2019

Title: 2019
Links: http://www.gamemaps.com/details/2599 
http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=121247403;
HD Version: http://www.mediafire.com/file/rulgfuwy8f737y7/2019+HD.zip
Author(s): Mckelio23, MaddaCheeb101
Survivors: L4D2 (HD version uses L4D1 survivors)
Notes: There is an HD version of this campaign as well.

This is a three map campaign that I suppose takes place in the distant future of 2019. This campaign was created mostly by Mckelio23, who I assume never finished it. It was then resumed by MaddaCheeb101, who isn't a particularly good map maker, as evidenced by her original maps and various facets of this campaign.

2019 is decently made but it ultimately feels very bland, generic, and unfinished. It uses textures from Mirror's Edge (uncredited, by the way) to add wide swaths of single colors across large wall faces to depict a blandly monochromatic futuristic world. Most of the campaign takes place in corridors and features in-your-face short range combat. Much of the first map didn't have any memorable parts aside from one section where players need to navigate an outside area, which the bots are often unable to do without clinging to each ledge.

The second map is perhaps the most memorable, with a couple of interesting locales. Unfortunately they're connected by a long series of winding, endless dark corridors that devolve into mediocrity. The map's main event is made painfully long by virtue of the fact that the machine that's used to move a blocked object takes an ungodly long time. It should have been three quarters the length, if not half as long. The area of this event is pretty well designed, though.

The finale map is where it becomes evident that this was an overly ambitious project and it just wasn't finished. The Xen Corporation labs look decent enough, but the elevator defense is similar to the previous map's event, where it just takes too long to descend. A couple of annoying witch spawns may catch inexperienced players off guard. To be fair, the holdout isn't difficult, just a little time-consuming and redundant considering the event of the last map. However, once the players have gone past the elevators, they'll find that there's about half a level left with no infected spawning. It's essentially just barren after the holdout. I find it pretty clear that there was a lot more intended to be done with the campaign but neither of the authors were able to do anything with it.

The final slap in the face is how the campaign ends. I don't think anybody save for MaddaCheeb herself likes the way this ends. All you do is run into a room (I guess it's supposed to be an elevator) and then you're treated to a really lazy cutscene where you watch a helicopter lift off, and then there's a cut to a shot of the same helicopter spinning and falling. This is done in order to connect this campaign with the much worse 2019 Pt. II and 2032 campaigns that follow.

The level design for 2019 is usually pretty average, and the gameplay is a bit above average. Although I enjoyed a couple of the outdoor areas, I found the setting to mostly look boring and unmemorable. I'm not a fan of Mirror's Edge so this kind of aesthetic isn't interesting to me. I didn't have any complaints about any difficulty spikes or dickish spawns aside from the events lasting too long and some questionable witch spawns in the third map. Ammo piles were a bit of a rarity and weapon spawns were occasionally infrequent.

I did like some layouts but there's just something missing from these. The maps mostly consist of smallish-sized rooms that you can quickly run through, so you're kind of just going from random room to random room. There's not much to comment on here because you can rush through it quickly. It's serviceable but uninteresting and unmemorable. If the aesthetic were different, such as if it took place on some urban streets and buildings at night, this would be very generic. The thing that holds it up is its unique setting; take that away and it's fairly forgettable. Being three maps, this isn't particularly long once you know where to go, able to be finished in 25-28 minutes.

Difficulty: I've read from inexperienced players that the finale is too hard, which I seriously question. Only the map 2 event and map 3 elevator defense should pose any difficulty at all, and even those can be completed easily with proper coordination. Otherwise the difficulty is pretty standard.

Final Verdict: The only reason I think this is regarded by some as a "classic" is because of its setting and textures, but without those this is just incredibly average. It doesn't pose anything new or interesting, and while it has constant forward momentum, you're not going through anything challenging or memorable. Its other strength is that the maps are generally bug free and they look well-polished, so it doesn't look amateurish. Good enough for a single playthrough and the rare occasional playthrough, but don't expect spectacular gameplay out of it.

Rating: 3.7/5.
74 bots clinging to ledges over instant death pits only to fall to their deaths out of 100.