I will play every level in Marathon Infinity and comment on them.
What about them? I'm not going to highlight every secret. If you want the spoiler guide, read that.
11. Thing What Kicks...
This is the more adult cousin of Where Some Rarely Go, and a level I find to be a lot more enjoyable. Pretty much everything's been improved over WSRG: the level design is a bit more developed, the architecture and texturing are more rich and detailed, and the combat is... well, okay, it's still a pretty easy level, except for the four Juggernauts in the middle of the level that make going out there pretty damn difficult. Not to mention not worth the time or ammo to take down, especially on TC.
Aside from being flat-out better than WSRG there isn't much else to comment on, because it's obviously just a continuation of that level. I do like how the exit terminal would take you to Waterloo Waterpark, but the SO realizes that's a failure path and bails out. It's a pretty nice touch, not to mention you can start figuring out the whole time travel thing at this point if you make the connection.
Overall, this is a genuinely good level, if still a bit on the easy side for the most part.
Level design: 4.5/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Combat: 2.5/5
This is the more adult cousin of Where Some Rarely Go, and a level I find to be a lot more enjoyable. Pretty much everything's been improved over WSRG: the level design is a bit more developed, the architecture and texturing are more rich and detailed, and the combat is... well, okay, it's still a pretty easy level, except for the four Juggernauts in the middle of the level that make going out there pretty damn difficult. Not to mention not worth the time or ammo to take down, especially on TC.
Aside from being flat-out better than WSRG there isn't much else to comment on, because it's obviously just a continuation of that level. I do like how the exit terminal would take you to Waterloo Waterpark, but the SO realizes that's a failure path and bails out. It's a pretty nice touch, not to mention you can start figuring out the whole time travel thing at this point if you make the connection.
Overall, this is a genuinely good level, if still a bit on the easy side for the most part.
Level design: 4.5/5
Aesthetics: 4/5
Combat: 2.5/5
I was hoping for your opinion on them, but never mind.RyokoTK wrote:What about them? I'm not going to highlight every secret. If you want the spoiler guide, read that.
Polyplicity my second (less sucky) net pack. Go on. Download it. You know you don't want to.
Marathon Aeon- My scenario in the works ~on Simplici7y
riveting six-vertice amnesty ratifications
Marathon Aeon- My scenario in the works ~on Simplici7y
riveting six-vertice amnesty ratifications
12. Electric Sheep Two
Like Electric Sheep One, only it's Two.
13. Whatever You Please
This level can eat shit. Of the three dream levels, this is far and away the worst. The gimmick seems okay -- dark level, narrow pathways, shoot the switches on the walls to continue -- until invisible compilers that you can't see at all in the darkness come in and knock you off the ledges and kill you every single goddamn time.
I mean, what is the point of that? What genius level designer thought that was great? Like, yeah, this is how we need to make this dream level challenging, we have shit knock you off the path into the lava. It's metaphorical! Ughhhhh.
I mean, what is there to even say about this nonsense? The level itself is pretty simple and straightforward, not much to comment on, it's just dark dark dark dark dark. And then you have these guys you can't see killing you over and over. With seeking bolts.
Humorously, in order to reach the secret exit and head to Carroll Street Station, you're supposed to go through this even harder section of jumps across the lava on moving platforms. But you don't have to do that; the secret exit terminal is accessible by jumping from the normal exit terminal onto another ledge and tabbing the wall where the term should be. And there you have it. Saves you a lot of stress, anyway.
Level design: 1/5
Aesthetics: 2.5/5; like Where Are Monsters in Dreams, this one has the whole pitch black except for some lit stuff thing going, only it doesn't work out as well.
Combat: 1/5
Like Electric Sheep One, only it's Two.
13. Whatever You Please
This level can eat shit. Of the three dream levels, this is far and away the worst. The gimmick seems okay -- dark level, narrow pathways, shoot the switches on the walls to continue -- until invisible compilers that you can't see at all in the darkness come in and knock you off the ledges and kill you every single goddamn time.
I mean, what is the point of that? What genius level designer thought that was great? Like, yeah, this is how we need to make this dream level challenging, we have shit knock you off the path into the lava. It's metaphorical! Ughhhhh.
I mean, what is there to even say about this nonsense? The level itself is pretty simple and straightforward, not much to comment on, it's just dark dark dark dark dark. And then you have these guys you can't see killing you over and over. With seeking bolts.
Humorously, in order to reach the secret exit and head to Carroll Street Station, you're supposed to go through this even harder section of jumps across the lava on moving platforms. But you don't have to do that; the secret exit terminal is accessible by jumping from the normal exit terminal onto another ledge and tabbing the wall where the term should be. And there you have it. Saves you a lot of stress, anyway.
Level design: 1/5
Aesthetics: 2.5/5; like Where Are Monsters in Dreams, this one has the whole pitch black except for some lit stuff thing going, only it doesn't work out as well.
Combat: 1/5
Uh, secrets are nice...?Dugit wrote:I was hoping for your opinion on them, but never mind.
14. Carroll Street Station
Okay, I'm not too sure about this one. As far as I can tell it's identical to Aie Mak Sicur, except it's a vacuum level so you're on a time limit. (Doubly so since I didn't find any oxygen.) Also, the player spawns are even worse -- I can't not get shot to pieces when I enter this level by the Juggernaut and multiple Hunters.
Other than that it's the same deal. Lots of ammo to find, a bajillion Hunters to kill. A fun level, but the time limit thing means it's best to just hurry your way through this level rather than explore to find all the ammo.
Okay, I'm not too sure about this one. As far as I can tell it's identical to Aie Mak Sicur, except it's a vacuum level so you're on a time limit. (Doubly so since I didn't find any oxygen.) Also, the player spawns are even worse -- I can't not get shot to pieces when I enter this level by the Juggernaut and multiple Hunters.
Other than that it's the same deal. Lots of ammo to find, a bajillion Hunters to kill. A fun level, but the time limit thing means it's best to just hurry your way through this level rather than explore to find all the ammo.
Naw Man He's Close will come later.
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Ares Ex Machina
- Mjolnir Mark IV
- Posts: 614
- Joined: Jan 23rd '08, 08:07
- Contact:
This is the first I've heard of this. I tested it out briefly and it seems to be true. I wonder, was this a fumble in programming? The extra oxygen drain for running makes perfect sense and is a brilliant addition to the gameplay...but otherwise, nothing about it makes sense.Treellama wrote:Don't forget you get penalized extra oxygen when either trigger is down, so fire manually instead of auto for guns where it makes sense. You lose extra oxygen when the run key is down, even when you're not moving, so use it sparingly.
![[MFrown]](./images/smilies/2.png "marathon"){kind=small}
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thermoplyae
- Mjolnir Mark IV
- Posts: 735
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no, it's extremely deliberate. the whole idea of the game is "fuck, you" when you set the difficulty to TC
dude, seriously. dude.
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VikingBoyBilly
- Mjolnir Mark IV
- Posts: 520
- Joined: Dec 6th '07, 16:10
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This topic should be added to legends when its done.
Maybe the guns need air to propel their projectiles?
Maybe the guns need air to propel their projectiles?
No, the voice acting is ridiculous. The characters themselves actually had personalities that weren't "perfect" or "evil" (or the occasional "sardonic but still good spirited"). I liked James' character because he was a complete asshole; I thought it was funny.RyokoTK wrote:Also the characters in SH2 are ridiculous, I dunno what you're talking about.
Also, what's with me and my opinions being opposite everyone else's (in Marathon, that is)? I hate thing what kicks. It feels bland, open and boring. The large rooms feel stupid to me.
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Horkeldorf
- Cyborg
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Nov 9th '09, 04:14
- Contact:
If the guns you're allowed to use in a vacuum level use up oxygen from your suit to fire, then I think it would make more sense to let you use the assault rifle in a vacuum level.
Just don't worry about why and listen to what thermoplyae said.
Just don't worry about why and listen to what thermoplyae said.
Jaaaaaaaaaaaames Sunderland is unfathomably stupid and one of the least sympathetic heroes in a video game not because he's an asshole, but because he's a goddamned retard. Even the other characters are just really shallow and stupid with indecipherable motivations. (Which is kinda the point, but nonetheless.)gmanyo wrote:No, the voice acting is ridiculous. The characters themselves actually had personalities that weren't "perfect" or "evil" (or the occasional "sardonic but still good spirited"). I liked James' character because he was a complete asshole; I thought it was funny.
Also, what's with me and my opinions being opposite everyone else's (in Marathon, that is)? I hate thing what kicks. It feels bland, open and boring. The large rooms feel stupid to me.
Also you basically have to be some kind of bad person to even arrive in Silent Hill so obviously Jaaaaaaaames isn't a good guy, he's just a dummy.
14. Naw Man He's Close
A couple days ago I maligned this level for being pointless and mediocre. Upon replay, though, that claim was pretty misplaced. This level is one of the better levels in the game due to some satisfying slaughter that poses a pretty decent challenge on TC without being too annoying or over the top.
Like most other Pfhor levels, this one is far too dark for its own good, which is probably its biggest failing because of course the many Vacbobs and Compilers on this level have no problem blasting you from a mile away. Normally this isn't much of a problem though; there's plenty of open space to sidestep the easily-dodged Vacbob bolts, but the last part is a maze of 0.5 WU wide corridors with Vacbobs at the end of each one. There's no way to see them before they start shooting you, which is pretty lame, but if you have a good stack of Shotgun ammo from Carroll Street Station (I had just over 100 shells), you've got the best weapon for this level.
Visually the level is satisfying enough but, like most other Pfhor levels, fails to really inspire. I think this is a failing of the texture set; I've certainly never been able to do much better. It is the best looking Pfhor level so far though, but with competition like Rise Robot Rise and Post Naval Trauma that isn't a tough medal to achieve. Good attention to architecture makes this level a lot more tolerable and reasonably creepy, but at the same time fun. Vacbobs are pretty fun enemies to fight. Plus the environment changes enough throughout the level that it's not repetitive.
You also get a pretty sizable pile of AR ammo throughout the level, which is cool too, and even a couple friendly Troopers to help you plow your way through the human ranks.
In short, a good level, though of course the time warp at the end of Thing What Kicks makes the opening to this level a bit bizarre. I really wish there was a clearer way to identify what was going on in the plot.
Level design: 4/5
Aesthetic: 3/5
Combat: 5/5
A couple days ago I maligned this level for being pointless and mediocre. Upon replay, though, that claim was pretty misplaced. This level is one of the better levels in the game due to some satisfying slaughter that poses a pretty decent challenge on TC without being too annoying or over the top.
Like most other Pfhor levels, this one is far too dark for its own good, which is probably its biggest failing because of course the many Vacbobs and Compilers on this level have no problem blasting you from a mile away. Normally this isn't much of a problem though; there's plenty of open space to sidestep the easily-dodged Vacbob bolts, but the last part is a maze of 0.5 WU wide corridors with Vacbobs at the end of each one. There's no way to see them before they start shooting you, which is pretty lame, but if you have a good stack of Shotgun ammo from Carroll Street Station (I had just over 100 shells), you've got the best weapon for this level.
Visually the level is satisfying enough but, like most other Pfhor levels, fails to really inspire. I think this is a failing of the texture set; I've certainly never been able to do much better. It is the best looking Pfhor level so far though, but with competition like Rise Robot Rise and Post Naval Trauma that isn't a tough medal to achieve. Good attention to architecture makes this level a lot more tolerable and reasonably creepy, but at the same time fun. Vacbobs are pretty fun enemies to fight. Plus the environment changes enough throughout the level that it's not repetitive.
You also get a pretty sizable pile of AR ammo throughout the level, which is cool too, and even a couple friendly Troopers to help you plow your way through the human ranks.
In short, a good level, though of course the time warp at the end of Thing What Kicks makes the opening to this level a bit bizarre. I really wish there was a clearer way to identify what was going on in the plot.
Level design: 4/5
Aesthetic: 3/5
Combat: 5/5
I know, it was great! James is completely stupid and totally socially inept, and thus acts like a complete asshole. He also doesn't really care all that much about Maria, or, in fact, anyone but himself or Mary, and so treats everyone else like shit. He's one of my favorite game characters.RyokoTK wrote:Jaaaaaaaaaaaames Sunderland is unfathomably stupid and one of the least sympathetic heroes in a video game not because he's an asshole, but because he's a goddamned retard. Even the other characters are just really shallow and stupid with indecipherable motivations. (Which is kinda the point, but nonetheless.)
Also you basically have to be some kind of bad person to even arrive in Silent Hill so obviously Jaaaaaaaames isn't a good guy, he's just a dummy.
Oh, and fuck Laura.
"I hate you James! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
15. Foe Hammer
So what the fuck is going on in this plot? Suddenly you've been on Durandal's side the entire time in this storyline, so the Vacbobs that you've been blasting are now on your side? Four or five of them come charging out in the first room of this level but now they're your buddies, so don't shoot them. Wish you had told me BEFORE NOW. This is where the plot turns completely schizophrenic. You shift timelines so often that there's no rhyme or reason to the direction this story takes you, and generally by this point I stop really reading the terminals and just shoot whatever shoots me.
Anyway, this level's pretty mediocre. I don't know why. Too many Compilers, I think. There's so many of them, and half of them are invisible so you can't see them, and on TC they all shoot homing shots so you're just constantly ducking around the same compiler bolts over and over. The rest of the combat is pretty unsatisfying, fighting Cyborgs and the odd Hunter. In other words, learn to love the Fusion Pistol. The actual objective is sort of unclear; you just have to kind of haphazardly find your way around this short little level, shooting switches and stuff until the exit door opens.
The architecture is equally spastic. Some parts are oddly detailed, but then you have huge bland spaces with no attention to detail at all. How many people worked on this level, thirty? This is just an incoherent mess.
Whatever. The real meat of this part of the game is forthcoming. I do like the big cache of rockets you get at the end of this level. Good thing that by now you only have one chance left to use them.
The monster placement in this game rarely calls for rockets to begin with, so I have all of mine untouched from Aie Mak Sicur onwards (IOW, by Hang Brain, I'm toting around like 30 rocket packs).
Level design: 2.5/5
Aesthetics: 1.5/5
Combat: 3/5
So what the fuck is going on in this plot? Suddenly you've been on Durandal's side the entire time in this storyline, so the Vacbobs that you've been blasting are now on your side? Four or five of them come charging out in the first room of this level but now they're your buddies, so don't shoot them. Wish you had told me BEFORE NOW. This is where the plot turns completely schizophrenic. You shift timelines so often that there's no rhyme or reason to the direction this story takes you, and generally by this point I stop really reading the terminals and just shoot whatever shoots me.
Anyway, this level's pretty mediocre. I don't know why. Too many Compilers, I think. There's so many of them, and half of them are invisible so you can't see them, and on TC they all shoot homing shots so you're just constantly ducking around the same compiler bolts over and over. The rest of the combat is pretty unsatisfying, fighting Cyborgs and the odd Hunter. In other words, learn to love the Fusion Pistol. The actual objective is sort of unclear; you just have to kind of haphazardly find your way around this short little level, shooting switches and stuff until the exit door opens.
The architecture is equally spastic. Some parts are oddly detailed, but then you have huge bland spaces with no attention to detail at all. How many people worked on this level, thirty? This is just an incoherent mess.
Whatever. The real meat of this part of the game is forthcoming. I do like the big cache of rockets you get at the end of this level. Good thing that by now you only have one chance left to use them.
The monster placement in this game rarely calls for rockets to begin with, so I have all of mine untouched from Aie Mak Sicur onwards (IOW, by Hang Brain, I'm toting around like 30 rocket packs).Level design: 2.5/5
Aesthetics: 1.5/5
Combat: 3/5
16. Hang Brain
Ah hell yeah, Hang Brain. This is one of the game's best levels -- not to mention, one of the hardest.
It's time to tear apart Durandal. Again. This level is sort of a remixed (and extended) version of Begging For Mercy Makes Me Angry from M2. Same kind of deal, and the centerpiece is pretty similar. Only this time you're serving Tycho again!! Well, kind of, his guys are still trying to kill you. So once again, where the hell is this plot going? This is absurd.
Anyway, this is undoubtedly one of the game's toughest levels. And because it's the last real level where you'll use your guns, it's a great level to dump out all that Shotgun and SPNKR ammo you've stockpiled up inadvertently over the course of the game. Or at least, I have. And it works out well, too, with hordes of Troopers and Hunters fighting against you, including fearsome super-Troopers that can use their machine guns from a long distance and have a lot more health. These guys are nasty, compounded with the fact that, once again, the level is dark as hell putting you at a stiff disadvantage.
As far as a plot climax level, this one works out well; big fights going on throughout the course of the level, and the layout is generally clear enough that you aren't spending too much time wandering around. Handily, you don't need to ever actually enter the lower room with the wires; you can shoot all of them through windows that open up on the middle floor as you progress, which can save you a big fight against Troopers down there. Overall, the combat is pretty damn fun, and a great way to burn off all the ammo you picked up, though you don't really know you're going to lose them on your first time through.
Aesthetically, this one works out reasonably well; the level is quite detailed but too dark to see the texturing. The architecture is pretty nice and carries the circular motif pretty well throughout.
All in all, this is a solid level and a very satisfying challenge. Troopers and Hunters are so fun to fight; the bread and butter of later levels.
Level design: 5/5
Aesthetic: 3.5/5
Combat: 5/5
Ah hell yeah, Hang Brain. This is one of the game's best levels -- not to mention, one of the hardest.
It's time to tear apart Durandal. Again. This level is sort of a remixed (and extended) version of Begging For Mercy Makes Me Angry from M2. Same kind of deal, and the centerpiece is pretty similar. Only this time you're serving Tycho again!! Well, kind of, his guys are still trying to kill you. So once again, where the hell is this plot going? This is absurd.
Anyway, this is undoubtedly one of the game's toughest levels. And because it's the last real level where you'll use your guns, it's a great level to dump out all that Shotgun and SPNKR ammo you've stockpiled up inadvertently over the course of the game. Or at least, I have. And it works out well, too, with hordes of Troopers and Hunters fighting against you, including fearsome super-Troopers that can use their machine guns from a long distance and have a lot more health. These guys are nasty, compounded with the fact that, once again, the level is dark as hell putting you at a stiff disadvantage.
As far as a plot climax level, this one works out well; big fights going on throughout the course of the level, and the layout is generally clear enough that you aren't spending too much time wandering around. Handily, you don't need to ever actually enter the lower room with the wires; you can shoot all of them through windows that open up on the middle floor as you progress, which can save you a big fight against Troopers down there. Overall, the combat is pretty damn fun, and a great way to burn off all the ammo you picked up, though you don't really know you're going to lose them on your first time through.
Aesthetically, this one works out reasonably well; the level is quite detailed but too dark to see the texturing. The architecture is pretty nice and carries the circular motif pretty well throughout.
All in all, this is a solid level and a very satisfying challenge. Troopers and Hunters are so fun to fight; the bread and butter of later levels.
Level design: 5/5
Aesthetic: 3.5/5
Combat: 5/5
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VikingBoyBilly
- Mjolnir Mark IV
- Posts: 520
- Joined: Dec 6th '07, 16:10
- Contact:
Huh? I thought maps 14-16 were part of the same timeline.
In foe hammer the SO is morally conflicted and decides to betray tycho to help out durandal, which is really what the player WANTS to do. Tycho clearly tries to discipline you for disobeying him by warping you into vacuum, then he takes you against your will to go destroy durandal in hang brain.
at least, thats what I thought was going on in this crazy mess...![[MErr]](./images/smilies/3.png "marathon")
In foe hammer the SO is morally conflicted and decides to betray tycho to help out durandal, which is really what the player WANTS to do. Tycho clearly tries to discipline you for disobeying him by warping you into vacuum, then he takes you against your will to go destroy durandal in hang brain.
at least, thats what I thought was going on in this crazy mess...
Yeah, 16 was pretty fun, actually. Still, I think the best part of the game was (or is it were? I'm pretty sure "was" is correct) the last 5 or so levels. I enjoyed the last level, even though it forced you to do rocket jumping (unless you did retarded difficult switch timing).
17. Electric Sheep Three
What sucks about this level (and even more the next one) is that if you foolishly save at the end of Hang Brain with low health, as I did, you need to make a detour to get the 1x canister on the path leading back to Acme Station. You cannot survive the beginning of Eat the Path with less than 1/4 red bar, and even with half a bar you have to have fast reflexes. Which means if you get blasted by one of those bastard Ticks blowing up, you're in pretty big trouble.
The other thing about this level is that it has a much more tedious jumping puzzle than is necessary. There's no need to make this kind of metaphorical dream level such a hassle. Jumping back and forth across those two staircases? What a pain in the dick. But the worst is...
18. Eat the Path
There are two entirely separate paths on this level. Both of them suck. What happened to levels being fun? Metaphors or not, why do I have to hate myself so much on this level? Okay, so if you take the path to You're Wormfood Dude, it's at least blissfully short, but it's not easy, with a couple jumps that pretty much require strafe-running and compulsory lava-bathing. That's not very much fun, especially because you desperately need health for You're Wormfood Dude. If you take the other path, get ready for Whatever You Please Part Two; running along really long boring paths over lava while Enforcers and Compilers shoot at you from a million miles away.
I don't get it. What's the point of this? I mean, who played this and thought yeah, this is good, this is what I want out of a Marathon level. I mean, dream level or not, someone still has to play the level and it's just so frustrating esltjhekjthskjdghkdsjwestn
It doesn't even look good, and the pulsating lights give me a throbbing headache after a while. This is just so stupid. At least this is the last of this nonsense, thank God.
There isn't even much to say. As usual, the terminals are completely impenetrable non-sequiturs.
Level design: 1.5/5
Aesthetics: 2/5
Combat: 1/5
19. You're Wormfood, Dude
Wow.
This level is the third failure version of Aye Mak Sicur. Like Carroll Street Station, it's a vacuum. Unlike that level, it's not fun at all or especially profitable, and plus, it takes you backwards through the plot anyway.
At least it's a bit different; it features different sections of the station from Aie Mak Sicur or Carroll Street Station. But it's so crowded with Hunters and Troopers (not present in the final AMS), and it's a vacuum; the shotgun ammo you have stockpiled just isn't going to last you long enough to get through the horde. Not to mention you have to take a lava bath at the end of Eat the Path so you're probably entering this level with half health, and bad guys start shooting you right away, and I never found a save on this nightmare level either. Meaning if you die (and you will, a lot) you have to go all the way back to Hang Brain.
WHY. What is the point of this? Who would ever want to play this level? Failure branch or not, at least Forrest had the right idea when he made the bazillion failure branch levels in Eternal and had them be normal, non-obnoxious levels that were kinda fun. This is complete nonsense, and it's way too hard, as if the vacuum setting was added after all the combat was figured out. I died so many damn times doing this on TC (this was the first time I've played this level on TC, and I got absolutely destroyed within a minute about ten times in a row) that I had to give up and come back later.
It wouldn't be so bad if you had a chance; there's a 2x canister hidden away near the beginning of the level, but you can't find it, let alone get there, without dying a bunch of times first and starting over from Hang Brain. If there was a save at the beginning it would be okay, but no. You have to be punished for playing. And that's not right.
Other than the horse shit, this level isn't much different from the other two AMS clones so...
Level design: 2/5
Aesthetic: 5/5
Combat: 2/5; it wouldn't be so bad but I had 60 shells walking in and ran out. And I ran out of fusion. You aren't meant to win on this level.
What sucks about this level (and even more the next one) is that if you foolishly save at the end of Hang Brain with low health, as I did, you need to make a detour to get the 1x canister on the path leading back to Acme Station. You cannot survive the beginning of Eat the Path with less than 1/4 red bar, and even with half a bar you have to have fast reflexes. Which means if you get blasted by one of those bastard Ticks blowing up, you're in pretty big trouble.
The other thing about this level is that it has a much more tedious jumping puzzle than is necessary. There's no need to make this kind of metaphorical dream level such a hassle. Jumping back and forth across those two staircases? What a pain in the dick. But the worst is...
18. Eat the Path
There are two entirely separate paths on this level. Both of them suck. What happened to levels being fun? Metaphors or not, why do I have to hate myself so much on this level? Okay, so if you take the path to You're Wormfood Dude, it's at least blissfully short, but it's not easy, with a couple jumps that pretty much require strafe-running and compulsory lava-bathing. That's not very much fun, especially because you desperately need health for You're Wormfood Dude. If you take the other path, get ready for Whatever You Please Part Two; running along really long boring paths over lava while Enforcers and Compilers shoot at you from a million miles away.
I don't get it. What's the point of this? I mean, who played this and thought yeah, this is good, this is what I want out of a Marathon level. I mean, dream level or not, someone still has to play the level and it's just so frustrating esltjhekjthskjdghkdsjwestn
It doesn't even look good, and the pulsating lights give me a throbbing headache after a while. This is just so stupid. At least this is the last of this nonsense, thank God.
There isn't even much to say. As usual, the terminals are completely impenetrable non-sequiturs.
Level design: 1.5/5
Aesthetics: 2/5
Combat: 1/5
19. You're Wormfood, Dude
Wow.
This level is the third failure version of Aye Mak Sicur. Like Carroll Street Station, it's a vacuum. Unlike that level, it's not fun at all or especially profitable, and plus, it takes you backwards through the plot anyway.
At least it's a bit different; it features different sections of the station from Aie Mak Sicur or Carroll Street Station. But it's so crowded with Hunters and Troopers (not present in the final AMS), and it's a vacuum; the shotgun ammo you have stockpiled just isn't going to last you long enough to get through the horde. Not to mention you have to take a lava bath at the end of Eat the Path so you're probably entering this level with half health, and bad guys start shooting you right away, and I never found a save on this nightmare level either. Meaning if you die (and you will, a lot) you have to go all the way back to Hang Brain.
WHY. What is the point of this? Who would ever want to play this level? Failure branch or not, at least Forrest had the right idea when he made the bazillion failure branch levels in Eternal and had them be normal, non-obnoxious levels that were kinda fun. This is complete nonsense, and it's way too hard, as if the vacuum setting was added after all the combat was figured out. I died so many damn times doing this on TC (this was the first time I've played this level on TC, and I got absolutely destroyed within a minute about ten times in a row) that I had to give up and come back later.
It wouldn't be so bad if you had a chance; there's a 2x canister hidden away near the beginning of the level, but you can't find it, let alone get there, without dying a bunch of times first and starting over from Hang Brain. If there was a save at the beginning it would be okay, but no. You have to be punished for playing. And that's not right.
Other than the horse shit, this level isn't much different from the other two AMS clones so...
Level design: 2/5
Aesthetic: 5/5
Combat: 2/5; it wouldn't be so bad but I had 60 shells walking in and ran out. And I ran out of fusion. You aren't meant to win on this level.
20. By Committee
The problem inherent in a rebellion level is that, by necessity, it requires the level designer to step back the combat difficulty until the player has recovered all of his stuff. This is a huge flow-breaker because by now we're 20 levels into the game and ready for the final push, but hey, now we're killing Fighters and Drones again. Yay. Not to mention, a conservative player (like myself) will end up punching enemies until a reasonable supply line of ammo is restored, and punching is just so boring. In some games, like Evil, losing your weapons constantly isn't as much of a problem, but here (and in M2) it's a huge dealbreaker because the end is in sight! These levels should be intense and challenging, not slow.
That said, upon reflection, By Committee isn't a bad level, it's just kind of a boring one, because of the points I highlighted. I don't want to use my one pistol to kill Fighters anymore. That stage of the game should be over. Furthermore, I shouldn't have to run away from monsters because I don't have ammo. Marathon is really only good at one thing -- killing tons of monsters -- so once you overturn its one trick, the game becomes pretty shallow pretty quickly.
But By Committee isn't too terrible. It's not very long, for one, and it's not very hard either, so at least you can get your groove back before too terribly long. The disconcerting plot line should finally be coming together a little bit; Tycho is talking about R'chzne again, so you might be able to connect this to the Poor Yorick set of levels, only this time with Durandal's primal pattern you might have a chance of success.
But really, the big problem with this level is it's a missed opportunity. This is a prison. There should be bad guys everywhere, but aside from a single MOAC that you lack the ammo to kill, the level is nearly empty and the monsters remaining are babies. By the time you find the AR the level's pretty much won, and what's left is just kind of a pointless waste of time. Granted, Infinity as a whole is a more subdued game than M2, but this should be a pretty exciting and action-packed level as you murder your way out of the base. Instead it's like walking into an unpopular mall at 8:30 in the morning; the lights are on but nobody's home.
This hurts even more because when considering the layout and aesthetic and stuff, it all works. This is a pretty cool level. The architecture is neat, there's a few cool tricks (I really like the spiral staircase leading down to the wires you gotta break), and the scale of the level is impressive. It's just that if this level wasn't so boring, this would be great.
From here the game picks up tremendously, and it's about damn time.
Level design: 3.5/5
Aesthetics: 4.5/5
Combat: 1.5/5
The problem inherent in a rebellion level is that, by necessity, it requires the level designer to step back the combat difficulty until the player has recovered all of his stuff. This is a huge flow-breaker because by now we're 20 levels into the game and ready for the final push, but hey, now we're killing Fighters and Drones again. Yay. Not to mention, a conservative player (like myself) will end up punching enemies until a reasonable supply line of ammo is restored, and punching is just so boring. In some games, like Evil, losing your weapons constantly isn't as much of a problem, but here (and in M2) it's a huge dealbreaker because the end is in sight! These levels should be intense and challenging, not slow.
That said, upon reflection, By Committee isn't a bad level, it's just kind of a boring one, because of the points I highlighted. I don't want to use my one pistol to kill Fighters anymore. That stage of the game should be over. Furthermore, I shouldn't have to run away from monsters because I don't have ammo. Marathon is really only good at one thing -- killing tons of monsters -- so once you overturn its one trick, the game becomes pretty shallow pretty quickly.
But By Committee isn't too terrible. It's not very long, for one, and it's not very hard either, so at least you can get your groove back before too terribly long. The disconcerting plot line should finally be coming together a little bit; Tycho is talking about R'chzne again, so you might be able to connect this to the Poor Yorick set of levels, only this time with Durandal's primal pattern you might have a chance of success.
But really, the big problem with this level is it's a missed opportunity. This is a prison. There should be bad guys everywhere, but aside from a single MOAC that you lack the ammo to kill, the level is nearly empty and the monsters remaining are babies. By the time you find the AR the level's pretty much won, and what's left is just kind of a pointless waste of time. Granted, Infinity as a whole is a more subdued game than M2, but this should be a pretty exciting and action-packed level as you murder your way out of the base. Instead it's like walking into an unpopular mall at 8:30 in the morning; the lights are on but nobody's home.
This hurts even more because when considering the layout and aesthetic and stuff, it all works. This is a pretty cool level. The architecture is neat, there's a few cool tricks (I really like the spiral staircase leading down to the wires you gotta break), and the scale of the level is impressive. It's just that if this level wasn't so boring, this would be great.
From here the game picks up tremendously, and it's about damn time.
Level design: 3.5/5
Aesthetics: 4.5/5
Combat: 1.5/5
I like eat the path, because it demonstrates my Marathon:TFIL idea.
21. One Thousand Thousand Slimy Things
This is one of my favorite levels in the game. Generally speaking, despite the whole no-weapons bit, "Envy" is my favorite of the three main Infinity chapters. The levels have a nice bit of challenge to them, and the design is a lot more advanced than in the earlier two chapters. Plus it means you're finally done with the generally terrible "Rage" chapter.
This level is the... third? one to pit you against Bobs in Infinity, and certainly it is the best of the four in total. First of all, it's the perfect sort of level to come after losing all your weapons, since the only guns you need to take down Bobs (and in fact, generally the best weapon to do so) are the two pistols. And wow, that's what you have, and in excess. Bob-only levels work very well in very short bursts; Bobs (not Vacbobs) are challenging enemies because of their pinpoint precision and quick reflexes; rather than charging out stupidly, they wait for you to come out and kill them instead, making them one of the deadliest foes in the game. Of course, this gets pretty aggravating after a while as you get tired of being worn down by every enemy getting the jump on you; this one level is great, but by the next level it gets annoying.
Anyway, as for the level itself, it's simply gorgeous; the architecture, texturing, and lighting make this level stand out as one of the few in the game that actually plausibly represent what they're supposed to; in this case, it's some kind of base that you're supposed to be storming, and it totally works. The huge horde of Troopers that teleport in to help fight off the 15 or so Bobs inside the base help contribute to that. While it's certainly not a requirement for a level to actually represent something to be good, it helps really seal the deal in the memorability department and all that stuff.
The combat in this level is generally very exciting and pretty challenging, but in a fair way, and the multiple save points help keep the level at a good pace without having to backtrack to recover. The only complaint in that regard is the plethora of Compilers, which are a tedious enemy without the Fusion Pistol, and there are quite a few of them near the end. Plus fighting Bobs over and over, as I mentioned, gets tiring, especially because the level designer got pretty devious near the end and started putting them behind narrow windows that you can barely see and stuff like that.
Even so, it's a good level -- nay, a great level -- even if it doesn't factor into the plot very much.
Level design: 5/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Combat: 4/5
This is one of my favorite levels in the game. Generally speaking, despite the whole no-weapons bit, "Envy" is my favorite of the three main Infinity chapters. The levels have a nice bit of challenge to them, and the design is a lot more advanced than in the earlier two chapters. Plus it means you're finally done with the generally terrible "Rage" chapter.
This level is the... third? one to pit you against Bobs in Infinity, and certainly it is the best of the four in total. First of all, it's the perfect sort of level to come after losing all your weapons, since the only guns you need to take down Bobs (and in fact, generally the best weapon to do so) are the two pistols. And wow, that's what you have, and in excess. Bob-only levels work very well in very short bursts; Bobs (not Vacbobs) are challenging enemies because of their pinpoint precision and quick reflexes; rather than charging out stupidly, they wait for you to come out and kill them instead, making them one of the deadliest foes in the game. Of course, this gets pretty aggravating after a while as you get tired of being worn down by every enemy getting the jump on you; this one level is great, but by the next level it gets annoying.
Anyway, as for the level itself, it's simply gorgeous; the architecture, texturing, and lighting make this level stand out as one of the few in the game that actually plausibly represent what they're supposed to; in this case, it's some kind of base that you're supposed to be storming, and it totally works. The huge horde of Troopers that teleport in to help fight off the 15 or so Bobs inside the base help contribute to that. While it's certainly not a requirement for a level to actually represent something to be good, it helps really seal the deal in the memorability department and all that stuff.
The combat in this level is generally very exciting and pretty challenging, but in a fair way, and the multiple save points help keep the level at a good pace without having to backtrack to recover. The only complaint in that regard is the plethora of Compilers, which are a tedious enemy without the Fusion Pistol, and there are quite a few of them near the end. Plus fighting Bobs over and over, as I mentioned, gets tiring, especially because the level designer got pretty devious near the end and started putting them behind narrow windows that you can barely see and stuff like that.
Even so, it's a good level -- nay, a great level -- even if it doesn't factor into the plot very much.
Level design: 5/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Combat: 4/5
22. A Converted Church in Venice, Italy
This level is a great idea that didn't really take off. In fact, it basically exploded in the hangar.
Problem the first is that you're once again fighting Bobs, which, as I said previously, loses its vigor pretty quickly, and by this level it's kind of an irritating chore. Part of that is because the first leg of the level is so nonlinear that there are no real good set pieces in which the Bobs are set up, and the second leg is this boring little romp through a pitch black cave where Bobs shoot you through the darkness with ease. The other part is that Bobs are just not that inherently interesting. So the combat on this level is a little lacking. On the other hand, they had the generosity to introduce Vacbobs into this level, where they were absent in the previous one.
Problem the second, and more important, is that the concept for the level is just so horribly stupid. Actually, no, that's not fair, the concept is fine, but the execution is awful. The humans that Tycho wants you to exterminate are retreating into a hidden volcano base, and there are no fewer than thirty barriers you have to disable in order to get there. Okay, the concept is pretty stupid too, but the execution is much worse. The level itself (or at least, the first part) is this really nice-looking cityscape with lighting flashing constantly, good texturing, fantastic architecture, everything in that regard. Unfortunately, the switch hunting is unforgivably stupid. So there are like 50 of these white pillars. Some of them have switches. You're supposed to find every single one. There is a way to do this systematically (follow the giant path that the columns are supporting) but it's very easy to get turned around. When you think you're done, you have to wind through this super-long bland corridor that's completely empty. It's really long. If you missed a door, you have to go all the way back out. Rather than checking to see if you hit all the switches before you start down the path. It's so stupid that there's a secret switch right at the start of the level that automatically opens all the gates, which is just an admission of your own crappy level design. You shouldn't make something annoying, and then have a secret that lets you skip or subvert the annoying part; you're better off making it not annoying and force everyone to enjoy themselves instead.
The fact that hunting down all these switches is the bulk of the level really brings it down; once you're done with that, the level is pretty simple, and if you use the secret it's short too. The combat is lackluster and nowhere near as challenging or interesting as it was in the previous level. It's a tragedy, because this level could have been so good. (Why there aren't any more Pfhor to help spice up the combat a little bit is beyond me.)
Level design: 2.5/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Combat: 2.5/5
This level is a great idea that didn't really take off. In fact, it basically exploded in the hangar.
Problem the first is that you're once again fighting Bobs, which, as I said previously, loses its vigor pretty quickly, and by this level it's kind of an irritating chore. Part of that is because the first leg of the level is so nonlinear that there are no real good set pieces in which the Bobs are set up, and the second leg is this boring little romp through a pitch black cave where Bobs shoot you through the darkness with ease. The other part is that Bobs are just not that inherently interesting. So the combat on this level is a little lacking. On the other hand, they had the generosity to introduce Vacbobs into this level, where they were absent in the previous one.
Problem the second, and more important, is that the concept for the level is just so horribly stupid. Actually, no, that's not fair, the concept is fine, but the execution is awful. The humans that Tycho wants you to exterminate are retreating into a hidden volcano base, and there are no fewer than thirty barriers you have to disable in order to get there. Okay, the concept is pretty stupid too, but the execution is much worse. The level itself (or at least, the first part) is this really nice-looking cityscape with lighting flashing constantly, good texturing, fantastic architecture, everything in that regard. Unfortunately, the switch hunting is unforgivably stupid. So there are like 50 of these white pillars. Some of them have switches. You're supposed to find every single one. There is a way to do this systematically (follow the giant path that the columns are supporting) but it's very easy to get turned around. When you think you're done, you have to wind through this super-long bland corridor that's completely empty. It's really long. If you missed a door, you have to go all the way back out. Rather than checking to see if you hit all the switches before you start down the path. It's so stupid that there's a secret switch right at the start of the level that automatically opens all the gates, which is just an admission of your own crappy level design. You shouldn't make something annoying, and then have a secret that lets you skip or subvert the annoying part; you're better off making it not annoying and force everyone to enjoy themselves instead.
The fact that hunting down all these switches is the bulk of the level really brings it down; once you're done with that, the level is pretty simple, and if you use the secret it's short too. The combat is lackluster and nowhere near as challenging or interesting as it was in the previous level. It's a tragedy, because this level could have been so good. (Why there aren't any more Pfhor to help spice up the combat a little bit is beyond me.)
Level design: 2.5/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Combat: 2.5/5
23. Son of Grendel
This is a curious little level that I really enjoy visually, but it stands up reasonably well on the gameplay side of things as well.
Actually there isn't a lot to comment on. I dunno. The way the level flows is a strange sort of mishmash of teleporters that, when you're done with the level, all come together in one sort-of cohesive space. Teleporters in single player maps, to me, are almost always a bad call. Physical continuity is really important to me; it helps keep the player oriented toward the objective rather than skipping around an array of disorganized spaces, and it keeps the combat more fluid rather than having to sort of set yourself up to be ambushed.
Nevertheless, this level does an alright job of it because many of the areas are visible from others and by the end of the level you've come full circle, and you've opened several doors that will help draw the entire space together.
The combat itself is fine; not especially challenging, really, as you can easily do the entire level on the 2x (or 3x) health that you grabbed at the end of the previous level, though if you're trying to vid the level it would be really difficult (according to thermoplyae anyway). It's a smattering of Troopers and Fighters and Drones. Pretty fun stuff; you can plow through most of it with the Assault Rifle, which is fine.
The selling point of this level is, once again, the gorgeous architecture all around. Interestingly, you can shoot the switch guarding the exit before you take the first teleporter and finish the level in about 20 seconds.
Level design: 4/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Combat: 3.5/5
This is a curious little level that I really enjoy visually, but it stands up reasonably well on the gameplay side of things as well.
Actually there isn't a lot to comment on. I dunno. The way the level flows is a strange sort of mishmash of teleporters that, when you're done with the level, all come together in one sort-of cohesive space. Teleporters in single player maps, to me, are almost always a bad call. Physical continuity is really important to me; it helps keep the player oriented toward the objective rather than skipping around an array of disorganized spaces, and it keeps the combat more fluid rather than having to sort of set yourself up to be ambushed.
Nevertheless, this level does an alright job of it because many of the areas are visible from others and by the end of the level you've come full circle, and you've opened several doors that will help draw the entire space together.
The combat itself is fine; not especially challenging, really, as you can easily do the entire level on the 2x (or 3x) health that you grabbed at the end of the previous level, though if you're trying to vid the level it would be really difficult (according to thermoplyae anyway). It's a smattering of Troopers and Fighters and Drones. Pretty fun stuff; you can plow through most of it with the Assault Rifle, which is fine.
The selling point of this level is, once again, the gorgeous architecture all around. Interestingly, you can shoot the switch guarding the exit before you take the first teleporter and finish the level in about 20 seconds.
Level design: 4/5
Aesthetics: 5/5
Combat: 3.5/5