ONS-CBP2-Yorda

Title: Yorda
Author: Warbeast
Game: Onslaught
Volume: 2
Node Setup: Click Here

Black and white, good and evil, how I wish it would be that simple...

RaptoR: BEIGE! Beige, beige, beige, beige... Beige! Yorda is a map by Warbeast, creator of CTF-CBP2-Skorbut, which appeared in the first volume of the pack. Strangely, Yorda appears in many ways to be the opposite of Skorbut. While Skorbut combines a great original visual theme with fairly mediocre gameplay, Yorda features some fun gameplay features with a visual style that’s just plain bizarre. While Yorda’s alien city theme scores points for originality, after playing it you’re often left asking yourself whether it was really necessary to make every mesh in the map the same color. Without the map, it would be incredibly difficult to tell either of Yorda’s large structures apart. Gameplay however is a different story. Yorda is a fun map with gameplay revolving mostly around the two flying vehicles – the Manta and the Raptor. This makes for some chaotic and fast-paced battles around each of the map’s power nodes. You would think that a map based around vehicular combat would disadvantage the humble foot soldier, however clever use of teleporters and jump pads mean that it’s fairly easy to get around on foot.

hal: I always expect a wild theme when I play one of Warbeast's maps and this one sure doesn't disappoint. The black and white alien structure is very Gieger-esque with its organic shapes and is unlike any other you will see in Unreal Tournament 2004. The only thing I would like to have seen happen with the theme would been to have tied it into the Unreal universe in some way through the map description. A minor gripe for sure.

I was initially concerned about the fairly narrow playing surface of the map, having been stuck more than once in a vehicle caught mid-fall on the edge of a ramp. Unable to drive it away I was forced to abandon it. It's a flaw, to be sure, in the way that vehicles on the edge of surfaces are handled within the game and it isn't fair to criticize Warbeast for it, but the problem is greatly exaggerated by the limited width, sharp edges, and steep ramps.

The gameplay has really grown on me. The portals and kickers, as well as the vehicle choices in the map really provide a fast fun game. It brings a unique look and feel to Onslaught and I applaud that.

Raffi_B: After playing DOM-Invasion and DM-Frozen, I knew that Warbeast was a mapping god. Then, when I loaded up ONS-Yorda, I was let down. This map did not seem like the work of the same guy who made all of those stunning maps I loved. While almost the entire map was custom content, it all kind of blended together in a big blurb. There was little variation or contrast, and I hardly knew where I was half the time without checking the radar map. While the map obviously took a lot of time and work, I don’t think it is Warbeast quality.

Zenny: I think of Yorda as a cross between the original Face and Icarus. It has that allure that makes me want to play it all the time – like face, and it is kind of crowded like Icarus. Yorda’s enclosed alien structures and wide open spaces provide an excellently balanced Onslaught experience.

That's all for now. Check back later for the second part of BeyondUnreal's CBP2 Review.