Reviews - The AMC Squad

Short Review of Episode 1:

A very interesting and ambitious mod to say the least.

My absolute favourite aspect of the mod is the additional gameplay depth granted via new mechanics: sliding, leaning, sprinting, wall kicking, karate kicks, alt fire modes, alternate ammo, weapon upgrades, rolling/dodging, weapon reloading, melee weapons, temp weapons, basic loadouts, interaction with more object types, PDA/scanner & inventory.

These mechanics are what drew me to the mod in the first place but I was disappointed to find a notable portion of these mechanics were not utilized in the level design to their full potential, but they all had their uses at some point regardless.

There are new effects also such as dynamic skyboxes, footstep sounds, new sprite anims, camera effects, ridiculous but very welcome cutscenes and so on.

The level design is a mixed bag of quality and style, more good than bad, and when it is good it's top-tier, but when it's bad it's Duke Nukem: Forever bad unfortunately.

Voice acting is bad for the most part, the story however is very developed for Duke Nukem, the writing at times is good enough and it's worth reading all in-game text if you care for a fleshed out world, What is unique about the story is it is told from the perspective of the AMC team, all of which you control (all at least in episodes to come), sometimes even in the same level. Other FPS games have done this (Project Eden) but AMC TC does it well.
A problem with this concept is standard aspects gameplay you'd expect in a FPS such as ammo conservation, and long-term reward for finding secrets are non-existent due to constant switching of characters.

Sound design and music may not be original, but it is fitting.

This is better than some professionally designed FPS games, and I wish James and crew luck with releasing the mod in it's absolute entirety...they'll need it.

Edit: episode 2 has released since I last made comment, and whilst it is more of the same (which is good) with the exception of some improvements and unique creative scenarios, I'm updating this to a 10/10 out of the dedication of the developer & the principle alone.

Have been eagerly awaiting for this release since the first time i heard about it many moons ago so I went in with fairly high expectations. Many hours and a couple plays through and I can only say that my expectations were completely blown away. The AMC TC has given me quite the feeling of nostalgia while still managing to keep things fresh and new with all of its cool features. A word of warning to those who have never played any FPS from the 90s there is no hand holding other than a basic training course, and you will have to do a little thinking and explore the environments especially in the later level's. Can't wait to see what happens in the next episode although there is still a lot of things left for me to do with this. Great job!

This is a lot of fun as a game, despite some engine issues. There is a nice tongue in cheek tone and it seems like a lot of work as put into almost every element. And man, it seems like everyone had such fun making it.

This has been a major inspiration for helping me through my day to day life at the moment, as it is entirely a work of craft and love.

Wow!

I adore FPS. The genre as of late has been beyond lacking. Frankly, I'm proud to say that the AMC Episodes I and II take old school FPS action blending it with a plot akin to an 80s action movie. Lessons learned from modern FPS serve as a catalyst for this game. Download this game now and enjoy.

Level Design: Brilliant maze-like levels await you.

Weapons: A broad selection! All are fun.

Power-Up Placement: Good!

Enemy Placement: Challenging!

Story/Characters: You'll love them.

Gameplay: This is a remarkable game that you'll love. You'll even tell your friends about it and they'll play it too. God bless Stanfield, Sandt, & Company for making an incredible work of art!

Con: This game had some initial problems like menu trouble after aborting a mission, etc. James fixed that in a patch. So it has been remedied. It was a frustration at first, but no more.

Overall: Quit reading this review and download this game now.

From the second you boot it up AMC, you can tell it's a labor of love! It's rare to see a standalone TC with this level of polished content. It manages to evoke classic shooters without being an uninspired rehash.

This isn't some trope-filled romp. It's a badass love letter to 90's shooters and 80's action films.

Great level design, great gunplay. The AMC TC has high replay value due to the nature of the levels, the light RPG elements, and of course the multiple playable characters.
Highly memorable. Everyone should try it.

Really good throwback to the old-school with the modern features tossed in with both new and old content. The character selection makes it replayable. Good mod indeed so hopefully Eduke32 gets the new network functional, because it would be super fun to go all co-op!

This is one of those mods, that are truly a new game, or Total Conversion. Hopefully, you guys make more ...

Taamalus

Mikko Sandt finally wrote a fair review of this TC. I agree with his essay below 200%!
Msdn.duke4.net

The best Duke3D TC ever made.

This game is AMAZING.

I've followed these guys work through out the years and what they have made in the Build Engine is something from another world.

The art work, combat system, the level design, plot and soundtrack are amazing.
I love this supernatural/sci-fi mix, it's amazing.

I still think there's ground to be covered when we talk about User Experience, there were times that I didn't know how that feature worked or how to used, and I couldn't find anywhere (inside the game) how to proceed with it. BUT, i've seen changes over the versions and things are progressing. Though I've brought this point, I cannot give anything less than 10, because of what has been done in this tech, with this kind of love, you guys deserve it.

Congratulations, you are a inspiration for all of us. One of the best games ever.