26th of January 2025
WGSpace 2 Redux | Single | Author: William Gee | Download
The Review: WGSpace 2 was released such a long time ago (and I think I've only played it twice in all these years) that replaying
it now felt as if it were a new usermap. But then again you could probably say the same of a zillion maps on this website.
Anyway, this remaster largely retains the layout and even detailing of the original, but there are some significant differences.
First, texturing has been overhauled entirely with fresh new alien organic and metal textures. The results are lovely, as the
new textures fit right in, having been seamlessly integrated with some Duke3D stock textures. There's plenty of variety from room to room, but
the map relies heavily on green and red colors (the latter mostly for lighting and trimming) with some metal thrown in here and there, resulting in a look that's far more consistent throughout the map than that in WG Knee Deep 1.
Second, in the original the
central hub room led to two identical large areas. The second of these identical areas has been ditched in the remaster, having
been replaced with brand new rooms. Of these the most striking is a circular chamber with a sloped roof that doesn't just look
great in itself but gets an extra bump from some atmospheric cycler effects. In general the map makes great use of lighting
effects and darkness to enhance some visuals (although I wish the narrow bridges in the hub room were highlighted rather than engulfed in darkness).
Worth noting also are some brand new maskwalls that are scattered along the map's edges. There are also a few new ambient sound effects that contribute to the map's oppressive atmosphere (one sounded as if straight from
Alien Covenant, one of the best movies of recent times).
The map is fun to play too and never overstays its welcome, measuring just slightly above 10 minutes in length. There's a bit of backtracking,
but the distances you need to cover aren't much. Moreover, the map benefits from being able to trace its origins to a symmetrical layout, making it
easy to navigate. There are quite a few Battlelords lurking around, but they can be taken down from a distance and the map is generous
with medkits.
As for criticism, getting things running may be a bit cumbersome to Joe the Average: You have to download WG Mega Pack again, launch it, then type
"dnscotty202" (which isn't mentioned anywhere and that no casual gamer would know to do).
Conclusion: WGSpace 2 Redux is a good example of how one need not fill a remaster with details to justify its existence. Instead this "redux" relies on simple but effective texture changes not merely to enhance the map's visuals but also to make it feel fresh. Significantly, the remaster also ditches needless repetition from the original in favor of quality new content. (And yes, I realize this remaster scored less than the original, but standards have changed in 20+ years, and I'm not going to re-review everything on this site to reflect those constantly shifting standards, as that'd be a neverending process.)
Rating: 94
