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Showing posts with the label 2008

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Dunkelschwamm

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       Gotta go fast, again! Another set of six areas players have to clear before dealing with the evil Dr. Eggman. This was merged with the first map by the community but is being reviewed separately.  SCMapDB page Author: iLLuSioN Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 9, 2026 | 3207 characters      Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a follow-up to Sonic the Hedgehog. We played it through the merged maps available here. Much like the first map, it is a platforming/puzzle map. This time, a fair bit easier than the first to beat each zone. To find each chaos emerald, however, it's quite a challenge.      First of all, this time the platforming is far less reliant on propulsion springs. There are far more straight forward platforming puzzles, like a frogger-like, navigating atop spinning barrels, avoiding obstacles atop a moving platform, etc. I think fo...

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - GrandmasterJ

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      Gotta go fast, again! Another set of six areas players have to clear before dealing with the evil Dr. Eggman. This was merged with the first map by the community but is being reviewed separately.  SCMapDB page Author: iLLuSioN Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 9, 2026 | 2002 characters      This map is very similar to the first one, with a central hub and some Sonic themed courses accessed by jumping through pictures on the wall. Right off the bat a big difference I see is a lot more details added. The second level is a burning version of the first, its really cool.      This map is extremely similar to the first map, with lots of platforming and special gimmicks per level. The is music for each stage and that's a very welcome addition. I remember thinking the lack of music beyond one short song was strange in the first map. So while it m...

Sonic the Hedgehog - Dunkelschwamm

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       Gotta go fast! Play through six stages inspired by the blue blur and find secret emeralds to defeat Dr. Eggman. Followed by a sequel that was merged into one map by the community. SCMapDB page Author: iLLuSioN Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sonic the Hedgehog (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 9, 2026 | 3213 characters      Sonic the Hedgehog is a platforming map where players race through 6 stages, a bonus stage, and a boss battle with tricky traps and secret emeralds.      Graphics are largely taken from old Sonic games to create the blockiest South Island I have ever seen. Despite the primitive geometry, there's a real charm to each environment that basks in the simplicity of a much older 3D title. The simple graphics sometimes help, sometimes hinder (as is the case with the bonus level).      The puzzles range from simple and fun to hair-tuggingly frustrating. Some are ...

Sonic the Hedgehog - GrandmasterJ

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      Gotta go fast! Play through six stages inspired by the blue blur and find secret emeralds to defeat Dr. Eggman. Followed by a sequel that was merged into one map by the community. SCMapDB page Author: iLLuSioN Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sonic the Hedgehog (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 9, 2026 | 2602 characters      When the map starts my teammate and I are in a room with a button that when pressed starts the map. We're dropped into a hallway that accelerates us towards the classic big red springs which bounce us straight up into the ceiling where we bounce back into the acceleration hallway. When we free ourselves we end up in a room with a big water feature and beyond are the entrances to the six different challenges. These springs aren't always janky, but the majority of the map relies on precision jumping and these big springs.      The challenges open up one at a time and within eac...

Horsecock 7 - Dunkelschwamm

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        They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Look at the above picture. If the link isn't broken then you know what kind of map this is. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Horsecock 7 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 2, 2026 | 2721 characters      Horsecock 7 is a nonsensical toy map where the toy is an enormous horse cock that you are ejaculated from and then try to land in one of many floating toilets while monsters and assassins in the enormously tall surrounding walls take pot shots at you. You simply line yourself up in base of the cock's urethra, shoot an adjacent brush (as instructed in the MOTD, which otherwise would have been impossible to independently discover. Why not just a button?), and then with the sound of a horse whinnying you are launched high into the air with a jet of white mist.      In this map, you are the horse spunk.      ...

Horsecock 7 - GrandmasterJ

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       They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Look at the above picture. If the link isn't broken then you know what kind of map this is. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Horsecock 7 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 2, 2026 | 3823 characters     We'll start out by addressing the elephant in the room, this map is centered around a giant penis that jacks players off into what I will describe as the realm of the toilets. There is a horse sound when this happens but nothing else to really suggest this penis belongs to a horse. You'd think such a map would be wacky and fun but the respawning enemies, especially the snipers, make it a chore to actually play.     Near spawn there is an indent in the wall where players can float up, my teammate and I do so right as the map starts and we get to a ledge where we are sniped to death. At some point around here, either by some...

Dark Seekers - Dunkelschwamm

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       Inspired by 'I am Legend' players fight the eponymous Dark Seekers in an abandoned city. Solve puzzles, find a way to escape, and beware the large amounts of high health enemies! SCMapDB page Authors: Goanna Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Dark Seekers (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 7, 2024 | 4838 characters      Dark Seekers is a duo of horror maps based loosely on the I Am Legend scenario. In the first map you search buildings to find necessary items to solve puzzles while being harassed by the titular dark seekers- zombies which run and take quite a bit of damage to kill. The second map takes the players through a dark seeker infested subway tunnel, until they surface into a warzone where hostile soldiers battle dark seekers in the streets. Both maps are very different in gameplay tone, but manage to feel appropriate together in atmosphere and theme.      The first map is slow i...

Dark Seekers - GrandmasterJ

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      Inspired by 'I am Legend' players fight the eponymous Dark Seekers in an abandoned city. Solve puzzles, find a way to escape, and beware the large amounts of high health enemies! SCMapDB page Authors: Goanna Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Dark Seekers (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 7, 2024 | 3574 characters      The short version is that we fight a bunch of fast zombies in spooky derelict city and subway levels. The eponymous Dark Seekers are inspired by the vampire things in I Am Legend and they definitely do resemble the things I saw in the movie, bald, pale, and fast. A big list of objectives is at the start of each map and it is immensely helpful as both maps are pretty big and it can be a pain figuring out where to go.      We start off in a city and on our first steps forward we find the dark seekers, all sitting on the ground and as one they turn their heads and rise to their feet...

The Tomb of Death - Dunkelschwamm

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       Welcome to the Tomb of Death, where you will die a lot. The map has a heavy emphasis on traps and each trap is a unique delight, which is not usually how trap themed Sven maps usually feel. SCMapDB page Authors: generic Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 6 Map review of The Tomb of Death (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | December 16, 2023 | 6784 characters      Tomb of Death! I remember playing this a long time ago and thinking it was kind of clunky and mediocre. Boy, am I glad I revisited it! This mapset captures a lot of the spirit of what I love about Sven Co-op, and is a truly inspiring exercise in creativity.      This mapset is long, so I'm going to go down the maps one by one and give overall impressions.      The first map gives a lot of what the title implies: a tomb full of fun traps and monster teases. There's a couple puzzle-like areas, including a platforming bit over some toxic sand...

The Tomb of Death - GrandmasterJ

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      Welcome to the Tomb of Death, where you will die a lot. The map has a heavy emphasis on traps and each trap is a unique delight, which is not usually how trap themed Sven maps usually feel. SCMapDB page Authors: generic Date of release: 2008 Maps in package: 6 Map review of The Tomb of Death (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | December 16, 2023 | 5082 characters      The Tomb of Death is a very fun and cheeky map where players go through lots and lots of hallways. We get a token story attached and told through the messages of the day, there are six maps by the way. We encounter some really faint beams of light that trigger traps and at first we were doing our best to avoid them, but then we hit a point where we see a trap that has already been sprung and we try springing a trap ourselves. The vast majority of traps are one time only, we get to see a brick in the wall dissolve and then projectiles fly out and get stuck in the wall. It is r...

Gauss Lab - Dunkelschwamm

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      Use the gauss gun to jump around the level, avoiding obstacles and toxic goo. This map is apparently an unfinished part of another map, but it feels fairly complete and self-contained as it is. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Shopping Centre (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 3, 2023 | 3656 characters      Gausslab is a beta of a puzzle map seemingly abandoned by Keen. It features some very functional, and at times very lovely brushwork with some sickly green lighting (to be fair, much of the map is lit by green goo).      The conceit is simple: use a gauss gun to launch around solving platforming puzzles. To that end, it works! There's a lot of platforming bits I enjoy with many platforms above green goo which reward just about any way the player approaches as long as they can pull off any light-precision gauss jump. There were some timing bits that ...

Gauss Lab - GrandmasterJ

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      Use the gauss gun to jump around the level, avoiding obstacles and toxic goo. This map is apparently an unfinished part of another map, but it feels fairly complete and self-contained as it is. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Shopping Centre (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | April 3, 2023 | 5838 characters      Gauss jumping is the art of charging up the gauss gun and launching yourself great heights and distances. This map is all about doing that. It's got a lot of platforming featuring gauss jumping, lots of vertical shafts we have to fly up and a couple difficult trick jumps. It should also be noted that this map is an unfinished beta, the message of the day even says the first part of the map was 'misplaced' and that we are left with this. It's a fine map as it is, and it doesn't come off as an unfinished beta.      We start out in a vaguely Black Mesa the...

Richard Boderman - Dunkelschwamm

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    Here is a map that is famous in the Sven Co-op community. Players must fight hordes of enemies in a huge arena with lots of vertical elements. Fun custom models representing members of the community (a recent addition, apparently), a kick-ass helicopter, plus music and voiceover really brings this whole map together in an amazing way. SCMapDB page Author: Aurora, JPolito, Puchi, Hydeph Date of release: 2008 Maps in package:1 Map review of Richard Boderman (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 25, 2023 | 4711 characters *!*!*!*300th MAP REVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA*!*!*!*      Richard Boderman is an arena map for Sven Co-op and by now is a certified classic. With the Garompa edit, it's even better. The monsters of the map, both friends and foe, are flavored as members of the community and have models and gimmicks to match. It's both a tremendous celebration of the Sven Co-op community and a really fun way to make this a colorful, int...

Richard Boderman - GrandmasterJ

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      Here is a map that is famous in the Sven Co-op community. Players must fight hordes of enemies in a huge arena with lots of vertical elements. Fun custom models representing members of the community (a recent addition, apparently), a kick-ass helicopter, plus music and voiceover really brings this whole map together in an amazing way. SCMapDB page Author: Aurora, JPolito, Puchi, Hydeph Date of release: 2008 Maps in package:1 Map review of Richard Boderman (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 25, 2023 | 4509 characters      Richard Boderman is a pretty famous map and I have just reached the 300th map reviewed milestone so I rustled up a third person and tackled the famous boss battle the map is named after.      The map is a huge circular arena. There are cliffside ramps up the face of the sides and in the central mountain as well as ladders allowing lots of verticality in the map. Various trench systems and ...

Resident Evil: Directors Cut - Dunkelschwamm

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       This is the second and probably final Resident Evil map made by James Smith, following his previous map, Aftermath. The map is very similar to the first, keeping with a recreation of the Resident Evil mansion, but it is very much improved. SCMapDB page Author: James Smith Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Resident Evil: Directors Cut (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | September 3, 2022 | 6027 characters      Resident Evil: Director's Cut is a map for Sven Co-op map which replicates, at a very base level, the cheap outermost layers of a Resident Evil game, much like its predecessor Resident Evil: Aftermath does. However, unlike Resident Evil: Aftermath, this map is competently produced.      First of all, I think the presentation of this map is a large improvement from Resident Evil: Aftermath. The furniture is all lovely, and there's a few nice atmospheric touches like rain outside the win...

Resident Evil: Directors Cut - GrandmasterJ

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      This is the second and probably final Resident Evil map made by James Smith, following his previous map, Aftermath. The map is very similar to the first, keeping with a recreation of the Resident Evil mansion, but it is very much improved. SCMapDB page Author: James Smith Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Resident Evil: Directors Cut (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | September 3, 2022 | 3173 characters      The second map available in the series of Resident Evil maps made by the author, James Smith. it is unclear if this series has anything to do with the other Resident Evil maps made by a different author but it is definitely an improvement over the first one. It still leans heavily on the long and twisty hallway element though.      The map still only loosely resembles the layout of any Resident Evil game but it looks much better. The main hall treats players to some nice looking windows with ...

Ascii Art 2 - Dunkelschwamm

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       The second map of Ascii Art is not quite a sequel and not quite a remake. The whole gameplay flow has been changed and a new area has been added, not to mention the whole map is now at night. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 21, 2022 | 3539 characters      Ascii Art 2 is a map in Japanese that I cannot understand. However, with some patience, I *can* beat it.      Ascii Art 1 was a charming map marred by a pretty unfun gameplay loop. Ascii Art 2 is a map that I also think is very charming and has a pretty unfun gameplay lop for totally different reasons. However, I do think this is an improvement and with lots of players the problems I have with this map really would melt away. Let's discuss.      First off, if you liked the style of Ascii Art 1, you'll really like the style of Ascii Art 2. Basic...

Ascii Art 2 - GrandmasterJ

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      The second map of Ascii Art is not quite a sequel and not quite a remake. The whole gameplay flow has been changed and a new area has been added, not to mention the whole map is now at night. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 21, 2022 | 3147 characters      This map is a lot like the first, the description says it is a nighttime version but that is not the whole truth. A lot of the map is the same architecture, but the spawn point and sequence of events is all different plus there is a new area and some new enemies. The terrible elevator is still there but now players have to deal with it at the end of the map and it is a lot more palatable now. But hey, there is only one elevator instead of two! That's big progress!      Players start in underground cells, this was about halfway through the first map. There are uboa z...

Ascii Art - Dunkelschwamm

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       ASCII refers to the American Standard Code for Imformation Interchange, a system that supports text on digital platforms. The entire map is textured in white with black text. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 16, 2022 | 3329 characters      Ascii Art is a map in Japanese that I cannot understand. However, with some patience, I *can* beat it.      Ascii Art is a map that I presume is full of humorous content, but unfortunately for myself the humor is meant for another culture altogether. I'm sure it's very funny in the appropriate context, but I cannot say anything about the textual jokes or contextual humor. What I can say is that the map has a very stylish monochromatic style and very fun cartoony characters. The environment is very charmingly crafted around representing an ascii world in a way that isn't in...