I'm currently at level 7, since it may take while before I finish everything I'll throw in my reviews for the first 6 maps right now.
Sunset Suicide
This is a great introduction map to the episode, starting off in a familiar setting (yet the skyline is blood red now, which does tell you something) and keeping things fairly simple and straight forward. The design of the street area and the surrounding buildings is consistently great. While it mostly serves as an intro, some important elements are already being subtly introduced here. Those who stray from the beaten path will quickly learn how rewarding exploration is, and this will remain so for the rest of the episode. The RPG is just a few jumps away, the car wash has tons of elevated areas that can be reached by the observant player, the shotgun is in a completely optional building. There's also a hidden jetpack which can be used to bypass a large portion of the map. This is a gameplay feature that will return in almost every map. Opposition almost completely consists of low tier assault troopers, and as such the gameplay isn't too challenging (yet). The ending introduces the scorpion tank and gives you a little taste of what's to come. Overall a very enjoyable map with great urban design, the multi-leveled building was my favorite part. So far the gameplay doesn't seem to be too hard..
Embarco's most blasted
..And just like that, you're thrown in the deep end. This map represents a radical shift in both scale and difficulty. The map itself is absolutely massive and will surely intimidate first time players. There's an open world with seemingly endless possibilities, cityscapes and destruction as far as the eye can see unfold in every direction. I must admit this map was quite overwhelming the first time (it didn't help that the beta version had more cryptic level progression, I'm glad this was fixed for the final release). At the same time, it's also very impressive. The city is massive but also full of little details and neat touches. I especially liked the kiosks that act as ammo/health caches. Other highlights include the flooded subway and both parks. It's clear that many areas are inspired by real life locations and ck3d did a great job translating them to build/mapster. Add to that the sense of large scale destruction and we have an epic setting on our hands. Also really enjoyed the secret area in the FTC building, which has you scaling the building.
Gameplay also escalates dramatically here. The scorpion tanks are immediately re-introduced and it's clear that they will be a common foe from now on. These guys can be really dangerous, especially when they're combined with the regular tanks. Then there's the minibosses and their variants. The sunburnt battlelord is the one you want to watch out for, this is an absolute bastard who can quickly fry you with his expander gun (!). Also it took me a while to adjust to a battlelord shooting rockets at me, it really threw me off at first. These bastards are the most dangerous enemies you'll encounter (for now), so take them out as quickly as you can. The massive size of the city also makes the steriods a very valuable item, both for traversing the map and quickly getting out of a fight if things go south. Also, better get used to the sight of enemy clouds approaching from very far away.
Overall this one really sets the tone for the rest of the mapset. I think Alex is right, this is one of the more difficult maps (at least until the REALLY dangerous variants are introduced).
Big apple smoke toke
After a 3000 mile, 45-hour drive (yes I googled it
), Duke ends up in New York. Here we get introduced to some more brand new variants, my favorite being the taxi trooper. It's such a zany idea but they also serve a good gameplay function as the asshole snipers they are (and will teach you to take a close look at your surroundings). This is easily one of my favorite maps, I just love the aesthetic and the way this map loops around on itself. It also has some of the best urban indoor sections of the episode. I especially love the punkrock bar (Ramones secret included!), the police station and of course the nod to Mario bro's. CK3D's cultural background really shows here, which adds a ton of personality to the map. The manhattan skyline also makes for a great backdrop (we even get the silhouette of the statue of liberty in the distance!).
After the sprawling open world of San Fransisco, the more confined nature of this map is a nice breather. Gameplay is perhaps even a bit easier, although it's by no way pushover. The map will open up the further you progress, which is always nice. I did not find the yellow keycard during beta testing, which did confuse me a bit. But since it's only for an optional route it's not a big deal. As with map 1, being observant for vertical detours will lead you to many rewarding secrets. The copium battlelords are introduced here, and although they spam you with their shrink rays I didn't find them all that dangerous. There's always plenty of steriods lying around and the size of the area's makes it easy to dodge their projectiles. Sunburnt guy remains priority no 1.
Overall one of my favorite urban maps, I can see myself coming back to this one quite often.
Incapernaum
Duke takes a helicopter with enough fuel to take him to South America (gotta love game logic
) but of course the alien bastards shot it down. Well this is it. One of the biggest maps ever made and the one that will leave an impact on anyone who plays it. IMO this map is a masterpiece, plain and simple. I could try to explain why, but one has to play it to fully understand. I will say that the beta version took me 3 hours, the second playthrough took me 45 minutes (I took an alternative route that completely skipped the town section) and I just managed a speedrun under 3 minutes from a pistol start:
Weirdly enough, playing it a second time already gave me a sense of nostalgia, that's how much impact the first playtrough had. I would recommend anyone to at least try the regular path through town at least once. In terms of combat and level progression, the town section is the best and most creative. Especially loved the nod to Stadium. As others have noted, the map is huge but also has very distinct zones and a clear sense of direction so the 'beaten path' is always clear. Which makes exploration even better. Following the beaten path is fun but breaking it is equally satisfying. Again, it's hard to explain. But it's awesome.
High high high
After such a massive open world map, it only makes sense to have a bit of a breather. High high high takes place on a plane, which simultaniously serves for a more straight forward experience and explains how Duke gets to Europe. It really helps out the flow of the episode.The plane itself is larger than life, like Duke himself. Not much to say, design is good as always.Tthe lightning stands out here and it's fun to get outside the plane at one point (I'm glad you added a ton of ambient sounds here). Although battling sunburnt battlelords on the wings with zero cover is a bit mean. I really enjoyed the final fight, which is surprisingly tense and can suddenly escalate if too many babes get blown up. This is a cool gameplay mechanic that isn't used all that much (on top of my head I can only think of Crimson Moon).
Koj Stil Borag
Another favorite of mine. I've been to Croatia myself and this map actually captures the Istrian vibe quite well. I don't know how you did it without any custom art, but here we are. Purely in terms of design, this is one of the best in the set. Favorites include the big arena, the church (both inside and outside) and the building that leads to the shotgun. This is another map that's a lot of fun traverse and offers you a lot of freedom. Hell, the fight inside the big arena is completely optional! Underneath the city is a massive alien structure, which is always a great theme. I like how it can be reached through 3 different entry points. During beta, I entered through the rakija factory (another creative location). I somehow managed to miss the jetpack in the beginning. The alien hive is crawling with high tier enemies, and you'll have to head back to the surface a couple of times for re-supply. Or alternatively, quickly get in there for the key and get out again.
By this point I was completely used to the new enemy variants, but of course there are worse things to come..
I'm running out of words so that's it for now.