• You may well have read my earlier gushing review of the HuNtEr_JoNnY map conversion, The Ship level from R6. When I heard he was doing the Space Shuttle Mission from Eagle Watch, I was very excited. So what's it like? It's good, but not perfect.
• To be honest, this feels like it was rushed. The lighting is spot on, as are all of the interiors, complete with custom computer screens and breakable wall displays. But there are two areas with issues: Firstly, the two spacesuits hanging behind glass. This is a minor issue, but I don't remember them looking quite THAT blocky - then again, it was a squarer world in R6, so perhaps I'm deluding myself - but even a flat 2D sprite would have looked better, IMHO. The second issue, and this is a big one, is the sky. It's all wrong. You can see in the screenshots below that it's made up of a dark upper layer (which is moving - nice touch) but then a dark blue wall for a surrounding skybox. This could be a texture issue in the conversion, but I don't think so. It just looks sloppy.
• This deficiency is made up for by the interior of the shuttle, which has a superb attention to detail. You can even look down through the grill in the floor to the cargo bay. Mind you, quite why they'd have a grill leading to an area which would be exposed to space is something else entirely - but these are RUSSIAN space explorers we're talking about here. Made of much sterner stuff than puny Westerners. "Hah! We spit at vacuum!"
• The map supports Multiplayer and Terrorist Hunt missions, both of which work fine (with up to 50 tangos - many of whom like to rush you right at the beginning, unless you're silenced). There seem to be three varied sets of starting points in multiplayer, each of which has a different tactical feel; but always with one team near the shuttle, and the other on the far side. The sniping perch overlooking the shuttle cries out for use, but a sniper will find himself rapidly flanked unless he has some good cover, as there are more than enough ways to cross the map.
• The biggest pity? Like the ship, there's no assault mission. No briefing. Nothing. Which is a real shame. One messsage to HuNtEr: TEAM UP WITH SOMEONE WHO DOES MISSIONS! But other than the strange sky and the lack of a mission - and an underuse of ambient sounds, come to think of it, this is a good conversion and worthwhile addition to the list of R6 conversions. Roll on Big Ben!

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Space Shuttle 1.1 Overall Rating - 8 of 10

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Space Shuttle 1.1 for Mac