The scene of the famous lockpicking challenge. The Mechanists' secret acquisition... ...Along with their "guest"

Review by Anarchic Fox Mission Name: Warehouse 51 Author: Kung Fu Gecko Mission Type: Mechanist "Monster" Map Size: Tiny Difficulty: Easy No. Times Played: I've lost count. Difficulties Played: Normal, Hard, and Expert Loot Found: 945 out of 945 Secrets Found: 0 out of 0 Pros: Good humor, visuals, and gameplay Cons: There is very little gameplay, rather much of which is taken up by loot-hunting Bottom Line: A great tongue-in-cheek mission, and a solid Thief mission as well Note that this review contains a spoiler of the major surprise of the mission (not that the title itself isn't another such spoiler). As in the other Kung Fu Gecko missions, the gameplay in Warehouse 51 is precisely designed, well-balanced and generally fun; the only problem is that there is too little of it. The mission starts with a bit of exploration, and a (so far as I know) unique lockpicking challenge under the eye of a camera. It proceeds past a few Mechanists, whose positions and propensity to double back require creative solutions if you're ghosting (though they're pitifully easy to take out with the blackjack). After a bit of looting interesting and cleverly placed treasure, the level ends. Warehouse 51 is quite short, even for a contest mission; its brevity is what is most annoying about it. Although you've probably figured this out from the title, the central feature of Warehouse 51 is an alien spacecraft (impressive from both without and within) interred in said warehouse. The mission is completely tongue-in-cheek; the absurdity (and divergence from canon) of the mission is its main draw, and the design of the aliens and their habitats should draw a laugh or two from anybody. The humor of this mission worked wonderfully for me; however, I will admit that the jokes (and pop-culture reference) of the level won't succeed for everyone. Nevertheless, the gameplay and visual design herein are strong enough to make this level worth trying, even if your tastes diverge quite far from what Warehouse 51 caters to. Analysis Story: N/A -- I would consider it unfair to rate such a lighthearted mission under this category Atmosphere: 4 -- While I truly enjoyed the jokes in this level, they aren't quite enough for me to rate the level highly in this last (and rather hodgepodge) category, since the humor is hit-or-miss and doesn't leave much to savor if it doesn't go over well with a player. Gameplay: 7 -- Good patrols, powerups, loot finding, floor surface design; the level has a small bit of easy puzzle-solving, and one unique situation at the beginning. There just happens to be very little of said gameplay, and what there is doesn't give much of a challenge. Architecture: 6 -- Most of the level looks quite good (with the notable exception of the spacecraft's exterior), and the spatial design inside the spacecraft is extraordinary; there are no brushing/texturing mistakes, and there is a nice amount of extra detail. Still, the mission doesn't look nearly as good as it could, even within the contest confines. Reviewer's Bias: +0.5 because I did like the humor. Reviewer's Score: 1 silver (6 on the ten-point scale) Travel to: Go Back / T-TC.com (home)