Really cliched levels in action video games or PC games

Cafe Society
1

If there’s one thing I hate about action games, particularly FPSs, it’s that the same levels seem to get re-used over and over again. I’ll list some that I’m really sick of seeing:

Water treatment or chemical plants
Any form of underground corridor
Futuristic alien spaceships
Scientific laboratories
Office buildings
Warehouses
Hotels
Ice
Some scenarios have also become really cliched. For instance, there always seems to be a part of the game where you have to turn on the backup generator. And if there is a minor non-playable female character in the game, there will always be a part where you’ll have to protect her while going through a particularly dangerous area.

What are some other examples of played-out, tired ideas in action games?

2

There’s always *some *level with a time limit. That annoys the hell out of me.

3

That annoys me if it feels forced. If it’s one of those “there’s something coming towards the ship that’s waiting for you and you’ve got to get to the ship before Big Bad Motherfucker blows up the ship”, then I’m fine with that.

If it’s “you’re deep in the reactor core and set the self-destruct mechanism and you’ve got to get out before it blows up”, that’s just meh.

If it’s “get across the street or else your partner (who was already dying) finally dies”, then that’s gay.

4

Kicking out the levels that were named in the beginning, you’ve pretty much pushed all of the levels out in most FPS games.

I like Call of Duty 3’s cityscapes. I also like some of the stages in Gears of War. They’re well designed.

5

Most FPSs. But there are some that break the mold and innovate. Far Cry has amazing tropical outdoor environments, and although it also has some underground steam tunnels and research labs, the jungle and coastal levels make up for it. Painkiller may be a mindless shooter but its environments are pretty unique, as well. And S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (which, after countless delays, is set to be released in March) will have day/night cycles and full weather effects, as well as massive outdoor environments. So there have been, and will be, FPSs who deviate from the cliches.

6

In games where you can jump and/or crouch, there will be at least one area that boils down to a jumping/crouching game. And if the game uses timed areas, there’s a very good chance that the jumping game area will be timed as well. (And jump and twirl and jump and shoot and jump and crouch and don’t forget to breath and jump and twirl and…)
If I wanted to spend time jumping around like a frog on crack, I’d get myself a pogo stick and a case of RedBull. Or, if I really felt like playing a jumping game, I’d go play Frogger or Q-bert.

<< Smile and the world smiles with you. Frown and you get credit for thinking. >>

7

I’ve found that the “here, man the machine gun while I drive!” levels tend to suck. Not to say it’s impossible to do them well—Call of Duty tended to be pretty good—but most of the time, it just feels like I’m playing Space Invaders on a moving vehicle.

That, and some novel WWII settings might be fun for a change. Like China, or the Aelutian Islands…or heck, Operation Sea Lion, Olympic, or Unthinkable.

8

Two words: boss fights.

Halo 1 had none, and was all the better for it. I was very disappointed when they added bosses into Halo 2.

9

Some bosses aren’t bad. I didn’t mind the ones in Halo 2.

The only one I DID mind was that prophet you had to jump on and pummel.

10

What bugs me is where it’s artificially precise. “How long do you think we have before they can get together a counterattack?” “I’d estimate about five minutes”. And so, of course, the counter goes up on your screen reading “5:00.0”. What, it couldn’t be 5:23, or 4:47? Or maybe even depend on exactly how devastating your sneak attack was in the first place?