Games with That One Exceptional Level?

[Darth Roxor]

There was supposed to be something in between them. Remember, they had a Thief 2 Gold planned...

Yup. In fact, it was supposed to be a mountain-based secret negromancer guild in the vein of Return to the Cathedral.

Sigh

 

[Tel Velothi]

The entire level keeps you scared out of your mind and incapable of understanding what the fuck is happening and why. Fucking masterful.

This. Also this game makes me feel "uncomfortable" when I play it. And I don't mean controls, or something like that.

My friend sometimes tells me "how you can be scared when you're playing a computer game?". But he's the one that jumped when a troll suddenly jumped from around a corner in a cave in a game named (get ready...)


...


...


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Oblivion.
Oh, and what is more: I was playing, he was only watching.
I lmao'd.

I wonder what a real human rather than proxy of a player would do when exposed to something like x18. Apart from dying, that is. And going insane.

Yeah, I wondered about that too. Cool story: In winter, when I have to go for potatoes (yup) to my basement I feel like I'm going to one of the labs in S.T.A.L.K.E.R and that I am 150 m below the ground level. Seriously, my basement looks VERY "Stalkerish", Maybe I will take some pictures and post here - it is really interesting, no kidding. It is really "exeptional level".

---

Blair Witch: Rustin Parr - deep in a forest, near Rustin Parr's House, there is a part when something very strange happens, I can't even describe it - it was 5 years ago since I played this game. Map went "???", colors changed, paths was different too.
If you played it, you know what I mean, If you didn't, I recommend it - it has a really dark and heavy atmosphere.

 

[DraQ]

My friend sometimes tells me "how you can be scared when you're playing a computer game?". But he's the one that jumped when a troll suddenly jumped from around a corner in a cave in a game named (get ready...)


...


...


...



Oblivion.
Oh, and what is more: I was playing, he was only watching.
I lmao'd.

You should have done some quest where an NPC suddenly approaches and talks to you - if a mere troll was enough to scare him in Oblivious, an NPCtato suddenly getting all in his face would land him a permanent stay at a mental health institution.

 

[Sceptic]

Then, for change perfectly mundane, but very deadly spetznaz with good weapons, AP ammo and full body armour comes to whup your ass and you have to fight your way out.

You know, I was actually GLAD when they appear. FINALLY an enemy that I can SEE! Good old human enemies! NORMAL enemies! I can play this like a frikkin shooter again rather than soil myself!

I've no doubt that's precisely what they were going for.

As for a truly exceptional level, if Daggerfall counts, then the Mantellan Crux.

 

[Crooked Bee]

The Chaos in Dark Heart of Uukrul. Probably the most unique and unorthodox dungeon level in an RPG.

Also, Wizardry IV wins second place for its Cosmic Cube (provided it can be considered one level), the rotating room level (B4), as well as, of course, the minefield level (B8).

 

[SCO]

Mentioning the Sword and not mentioning little-big world is a crime.

 

[Esquilax]

I completely agree with you in regards to Thief 2, even with the last level bit. Sabotage at Soulforge was incredibly creepy in its own way, I remember being freaked out as hell when I met the mechanists-turned-servants, or the spider bots. However, the level gets a lot less cool on further playthroughs. I had a Thief marathon lately, and I didn't finish the last level, simply because I couldn't bother with the gigantic fetch quest in disguise that it generally is, knowing what happens inside and after it.

As for the quoted section - Haunted Cathedral is not a 'missed' level. The sealed-off part of the Old Quarter is atmospheric as hell, with the derelict streets and buildings that 'come to life' as you explore them and turn on the power in the district. Not to mention the shitloads of hidden stuff, like that manor with hammerhaunts and the serpent band. I was genuinely surprised when I found that place, given how inconspicuous was the entrance to the whole area.

I think it's important to note that when I say "miss", that mission is still quality. Thief missions are like sex - even when they're bad, they're still pretty damn good. What I didn't like so much about Haunted Cathedral was the abundance of spiders and burricks all over the place because they were difficult to sneak past and it resulted in running around a lot in order to stop them from tailing you, which I found a little annoying. That's also what I didn't like as much about Maw of Chaos - it was laid out in such a way that you did a lot of running past enemies but not as much actual sneaking as you did in other missions. Still, I am totally with you on the atmosphere, the lore behind the Old Quarter and the sense of "otherness" that this abandoned city had was great.

And fuck do I ever lament the fact that Looking Glass never got the chance to make Thief 2 Gold or their own version of Thief 3. It would have added that necessary end-game content, as well as brought back some of those supernatural elements that were lacking. Here are the concepts LGS had for the missions:

http://thief.wikia.com/wiki/Thief_II_Gold

I'm not sure if it'll be up to snuff if it gets done, but considering the excellent Thief modding community, I've got hopes for it

Nothing, it was an excellent ending and to blame it for its linearity is rather nonsensical. After 14 huge missions with complex level design and many ways to enter the buildings, you end up in front of this huge, steep path that leads to a chaotic hell. It was a somewhat simple path that served as a quick way for the Trickster's minions to go upwards and through the portal to assault The City. The whole level is fantastic in its surreal and bizarre atmosphere and structure, it really feels like you're going into a completely different place, and this is fantastic because even after The Sword, Thief was still able to amaze the player with even more crazy places.

LG's level designers were not in this field just to achieve their childish dreams or to fill their bank accounts with money, you can clearly see they had talent to work with this. So much talent in fact that I haven't seen yet anything remotely close to their accomplishments. The Metal Age is as good as Dark Project and has the undisputed, undoubtedly best level in videogame's history, Life of the Party. That mission is the highest point of this media as a form of entertainment, it has everything a great game should have, compressed in a single level. I doubt we'll ever see something like that again, and the success of the likes of Uncharted is proof enough.

I played Thief when I was eight years old after trying out a demo that my brother had on the computer. I was totally hooked and ever since, I've been looking for a game that can measure up. I still haven't found that game.

I feel that the Maw certainly wasn't as bizarre as The Sword with it's staircases leading into a space vacuum, but maybe after that monster of a mission, my expectations were too high. I thought that the Maw shown in Thief II was a big improvement in part because it felt more surreal than Thief I's (how could you forget walking into that cave full of eye-plants? Pretty unnerving). Also, the part where you had to shut down the portals with your arrows was kinda annoying because of how far away it was. In the end, it was worth it for the sheer fact that you end up pulling a bait-and-switch on Constantine, but it was still definitely the weakest mission in the original game.

 

[SCO]

Pirates of the dark water for the snes is a unremarkable disney tie-in platformer (by the way, many of the other disney platformers are very good) on hardware known for remarkable ones.
It's only saving grace is that there one level that takes the "jumping platforms of death" to the next level, not by moving platforms, but by moving scenario.

Specifically, you have to jump on stone columns over a tempestuous sea, whose waves web and flow. If it hits you, you're probably dead because it pushes you back, and avoid it by getting into higher parts. Timing is tight. Of course, this piece of "shadow of the beast" level of sadism stands out.

 

[Topher]

I'm going to throw out a level from Halo:CE... 343 Guilty Spark.

It opens in a dark swamp during the search and recovery mission for a downed pelican transport. There are no enemies in the beginning segments save for one small patrol that's pulling back and obviously not interested in you. Plus it's got this creepy ambient music with radio static playing during the whole first part. Then after discovering the transport the search for it's marine compliment brings you to a covenant held installation buried out in the swamp but curiously the defenses aren't set up to keep people out but to keep something in, all the shield walls and barricades are aligned to prevent escape from the facility not infiltration. As the player you don't know what's going on, it's atmospheric, the covenant seem caught off guard and you can see the aftermath of some covenant battles, but with what? The end culminates with the arrival of the flood, a new enemy that's radically different form the covenant and totally unknown to the player until that point, and runs through your escape back through the installation as this new threat overwhelms covenant defenses bringing about the games first ever 1v1v1 battles. An excellent level in it's own right, certainly the best in the game, with great atmosphere and well handled pacing.

I'm not saying it surpasses the levels already thrown out there by other posters, especially the thief and deus ex stuff, but it certainly deserves mention.

 

[octavius]

Mentioning the Sword and not mentioning little-big world is a crime.

Well, it was implied.

But there was another game where you shrank and walked around on circuit boards or something, but I can't remember which one. System Shock, maybe?

 

[Peter]

I'm going to throw out a level from Halo:CE... 343 Guilty Spark.

I would agree. Halo was a pretty mediocre game, but that level had an excellent creepy atmosphere and some nice environmental storytelling. A real standout from the game, and comes totally out of the left field, which only strengthens it's impact.

Shame that the rest of the game was kinda crap.

 

[JarlFrank]

In Deus Ex, the one level that stood out for me was DuClaire Chateau, because it was quite different from the other levels. A dark manor with a slightly eerie music track, no enemies in there, you're looking for a secret room, and that one evil AI (I forgot its name) talking to you. Very nice feel to that level.
Same with the Paris Cathedral. Paris, for me, was the point of the game where it really got serious, since now it wasn't safe to openly walk the steets anymore, and in most missions you had to walk through areas teeming with enemies. The Cathedral was probably the best location in the Paris section for me - tons of enemies, different ways to get inside, and the confrontation with Gunter.

The Karnak levels - especially Tomb of Semerkhet - in Tomb Raider 4. The best bunch of levels in a great game. A large temple complex with lots of going back and forth between sub-levels, and a huge tomb at the end that is filled with traps and puzzles.

 

[Infinitron]

In Deus Ex, the one level that stood out for me was DuClaire Chateau, because it was quite different from the other levels. A dark manor with a slightly eerie music track, no enemies in there, you're looking for a secret room, and that one evil AI (I forgot its name) talking to you. Very nice feel to that level.
Same with the Paris Cathedral. Paris, for me, was the point of the game where it really got serious, since now it wasn't safe to openly walk the steets anymore, and in most missions you had to walk through areas teeming with enemies. The Cathedral was probably the best location in the Paris section for me - tons of enemies, different ways to get inside, and the confrontation with Gunter.

The Cathedral in Deus Ex was said to be a homage to the Thief games. (and the Ocean Lab was a homage to System Shock)

 

[sser]

A lot of good ones have been mentioned.

Mafia's countryside mission. Dark, stormy clouds. Rain racketing off sheet metal and drumming on the barn roof. The sound of the downpour growing and shrinking as you pass through buildings. The laundry billowing and snapping in the wind. Those rolls of thunder as you walk through the murk, approaching a gray, abandoned truck in the distance. It's a very well done level.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Hitman: Blood Money both have top-notch level designs and memorable set pieces. I don't even know if you could really pick a "best" one, but the Lighthouse mission was a memorable opener for SC; and the Mardi Gras (mentioned earlier) -- where you tango with other assassins -- was pretty stellar. The Heaven/Hell mission was also well done.

Stairway fight in Ninja Gaiden 2. A place where the developers basically just said "Fuck it" and threw a horde of ninjas at the player, not giving a shit abut framerate or nothing.

Taking down the giant bird in Shadow of the Colossus.

When the school and hospital in Silent Hill go bonkers.

This might sound dumb, but I thought a lot of the set pieces in the new console Castlevania game were very well done, particularly the run-up to the giant castle with the ice-capped mountains in the distance.

I think most RPGs really fail to have memorable set pieces -- except the Fallout series. Old and new, there's a lot of great stuff in there. (Giant, American super-robot aside.)

 

[Terpsichore]

Nobody mentioned VtM Bloodlines' hotel? Maybe it wasn't exceptional in terms of design but it sure was memorable.

 

[Forgotten Friend]

In a way I think it's better to look at the trends pople hate then to buck the trends. If you just try to emulate the cool thing someone else did it won't have the same effect.

 

[thesoup]

Psychonauts - The Milkman Conspiracy level. By far the best part of the game.
Deus Ex - well, lots of great levels (one could argue all are), but I'll go with the UNATCO HQ / MJ 12 base because of that plot twist (What? THAT was here all along?) and because of the music.
Fallout: NV - Vault 11 as has been mentioned.
Anachronox - Anachronox. Might be a clusterfuck, but I find it really cool how parts of the planet transit and you can see people walking upside down, etc. A pretty atmospheric location.
VTM: Bloodlines - Ocean Star Hotel.

 

[Joghurt]

Most of the good levels were already mentioned but I wanted to add one more.

CIA level in Splinter Cell 1 - sure it was linear and shit, but it had something magical about it that I can't explain. I've played it only once - long time ago when SC1 came out but it was awesome. I sure as hell didn't get this kind of feeling when I was playing SC:Conviction's Third Echelon level.

 

[lightbane]

Well, you already said the usual games like System Shock, Deus Ex and others. Hmm, let me give other examples:

Earthbound: Arcadia Magicant, because it's a literal dreamworld where anything could happen, a truly awesome level.

Mother 3: The Chimera's lab, because the game suddenly becomes a pseudo-survival horror, with no random encounters and a giant monster that will kill you as soon as it spots you.

Dragon Quest V: The Underworld/Nadiria, also known as Hell, because going there to kill Satan was challenging and awesome.

Painkiller: The last level, Hell, was awesome design-wise, but shit gameplay-wise.

Mask of the Betrayer: The Citadel of the dead, or whatever was called, the place you went to fight freaking Death so that you can rescue your soul.

Order of Ecclesia: Dracula's castle, of course.

More later.

 

[DraQ]

I'd mention Morrowind, but it has no discrete locations and it's pretty much consistently atmospheric no matter where you go.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

I'd mention Morrowind, but it has no discrete locations and it's pretty much consistently atmospheric no matter where you go.

I'd give points to the first venture into Kogoruhn. I'd never been to a Sixth House base until that point, I was underlevelled and underprepared, and it was creepy and tense as fuck. Then you leave, with a sigh of relief that you've been provided a shortcut to the outside... into the middle of Red Mountain.

I miss not knowing my way around Morrowind and its mechanics

 

[JarlFrank]

I'd mention Morrowind, but it has no discrete locations and it's pretty much consistently atmospheric no matter where you go.

Urshilaku Burial Caverns really stood out for me as that one special dungeon. Very atmospheric interior design that was otherworldly and mysterious, a very vertical level design that had many areas with unique items hidden there only reachable by levitation. It was pretty much the one dungeon that showed you what was so special about Morrowind, and what awesome level design possibilities the utility spells - especially levitation - opened up.

Levels I forgot to mention in my previous post:

The Bonehoard in Thief. I'm not one for undead levels usually (especially the Return to the Cathedral cause I'm too much of a pussy for such intense creepiness), but this one was just a fucking awesome piece of level design. Starts out as a large but relatively normal tomb, requires you to traverse the narrow and confusingly labyrinthine burrick caverns to go deeper, and then opens up into more and more complex and crazy architecture. Corpses of previous graverobbers/adventurers can be found occasionally, sometimes with a note detailing why they were there. The deeper you go, the more devious the traps become. You really get a sense of adventure from this place.

St Francis' Folly in the original Tomb Raider was my favourite level in the game (and also in the 2007 remake). Again, it had awesome verticality and became more and more strange in its architecture the further you went inside. The different god-rooms all had interesting puzzles and great design. Overall, it had that same special "dungeoneering" feeling that Thief's Bonehoard had. It felt like a strange and interesting place to explore, trap-filled and dangerous.

I think it's pretty funny that Thief and Tomb Raider had much, much better "dungeoneering" levels than most first/third person RPGs I've played. They really give you that sense of a long-lost place with ancient treasure hidden deep within.

 

[DraQ]

I'd mention Morrowind, but it has no discrete locations and it's pretty much consistently atmospheric no matter where you go.

Urshilaku Burial Caverns really stood out for me as that one special dungeon. Very atmospheric interior design that was otherworldly and mysterious, a very vertical level design that had many areas with unique items hidden there only reachable by levitation. It was pretty much the one dungeon that showed you what was so special about Morrowind, and what awesome level design possibilities the utility spells - especially levitation - opened up.

Ah, yes. The forge of Hilbongard was also pretty cool. So was this burial with ship inside.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Mentioning the Sword and not mentioning little-big world is a crime.

IIRC, this was an addition to the level that was introduced in Thief Gold. Despite its age, not everyone has played Thief Gold.

Thief has been mentioned tons of times, so I'm not going to comment further on that. Deus Ex keeps getting mentioned, but since I STILL haven't played it, I'm not in a position to comment on that. (At least I have something to look forward to.)

I'm gonna try to comment on some older titles, since most of the new stuff eludes me (plus I'm feeling old and nostalgic these days).

Fallout Tactics: The Kansas level, the one where you're supposed to protect the ghouls in their little cathredal. The layout isn't that hot, but the gameplay sure is. You have to think fast, organize a defense on three frontiers and butcher a large force of Super Mutants. Except for one or two of the secret encounters in the game, it's easily the most fun mission in the game.

The Anachronox levels in Anachronox have been mentioned, I would have brought those one up as well. A place where not only gravity is a non-constant, but that whole districts shift about, back and forth.

Ditto for Finster's Brain level in Wasteland. Just WTF was that anyway?

Ditto for the Milkman Conspiracy in Psychonauts.

Someone mentioned "The Haunting" level in Blood, but my memory of that level is rather spotty. I vividly remember some other levels in Blood, like the secret Mall level (with annoying muzak), the Friday the 13th-themed level in the woods, and the "Flesh of Tchernobog" level right before the final boss.

Stonekeep: The Fairy Realm. Why has NO ONE mentioned this before? Yes, many consider the game to be slow, dull and not worth the effort, but the Fairy Realm is far from any of that. Listening to the Dwarf whining makes it all worthwhile.

Ultima Underworld 2: The Etheral Void. You never know just what's going to happen next...

There's probably some level in the first two Earthworm Jim levels that deserves a mention, but frankly the whole games are exceptional, rather than just one level or two.

Syndicate: The mission where you're supposed to assassinate a politician in a cavalcade. The fun part is that they're tons of civilians just standing by the road watching the cars go by. THEY are the fun and memorable part about this. You can whip out a Gauss gun and just blow the car up from a distance (and watch everyone scatter), or you can bring along a Persuadertron and assimilate everyone, wait as they grab every surplus weapon lying about, and then shoot the car into little bits with smaller weapons. Or you can just stand on one end of the line of civilians and use the laser to kill them all at once...

 

[RK47]

Freespace 2 - Colossus's Futile Sacrifice

The moment when you've destroyed one enemy's super warship by sacrificing your best battleship, and enjoying the victory tune, only to see another 5 taking its place...
No feeling like it. It's almost as if the belief in victory vanished without a trace.