Darren_'s Reviews

[Darren_]

Name :The Hardest Level Ever And Ive Got The High Score!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Author :HydraulicWaRiOr



First Impression
Well with 260-ish plays and only 6 hearts (1 of which being mine just so I could locate the level when I needed to review it) this level did not look promising. And it doesn't take a genius to know that a level name like that and a description that asks for hearts usually doesn't have the best level behind it. But I kept an open mind and entered only becuase I was reviewing it.

Arriving into the level I fell down from a suspended checkpoint to a world of issues (but I'll deal with them in Presentation) the first of which being bombarded with 3 speech bubbles, asking me to heart, and help HydraulicWarior get onto the cool levels...



First Impression - 2/10 - Dissapointed but not suprised... It's what I expected from the title and description


Presentation
Rubbish. I'd like to just leave it at that but I can't
Among arriving the first thing you notice is the 50-layer glitch, unecessarily playing host to a piece of darkmatter and a cardboard square with a terrible looking sun and sky sticker on it... If you have read my other reviews, you will know that I despise the 50-layer glitch...



When you fall on the ground you land on a sensor switch and you see a dropswitch beneath you activate... In my opinion this is just lazy, I don't understand how he couldn't just move it out of sight.

Throughout the level (if you make it by the first swinging things, which btw, I am the only person to do so far) you will notice that the plain style sticks throughout the whole level. Almost everything is stamped red, except for a few things he seems to have forgotten and the finish lines...



He uses the invisible dark matter ineffectivly as you can see a piece of it glitching across the jump, and the horrible gas is all diffrent colours for some reason...



It's just overall bad presentation, that could have been achieved in about 5 minutes by my standard of creative pace. There is no detail, no even lines everything is bumpy by accident and switches are on show...

The music is the most innapropriate music for a level like this. It's the wilderness music, changed so just the ambient guitar plucking strings is heard... This is my favourite LBP music and it is used so unwisely. something like ''battles'' would be more suitable.

Presentation - 2/10


Length
Just because it's supposedly the hardest level ever, doesn't mean he couldn't have built up the difficulty as it goes along... only 2 people have finished this level. Me, and The Author. everone else seems to die at the long jumps. Getting a score of about 3000.

Length 4/10 - Poor length, for the average player it's over in about 30 seconds...



Playability
This level technically has great replay value as it is almost impossible, so for the competitive it's a great challenge but for everyone else, if you die early (which you have a 100% success rate of doing so, so far) you will end up saying ''**** that,'' and leave. Also there is an ''insane mode'' which makes it more difficult...


Replay Value - 5/10


Platforming
There isn't as much variety as there should be. It's mostly jumping. You jump fire, gas, slippery glass jumps. jumping onto tiny poles... thats the jist of it. The swinging is easy and boring, (just time consuming really).



Platforming - 4/10 - Poor


Glitches
Well its not so much a glitch but, if you decide to look at the drop switch, and jump in it. you cant get out...



Gltiches - 4/10 - Negative Points

Lasting Appeal
As I have said before I was dissapointed but not suprised... Bad presentation, not fun, unoriginal idea... I don't like giving bad reviews, but I swore honesty at the beginning. Sorry HydraulicWarior.

30%
* 1 Star

[FlyingIrishMan]

Hey you did what you had to do!! And as usuaual another great review!!

[Max Artist]

Hey! i thought i had requested before everyone else, i'm being ignored!

[Darren_]

Hey! i thought i had requested before everyone else, i'm being ignored!

your next, 15000bc, i played it, just havnt reviewed it, I didnt 4get bout you

[Flare Skull]

okay your reviews are very very nice and well organized......

here is one of my levels......my contest level for the Template Level Challange

PSN:FlareSkull (I can never find myself so just search the level name)

Level: The Islands: Untold Chapter

Just to remind you that it was a rule to use the template

[Communion2007]

Hey! i thought i had requested before everyone else, i'm being ignored!

You're kinda like me! I have been waiting literally months for a review on my Wolfenstein but it still hasn't been done so I'll just forget about it. Oh, And that level that Darren reviewed honsestly looked bad

[Darren_]

You're kinda like me! I have been waiting literally months for a review on my Wolfenstein but it still hasn't been done so I'll just forget about it. Oh, And that level that Darren reviewed honsestly looked bad

ah he isnt that bad off, he has been waiting only 3 days, tomorrow i will do 2 reviews,
i can review your level for you if you like.

[Communion2007]

Ah, It's not necessary and I will say MYSELF that it kinda sucks 'cause it's one of my older levels but sure, Search Communion2007 and there should be a level that Says Return To Castle Wolfenstein: Episode 1: Escape. Or something like that

[Darren_]

Name : 15000 BC
Author : Max_Artist

*Sorry For the recent inactivity (I'm Sure you have been refreshing the page frantically waiting for my next review ) But yeah, I've been a bit busy, Now though, I'll Be back on track today, hopefully getting 2 Reviews Done.*


First Impression
It's Not the most Eye-drawing Badge ever, but it's not bad either. Plain, but elegant. I probably would go into this level having read the description, also because I was intrigued to see how 15,000 bc will be pulled off in LBP.

Now, I couldn't get a picture directly at the start, because when you arrive in, a scientist to your right, says ''he's ready'' and you fall down this clunky tower made of the 'MGS VR Material'. You stop halfway, to see Max Artists name, and a presentation of the level. you soon fall further, and land on the ground with your checkpoint and a big oddly shaped piece of material that you were previously housed in.

First Impression - 6/10 - Bad Presentation, but overall, I still wanted to go ahead and find out more.


Story
The Story in the actaull level confused me a bit. The description lays it out best probably but I had trouble finding out what time period I was supposed to be in. I'll Try and lay it out as I know it.

The plan was that I was supposed to be sent Foward in time to the year 2030 (or some year similar) but it went wrong,. Apparently I was sent ages back in time to the year 15000BC. Pretty straight foward right? Well here is were it got a bit confusing for me.

Speech bubbles appear over your head to indicate thought.
The player thinks to himself this couldn't be 2030,
Pretty soon out of nowhere your engaged in cutscenes describing how a cure for cancer was developed, but it actually killed people and turned them into monsters. (I Am Legend anyone?)
This didn't seem to fit in with anything.
Was I actaully in the future? a future that has been ruined because of a virus? or was I in the Past talking to myself about what I learned from the future?
Its extremely confusing.
As you progress in the level, the neanderthals that you encounter tell you there is a lab up ahead... (Oh you didn't know? Neanderthals are incredibly intelligent )
But yeah the lab has scientists in it, who do weird experiments and show you how to get ''back to the future''
So my guess is that I am in the past, although it isn't very clear.
Oh and I am very good at understanding complex stories (just incase you think im a bit slow...)

Story - 5/10 - It has the making for a good story, even if it is entirely ripped off from I am legend with time travel thrown into the mix

Length
This level took me aproximatly 9mins to finish.

Length - 10/10 - Can't Fault it.


Platforming
Not much platforming here, but it didn't really bother me, you mostly just run around a bit, occasional jumping and there is also some fun with the 'Paintinator'

Platforming - 7/10 - Good fun running around, but nothing special, to the average player it may seem a bit boring or lacking, especially if you love swinging


Presentation
Here We go again, the big one... I always find this to be the most important category.
Im shallow when it comes to games I like them to look pretty, the better the graphics the better the game for me. (and i know everybody disagrees)

The overall presentation from start to finish in this level is poor.
Once you land after the introduction, a big clunky piece of VR metal falls behind you and it's the oddest glitchy shape ever. Upon landing I also noticed the 2 switches I triggered right below me... Now I dunno bout everyone else, but I prefer my switches to be hidden.


The most common material used is the Wilderness snow material. Max_Artist makes good use of layers, having diffrent hills, and caves made of the snow. which if you explore thouroughly you will get more bubbles and more prizes.


The Characters look fairly good, the neanderthals are the best looking but the scientists are average. The enemies are just weird I dunno what they are supposed to be, or if they are supposed to be anything.



There is a lack of camera zones, and so sometimes 80% of the screen is just material and you running ontop.

When you arrive at 'the lab' you have to pull a switch to enter. The lab entrance is pretty much just one material the 'metal grill material' and 'cage material' some variety is needed here...


Also The entire lab is made of just polystyrene which becomes very dull after about 10seconds of walking through it. also when a bomb goes off, it just looks wron that there is a huge hole showing the backround.

Summary of Presentation - Lack of any detail, only 4 materials used for terrain, decent characters. Bad looking machines. Good use of layers.

Presentation - 5/10 More detail required. I've seen much worse


Playability
With a linear route, not much platforming, I don't see myself playing this level again, or part II for that matter.

Replay Value - 2/10

Overall Design
Overall Design is ok, I never saw any complex switches, or things of such. I did however see how max_artist closes a door. By dropping a giant piece of metal behind you to prevent you leaving.

Overall Design - 2/10 - No effort for switches or design.

Glitches
No real glitches to report.But whilst escaping the lab the scientists crashed upside down... it just looked wrong but mabye was supposed to happen, it didnt effect gameplay much.

Glitches 2/10 -Negative Points



Lasting Appeal
I was left feeling a little bit annoyed that a level titled 15000BC couldn't just be about 15000BC instead of bringing in all the science fiction stuff. The presentation was bad and there was little to do in the level except use the paintinator against poorly built creatures and a robotic shooting machine taken from MGS.

Overall I just didn't enjoy this level much, and was relieved when it was over. Like I said before I don't like giving bad reviews. But it has to be done .




57%
*** - 3 Stars

Until Next Time D.

[Flare Skull]

awesome review! cant wait till u do mine!