This level is a mixed experience.
There's some good things in it, but also some rather distinct flaws. At
times its fun, but mostly a fairly average gaming experience.
The most funny thing about Ransom
is some of the new sounds. Like e.g. the Zombiemen's and Sergents' sounds
which have been replaced with some reminding me a lot of an insane version
of Soldier of Fortune: They yell and scream in agony when you shoot them or
kill them making you feel absolutely like a murder. Its mad, but very amusing.
The best of the sounds are, which in retrospective seems very obvious, the
sound of the small shotgun which have been replaced with Quake3Arena's
Supershotgun. It sounds pretty good because there's practically no
distortion in it.
I don't know exactly why it's
called Ransom or why you're running around in something similar to a city
here on Earth, but at places the design is pretty good with some OK
alignment and detail. The progression of the level is somewhat easy and
while not exactly linear its never confusing or misleading. Walls lower with
monsters behind them giving the level a standard gameplay seen many times,
but with a solid efficiency factor. And just when you think you've got the
style right in your head, it shifts dramatically into something totally
different: You teleport into something which looks mostly like a gothic
environment. That's not the biggest problem, but the fact that you expect
now to meet some challenge in the shape of a big monster. That doesn't
happen. OK, hidden in relatively big structure, nicely decorated with
misaligned walls, lurks a couple of Revenants and some Chaingunners. And
then the level is over. A strange shift, and not to forget, somewhat
misplaced. A strange way to end an otherwise OK level.
With some more work and a word from
me to remove those e.g. Drew Carey Crew ugly posters, the level could have
reached a higher score because of its innovative spirit.
