Dammit Mark, I was just putting the finishing touches on my own post and getting ready to upload it when I found that you once again beat me to it. If I haden't taken the time to check on the mission flag for Magrethea (there isn't one), I would have been first. Oh well, here's my version, with a slightly different take on one of my least favorite levels:
As alluded to in our last discussion, our next mission takes us well into the future. 139 years to be exact. We've been in stasis all that time, during which the UESC has been learning more about the Mystics and their technology. And we have a new commanding officer, Felix, who has a plans for us but isn't telling us much. In Cryo, we pick up a limited supply of ammo (important since this is a rebellion level), recharge our shields and get a briefing on our next mission - a little R&R at marine's resort to help get us ready for what lies ahead. Felix also tells us about the Mystic's nifty drones that they've managed to reanimate and modify to use as battle droids. We'll meet those drones soon enough, and they bear a striking resemblance to the probes designed by Durandal and seen in the Marathon 1 final screen. Battle droids? - why would we need those if we're going to a resort? We'll soon find out.
Magrathia is the first level of a two-part sequence, the second of which, a million ways to spend your time, we'll discuss in the next post. When our shuttle lands and docks at the resort facility, an old friend, Private Miller, who has also been in stasis (you'd think they would have at least promoted him in the interim), fills us in. The Pfhor have overrun the facility and our job is to flood the core with lava, burying them and our technology with them. Why they attacked this particular facility is a complete mystery at this point, but we're not about to let them get away with it, are we? In Magrathia, our sole mission is to get to an access terminal from which we can transport to the core. Although not an extermination level, we'll generally end up killing everything in the process, making it feel much more like an extermination level than anything, even though none of the mission flags is actually set. The real action doesn't begin until the next level. And therein lies the problem - there really isn't a lot to do here and to make up for this, the level has been made difficult seemingly for no real reason. This is a small level - more of a villa than a resort. The "lobby" is filled with enforcers and fighters that really pack a punch. We were told that these are prototypes, so we were warned that their behavior may be unexpected. There are also some fusion turrets, so one can never linger in the lobby even after it has been cleared of vermin. There are a series of four doors that must be opened in succession in order to reach the end of the level. The strategy is highly linear, with no real opportunity for alternative paths, but the sequence is irregular and the player must more often than not search for the door or passageway opened by each switch, which may be no where nearby. One passage is underwater and incredibly easy to miss. There is also a major ambush up an elevator that can be tough to survive, and it comes well into the level but before the player reaches the one and only pattern buffer and shield recharger, although there are a couple of 1X power-ups back in the shuttle. Knowing all of this, it's probably better to take the secret exit on Gumby and skip Cryo so that you can arrive with 2X shields, but this means missing out on your briefing.
In any case, this is a start-over-and-over-again, challenging but exceptionally boring level that would have been better left out of the scenario. There are a few redeeming features, though, including two very nice secret ammo stashes and some power-ups (including a 3X power-up that is best left for use on the next level) that can be reached by grenade jumping over some very obvious ledges. There is a terminal that explains the reason for the popularity of geothermal energy sources by both the UESC and the Pfhor, which explains the prevalence of lava levels (and perhaps the use of lava on the original Marathon colony ship?). There is a nice supply of ammo on your shuttle but, unfortunately, you'll use most of it killing the Pfhor. Oh well. The next level isn't any easier, either, but it's a lot more fun.
