All levels were played in software mode as Sonic. Reviews for each map are in spoiler tags, expand them to view the comments.
Single Player
Green Canyon Zone by SonicMaster - 5/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]...I don't know about this level. It's sort of interesting, but at the same time, it's not.
See, there are some neat gimmicks in the level that show off some cool effects, but it seems to me like the level was made for that sole purpose. Save for some platforming, there's no challenge or anything to speak of, and the level sort of just plays itself. Not that I don't like what I see, it's just missing something.
As for nitpicks, give your waterfalls ambient sound effects; it's a small thing, but the noise can help add to the mood of the level.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Aquatic Labyrinth Zone, Act 2 by Kuja - 9/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Wow, I'm not sure how to describe this, since my brain is all mush from how this level kicked my ass and threw me for a loop the many times I played this. I guess to summarize, I'd go with "tense, cool, and a thrill to play". At first it was this dark, threatening, techno-water level that kept me on my toes, and finally I get to the second half, which looks to me a lot like verifiaman's chemical plant level but plays the exact opposite, and then I'm thrown around by different currents and then rushing against time before the floor beneath me collapses, and just -- okay, I'm giving this a nine.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Hidden Sanctuary Zone, Act 2 by Ice - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Ties with Greenery Pass Zone 2 for prettiest contest map. The sector design here flows really well here, with branching paths crossing over each other, making it fun to play and especially neat to look at. Not necessarily anything I haven't seen or played before, but a good map nonetheless.
The ridiculous gargoyle contraption was the highlight of the level.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Glaber Base 5 by Glaber - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Out of brutal honesty, I didn't have any decent expectations for this map due to glaber's track record, and initially, I didn't understand why there would be an alternate path for a character probably not many people have. After playing it with Sonic and Sally, though, I would personally conclude that this is an enjoyable level with unique level design elements and fresh custom enemies to make the gameplay fairly memorable.
So, I guess essentially you're infiltrating some a base or something, and if you play this level without Sally, you're doing basically what you usually do, bopping enemies, avoiding crushers and pits, etc. Good use of enemies, interesting gimmicks, a trek through a broken zoomtube (which I personally thought was kinda funny). If you play as Sally though, then you have the ability to hack the computers spread throughout the level and basically open up new paths. This plays a pretty large role in the level if you're Sally, and overall simply adds to the replay value of the wad.
I felt this was worth the playthrough. It seemed pretty easy to me, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Currently, the only thing I can think of to improve the level is to destroy the evil giant flashing laser sector of doom. It hurts my eyes and reminds me of Cosmic Galaxy. Oh, speaking of which....[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Cosmic Galaxy by verifiaman - 2/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Arggh. A potentially interesting zone that backfires because of several departments of the level design.
Cosmic Galaxy lives up to its name with a cyber-space theme and several custom textures to accompany it. However, your mind's going to be off the theme just a little ways into the level, because the flashing FOFs it uses could cause seizures to little Asian kids. And lasers are pretty common in this level, so the whole thing is just annoying as hell to look at. The music somewhat doesn't help, because it's quite a bit louder than SRB2's default music, which is a bit of a throwoff.
The challenges themselves are just ridiculous. The two main hazards in this level (besides the death pit) are some weird gate thing that's open a fifth of a second and harmful the next half a second. The only safe say to go through it is by thokking through it, and even that's risky, because the whole level takes place on top of a death pit. It's even worse in OpenGL, because then it's even harder to see whether it's safe that millisecond or not due to how it renders the FOFs. Then there's the antigravity hallways where you have to maneuver yourself around some lasers. This is probably doubly as aggravating, because the flashiness is taken to a whole new level, and if you get hit, you're stuck in midair until you reach a sector that doesn't have antigravity, if you even manage that. But I think the biggest dick move here was setting forceskin to Sonic. Because trying to skip the eyesores and still get to the goal kinda eliminates the point of the level.
And before you know it, the level is done. There's basically only three tiny parts to the level, and after you pass them, that's it, there's no more to see. Abrupt, but in the words of Falco, I guess I should be thankful.
Overall, just a really poorly thought-out obstacle course that I can't honestly say is any fun to play.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Flooded Forest Zone by Cheese - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]I honestly can't relate to what other people are saying about the cheapness of this level. Aside from the jettysyns, I thought the layout and enemy placement was well done, and I didn't have any problems completing the level. My only real complaint is that spikes appear to be used too frequently and in redundant and uninteresting fashions. While I understand it's the most frequent hazard to make up for SRB2's sad excuse for a 2D camera, try to come up with some more interesting ways to fill up some of your more redundant spike sections.
On another note, I played this in regular SRB2 and then tried it a couple more times in a custom exe that handled 2D mode more practically. Good fun.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Factory Farce Zone, Act 1 by MattW_CFI - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]I don't think I've seen this kind of zone done before. It's factory-themed, granted, but it has sort of a pixelated nature to it, and I don't think the main gimmick of this level has been used before.
Cool music, good use of gimmicks and sound effects, the level design works well. It's a bit short, though I figure that's what second acts are for. Um.... I think I had a suggestion in mind, but I forgot what it was. Sorry. Keep it up, at any rate.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Mill Citadel Zone, Act 2 by Ezer'Arch - 8/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Just about anything I might have said for the first one applies to this act. More creativity, more gimmicks, overall I think just about as enjoyable as act 1.
Also, rotating platforms.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Greenery Pass Zone, Act 2 by Knockout The Echidna - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Although this is basically another Green Flower level in gameplay, it sets itself apart from other grass maps with its unique look and atmosphere illuminated from the use of custom music, textures, scenery, and a dawn/dusk colormap. It makes a good second act for a first zone, and while there is a lack of gimmicks in the level, the map is still enjoyable in its own right due to good sector layouts and aesthetics.
Couple things about the music; the volume of it is a bit low, if you tune it up just a bit, then it's on par with the rest of SRB2's soundtrack. It also needs to be looppointed, because the song's loop transition is choppy otherwise. There's also an outside part of the level that's basically scenery, but if you step down to the lower platform of that scenery area, you have no way to get back up as Sonic and are forced to fall down the pit. Granted, you probably don't expect people to go to that area, but it still kinda bites.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Man, almost all the scores I gave are above average. You guys don't cease to impress me. Once again, an enjoyable single player division through and through.
Single Player
Green Canyon Zone by SonicMaster - 5/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]...I don't know about this level. It's sort of interesting, but at the same time, it's not.
See, there are some neat gimmicks in the level that show off some cool effects, but it seems to me like the level was made for that sole purpose. Save for some platforming, there's no challenge or anything to speak of, and the level sort of just plays itself. Not that I don't like what I see, it's just missing something.
As for nitpicks, give your waterfalls ambient sound effects; it's a small thing, but the noise can help add to the mood of the level.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Aquatic Labyrinth Zone, Act 2 by Kuja - 9/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Wow, I'm not sure how to describe this, since my brain is all mush from how this level kicked my ass and threw me for a loop the many times I played this. I guess to summarize, I'd go with "tense, cool, and a thrill to play". At first it was this dark, threatening, techno-water level that kept me on my toes, and finally I get to the second half, which looks to me a lot like verifiaman's chemical plant level but plays the exact opposite, and then I'm thrown around by different currents and then rushing against time before the floor beneath me collapses, and just -- okay, I'm giving this a nine.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Hidden Sanctuary Zone, Act 2 by Ice - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Ties with Greenery Pass Zone 2 for prettiest contest map. The sector design here flows really well here, with branching paths crossing over each other, making it fun to play and especially neat to look at. Not necessarily anything I haven't seen or played before, but a good map nonetheless.
The ridiculous gargoyle contraption was the highlight of the level.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Glaber Base 5 by Glaber - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Out of brutal honesty, I didn't have any decent expectations for this map due to glaber's track record, and initially, I didn't understand why there would be an alternate path for a character probably not many people have. After playing it with Sonic and Sally, though, I would personally conclude that this is an enjoyable level with unique level design elements and fresh custom enemies to make the gameplay fairly memorable.
So, I guess essentially you're infiltrating some a base or something, and if you play this level without Sally, you're doing basically what you usually do, bopping enemies, avoiding crushers and pits, etc. Good use of enemies, interesting gimmicks, a trek through a broken zoomtube (which I personally thought was kinda funny). If you play as Sally though, then you have the ability to hack the computers spread throughout the level and basically open up new paths. This plays a pretty large role in the level if you're Sally, and overall simply adds to the replay value of the wad.
I felt this was worth the playthrough. It seemed pretty easy to me, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Currently, the only thing I can think of to improve the level is to destroy the evil giant flashing laser sector of doom. It hurts my eyes and reminds me of Cosmic Galaxy. Oh, speaking of which....[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Cosmic Galaxy by verifiaman - 2/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Arggh. A potentially interesting zone that backfires because of several departments of the level design.
Cosmic Galaxy lives up to its name with a cyber-space theme and several custom textures to accompany it. However, your mind's going to be off the theme just a little ways into the level, because the flashing FOFs it uses could cause seizures to little Asian kids. And lasers are pretty common in this level, so the whole thing is just annoying as hell to look at. The music somewhat doesn't help, because it's quite a bit louder than SRB2's default music, which is a bit of a throwoff.
The challenges themselves are just ridiculous. The two main hazards in this level (besides the death pit) are some weird gate thing that's open a fifth of a second and harmful the next half a second. The only safe say to go through it is by thokking through it, and even that's risky, because the whole level takes place on top of a death pit. It's even worse in OpenGL, because then it's even harder to see whether it's safe that millisecond or not due to how it renders the FOFs. Then there's the antigravity hallways where you have to maneuver yourself around some lasers. This is probably doubly as aggravating, because the flashiness is taken to a whole new level, and if you get hit, you're stuck in midair until you reach a sector that doesn't have antigravity, if you even manage that. But I think the biggest dick move here was setting forceskin to Sonic. Because trying to skip the eyesores and still get to the goal kinda eliminates the point of the level.
And before you know it, the level is done. There's basically only three tiny parts to the level, and after you pass them, that's it, there's no more to see. Abrupt, but in the words of Falco, I guess I should be thankful.
Overall, just a really poorly thought-out obstacle course that I can't honestly say is any fun to play.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Flooded Forest Zone by Cheese - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]I honestly can't relate to what other people are saying about the cheapness of this level. Aside from the jettysyns, I thought the layout and enemy placement was well done, and I didn't have any problems completing the level. My only real complaint is that spikes appear to be used too frequently and in redundant and uninteresting fashions. While I understand it's the most frequent hazard to make up for SRB2's sad excuse for a 2D camera, try to come up with some more interesting ways to fill up some of your more redundant spike sections.
On another note, I played this in regular SRB2 and then tried it a couple more times in a custom exe that handled 2D mode more practically. Good fun.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Factory Farce Zone, Act 1 by MattW_CFI - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]I don't think I've seen this kind of zone done before. It's factory-themed, granted, but it has sort of a pixelated nature to it, and I don't think the main gimmick of this level has been used before.
Cool music, good use of gimmicks and sound effects, the level design works well. It's a bit short, though I figure that's what second acts are for. Um.... I think I had a suggestion in mind, but I forgot what it was. Sorry. Keep it up, at any rate.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Mill Citadel Zone, Act 2 by Ezer'Arch - 8/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Just about anything I might have said for the first one applies to this act. More creativity, more gimmicks, overall I think just about as enjoyable as act 1.
Also, rotating platforms.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Greenery Pass Zone, Act 2 by Knockout The Echidna - 7/10
[spoiler:91f2ff523d]Although this is basically another Green Flower level in gameplay, it sets itself apart from other grass maps with its unique look and atmosphere illuminated from the use of custom music, textures, scenery, and a dawn/dusk colormap. It makes a good second act for a first zone, and while there is a lack of gimmicks in the level, the map is still enjoyable in its own right due to good sector layouts and aesthetics.
Couple things about the music; the volume of it is a bit low, if you tune it up just a bit, then it's on par with the rest of SRB2's soundtrack. It also needs to be looppointed, because the song's loop transition is choppy otherwise. There's also an outside part of the level that's basically scenery, but if you step down to the lower platform of that scenery area, you have no way to get back up as Sonic and are forced to fall down the pit. Granted, you probably don't expect people to go to that area, but it still kinda bites.[/spoiler:91f2ff523d]
Man, almost all the scores I gave are above average. You guys don't cease to impress me. Once again, an enjoyable single player division through and through.