Best "Levels" in a Video Game

[Chronos]

Way back in '95, my college roommate introduced me to Doom and Doom II. His favorite level in Doom II was Barrels of Fun, because it was impossible to beat it without cheating (he liked the idea of the programmers giving a hearty “fuck you” to serious gamers… yeah, he was sort of a jerk): You start the level completely surrounded by explosive barrels, such that there was nowhere you could go that wouldn’t be within lethal range of some barrel or another. Well, I figured out how you could beat it without cheating: The barrels don’t all blow up at once, so if you hit the ones further away from you, and then immediately run towards the explosions, you’ll get out of range of the ones near you before they go off. Once I realized that, it became my favorite level.

Another one: In Starcraft: Brood War, the level The Battle of Braxis. It’s a tactical mission, where you have a set number of units and if you lose them they’re gone, but after each sub-objective you get progressively more advanced reinforcements. I’ve played through that one many, many times, each time putting different restrictions on myself: Never taking any damage, for instance, or just using my starting units with no reinforcements, or killing everything on the map before meeting any of the real objectives.

Finally, in Diablo II, I think I’m the only player on all of Battlenet who actually likes the Maggot Lair. Sure, it’s a maze of twisty passages all alike, with no room to move past anyone or anything through the narrow tunnels, but it’s also one of the best item drop locations in the game, and absolutely nothing in any of the three levels is immune to fire damage. Hello, sorceress.

[Hero_From_Sector_7G]

Yeah… this is weird for me. I didn’t think there were other Wasteland fans still alive.

Did you ever read the survival guide for the game? In addition to Wasteland being the best game ever it had the best damn guide too. It was written in a sort of diary form, and didn’t really have a “do this, do that” format, rather it told what another group of adventures did. The story dovetailed nicely with the game itself, and to this day I’m sad Kate didn’t make it.

[Ranchoth]

Gosh, so many choices, from so many [del]wasted[/del] fond hours…

•“Death from Above” in CoD4. “Ka-boom.”
•The sewer/escape from the museum level in the “Eternal Damnation” mod for Postal 2. In a game known chiefly for it’s crude humor and senseless ultraviolence—and a mod that gleefully followed suit—it was amazingly well made, beautiful to look at, and atmospheric.
•The Gothic Line map from bf1942.
•The Aztec/“Moonraker” level from Goldeneye. Just…fantastic.
•Highgate Cemetary, in Nightmare Creatures. Quite an experience. If you’re lucky, you can occasionally spot ghosts rising from graves.
•The nighttime highway levels in Rad Racer. Always felt like it was in a Terminator or a cyberpunk movie, or something.

[Little_Plastic_Ninja]

Blackthorn’s castle in Ultima 5 gave me nightmares. Not quite right that a 16-color tile game should do that, but those damned, damned trapdoors and the guards and, well, I didn’t have the carpet the first time I went there…

Area 51 in Pandora Directive. Did nobody else love the Tex Murphy games? Even with the shticky FMV I adored that series.

I haven’t played any of the System Shock or Silent Hill or whatever games… I’m a pretty recent comer to the console world.

[Kamino_Neko]

On a slightly differing note - not regarding gameplay, but other elements of the level, in Elite Beat Agents, it’s hard to choose the best, but, there are several levels I’d place high on the pantheon of game levels, in general…

Named by the songs, since I can’t remember the actual episode titles…

Highway Star - You’re helping a wee pug find his way home. Song is a lot of fun, and the story is funny - depending how you do, he could get a steak for saving a very expensive plate tossed by a baby (or get yelled at for breaking it with his head)…he could get beaten up by a pack of dogs, or he could beat them up, saving a cute poodle, who rewards him with a kiss…

La La - You help a white blood cell (which looks like a sexy nurse) - fight off a virus so that the athlete she lives in can win a race. Do I need to say any more about why that level is pure cracky brilliance? The combination of the song lyrics and the level concept is mindbreaking in a clever way, too.

Material Girl - Two rich girls (think Paris Hilton) get stranded on a deserted island, and have to figure out how to survive until their rescued. They convince the animals to help by being so damn hot… Or they don’t, and the animals maul them… My favourite is in the food gathering segment, where they can be chased by an alligator…looking cheerful the whole time.

The Anthem - Helping a former baseball star rescue his fans from a giant golem that’s destroying the amusement park he’s been working at since being humiliated. Once again, cracky goodness.

You’re the Inspiration - Sad, sad level. A little girl’s father dies in an accident, and you have to help his spirit return to visit her and her mother on Christmas. I actually feel guilty every time I fail that one. I hate the gameplay aspect of it - it has my least favourite gameplay feature in the game: stacked tap points, which invariably throw me off for at least a few bars - but it’s a wonderful level. Even changes the sound effects to match the mood of the level.

[Hoopy_Frood]

@Just_Some_Guy

Oh it’s an ugly fight but there are two options. The first is the walk around; you can survive its damage and just not attack.

The other is to have a massive pile of LAWs stored up; essentially not using any in the game up to that point. Every time I played Wasteland I took it down on my first proper trip to town (not counting running up there before I did anything else to pick up Dr. Mike Scot).

Yeah, I RPG-7’ed his ass. Also, in a couple turns of getting closer to the thing, you can start full autoing with the Assault Rifles and do a decent amount of damage. But you can also sneak into Brygo’s from the east side of town, running during combat. You will take some damage, though.

@Hero_From_Sector_7G

Yeah… this is weird for me. I didn’t think there were other Wasteland fans still alive.

Did you ever read the survival guide for the game? In addition to Wasteland being the best game ever it had the best damn guide too. It was written in a sort of diary form, and didn’t really have a “do this, do that” format, rather it told what another group of adventures did. The story dovetailed nicely with the game itself, and to this day I’m sad Kate didn’t make it.

Fun guide, and there is much more to discover than what’s just in the guide. I finished the game the first time without the guide (I think I was all of 14 when I played it the first time), and then later played with the guide.

And yeah, I was disappointed Kate didn’t make it either. But at least Eugene did.

Another amusing part of the game is busting up Fat Freddy’s after getting the Onyx Ring from the Citadel. The fight was designed to be a challenge for people in Kevlar Vests fighting with SMG’s and Assault Rifles. When you have the Power Armor and the option to use Energy Weapons, it’s kind of like taking candy from a baby.

And then there was the time I turned Highpool into a desert just for kicks…

[Pithy_Moniker]

I always loved ‘The Hole’ in EverQuest. It’s an underground city that’s been overrun by earth elementals and was traditionally a raiding zone. Someone found out though that it was possible to take a low level halfling rogue and have free run of the place so I explored it top to bottom. They really outdid themselves with it. There are multilevel houses that most people on a raid would never even see. Without the enemies, it could have easily made a viable city.

I’ll second the Maggot Lair as long as I’m not playing my Skelliemancer.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

If I’ve learned anything from this thread, it’s that I have to try Wasteland.

[in_hiding]

Another one that I replay from time to time is the apartment complex level in Max Payne 2 - its really well done, great use of textures, some funny moments, a secret room, and lots of action. A oerfect example of a good linear shooter level.

@Garula

In spite of the atrocious voice acting, I think the Honk Kong area in Deus Ex was pretty great. Tons and tons of exploration options and it went on long enough that you started to feel at home there.

I stayed a lot longer in the market that I had to, because I love the music. There is a “wanchai extended” out there, that runs something like 8 minutes.

[Garula]

@Tengu

You’re the Inspiration - Sad, sad level. A little girl’s father dies in an accident, and you have to help his spirit return to visit her and her mother on Christmas. I actually feel guilty every time I fail that one. I hate the gameplay aspect of it - it has my least favourite gameplay feature in the game: stacked tap points, which invariably throw me off for at least a few bars - but it’s a wonderful level. Even changes the sound effects to match the mood of the level.

http://www.threepanelsoul.com/view.php?date=2007-02-16

[Just_Some_Guy]

@Hero_From_Sector_7G

Yeah… this is weird for me. I didn’t think there were other Wasteland fans still alive.

Did you ever read the survival guide for the game? In addition to Wasteland being the best game ever it had the best damn guide too. It was written in a sort of diary form, and didn’t really have a “do this, do that” format, rather it told what another group of adventures did. The story dovetailed nicely with the game itself, and to this day I’m sad Kate didn’t make it.

Of course. Some of us carried the torch for years before Fallout was finally released.

I never read the Wasteland one but it must have been a trend with EA at that point since the Bard’s Tale 3 guide which I had also used a narrative rather than a straight walkthrough.

@Hoopy_Frood

Yeah, I RPG-7’ed his ass. Also, in a couple turns of getting closer to the thing, you can start full autoing with the Assault Rifles and do a decent amount of damage. But you can also sneak into Brygo’s from the east side of town, running during combat. You will take some damage, though.

I never got the full auto to do much damage to it myself.

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

If I’ve learned anything from this thread, it’s that I have to try Wasteland.

As much as us old timers love the game I can’t recommend it for three primary reasons. First the interface stinks; what was acceptable in 1988 wasn’t by 1990 and it’s even worse now. Second, everything that we love about it has been integrated into the better RPG’s out there. The multiple solutions, branching paths, and moral choices have been done better in more recent games. It’s descendant Fallout is a good example of that. Third, the paragraph system is really annoying. It was half copy protection; half memory saving. Sadly I still have some of them memorized.

If you do want to check it out for a historical perspective I’d recommend the C64 version; I like the subdued graphics on it better than the garish EGA palette on the PC version. It’s a little funky to get going (you have to create “game disks” that contain the data and it overwrites them as you play). And either the C64 or the PC version is better than the Apple II version.

[Kamino_Neko]

@Garula

Three Panel Soul -

snicker

Yeah, it’s a…strange concept, at best…

Well, now I can feel better when I fail that one by imagining that scene playing out. <_<

[Page_Fault]

The snowfield level from Panzer Dragoon Orta

It’s not my favorite game or anything, but when people talk about level design, that stands out for me. Loping along on your crippled dragon, dodging enemies you normally wouldn’t even notice and rushing through abandoned ruins in the falling snow… I really thought it was well-done.

[Hero_From_Sector_7G]

@Just_Some_Guy

Third, the paragraph system is really annoying. It was half copy protection; half memory saving.

You forgot half red herring.

@Paragraph 132 - Wasteland

A growl rumbles from the bartender’s throat. "The Martians forced all the sick ones out, to prevent the spread they said, but it just leaves them to die without help.

I too, cannot recommend this game. My love is a combination of many factors. It was my first “real” computer game, and I was at an age where I was rationed my play. My mom set up a little kitchen timer and I got an hour a day. In addition, my sister played and we would eagerly and impatiently watch each other and discuss the world at length when our hours were over.

In addition to what Just Some Guy has mentioned, the game is hard as hell. You will die, over and over. Your favorite characters will die, and than your next favorites will die. The save system is present, but only a single file (or a gimmicky cheat) and too often you’ll find yourself in over your head, and your game is saved at the start of the encounter. It is almost a roguelike, in that you play as deep as you can, and if you die, you start over.

[Sitnam]

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City when you have to make a get-a-way wasted on moonshine.

[Dunderman]

@Chronos

Way back in '95, my college roommate introduced me to Doom and Doom II. His favorite level in Doom II was Barrels of Fun, because it was impossible to beat it without cheating (he liked the idea of the programmers giving a hearty “fuck you” to serious gamers… yeah, he was sort of a jerk): You start the level completely surrounded by explosive barrels, such that there was nowhere you could go that wouldn’t be within lethal range of some barrel or another. Well, I figured out how you could beat it without cheating: The barrels don’t all blow up at once, so if you hit the ones further away from you, and then immediately run towards the explosions, you’ll get out of range of the ones near you before they go off. Once I realized that, it became my favorite level.

What, your roommate never realized that and thought it was literally an impossible level? What a strange outlook on life. I remember a Doom 2 level I never managed to beat, but I never thought it was unbeatable, just that I hadn’t figured it out.

You could also get out of the start of Barrels O’Fun with the fist, by the way. Punching a barrel moves it a little bit, and it can take a couple of punches before exploding, so you punch this barrel this way and that barrel that way and you’ve got an exit.

[Hoopy_Frood]

@Hero_From_Sector_7G

In addition to what Just Some Guy has mentioned, the game is hard as hell. You will die, over and over. Your favorite characters will die, and than your next favorites will die. The save system is present, but only a single file (or a gimmicky cheat) and too often you’ll find yourself in over your head, and your game is saved at the start of the encounter. It is almost a roguelike, in that you play as deep as you can, and if you die, you start over.

Actually, I only had a party wipeout once.

It was when I first played through the game, I managed to get myself TPK’ed by the Bunny Master. I think the computer got lucky, because I’ve never been able to replicate that feat. (I was also playing with the default party at the time. I went to create my own and had no problems after that.)

The only way TPK’s happen is when all party members are knocked down to Serious or worse. I had many occasions where my entire party was unconscious, but the game doesn’t attack when everyone’s unconscious.

And I always saved before entering any new location. Because the manual save takes precedence over the autosave. As long as you haven’t changed anything in the new location before leaving it (whereby the auto-save will make your changes permanent to the world) you can always reload from your manual save. Even if you changed the part of the world you’re in, you can just decide if you want to live with what you lost.

Of course, that’s a moot point when you can just regularly back up your world disks and restart from that point as well.

But, is a bit of an annoyance to do all this, so the save system was really bad design.

[Anaamika]

Oh wow, I love Wasteland. That is an awesome game.

[Antinor01]

Final Fantasy X, when Yuna is learning that everything she has known and believed is a lie. Then has to kill the aeons who she had spent her entire life learning to summon and utilize. Always makes me tear up a little.

[Bosstone]

@Tengu

The Anthem - Helping a former baseball star rescue his fans from a giant golem that’s destroying the amusement park he’s been working at since being humiliated. Once again, cracky goodness.

This one deserves special mention because the song not only has nothing to do with the scenario, it actually contradicts the scenario. “My time spent there has only made me see / That I don’t ever wanna be like you / I don’t wanna do the things you do” etc. Really at odds with the baseball star’s fan cheering him on.

The best level in EBA has to be the final one, though, with Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Less because of the scenario, and more because of the music selection, dance routine, and ingeniously diabolical tap patterns. It took me ages to beat it on Sweatin’, and I enjoyed every minute of it.