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The Database / Reinhardts Castle / Laras New Home by Brenna

alan 3 4 4 4
Ceamonks890 2 4 2 2
dmdibl 4 5 5 4
Gerty 1 3 2 2
Jay 4 5 4 4
Jose 3 7 5 6
LuxQSD 4 3 1 1
manarch2 3 4 3 2
Mehrbod 3 4 3 3
MichaelP 3 5 6 5
Mulf 2 3 3 3
Nuri 3 4 3 4
Orbit Dream 2 4 3 3
Ryan 3 4 3 3
Treeble 5 5 6 5
Xela 4 5 4 2
 
release date: 12-Jul-2001
# of downloads: 79

average rating: 3.56
review count: 16
 
review this level

file size: 11.71 MB
file type: TR2
class: nc
 


author profile(s):
email(s):
hsxgenious@yahoo.es

Reviewer's comments
"A collection of three short and probably unfinished unconnected levels that vary in quality. The first (and also the largest) level is a mix of Venice and Tibet settings, combining the two into a snowy town area. Quite a creative concept for the time, but unfortunately the atmosphere and texturing just isn't good enough to carry it. There is some basic effort put into design, but textures generally look ugly and sloppily applied while there's the usual paper thin walls and texture glitch problems common in older maps. Gameplay mostly consists of running around confusing looking areas, killing a few enemies and keyhunting. I did like the use of sitting thugs in the author's attempt to create a more lively environment as you don't usually see many NPCs in custom levels. I wish we could have taken a snowmobile out onto the race tracks though...missed opportunity if you ask me. Second level is the shortest and worst of the bunch. A handful of oversized, empty and bland rooms to explore ending up in a locked door that the key doesn't fit in. One can only assume that the author put the wrong key for the lock in the level, thus barring progression. Very unimpressive and unfinished looking level, but at least it's over quickly. The third level is a remix of both TR2 and TR3 Lara's Home levels. It takes designs from both levels and mixes and matches them in an attempt to create the 'ultimate' Lara's Home experience. The assault course is there and so are the usual mansion secrets from both games it was sourced from, but once again the author's texture work and amateur design bring it down a bit. Paper thin walls, texture glitching, randomly placed furniture and very low ceilings are an eyesore in an otherwise decent attempt at presenting Lara's Home in a new light. If you've played the original games then you've already done all there is to do in the level gameplay wise. You will only play this to see the sights and check out all the differences the author presented in their version. With all that being said, I would not recommend this to anyone but completionists as the overall quality of the release will not keep a seasoned raider's attention. A shame...as after seeing what's on display here the builder could have created something really nice..." - LuxQSD (15-May-2022)
"This is a set of three disparate levels that don’t amount to a game; rather, it’s a compilation of odds and ends produced by a very young builder during his first forays into the treacherous territory of DXtre3D. I will therefore review and score the individual levels separately.
“The Database” (3/5/4/3) is the inscrutable title of an odd hybrid between Venice and Tibet. Both textures and wad are customised, but the environment isn’t pretty and somewhat less than convincing. You have to collect a couple of keys, but most doors open automatically on approach, or when you step on one specific tile, or when you run around a bit. You get to kill a bunch of goons and their dobermans and, inexplicably, not to drive a snowmobile—although the builder fashioned a course for it, at the end of which there’s even a sign that explicitly states that this is the ‘end of the race’. Construction is simple and gameplay mildly entertaining, but the main reason for playing this level would seem to be the room with the animated ice floor and sharks patrolling underneath, in which one of the snowmobile goons is so fascinated by his TV screen (he appears to be watching the original King Kong) that he pays no mind to any killing that’s going on around him. At the end a complex switch puzzle seemed in the offing, but I hit the finish trigger before I could even stroke my beard in a pensive gesture and go ‘Hmmm…’ 18 min., 3 secrets (easy, though one requires a bit of legwork).
“Reinhardt’s Castle” (0/1/1/2): Not much of a castle, now is it. More like a bunch of oversized rooms connected by waferthin walls and textured in the style of the preceding level, in which you reach a dead end a few minutes in because the builder placed the wrong key in the map. Before that, you locate a fall-through floor and a climb-through ceiling, and you brave a very dodgy climbable wall which isn’t marked. This is merely a test level that didn’t pan out and that nobody needed to see.
“Lara’s New Home” (2/4/5/4) offers a hybrid TR2/3 mansion with a number of dodgy room connections, mainly in the outside area, which may be the cause for the random crashes that occasionally occur (I had three). Since manarch’s walkthrough is remarkably vague here (could it be that Home levels are not his favourite genre?), I’ll fill in some of the blanks: Jeeves appears at the beginning of the obstacle course but seems stuck in one of those dodgy room connections (he later disappeared from the map). Gym and dining room have been replaced by an architecturally quite plausible gallery with many knight’s armours on display. The timed run to the basement is greatly simplified in that you don’t have to start from the attic (inaccessible in this level), solve a pushable puzzle, or find a book switch. There is no separate timed run to the trophy room, because it has been moved to the basement where it was in TR2, thus replacing the aquarium. The switch there is timed and opens a camouflaged trapdoor in the hedge maze. It leads to a reconstructed quadbike (snowmobile) course that terminates at a set of trapdoors which I couldn’t get to open. They would have brought me back up to the front garden of the mansion though, so I guess I did all there was to do.
It’s Level 1 then which, slight though it is, has to carry the main burden of the gameplay. Levels 1 and 2 are linked, but even so you’re better off ignoring Level 2 altogether. Level 3 must be selected from the Title menu. It is simply another version of The Mansion and as such is of little interest to the general public; card-carrying members of the Home Movement who wish to unearth its hidden treasures should be prepared to brave its instability.
" - Mulf (23-Mar-2022)
"Another very ordinary TR2 experience, which definitely with more effort, could have been turned out to be a mind- blowing adventure eventually. Liked the idea of static snowman and baddies who were "drinking invisible cups of coffee and enjoying spending time together". Thank you!" - Mehrbod (12-Apr-2020)
"A set of levels with different settings each one. First, one that combines icy textures with Venice ones, maybe it was Venice in winter. You find some kind of store with many snowmobiles, but there is no use for them. Then there's a racetrack with many vehicles that look tempting to use, but sadly you can't, as they're just static objects. The second level was impossible to finish because of a door that refused to open with a key I had found, and there weren't other ones in the area, so there was a big mistake there. Finally, the new Lara's home kept crashing when I got to the backyard, but fortunately the windows were shootable, so I could explore the inside of the house. But there's nothing that interesting or innovative. By the way, Lara's face turns into her waist when she shoots her pistols, lol. And her legs look like she has cables; as if she was a robot O_o It's an okayish set of levels but not very recommended for raiders who seek lots of adventure." - alan (30-Oct-2018)
"My rating is also solely based on the Database level, which is actually a simplistic but enjoyable little run- and drive-around a mixture of Venetian and snowy sceneries with a few thugs and rats to kill, a couple of interesting usages of comatose guards and three fun secrets to go for. But things fall apart with the Reinhardt's Castle and Lara's New Home segments as they have a larger hint of sloppiness and incompleteness about them with the former having an abrupt impasse with a non-working key, and the latter being mostly what has been seen before. These things do drag the scores down quite a bit. Oh well, it was a first build." - Ryan (24-Dec-2017)
"Not bad this TR2 level. I suffered a crash in the room adjacent to the snowmobiles (when entering with the vehicle) and also in that room the triggers to open the doors are not very clear, but usually it's a level very easy to play. Enough guns, ammo and medipacks, well balanced enemies, secrets not too hidden, correct texturization... Not a great level, of course, but playable and enjoyable." - Jose (15-Dec-2017)
"The Database is a nice little level, although very weird in a way. For example, you walk into a shop where you see plenty of snowmobiles, which I didn't even try taking anywhere as I just jumped over the counter and doors that I needed to climb into opened, so the snowmobile would have been left behind, and a couple of rooms later comes an obvious racetrack area, so I'm not sure why that was there. I did claim a secret for following it through to the end, but I'd have to anyway in order to proceed. I liked the retextured enemies, by the way, it's always fun to see customizations as these in non-TR4 engines. The end comes rather abruptly in a room with plenty of buttons, but the readme does state the author had planned so many more levels... Other two small entries are included in the pack. Reinhardt's Castle has fun textures, but right on the first room you need to locate the fall-through floor to proceed, and it doesn't really get much better. Ultimately it ends 5 minutes later with a locked door for which the key in your inventory doesn't fit, so I would assume a wrong version of the level was compiled and submitted... Lastly, Lara's New Home was an interesting take on the manor - it made things even bigger, as if they weren't already big in the first place. However, it was prone to crashing all too often so I gave up after a dozen or so tries. I did make as far as the AA meeting room in the second floor, though. 20~ minutes, 2 secrets. 05/17" - Treeble (28-May-2017)
"I had many crashs while playing this! These are three short levels with no story. One of those levels is a changed version of Laras home..." - Nuri (07-Jul-2015)
"OK, so while the first level included in this package, 'The Database' isn't too bad in terms of quality, the other two are so inconsequential that you're left wondering what the whole point of including them here was. As 'Reinhardt's Castle' unfortunately suffers from a game breaking bug where you cannot continue onwards without a key that apparently doesn't exist in the level and 'Lara's New Home' has an issue with crashing to desktop whenever you attempt to enter the inside of the manor(although judging by the extremely similar layout to the all-too familiar Core Design manor, I doubt that I'm missing out on anything.) So in conclusion, I simply cannot recommend this to anyone at the end of the day, as its painfully obvious that the builder released this level without any proper testing whatsoever(due to plenty of potential crashes, bugs and an overall unfinished feeling to it all.)" - Ceamonks890 (05-Aug-2014)
"Rating is mostly for the first level, The Database, as the other levels are short and not really worth spending time on. The Database is fun though, for the short amount of time it takes to complete. A good amount of enemies, three secrets, interesting scenery, which includes guys who are just lounging around. All of it adds up to a relatively interesting experience. Unfortunately, the other levels don't hold up so well. The time the builder spent on those two levels would have been better spent fleshing out The Database. Still, not a terrible download." - Xela (10-Aug-2013)
"The Database: A short TR2 Venice level, with the usual complement of baddies and dogs, plus, at one point, a rather bizarre room floored in ice with a shark swimming around underneath and a room full of snowmobiles which you can ride if you wish (and you really should check underneath them) - not one's normal idea of Venice, but interesting, sort of Venice via Nepal. Reinhardt's Castle. You won't get anywhere with this unless you manage to fall into an invisible hole in the floor right at the beginning. Luckily, I play in headless chicken mode so I'm good at falling down unexpected holes. Unfortunately, you won't get very far with it in any case, since it only lasts a few minutes and appears not to have a finish trigger. Lara's New Home: Yes it is. Broadly speaking, it's the old mansion with the same stuff to do - assault course, swimming pool etc., but the builder has put his own spin on things rather than creating an exact copy so it does appear that the old homestead has had a makeover. I'd already played all other levels from this builder before discovering this set (his debut) so it's particularly good to see how much progress he has made with subsequent works." - Jay (20-Jul-2011)
"The architecture was OK and some gameplay elements were fun. However so many crashes and missing or badly used textures here. Reinhardt's Castle cannot be finished. All in all lower than average." - manarch2 (14-Nov-2010)
"Fair enough;this is a first release,and the builder has since progressed to undeniably bigger and better adventures.Nonetheles,it remains an absolute textbook example for new builders as to how NOT to release a debut level! It is abdundantly clear from the game-stopping bug in level 2 that the builder not only neglected to get someone to Beta test his work,but that he didn't do much of a job with his own Alpha test! Uploading an obviously incomplete work for public consumption is always a risk (and the question of what age a builder happens to be should matter not a jot when it comes to reviews;each and every level should be judged entirely on its own merits - or lack thereof).However,it was clearly a risk that Brenna was prepared to take,as he has since progressed very positively in his level-building hobby. It must be said that the first level of this incomplete trilogy IS a lot of fun,if a little rough around the edges.The 2nd level is a somewhat annoying run around,culminating in a tricky climb to an open window and a subsequent total impasse.The third is the usual uneventful Mansion,as seen innumerable times previously. As a whole,these levels represent a curious type of 'work in progress' ethos and should best be overlooked. Try 'The meaning of Christmas' instead,for a far more accurate and enjoyable example of Brenna's work." - Orbit Dream (13-Nov-2010)
"My scoring is largely for the first level (The Database, 15 min, 3 secrets), which playes nicely as a Venice in the Snow level with plenty of bad guys to shoot and most doors happily opening for you all by itself. The snowmobile room and the use of the sitting dudes was kind of fun (especially the guy watching TV - LOL) and this part is definitely worth a quick look. It goes downhill from there, as Reinhardt's Castle not only features a fall through floor and a climb through ceiling wall (always unfair) - it even seems to come to a halt when a key you find among a few boxes does not fit into the only available key lock nearby. Lara's New Home is then - well, yet another Lara's Home level and as such I continue to not enjoy them, even if this one is at least constructed ok. But in the end I wish the author had expanded more on the concepts of the Database level." - MichaelP (06-Sep-2010)
""The Database" is a charming small level, with good graphic sense. Lara gets helpful pickups and disposes of bad guys. I liked the sharks under ice that oscillates between opaque and transparent. The snowmobile secret is clever. Good use of lighting. I would have been happy to play more levels like this. But then "Reinhardt's Castle" has a problem within a few minutes. After a fall-through floor, and a climb-through ceiling, it looks like it will be an attractive level. Lara gets a key, climbs through a broken window into a hallway where a door should be open. But the keyhole is for a different type of key than Lara possesses, so any further progression is impossible. There is a whole area that players can't reach. "Lara's New Home" isn't your usual ripped project as in TR3. This must be a manual construction so a lot looks different and plays different. The button on the diving board opens up Lara's bedroom (strange bathroom). A music room button initiates the timed run to the basement. The basement holds piles of treasure. Interesting, but this level is prone to crashes, so save frequently. I could reload after a crash and continue." - dmdibl (15-May-2010)
"Mixture of Venice textures but that is it. Finding two keys to get to the Data Base room, and on your way there, you shoot a couple of thugs and that is it. Second level is called Reinhardt's Castle. It starts with a nasty fall through floor you have to fall into or else you cannot proceed. That will not be the only wall you encounter and there is a nasty ladder that leads to an open window that works a bit weird but lets Lara into the rest of the so-called castle. Having found the second key my game stopped there, as there was no way to proceed and Lara kept saying NO when I wanted to use the key." - Gerty (30-Mar-2010)