Best single level/section of any game
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There's a level in ZOE 2, about 4-5 hours in, that consists of 5 warships and a boss-battle with a giant laser-shooting disco-ball. I hate the rest of the game except for a couple boss battles, but that level is what I want to see in a giant robot game that still hasn't been redelivered. Taking out multiple targets in any order you want (I think), and the level serves to introduce the wave-motion cannon of the game.
I was gonna say the massive battle just before the final boss gauntlet, where you've got Vic Viper and 20 red shirts backing you up and there are so many enemies around it turns into a giant clusterf*ck.crimson sickle2 said:
That's my favourite part, especially when the solid line of enemy contacts appears on the radar.
tf2's hightower is magnificent except for the lag
castle crasher's necromancer fight is brilliantly difficult
hl2's renowned ravenholme is the ultimate in making me respect religious people
the lobby scene in half-life
the kitchen in octodad
castle crasher's necromancer fight is brilliantly difficult
hl2's renowned ravenholme is the ultimate in making me respect religious people
the lobby scene in half-life
the kitchen in octodad
Yeah, I was pretty staggered by the sight of it. I think a lot of that was due to the dull surface level stuff; I was so bored of seeing tundra and caves, this level completely caught me off guard. It happened at another point as well, where I went into a cave that turned out to have a beautiful enchanted forest glade inside.Nazulu said:
Oh, and OT: the answer is the Thieves' Highway from Thief 2. There is a whole variety of game play to be had, from robbing a bank, listening to spats about party invitations, breaking into a super cathedral, and seeing two groups of guards argue each other to death. In fact, most of Thief and Thief 2 qualifies for top level design.
Overall? The last bit of Bastion with Zulf, as previously mentioned.
More recently I got a huge kick out of Antichamber when:
I just sort of stared at the screen for a moment, then did it again and again.
More recently I got a huge kick out of Antichamber when:
Using abilities that you didn't know you had. You can grow a garden anywhere.
I just sort of stared at the screen for a moment, then did it again and again.
to me, Priority: Tuchanka in ME3, especially the krogan ruins in the middle and the final rush
and then Card Castles in the Sky from Alice Madness Returns
I love the damn game, and that section is one I always look forward to being in whenever I play the game
and then Card Castles in the Sky from Alice Madness Returns
I love the damn game, and that section is one I always look forward to being in whenever I play the game
Resident Evil 4 is filled with these memorable and fun sections:
- The opening village survival sequence
- Holding up in the cabin against zombie invasion
- Introduction to Regenerators sequence
Dragon Age as a series has it's share as well:
- The Landsmeet
- Dragon Age 2's Act 2 finale
- The opening village survival sequence
- Holding up in the cabin against zombie invasion
- Introduction to Regenerators sequence
Dragon Age as a series has it's share as well:
- The Landsmeet
- Dragon Age 2's Act 2 finale
While for certain people it might not be something you instantly admit to be mindblowing, I would label Tallon's "Overworld" from Metroid Prime to be the most most amazing section of any game. And by Overworld I mean the entire area around the place you land, not necessarily the very close ruins or the underwater levels. It's simply what you feel - the moment of leaving your ship, then walking and witnessing the endless beauty of everything you can see, hear and "touch" - that makes this certain area so outstanding.
If not for Metroid Prime's post-opening levels, I would either choose the entire last stage from Bastion, or the moments after the defeat of the second to last boss in Ys: Origin (using Yunica Tovah). Both sections use the most kickass music possible in the most perfect way possible and make you simply think NOW I MUST NOT FAIL... I CAN NOT FAIL.
If not for Metroid Prime's post-opening levels, I would either choose the entire last stage from Bastion, or the moments after the defeat of the second to last boss in Ys: Origin (using Yunica Tovah). Both sections use the most kickass music possible in the most perfect way possible and make you simply think NOW I MUST NOT FAIL... I CAN NOT FAIL.
Halo 3 - Fighting two Scarabs and multiple ground and, air vehicles with your choice of either a Hornet, Warthog or, Tank (or on foot if that's more your style)
Halo: Reach (or then entire franchise in my opinion) - Space Combat.
Final Fantasy: Crisis Core - The finale.
That's all I've got off the top of my head.
Halo: Reach (or then entire franchise in my opinion) - Space Combat.
Final Fantasy: Crisis Core - The finale.
That's all I've got off the top of my head.
I nominate the first Runner Cop chase in Mirror's Edge. RUN FASTER! FAAAAAAASTERRRRRRRR!
I also nominate The Milkman Conspiracy from Psychonauts... all of it. Or the Water Chase from the Meat Circus of the same game.
Or the Kayaking bit of Tomb Raider III. Or the minecart sequences.
Or The Precipice from Rayman II.
HELP! THERE'S TOO MANY EPIC MOMENTS!
I also nominate The Milkman Conspiracy from Psychonauts... all of it. Or the Water Chase from the Meat Circus of the same game.
Or the Kayaking bit of Tomb Raider III. Or the minecart sequences.
Or The Precipice from Rayman II.
HELP! THERE'S TOO MANY EPIC MOMENTS!
iwinatlife said:
These good men speak the truth. The former for making me feel feelings, and the latter for making me feel like a total rampaging badass. Good times.bafrali said:
For my own contribution, I would say the "All Ghillied Up" sniper mission of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Say what you will about the game's successors, but that level in particular was an adrenaline rush. I know people overuse "literally" in day to day conversations, but when I say that my heart was literally doing double time, I mean it. Still one of my all time fondest gaming memories.
Let me list them now:
Far Cry 3: The weed burning mission. Dat mission.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Groznyj Grad (assuming I spelled that right) after getting tortured. Its pretty damn hard to sneak through it without detection WITH gear. Without it, however, its damn near impossible.
FTL: The random encounter where you are given a choice: Do you want to battle without oxygen, shields, or weapons? That is always fun.
Dishonored: There isn't really any "better" level, but I quite enjoyed the Hound pits pub mission.
Far Cry 3: The weed burning mission. Dat mission.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Groznyj Grad (assuming I spelled that right) after getting tortured. Its pretty damn hard to sneak through it without detection WITH gear. Without it, however, its damn near impossible.
FTL: The random encounter where you are given a choice: Do you want to battle without oxygen, shields, or weapons? That is always fun.
Dishonored: There isn't really any "better" level, but I quite enjoyed the Hound pits pub mission.
Note: Bold letters to warn which games will be spoiled.
God, so many to choose from... how can I pick? How can I possibly pick?
Urgh... do I pick the Mass Effect 2 Suicide Mission, where the astounding sense of momentum kept my pulse pounding and my eyes glued to the screen? Or The Walking Dead's final goodbye, the culmination of seven hours' worth of some of the best character interactions ever? Or what about saving Zulf in Bastion, where I had zero regrets despite being absolutely certain I was about to die?
Do I pick the finale of Half-Life 2, chasing Breen up the reactor, my blood boiling as I am determined not to let him escape? Or Black Mesa's Lobby Ambush, where the ultimate rush of hating the HECU caught up with me? Or Halo 4, saying goodbye to Cortana, a character I've been with since 2004?
Fable 1, returning to Oakvale?
Batman: Arkham City, the Clayface reveal?
Gears of War 3, the finale?
Portal 2, getting stabbed in the back?
The moment in real life where I hunt down and ballpunch all the people who claim to hate Halo, even though 80% of them secretly like it!?
ARGG, HOW DO I DECIDE!?!?!?!?!?
God, so many to choose from... how can I pick? How can I possibly pick?
Urgh... do I pick the Mass Effect 2 Suicide Mission, where the astounding sense of momentum kept my pulse pounding and my eyes glued to the screen? Or The Walking Dead's final goodbye, the culmination of seven hours' worth of some of the best character interactions ever? Or what about saving Zulf in Bastion, where I had zero regrets despite being absolutely certain I was about to die?
Do I pick the finale of Half-Life 2, chasing Breen up the reactor, my blood boiling as I am determined not to let him escape? Or Black Mesa's Lobby Ambush, where the ultimate rush of hating the HECU caught up with me? Or Halo 4, saying goodbye to Cortana, a character I've been with since 2004?
Fable 1, returning to Oakvale?
Batman: Arkham City, the Clayface reveal?
Gears of War 3, the finale?
Portal 2, getting stabbed in the back?
The moment in real life where I hunt down and ballpunch all the people who claim to hate Halo, even though 80% of them secretly like it!?
ARGG, HOW DO I DECIDE!?!?!?!?!?
Pretty much the entire castle section of Resident Evil 4. This 1/3rd of the game is the main reason why I keep going back and playing it over and over again, and it's f****** gold every single time! The backtracking, the puzzles, the beautiful aesthetics, the creepy horror atmosphere; pure, genuine Resident Evil bliss.
Anor Londo. So pretty. Hard as balls though. Even better is the Painted World of Ariamis. The snow... It's true when people say that "it is in the most dangerous places that beauty hides."
I also quite liked when you solo 4 bosses in a row in Cave Story. So many adrenaline rushes...
And how could I forget Shadow of the Colossus? That game was something else entirely. So pretty, yet there's a lot of melancholy in the game that adds to the atmosphere. Out of all of the colossi, I liked the third. I must replay it to enjoy the epicness once again.
I also quite liked when you solo 4 bosses in a row in Cave Story. So many adrenaline rushes...
And how could I forget Shadow of the Colossus? That game was something else entirely. So pretty, yet there's a lot of melancholy in the game that adds to the atmosphere. Out of all of the colossi, I liked the third. I must replay it to enjoy the epicness once again.
For me, it's the on-rails segment with Ashley driving the bulldozer.babinro said:
Then of course, there's the train level from Uncharted 2.
And the multiple ones from the God of War franchise:
First Game: Opening Hydra battle. Protecting your family in the alternate reality. Walking up to the throne at the end and sitting on it.
Second Game: The Pegasus segments. The endurance run before the third sister of fate.
Third Game: Battle with Hercules. Ending of the Hermes fight. Beating the ever loving crap out of Zeus for as long as you want.
Chains of Olympus: The scenes in Elysium.
Ghost of Sparta: The final boss fight with Deimos at your side.
Then immediately after when you have to carry his body up the stairs to his grave.
And finally, the Lizard trial from Heavy Rain.
Everyone is going to hate me for this. But two things are counted among my top sections or levels in gaming that seem to be hated by everyone else, and one of them is the Library in Halo, particularly the remastered version in Anniversary. Yes, it's reptitive, and yes, it gets boring seeing the same environment over and over again, but I love a challenge, and playing that level on Legendary is just crazy. No time to think, just act, and hope to Parangosky that you have enough ammo to survive the current wave.
The second one is less controversial, but people here still seem to hate it because it's "not stealthy" or "too much stuff in a bland game" - I really enjoy pretty much all of Assassin's Creed 3 (and even like Connor, seeing plenty of reason for his usual attitude as well as plenty of times he's actually a decent, not-moody, guy, which people don't think of because they don't give a rat's arse about the story in the first place yet still feel they have the right to complain about it
). But the main thing I want to mention, in terms of 'levels' or 'sections', are the naval battles. I love the different gameplay, mixing things up a little, and the tactics involved (and yes, there are tactics involved) - it also gives a bit of a basic education on old naval warfare strategy, while adding more depth to the game and the plot and something different for people to enjoy. Plus, there's no better feeling than seeing fleets of Templar ships wiped out by one single vessel...
I'm also going to agree with plenty of other people here and say Ravenholme. Whenever I play that level I get so creeped out and tense, checking every corner several times and watching my six just as often as my front. Only Ravenholme in HL2, the Dunwich Building in Fallout 3, and Bioshock and the Houdini Splicers have induced that same level of fear in me in games that aren't specifically horror titles (obviously horror games do this all the time, if they're any good...).
Finally, every part of Myst. Not the game, the franchise. Every single Age in every game in that series has an ethereal beauty and an eerily haunting atmosphere that stays with me long after I've put the game down...
The second one is less controversial, but people here still seem to hate it because it's "not stealthy" or "too much stuff in a bland game" - I really enjoy pretty much all of Assassin's Creed 3 (and even like Connor, seeing plenty of reason for his usual attitude as well as plenty of times he's actually a decent, not-moody, guy, which people don't think of because they don't give a rat's arse about the story in the first place yet still feel they have the right to complain about it
). But the main thing I want to mention, in terms of 'levels' or 'sections', are the naval battles. I love the different gameplay, mixing things up a little, and the tactics involved (and yes, there are tactics involved) - it also gives a bit of a basic education on old naval warfare strategy, while adding more depth to the game and the plot and something different for people to enjoy. Plus, there's no better feeling than seeing fleets of Templar ships wiped out by one single vessel...I'm also going to agree with plenty of other people here and say Ravenholme. Whenever I play that level I get so creeped out and tense, checking every corner several times and watching my six just as often as my front. Only Ravenholme in HL2, the Dunwich Building in Fallout 3, and Bioshock and the Houdini Splicers have induced that same level of fear in me in games that aren't specifically horror titles (obviously horror games do this all the time, if they're any good...).
Finally, every part of Myst. Not the game, the franchise. Every single Age in every game in that series has an ethereal beauty and an eerily haunting atmosphere that stays with me long after I've put the game down...