Sometimes a level just stands out from the rest in a game, and leaves that indelible mark in your mind that has you going years later "Oh man, you remember that part when-". That's what this thread is about. I was inspired to make this thing because I think I just had my first run through one of those levels that's going to stick with me.
In my case it was the last level of the game Painkiller. It's a huge arena style area that depicts a battlefield frozen in time, except it's not just one battlefield, it's EVERY battlefield. You start out passing spears and standards held aloft by invisible men, pennons frozen in a non-existent breeze, past siege weapons and a huge medieval wall. Beyond the wall is a machine gun nest overlooking a system of WWI trenches. The muzzles are frozen with the flash of a fired shot. Looming in the distance is a tower, which on approach turns out to be a nuclear missile over shadowing a blasted out town, and overshadowing it all from the very end of the map is a mushroom cloud, complete with shock wave, frozen as everything else.
The sound effects depict battles happening all around you, related to what part of the map you're in. Men fighting and dying all around you. The sum of war.
You fight Lucifer here (kind of), but that was honest to god the least interesting part of the level. When fighting the devil is the most boring part of your level design, you know you're doing something right.
Now post 'em.
