Assassinate Darth Vader

Review by Mad Hatter

Well, this was the first mission that I played from the DF-21 archive, and I see why it is in the Hall of Fame!

Level Architecture

I found myself enveloped in every nook and cranny of this ingeniously designed mission. Just the pure attention to detail and the extras on the level were out of this world! The TIEs flying in and out of the hangar was simply mind blowing!

The textures used made me feel like I was acutually walking around a Star Destoryer, intrically designed rooms throughout the ship gave the real effect of an Imperial craft. The bridge especially! Overall, I think that the design was ingenious, and that the creator should be working for LA!!

Story

Well, what can I say?! Even tho I am an Imperial myself, I found the challenge to traversing the Star Destoryer and confronting almost endless troops, was completly invigorating! Well placed items, and enemies gave the effect of a true to life operation in hostile territory. The fact that I was hunting the Dark Lord himself almost became overwhelming!

The fact that you had to fight all the way to the bridge in a sequence to get all the codes was very well planned. I found that the fight with Vader was a little easier than I had expected. I was all tense going into the battle then I easily wiped him out, which left me a little disappointed. The escape route was well "hidden" it took me 2 times playing the mission to actually find the duct to crawl in! I wasted my time fighting the infinite troops that came after me!

Rating

EXCELLENT MISSION!! 98% on my fun rating! (Easy Vader battle drew it down)

Review by Drak

This is a fantastic mission download now or miss out on a great Dark Forces experiance. You must make your way through a Victory Class Star Destroyer & kill the legendary Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader.

This level is huge & and is well detialed & of course with it being a VSD there seems to be no end to the troopers, they are every where which is great for those with itchy trigger fingers. The action almost never stops & along the way to the Dark Lords chamber you will see a few familiar sights such as the Tech room in the games X-Wing, Tie Fighter Hanger bays, & finally you can walk along the bridge of a Star Destroyer & see what it's like to look out.

The attention to detail is good, you have Tie Fighters launching & docking in the hangers, the detention area (always one of my favorites in any level) has a unique soloution to opening the door (get those blasters ready ppl :) As you progress the map slowly begins to take shape of a VSD (obviously) & you actually feel as if your on board a Star Destroyer, this is the best reprensentation of a VSD ive seen in a dark forces level so far :). A lot of the rooms are dark areas (i guess The Empire cant afford lighting P) & what will be frustration for some is that just as you think a room is clear troopers appear as if from nowhere (but this makes perfect sense when you think about it).

When you finally reach Vader witness one of the best atmospheric moments as his chamber pod opens & you catch your first glimpse of his ominous red saber, then finally the Dark Lord steps out of his chamber, well i say step he seemd to be stuck & i refused to kill him in it as i wanted a fight so i waited for him to become unstuck (helped along with a few quick blasts from my rifle :), though i nearly wished i hadn't as he launched himslef at me giving me a taste of his Saber :)

The only problem with this level is the abundance of ammo & health despite the shher numbers of troops you'll be up against you dont need to conserve as there will always be ammo readily available, while this is good for those who just want to continually blast things for those of us who dont just want a mindless blastathon it's a let down & makes the mission overall way too easy even on hard.

Just before you step into Vaders chamber you must defeat a character that is defianlty out of place & the only reason for his being there is an excuse to make your next job easier which again detracts from the overall experiance & difficulty. (you'll see what i mean as i dont want to give too much away)

That being said it is still a worthwile download & the cutscens are great even incorparting scenes from other star wars games such as X-Wing The sounds are great & the atmospohere. The ending of this level also sets the heart pumping as you... i wont spoil it download & play & see for yourselves :D

Rating: 94%

Overall Rating: 96%