It certainly isn’t as good as I remember it. The controls don’t bother me too much, except when there’s fast enemies, like that dang flying baby thing.
For the record, I’m playing the Australian release where the office block is episode 1.
The levels are kind of samey and maze-like, as you said. But I’m about halfway through episode 2 (factory), and I feel like the levels are getting better as I go along.
Reliance on finding secret walls isn’t a deal breaker for me though, because they’re generally pretty easy to find.
I found the music in episode 1 to be pretty sub-par. Just one track for the whole episode that didn’t make a lot of sense, either musically or in how it set the tone.
Episode 2’s music is a bit better, but forgettable.
The checkpoint system and lack of mid-level saving is annoying, and health pickups seem too few and poorly spaced.
I don’t hate it, but my overall impression is it’s just a bit frustrating, and lacks some kind of “pop”.
As I’ve indicated, it’s getting better the further I go, so my opinion might change, but for now I’m reconsidering whether I like this better or Duke Nukem II…
