to a prison and are currently awaiting trial which won’t be a fair one, so you decide to escape. The map is rather simple to play through and nothing to hard that gets in your way. The fights are very easy to get through once you get the shotgun, otherwise automatics and grenades are still there. The only enemies you will be figthing most with are the combine with a gunship outside which I found rather useless since you can quickly take it down early in the map. To get out of the prison you must venture through and find the key to the front gate as combine, manhacks and turrents get in your way around every corner.

Design
The structure of the map is great with an interesting design to building on the exterior. Texturing however is a bit bland and basic which could have been a lot better. The lighting is also rather bad, both outside and indoors while some of the lighting appears on the other side of corridors which destroys the visual side of things. Skybox has a quite atmospheric look yet again it could have looked better with better texture choices.

Overall Conclusion
Interesting exterior structure yet with bad lighting throughout with a very easy and simple gamplay.

Author: Satchmo
Type: Singleplayer
Rating: 68%
Download: Here

Exist

Gameplay
Challenging and action packed, although the start could have used a little bit extra ammo, but other than that the fights were pretty solid, some were tricky. Enough health around if you’re careful in he short battles, and enough ammo for the other weapons you recieve to make it through the whole mission easily enough. Objective is simple enough, where you find keys to get to the boss and beat it to win.

Design
A lot of brown textures have been used throughout the map with some orange lights to change the tone slightly. Good structure throughout which are perfect for fights, with enough detail to make most of the areas interesting to look at with some good usage of textures each aligned well and mix well. Lighting is also rather well done and looks realistic where it has been used.

Overall Conclusion
A short, yet decent map with challenging fights and good design.

Author: Th0r
Port: ZDoom
Rating: 70%
Download: Here

Sapphire – Orbital Research

Gameplay
Balanced yet challengine throughout with a good flow and plenty of enemies to fight against. Enough health and ammo around which can be used up quite quickly during some of the battles, but the main objective is to find keys to progress on and there are six of them. Lots of respawn traps which become obvious once you learn the pattern keep some action for when you trackback which is good, and some secret places to find as well with hidden goodies. Several of the enemies have been used throughout at well chosen spots, and there are also two new enemies are included in this map, one of which is used only a few times.

Design
Decent and detailed structure throughout the entire map with good texturing, aligned and chosen to mix well with everything else. Mixes of greys, browns and several lights give the map more colour, especially with the chosen theme where a new skybox has also been used. Other interest details are mirrored floors which give it more of a futuristic tone to the map. Although the design is great it gets a little repeatitive and could have had a little more variety.

Overall Conclusion
Blanced and challenging gameplay with decent yet repeatitive design.

Author: Daniel “Tormentor667″ Gimmer
Port: GZDoom
Type: Singleplayer
Rating: 90%
Download: Here

The City of the Damned

Gameplay
Lots of action throughout in this wad, especially outside as there are several enemies which will force you to watch your back at all times as they will be everywhere. Firing their projectiles from windows or at a distant, no where is safe in this city and the only way to survive is to ofcourse waste them all. Lots of enemy types are used and mixed in a fair variety of other demons in each horde making the map balanced, yet hard in some areas where Archviles are located. More than enough ammo, especially for the shotguns thanks to some enemies and there is plenty of health around with some armour additions elsewhere. Some fights however can be a bit tight in some areas which get a little annoying. Main objective is to find the six keys and press several switches to get through to the end with a final task at the end.

Design
Very detailed city using several textures from blood which have been used very well throughout the map and mix well with other chosen textures. Structure of the map is also decent with a lot of shape for each building both on the exteriors and interiors. Lighting is also realistic where it’s been used with some areas being at a good level of darkness which doesn’t cause annoyance. Like above some ares are tight to fight in and could have been a little bigger or had less enemies. Each location has been created to fit and mix well with the rest of the map and each building has it’s own purpose without looking too alike to other areas.

Conclusion
Balanced yet slightly hard wad with great design.

Overall Rating: 92%
Port Required: ZDoom

Author: Daniel “Tormentor667: Gimmer
Download: Here

Outpost Xen

Gameplay
Small and short, as you fight off headcrabs and vortigaunts like in the first Half Life installment when in Xen. However the action is a little more dull here since they’re easier to beat and their attacks are a lot more accurate. Although that isn’t such a bad thing but it is also quite powerful which will inflict a lot of damage if you can avoid it. Some healing pools however here and there which might bring back some memories to some players as well. Flow is good enough as you search for keycards, have small fights and find the package the person on the radio wants you to recieve.

Design
Average interior design and texturing, however which a few interesting structure details here and there. However, Xen itself didn’t look too good as it didn’t feel like it at all, the skybox could have used some work and texturing was rather poor here. The structure is similar to how it was done in Half Life but didn’t look right when done here and could have been a lot better.

Overall Conclusion
Good flow and slightly bland gameplay with average design.

Author: Aaron / 8472
Type: Singleplayer
Rating: 68%
Download: Here

Poke646: Vendetta

Gameplay
Continues the events from the first installment, where it starts off a few moments where the first ended. The time around the gameplay is a lot more action packed with less puzzles to complete. Previously you had to activate some machines throughout different areas of the city, but nothing like that this time. Everything is balanced well throughout with plenty of supplies for the player to use and some fair fights, nothing to difficult to face against. The flow is also decent and remains enjoyable through to the end slowly developing the story, with laptops giving you important information such as keypad codes and other details. A new health charger is now used, where it can only be used once so it must be used wisely.

Design
Very high quality with some very good structure and texturing throughout in each different location of the mod. The solid design is realistic especially with the amount of details used, mixing with some very good lighting to create some mood. Plenty of ambient sound effects have been used to keep the locations feel alive, especially the start with the creaking every now and then. Some areas are also reconisable from a few places you came across in the first Poke646.

Overall Conclusion
Sequel to one of best mods for Half Life. Not much else to say.

Author: Poke646 Team
Type: Singleplayer
Rating: 95%
Download: Here