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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperDesigngreat levels in game history
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Titch
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« Reply #80 on: November 20, 2008, 04:18:05 PM »

Hells yes.

I liked the Dreamcast Ecco's version of the sky water ways too. Hey, I should get that out and play it a bit.
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Knightmare
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« Reply #81 on: November 20, 2008, 05:31:37 PM »

Hells yes.

I liked the Dreamcast Ecco's version of the sky water ways too. Hey, I should get that out and play it a bit.

No.  To be honest I hated Dreamcast Ecco.  I really didn't like it at all.  Then again I couldn't get past like the second level.   Huh?

Ecco 2 will always be the best, IMO.
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Valter
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« Reply #82 on: November 20, 2008, 05:34:26 PM »

I thought the music in the first one was better, but the gameplay and plot of the second one was superior. The first Ecco just had a distinct ambience to it that you can't find in other games. It's shocking how beautiful and fun it was, even while the game killed you over and over again.
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Knightmare
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« Reply #83 on: November 20, 2008, 05:54:51 PM »

I've always loved Ecco, I thought it had great music, great gameplay (though it was extremely frustrating at certain parts, such as the Skyway tube shit).  Very fun and atmospheric.
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FishyBoy
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« Reply #84 on: November 20, 2008, 08:50:24 PM »


Parappa the Rapper's levels were all excellent, and I especially loved the first stage.

FUN FACT: From the first time I played the level on a demo disk to the time I finally beat it, on an emulator, is at least 5 years. That game is brutal. That was when I didn't realize that you could improvise to gain extra point.

Also, Space Channel 5 had excellent levels, especially the final level. *spoiler* You get to meet Space Michael! And then Ulala is all "We're walking across the ENTIRE GALAXY" and it's just amazing. *no more spoilers*
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Kekskiller
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« Reply #85 on: November 20, 2008, 08:54:01 PM »

Kirbys Dreamland 2 forest levels!



Sucking awesome "vectorish" pixel stuff. I just love Kirby, never disappointed me.
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Loren Schmidt
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« Reply #86 on: November 20, 2008, 11:06:08 PM »

E3M5, The Wind Tunnels was pretty killer, too.
The Wind Tunnels is beautiful.
- All of Dimension of the Doomed (Ziggurat Vertigo!) from Quake 1.
This.

I love how the levels in Quake really took advantage of the 3rd dimension. I felt more immersion, partly because I was scared shitless that a fiend would burst out of every single dark place and eat me, but also because the worlds had so much to them that they felt like truly solid places, and more than just brown corridor after brown corridor.

I was about to say the same thing, then I read your post. Smiley Except I'm not in denial about the palette. Tongue I love it.

Quake 1 really does involve a lot of z-axis play. There are overhangs, levels that loop back on themselves, rooms within rooms... The newness of working in three dimensions inspired a weirdly simple, sculptural approach to level design. That game, maybe more than any other, taught me to respect simplicity and quality.

Don't forget The Necropolis, E1M3.


People can laugh and point out the lack of innovation all they want. There definitely are lots of exciting new ideas that will be fun to explore. But some ideas are good, and some are bad. There's nothing to say that the order ideas are discovered in has any relation to their quality.

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Loren Schmidt
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« Reply #87 on: November 20, 2008, 11:08:50 PM »

...Wink Waker...
I can't believe I typed that! Smiley I mean, it's not even a plausible typo...
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Türbo Bröther
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« Reply #88 on: November 20, 2008, 11:32:27 PM »

The newness of working in three dimensions inspired a weirdly simple, sculptural approach to level design. That game, maybe more than any other, taught me to respect simplicity and quality.
That and the limitations imposed by the hardware of the day.
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bateleur
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« Reply #89 on: November 20, 2008, 11:41:29 PM »

I nominate

, from the original Lemmings.

It's a great design because of the way it initially baffles weak players whilst at the same time providing them with enough tools and clues to work gradually towards a solution. And when you can see the solution it's nice and easy to execute.
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Decipher
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« Reply #90 on: November 21, 2008, 01:19:36 AM »

Ah so far no one has ever posted a screenie of this beauty. It might not be the most puzzling, dizzling or shizzling level ever but it sure is a source of anxiety and an epidome of love and hate. It's the only level that can make you taste the pain of ending a life because of plain natural instincts (against my existence, then must be destroyed) and moreover it's one of the few levels in the history of gaming that can make you have emotions for/against a non-material (one other is the level where we are escorted by the Weighted Companion Cube).

Ladies and Gentlemen, and such: Portal, GLaDOS Gentleman
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« Reply #91 on: November 21, 2008, 01:56:39 AM »

Also, Space Channel 5 had excellent levels, especially the final level. *spoiler* You get to meet Space Michael! And then Ulala is all "We're walking across the ENTIRE GALAXY" and it's just amazing. *no more spoilers*

I'm so glad someone mentioned this.  The final level is pretty much THE best single player experience in game I've played to date.  While other games have had some great endings, great balance and a sense of relief or accomplishment (like finishing Rez in a certain manner to see the longer ending!) no other game has had me as involved as Space Channel 5, playing the final level again and again!

This is the kind of emotional connection I'd like to be able to make with players.
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Valter
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« Reply #92 on: November 21, 2008, 11:06:22 AM »

The Edge, the last area in Phantasy Star 4. I can't find any pictures online, but it's basically this gigantic wormhole from an outer dimension that the Last Boss was trapped in. You head in there to kill the Last Boss, because the barriers holding it are weakening, and it makes a laser beam that rips through two planets at once.
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« Reply #93 on: November 22, 2008, 02:25:49 PM »

Ah so far no one has ever posted a screenie of this beauty. It might not be the most puzzling, dizzling or shizzling level ever but it sure is a source of anxiety and an epidome of love and hate. It's the only level that can make you taste the pain of ending a life because of plain natural instincts (against my existence, then must be destroyed) and moreover it's one of the few levels in the history of gaming that can make you have emotions for/against a non-material (one other is the level where we are escorted by the Weighted Companion Cube).

Ladies and Gentlemen, and such: Portal, GLaDOS Gentleman
http://qntm.org/files/hl/glados.jpg

I thought that was a really freakin' boring boss fight  Huh? maybe I have to play it again.
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mrfredman
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« Reply #94 on: November 22, 2008, 02:51:20 PM »

Ah so far no one has ever posted a screenie of this beauty. It might not be the most puzzling, dizzling or shizzling level ever but it sure is a source of anxiety and an epidome of love and hate. It's the only level that can make you taste the pain of ending a life because of plain natural instincts (against my existence, then must be destroyed) and moreover it's one of the few levels in the history of gaming that can make you have emotions for/against a non-material (one other is the level where we are escorted by the Weighted Companion Cube).

Ladies and Gentlemen, and such: Portal, GLaDOS Gentleman
http://qntm.org/files/hl/glados.jpg

I thought that was a really freakin' boring boss fight  Huh? maybe I have to play it again.

I recall a similar experience, didn't it just involve like throwing boxes at certain power points? I mean from a narrative standpoint its a very amusing and fun level, but from a gameplay standpoint, as I recall, its nothing particularly exciting. But I too will have to go play it again to make sure I'm reporting accurately.
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« Reply #95 on: November 22, 2008, 03:08:42 PM »

I don't have a copy of the game I can play, so I can't name a specific level, but I've always remembered

as having some of the best overall level design I've seen in terms of non-linearity, variety, originality, replayability and fun.

Thinking back on the game, I'd probably have to say the chainsaw-murderer levels were the best... it's a rare thing in games to have immortal enemies that you spend the level running away from instead of fighting. There's a fun one where you're in a hedge maze with him, and you need to trick him into cutting down certain walls for you in order to get through the level.
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Jared C
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« Reply #96 on: November 22, 2008, 03:13:57 PM »

Ah so far no one has ever posted a screenie of this beauty. It might not be the most puzzling, dizzling or shizzling level ever but it sure is a source of anxiety and an epidome of love and hate. It's the only level that can make you taste the pain of ending a life because of plain natural instincts (against my existence, then must be destroyed) and moreover it's one of the few levels in the history of gaming that can make you have emotions for/against a non-material (one other is the level where we are escorted by the Weighted Companion Cube).

Ladies and Gentlemen, and such: Portal, GLaDOS Gentleman
http://qntm.org/files/hl/glados.jpg

I thought that was a really freakin' boring boss fight  Huh? maybe I have to play it again.

I recall a similar experience, didn't it just involve like throwing boxes at certain power points? I mean from a narrative standpoint its a very amusing and fun level, but from a gameplay standpoint, as I recall, its nothing particularly exciting. But I too will have to go play it again to make sure I'm reporting accurately.


I thought the battle was great!  It was certainly not just throwing boxes.  First, you had to align the portals right so the turret's missals hit Glodos.   Then you had to throw the eyes into the fire in time, and on top of that there's a 4:00 minute time limit.   It's anything but boring.
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William Broom
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« Reply #97 on: November 22, 2008, 04:50:41 PM »

What I liked most about the Glados boss fight was the way she constantly abused you in some kind of sick psychological warfare.
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Valter
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« Reply #98 on: November 22, 2008, 05:33:10 PM »

I don't have a copy of the game I can play, so I can't name a specific level, but I've always remembered

as having some of the best overall level design I've seen in terms of non-linearity, variety, originality, replayability and fun.

Thinking back on the game, I'd probably have to say the chainsaw-murderer levels were the best... it's a rare thing in games to have immortal enemies that you spend the level running away from instead of fighting. There's a fun one where you're in a hedge maze with him, and you need to trick him into cutting down certain walls for you in order to get through the level.

Zombies Ate my Neighbors was filled with awesome.
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Hempuli‽
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« Reply #99 on: November 23, 2008, 03:59:23 AM »

I don't have a copy of the game I can play, so I can't name a specific level, but I've always remembered

as having some of the best overall level design I've seen in terms of non-linearity, variety, originality, replayability and fun.

Thinking back on the game, I'd probably have to say the chainsaw-murderer levels were the best... it's a rare thing in games to have immortal enemies that you spend the level running away from instead of fighting. There's a fun one where you're in a hedge maze with him, and you need to trick him into cutting down certain walls for you in order to get through the level.

Zombies Ate my Neighbors was filled with awesome.

It was great to the point when I was in the 3-somethingth level and realized there wasn't anything new coming anymore Cry
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