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The Great Wall (Demo) by Lara_Fox_Croft

Blue43 4 4 5 6
Ceamonks890 4 5 4 5
Christian 5 5 5 8
Diz 5 5 7 8
dmdibl 5 4 8 8
Gerty 3 4 3 5
Jay 5 7 6 8
JesseG 5 6 6 6
Jose 6 6 4 8
manarch2 4 5 5 6
MichaelP 5 7 8 7
Orbit Dream 5 7 7 8
Ryan 5 6 5 7
Scottie 6 7 6 8
TheStig 6 7 6 7
Treeble 7 7 8 8
 
release date: 26-Sep-2010
# of downloads: 52

average rating: 5.91
review count: 16
 
review this level

file size: 63.03 MB
file type: TR4
class: Remake
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
fauquant.anthony@hotmail.fr

Reviewer's comments
"A couple of random crashes, mostly whenever trying to return to the title screen (that is to say, loading while in game worked fine for me), but otherwise this was a fun "enhanced" remake of the opening level in TR2. Visually it looks very different though so I'm not sure when it becomes too much, but the layout is easily recognizable. There are several new areas so it doesn't play exactly like the original, even enemy encounters are different. You are stripped of your pistols so you be wary of your ammo consumption (more than enough to get by). The mercenary drops a tiny key which in my case landed right in the middle of some rocky debris, so I had to reload an earlier saved game and be more mindful of where he was when shooting him. The fixed camera at that point was a bit of hinderance, but overall I liked the more cinematic approach with fixed cameras in pretty much every other room. 20 minutes, 1 secret. 07/22" - Treeble (24-Jul-2022)
"The textures here are definitely an upgrade from the original Great Wall level, and although the lighting is a bit erratic in places, it does help to spruce up a texture set that is well-worn so many years after its release. Unfortunately the preponderance of fixed camera angles really put me in a foul mood. I suppose if they are used correctly, they can convey useful information and be artistic in the eyes of the builder, but here they just got really on my nerves (especially as one particular key blended rather cheaply into the ground and I had a hard time looking for it). Talking of which (and correct me if I'm wrong), but it seemed that you don't need that key after all and you can simply dash through the door into the tower in this area, thereby skipping the entire water and detonator areas completely. You also have limited ammo, which in this case seemed rather odd, even more so when you have to shoot small spiders with the revolver when pistols would have worked just fine. Not a terrible remake by any means, but a bit sloppily tested in places." - Ryan (21-Apr-2019)
"Another day, another remake of one of the levels from the classic Tomb Raider games. So, what does this remake of the famous Great Wall of China level from TR2 bring to the table, in order to differentiate itself from the original? Well, one thing you'll immediately notice upon starting up this adventure is the new textures used, which do help to liven up the level design slightly(which in itself, hasn't seen many real noteworthy changes from the original TR2 layout, as far as I noticed). And the enemies/objects used are more or less the same as the original level, fitting their surroundings appropriately. Unfortunately, that's where the pros of this demo end for me. As the rest of the game's design hasn't been given nearly the amount of attention it should have. Lighting is noticeably bad in several areas and lacks consistency(with Lara either glowing as brightly as a firefly at night or be as dark as a shadow), music used is mostly questionable remixes of classic TR tunes and some rather poorly-implemented gameplay gimmicks(in the form of frustratingly-placed fixed cameras), make searching for important items needed to proceed an unnecessary hassle. On top of all that, the game crashes whenever Lara dies or you quit the game to check the walkthrough you happen to have opened(in my case), getting incredibly irritating after a while. Overall though, I was just not impressed with this demo whatsoever. While there are signs of potential with this builder here, the cons far outweigh the pros, ruining what worked as a quality level in the original TR2 release by either adding on content that detracts from the experience as a whole or purely from the cause of a lack of polish. I'm hoping that the latter-released full version of this remake has ironed out a lot of the problems mentioned in this review since then, as I'd like to see what the builder could do, given a lot more polish and proper beta-testing for his future releases." - Ceamonks890 (01-Apr-2014)
"Ok lets firstly be plain about this, I think for debut level (and only a demo at that) this is a great piece of work. Based on the classic Tomb Raider II great wall level, KurtisLara brings their own improvements to the structure and design of this classic level. Texturing is generally to a high standard, though lighting at the moment is perhaps a bit overly bright in some of the outdoor spaces. One aspect I wasn't keen on was the limited ammo feature, but that's probably because 99% of the time I stick to the twin pistols, so to have them taken away from a level with very limited available ammo was a little disconcerting. All in all it took me 30 minutes to complete the great wall demo. I think it represents an excellent work in progress and a very promising debut from the author. Stiggy." - TheStig (16-Jul-2011)
"When you start this level and pull out the pistols, you'll notice that pushing action doesn't do anything. That's odd. You go to check the inventory and observe that the only weapons there are a revolver and a shotgun. Yes, it's one of those levels, the levels that have limited ammo. I would understand if it was like TR6 and you could at least kick the snot out of your foes, but as it is a bullet is the only way forward. Anyway this is 23 minutes of a remake of the classic TR2 level. Besides the improvements the engine provides, there were some other additions as well, including a basement section under the first tower and some timed runs with blocks. However there were also numerous issues with this level. There are several places to get stuck, which is a big no-no. One way is if you forget the second dynamite key (which actually uses the crowbar switch animation, and it looks very odd) and let the door close behind you in the next room; this had me stumped for a while. Also the limited ammo means if you can't kill a certain spider, which supposedly ate a key for some reason, then you are sunk. Too many squished textures for my liking on the hills, and with the hq textures it is that much more obvious. But all in all it is not a bad remake, and with some ironing out the finished product could be something well worth checking out." - SSJ6Wolf (25-Oct-2010)
"This short demo show us the potential of this new builder. Architecture is good, as textures, musics and lights. About the limited ammo, it's ridiculous shoot a very small spider with the revolver. Annoying cameras were the worst of the level: when you shoot the baddy, it's impossible to see the very small key he drops 'cause the fixed camera, evenmore you don't have binoculars to explore carefully the area. When the timed run for the moveable block, another camera appears to show you the outside area... to confound the player? Also the small key throwed anywhere in the pool is not a good idea. In the other side, there are entertaining tasks (abuse of the timed runs) and environment is good. The author needs to fix the crashes when Lara dies or exiting the level too; also he could change the name of the level in the script, and the name of the items too. Much work ahead I think..." - Jose (15-Oct-2010)
"Well, it's a demo. I enjoyed to see a remake of one of my favorites. I enjoyed to see it in a new dress, spiced up by graphical possibilities the new engine offers. The author has the capability to create a great game using it. But there are some improvements to do. Most of the fixed cameras are annoying. They don't lead to any evidence, they don't help to proceed. This has some impact on gameplay as there are no binocs to compensate this unprofessional use of the cameras. So finding the crowbar is only possible by accident. Well, there's some work to do, but some promising work already has been done..." - Christian (09-Oct-2010)
"Arrrggghhh! Fixed camera angles everywhere. Why? And again, why? There were so many of them, if I hadn't been reviewing I'd have thrown this level in the bin! A pity as the level had a good feel to it, nice and solid with good lighting. Based roughly on the Great Wall with the authors imagination thrown in. Limited ammo makes you careful what you shoot and what you avoid which adds an element that you either like or don't (on the whole I come down on the 'like' side as an occasional alternative) but that is completely spoiled by one of the mini spiders leaving a key behind! As our American cousins say"Go figure!" A short but interesting timed run over some blocks I had to do twice as I spotted some ammo part way along it, I didn't mind though, it was fun. This could have been a nice little demo but oooohh, those fixed camera angles." - Diz (07-Oct-2010)
"The good, the bad, and the ugly. Purports to be a remake of 'The Great Wall' from TR2, and that is how it opens: with helicopter overhead, roaming tigers, and reproduced mountainous terrain and placement of secret. Everything looks much better now with Next Generation texturing, and there are lots of grasses, where the original was barren. Soon there is new game play, which ought to be good, with Lara climbing up on a wall section for Uzis, or ammo clips, or having to do a timed run on the wall, or a timed block move, or a spider who has swallowed a key (even though spiders don't eat solid food). Every blasted one of these things is shown from fixed camera angle, so it is maddeningly difficult to do necessary exploration--and, as other reviewers have pointed out, the binoculars are missing. I found myself hammering the Look Key, hoping to break out of fixed camera. Taking a clue from director Alfred Hitchcock, the author shows Lara from overhead, pulling out a block, the camera looking down through a grill. More revised game play. Then, as in the original, Lara escapes from between two closing spike walls, leaps into an alcove, and the game has an ugly crash. At almost 30 MB the .tr4 data file should contain a huge map, but instead not even half of the original small introductory TR2 level is completed. One has to guess that this ugly crash really is the end, but most players will be left recalling the T-rex secret and the zip line that are absent from this truncated version." - dmdibl (29-Sep-2010)
"Magnum and limited ammo only. The binoculars are missing, which is a real pain because there are lots of fixed camera angles that make it hard and unfair to find items like keys. There were plenty of strange things happening in this level, like a spider dropping a key after being shot and of course the poor thing did that right around the corner from a push block where the camera didn't reach. A door closes and opens when you step on a certain tiles, but it needs to be opened later with a key. The textures looked actually pretty nice but the lighting needs a lot of work in my opinion. Lara changes from brightly lit to pitch black by walking from one area are to another. I got stuck multiple times on illegal slopes and was able to climb outside to the end of the world in the main area by looking for an item. My PC developed some serious frame rate issues in the open area with the pool. Also, the game crashed every time Lara died and the end came really sudden at about 25minutes of game time. About half way through the level if you compare with the TR2 original. I did like the architecture of the level and I really appreciated the red flares that seemed to last forever. Good potential by a talented builder here, but I think this should have been tweaked and beta tested a little more before the release." - Blue43 (28-Sep-2010)
"I'll get the grumble out of the way first. If builders feel the need to subject us to so many massively irritating fixed camera angles (and I certainly don't remember so many in the original game) then the least they can do is not remove the binoculars. I almost gave up on the level at one point as I was getting so grumpy. OK, rant over. This is not quite an exact copy of the original level, but it's very similar and it certainly is nice to see an old favourite all spruced up and shiny, with lovely modern textures. The fact that Lara has to cope with limited ammo adds an extra dimension to the gameplay, especially when it takes three rounds of revolver ammo to despatch one buzzard (or perhaps I'm just a bad shot). It's not a bad game, but it could have been so much better." - Jay (28-Sep-2010)
"No binoculars, not such a good idea. Even very nasty with all those fixed camera's. So of course I jumped everywhere just to try to see what was there and found too many illegal slopes. Textures can use some TLC. Paper-thin walls, lighting could be improved a lot. Negative for me was also no trusted guns for our Lara, but limited ammo for the Revolver and Shotgun. You can keep them both as I really like the guns of this girl. Game crashed when dying or leaving it. Found a key that is called crowbar??? This hasn't been tested as I found numerous things that don't work properly. A door opening and closing, there must be a forgotten trigger, as you have to open that door with a key. Oh well... remake or no remake I found this level rather sloppy, even with some nice new traps thrown in for good measure. Also putting a level chock-a-block full with objects doesn't mean that it will be great." - Gerty (27-Sep-2010)
"Actually, I am no fan of Levels which are an exact copy of the original. Then I always have the feeling which the level builder no own ideas had and has copied merely the suitable segment. This is here though also the case, but the level builder has differently formed at least a few places. But that's actually not the point at all. It is rather about the fact which the level builder high-resolution textures has used. Though I am a fan of the Original-TR2, but, nevertheless, now with these improved textures this whole area looks immediately much nicer. However, the camera work was partly really miserable. One often did not know because of many Fixcams where one had to jump there. And to make matters worse, there is no binocular in this level. Well, at least the level looked good. At least, something." - Scottie (27-Sep-2010)
"Although texturally superior to the original,I found the added effects (lens flare;limited ammo)to be overly distracting and,in the latter instance,rather unfair - as one of the many spiders drops an all important key when you kill it,but you may very easily have run out of ammunition by then and consequently find yourself unable to continue. The crowbar(although named as such) is actually a key;and the surroundings are too cluttered with superfluous vegetation. Nonetheless,credit where credit is due: the locations have not only been recreated well,but the gameplay has been tweaked in terms of its difficulty;and even those who know the original like the back of their hand will find themselves occasionally challenged. It ends very abruptly,but provides 20 interesting minutes." - Orbit Dream (27-Sep-2010)
"This level is a great example visually, how far we have come along through all these years in the custom level area. The look and feel of the Great Wall setting that we all know from the old days is really accomplished and stunning with the 256px textures and some good effort in lighting the rooms. Having said that, it does play as a remake where you know most of the steps and is therefore not overly inspiring or entertaining despite a good series of timed tasks and the extra (small) challenge of the limited ammo. A 20 minute trip down memory lane - with much better looks. Let's hope this new author uses his talents to create something original for us next." - MichaelP (26-Sep-2010)
"Setting is like the original, textures are quite different (I liked the new look) and the lighting and atmosphere were decent. Some new gameplay elements but the level is very close to original. The cutscenes however, especially the first, were a bit laggy and the game ends too early. But can see talent here so I hope for another level in near future." - manarch2 (26-Sep-2010)