TODO LIST: HL2 maps and an L4d2 campaign

I used to be obsessed with playing every single HL2 map, but now I realize a lot of them are garbage.  The ones that I do plan on downloading to be at least 50mb and have high ratings *OR* have some kind of unique look about them before I even consider downloading them.  These few have caught my eye on PlanetPhillip recently and have been taking space on my browser tabs, so I might as well put them here.

HellSound Dreams
Size : 829MB
Horror type map.  Recommended for fans of "Cry of Fear" and "Afraid of Monsters."

DoomED
Size : 91.60MB
I only put this here because I remember playing this a long time ago and it recently appeared again on PlanetPhillip.  It's a non-action map that starts out in a London train station during WW2.  There's walking, exploring, and puzzles.

HuntDownTheFreeman - 24 Hour Remake
Size : 13.80MB
It's a parody mod and only 13mb, but it's just for a laugh.  The author that made this loved "Hunt Down The Freeman" so much he remade the campaign in less than 24 hours.  From the description: "To sum up, play this if you want a laugh and a wry smile, but don’t go looking for fun gameplay or cool situations."

The Transformation
Size : 10.3MB
Low file size but PlanetPhillip got 25 minutes of playtime out of it and I like "Rats"-style shrinking maps.

L4D2 - Crash Bandicoot Return of DR Cortex
Size : 160MB
This looks so goofy but interesting.  I never played the Crash games, so I can only comment that if you like weird, funny, low poly maps that gets straight to the point then play this.  And maybe if you're feeling nostalgic.  Video playthrough here.

HL2 - "Hunt Down The Freeman"

Really bad commercialized Halflife 2 mod: "Hunt Down the Freeman".  It costs $30 $17, but from what I read, it seems there are better Halflife 2 mods out there.  Why does VALVe and Steam allow their IP to be raped and humiliated like this?  Oh yeah, because money lol.  You can buy it here.  I will personally buy it when the price goes below $4, which I feel will happen in the next Christmas sale.

Also playthrough video which I have not bothered watching:

HL2 Mod Review: ICE Expansion - IT HAS PENGUINS!

Jarek4GamingDragon reviews HL2 mod "ICE Expansion."

Wolfenstein3d Source and Halflife 2 de-make

A remake and de-make...

ReWolfenstein 3d - A source mod

Halflife 2 - a "De-make" on GoldSource

Nostalgia - The Lost Episodes of Duke Nukem 3d

One of the first mods I found myself repeatedly playing was a Total Conversion for Duke Nukem 3D called "The Lost Episodes of Duke Nukem" back in the late 90's.  It was more a series of maps and some slight enemy sprite re-colorizations than a real TC.  Most of the level design was good, original and creative with levels revolving around a theme or some kind of wacky gimmick - ie a level revolving around a bottomless pit with a Buddha temple theme, or another level where Duke walks into a growth ray and the level takes place in a miniaturized city, and even a level that takes place in a Command and Conquer Nod base.

The one thing memorable that really stuck out about this mod was the awesome custom midi soundtrack created by the author, Mark Hadley.  If you were ever a fan of the soundtrack for Rise of the Triad you may enjoy this one, although most of the tracks are roughly 45-60 seconds long loops and could be slightly repetitive if you're lost on a level trying to figure out a puzzle.

The name Mark Hadley stuck with me and I always wondered if he ever created more music or got into videogame production - and yes - the Mark Hadley behind "Slenderman" games was the same guy that created this TC.

Hadley apparently worked on other mods which I never knew about until now including Mercs 2 and Murder: The EDF Conspiracy.  I never played these but I am interested in looking at them now after not having touched Duke 3d in over 15 years.

Detailed info on this TC at Duke 3d Wiki page.  Link to download here at ModDB (which, curiously, for the length of the campaign and content, it only weighs in at 419kB!)

Good info for getting back into mapping

Notes for getting Source SDK 2013 working.   Hmm... Basically it's three years old and to this day Faceposer still doesn't run properly without crashing, but at least mapping mostly works.

Classic HL Mod: Absolute Redemption

Really old mod.  Can't seem to remember playing this but it came out in 1999 and it is touted by mod aficionados as a classic, so I dunno - judge for yourself.

Download via Planetphillip

Halflife Wikia Entry