Bye-bye DM-Zeto, hello DM-Hyperboreal...Some of the most pure goodness I've seen in a while. Faceless' is no longer mapping for the Unreal community, unfortunately, as I've come to really enjoy the sweetness of his maps, and this one is no exception. Other than a bot-glitch, I have only very few and very minor complaints. In short, Server-Admins, if you don't start hosting this pup online, I'm gonna have to hurt you. :-)

Start the download now, and then come back to read the rest.

...Back already? That was quick. As you can see from the screenshots, what we have here is IMNERHO[1] Epic-quality mappage. Looks like Face was in this one for the Jazz. Weapon placement is sublime indeed, as are the powerups. Architecture and flow are quite well done, with a few surprises here and there, and some hidden goodies for the observant few. Texturing and theming walking hand in hand down Frag-Me lane. Is it fun? See for yourself. While there's not a definite clear position of dominance for you hardcore fans, and the map is large enough for 6-8 players-worth of mutual spammage, there's still plenty of goodness and gibs to spare. From his ReadMe file, "This map is geared for 1v1 or 2v2 teams DM. But can comfortably hold up to 6 in a FFA while maintaining strategic play, anything above and it becomes less calculating and more punishing."

Bots do very well here, with the sole exception of one spawn point, where they simply remain until spotting someone. Bummer. An ouchie on an otherwise superb map. They also don't go for some of the powerups, which is unfortunate, but then again someone experiencing this map for the first few times might not even realize that they're there, until spotting them sometime later on. They are quite well placed, you see.:-) Higher-powered weapons have been somewhat isolated from the action and require your going out on a bit of a limb to acquire, but well rewarding the person willing to roam a bit in order to achieve dominance.

Sound and music are also well done here. The map contains a customUMX file courtesy of Ken "Syncan" Post, founder of OMG games. There's ambient sound from the storm outside, and various bits of tech noise from the surroundings, and also a very few aural clues as to where your opponent is, but not a lot of those. Keep your ears open.

Architecture & Flow, Theme, Lighting, & Texturing, here is where this map shines. (minor, minor glitchies in texturing, but you'll have to look for them.) As you can see from the screens, the theming is very consistent; it's something of a base out in a frozen wasteland, similar in concept to Zeto. Howerver, Hyperboreal has a few things that Zeto does not. Three-tiered Z-axis action in some places, as well as just the right amount of occlusion (not too much), mean you will have to watch for someone dropping down on you from above, with a fully loaded cannon, but only if you're scrimming in the central areas. Note, too, that it's been geared towards the newer high-poly ownage allowances, but should still run more than adequately on slower machines. The lighting just enhances the bejesus out of this; the place feels cold, like Zeto doesn't, really.

There's a few extra goodies for the observant among you, so keep your eyes peeled. (No, I'm not gonna tell you!) Just download, play and host this extremely fun and playable map, so I can come frag you. Eminently suitable for fraggers of all shapes and sizes. Definitely a "Keeper". Can you dig? Did I mention I wanted to see this one on servers?

[1] "IMNERHO" - In My Never Even Remotely Humble Opinion:-)