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Author Topic: Levels  (Read 5346 times)

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Bal

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Levels
« on: July 25, 2011, 01:44:41 AM »

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.
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teg

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Re: Levels
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2011, 05:19:36 AM »

One of my favourite things about Nier is that every dungeon, rather than being themed around things like "FIRE TEMPLE" and "WATER TEMPLE" is instead themed around a specific type of game. Sometimes it's a shmup, sometimes it's a text adventure, sometimes it's Diablo... But my favourite by far is when it turns into Resident Evil. With the fixed camera and everything.

Threed and Happy Happy Town in Earthbound.

Osohe Castle in Mother 3.

Forever Forest, Boo's Mansion, and Gusty Gulch in Paper Mario.

Twilight Town and the Excess Express in Paper Mario 2.



I... I have a type.
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Niku

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Re: Levels
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2011, 05:29:42 AM »

The Sigma stage from Mega Man X5 where the Quick Man instant kill beams make a return from Mega Man 2, including the ability to freeze them in place.  Which would be kind of a cool enough nod even if the boss of the stage wasn't motherfuckin' Rock Monster complete with remixed theme.  Given that X5's plot purpose was to finally link the original series to X in a definitive manner and conclude the storyline, the stage was a good way of tying that together without actually saying a word.
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Mothra

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Re: Levels
« Reply #3 on: July 25, 2011, 06:18:39 AM »

Obviously that stage from Contra III where you start out toasting panther-sized mansquitos with a flamethrower, then drop onto a rotating redeye drillerbot who grows legs and takes stabs at you while you scale the side of the boss building. Inside you reach what appears to be the gayest boss duo of all time, BUT IT'S A TRICK and the goddamn wall is torn open to reveal a 3-story firebreathing robot skeleton.

THAT is how you make a Contra level folks
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Pacobird

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Re: Levels
« Reply #4 on: July 25, 2011, 07:35:38 AM »

Void Quest
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Smiler

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Re: Levels
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2011, 07:43:49 AM »

The final fight in STALKER Shadows of Chernobyl is pretty good. Teleporting rooftop to rooftop on the Chernobyl NPP is probably my favorite last fps level. Hell in Painkiller gets best fps final level setting, but I like shooting tons of dudes who teleport out of nowhere over fighting lucifer because goddamn I think I was stuck on the ending of Painkiller for a while.

I also like the last level of Bayonetta where you [spoiler]race up a multi-staged rocket going into space on a motorcycle[/spoiler]
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Brentai

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Re: Levels
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2011, 08:09:34 AM »

Level-9 of The Legend of Zelda.  Most villains are content to have just a slightly bigger castle than their highest underling, but Ganon ain't fucking around.
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Ziiro

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Re: Levels
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2011, 08:14:42 AM »

It may be overstated at this point: The Entire Railway gun level in Lost Planet 2. Not just the boss fight. I'll think of more later, but off the top of my head that's truly outstanding.
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Malikial

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Re: Levels
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2011, 09:14:01 AM »

I have to agree, that railway gun level was top shit but maaaan, fuck that Sniper level right before it, also, yeah, Smiler's right about the stalker ending. Actually I think both Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat have nice endings, although Pripyat less so that Shadow. For me, I really liked the levels in Divinity 2 where you're a dragon... but I don't know if that's because they were awesome or because they were just more balanced than the rest of the game. That whole game was odd pacing and awkward difficulty levels.
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Mothra

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Re: Levels
« Reply #9 on: July 25, 2011, 09:55:41 AM »

Oh god Traingun totally

That whole last half of the game was everything I love about Capcom
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Thad

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Re: Levels
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2011, 10:06:15 AM »

Mario 3 has a shit-ton of them.  Kuribo's Shoe, the hidden Fire Brother in World 2, the first stage each of the Desert and Giant Land, the hidden pipe under the quicksand...

A Link to the Past has a pretty good group of them too.  Water Temple, Turtle Rock, Lost Woods...

Level-9 of The Legend of Zelda.  Most villains are content to have just a slightly bigger castle than their highest underling, but Ganon ain't fucking around.

Shredder likes the way you think.
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Nerd

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Re: Levels
« Reply #11 on: July 25, 2011, 10:14:28 AM »

Thanks for reminding me I need to beat Painkiller.

While it's obviously dated graphically now, MDK 2's final few levels are still pretty impressive.  You start off surrounded by bizarre flying vehicles in an alien metropolis that the Jetsons universe might look like if it was invaded by the Combine.  As you proceed deeper into the area, the architecture gets even stranger and more...well, alien.  In the next level you rampage through a city district that looks like it was lifted straight out of Blade Runner before finding a jetpack and flying up ledge by ledge through a massive extraterrestrial silo. Oh, and you happen to control a badass four-armed robotic dog with a smoking problem while you're doing this section.  These levels are all tough enough that you feel like a MAN after beating them, too.  I can't really think of many games that have pulled off the "alien homeworld" as well as this game did over ten years ago (maybe Out of This World?).

Also notable:  The Dark Rift in Skies of Arcadia, all the Hyrule Castle segments in The Wind Waker (minus the dumb boss rush), Creepy Steeple in Paper Mario:  TTYD,  and THE MILKMAN in Psychonauts (shaddap that part is still great).
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Thad

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Re: Levels
« Reply #12 on: July 25, 2011, 10:52:06 AM »

Wrecked Ship
Donut Plains 1
The first Bowser castle in SM64
Sigma Stage 1 (MMX1)
Magitek Research Facility
Tube Race (not a positive memory)

...and for another Mario 3 one, the white block/whistle behind the screen.  Hell, since that's two whistles covered, the first fortress level is pretty memorable too.
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Esperath

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Re: Levels
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2011, 11:00:14 AM »

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Friday

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Re: Levels
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2011, 11:09:54 AM »

Borley Haunted Mansion from Silent Hill 3. Watching people LP that is always amazing: They start off mocking the cheesy Boris Karlof Narrator bit, then jump out of their skins at the first big scare.

Quote
Level-9 of The Legend of Zelda.

Agreed. Likewise, Level 8/Great Palace/Gold Palace from Zelda 2.

What the Heck? from EWJ.

The Opening Hoth segment from Shadows of the Empire for N64. There's a reason Hoth got remade so much, and that level was the reason.

Boss Rush Stage from Gradius 3.

Depth 8 from Eversion.

Tron from KH2.

Moonside.

Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy.

The Haunted House in Mario 64. (PIANO)

The end of HL2 with the super Gravity Gun.

Watch Your Step from Doom 64.

Any fucking level at all from Castlevania 3.
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R^2

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Re: Levels
« Reply #15 on: July 25, 2011, 11:34:45 AM »

Tanetane Island.
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Brentai

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Re: Levels
« Reply #16 on: July 25, 2011, 11:46:18 AM »

Hey guys I hear Black has built something.
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Beat Bandit

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Re: Levels
« Reply #17 on: July 25, 2011, 12:10:35 PM »

Shattered Skies from Ace Combat 4.

It's the first time you're just plopped down in a giant dogfight and the game tells you to go to town. Specifically that it's your first time in combat against the Yellow Squadron who mostly leave you alone, but if you get a hit on one of 'em, radios on both sides will go crazy wanting to know who the fuck just did that.
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Mothra

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Re: Levels
« Reply #18 on: July 25, 2011, 12:42:07 PM »

Rgy yes

Also that first dogfight against Star Wolf in SF64 was pretty money the first time it happened.
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François

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Re: Levels
« Reply #19 on: July 25, 2011, 01:59:57 PM »

Half-Life 2: Episode Two [Music] - Vortal Combat

Pretty sure everyone who's played HL2 Ep2 knows what I'm on about already. That's probably my favorite sequence of the entire series.
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