The Hot Topic Returns

[Nag]

I'm hoping Sony/Microsoft don't go anywhere near Pro machines this gen... I'm not sure what they could do to sell them this time as a 4k TV isn't in the mix this time around... and prettier reflective surfaces don't really do enough to justify the outlay imo.

 

When realistic rumours begin to circulate regarding PS6 and the Series replacement I'll probably start a savings pot for those but I doubt I'll shell out before then.

[Nag]

 

Quote

Readers discuss their favourite level or open world area in a video game, from the opening of Bloodborne to the ending of Prince Of Persia.

 

The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Simon and since many games nowadays don’t have levels, any distinct section of a game was allowed. What was it you enjoyed so much about the section and how did it compare to other elements of the game?

 

We had plenty of answers and a good mix of older and new games, all of which had left lasting, positive impressions.

 

A couple that instantly spring to mind are the mansion and the police station from Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 and that includes the original games and remakes.

 

Oh... and Anvils Gate being included in Gears of War 3 was pretty special too.

[DANGERMAN]

Claris' run on Christmas NiGHTS

It's basically a rework of her 1st stage in the main game, but it flows better for massive combos. 

 

There's a level on Saturn Quake where you have to pick 2 monsters to fight each other in a boxing ring, winner stays on until you run out of monsters. Then you're left with the winner and have to kill them, which usually means fighting a shambler. That's a fun level 

 

Green Hill Zone. Also the snow levels from Sonic 3. I really like the lift level from the original Streets of Rage. The France section of Metal Slug is great, largely because of all the animations in the background, there's actually a ton of slowdown once you get to the gates 

 

Its an obvious pick but the village section of Resident Evil 4 is a stand out. It's exhilarating, panic inducing the first few times you attempt it too, but it was like nothing else at the time. 

 

This one is going to be really obscure, while the first track on Sega Rally is amazing, there's a similar track on Sega Rally 2 where you never need to take your finger off the accelerator, just learn the track and when to slide, that's cool 

 

I also really like when you all of a sudden get uber powerful in a game where you previously weren't and just mow people down. Half Life 2 has a great section like that where the gravity gun fucks up for a while 

[OCH]

The hotel sequence AKA Attack of the Fishmen - Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. 

A moment of pure, panic-fueled horror in gaming.

Curtains Down - Hitman: Blood Money

My first Silent Assassin ranking. Proof of concept for the entire series.

The Milkman Conspiracy - Psychonauts

So weird and memorable, in a game full of weird and memorable.

Spencer Mansion - RE 1/REmake 1

Iconic for reason. Only enhanced by the Lisa Trevor locations.

Tower of Latria - Demon's Souls

Has a tone and atmosphere unmatched elsewhere in any "prison level".

Click Clock Wood - Banjo Kazooie

One of the most clever and inventive levels in a platformer.

 

[one-armed dwarf]

Trying to think of recent games with cool levels, Cyberpunk has this very cool kinda heist mission late in the game involving a parade. It's a great combination of cinematic story, set piece and all done within Night City's open world. Though the mission itself is quite linear, people have found immersive-sim ways of skipping parts of it. 

 

I also think the earlier heist at the end of act 1 in Arasaka Tower is very cool, as well as

Spoiler

the Johnny Silverhand sequence after it when the main theme plays and you're using that amazing fucking gun. That's that games 'Sephiroth introduction' moment

 

[mfnick]

Excellent shout with Sega Rally Desert.

 

I always loved the Mystic Cave level from Sonic 2

 

The forest stage from Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei

 

Spencer Mansion REmake

Super Meat Boy - 4 Letter Word and The End (got loads from this but I’ll leave it at them)

Goldeneye - The Dam and Facility

 

Titanfall 2 - Cause & Effect and that house building level. 

 

There’s loads but I’m blanking. 

[Nag]

Returning to the Ishimura in Dead Space 2 was fucking excellent too.

[OCH]

The Impact levels from Goemon 64/MNSG

 

 

[Metroid66]

3 hours ago, OCH said:

The Milkman Conspiracy - Psychonauts

So weird and memorable, in a game full of weird and memorable.

I'm re-playing psychonauts right now. Every level is pretty much noteworthy.

 

I don't really remember names of levels, but I'd say the Zombie bit in Half-life 2; the bee level in mario galaxy, and that sniper level in MW1.

 

Loads of great levels too in Zelda, metroid, ratchet even.

 

 

[radiofloyd]

Tokyo Megaplex in SSX Tricky and Balamb Garden in FFVIII. Anor Londo in Dark Souls.

[mfnick]

2 minutes ago, radiofloyd said:

Tokyo Megaplex in SSX Tricky

Haha man, that’s the only level I don’t like in that game. I love all the rest equally. I loved the concept of it but I think it was the fact it made you do it 3 times. So it just got a lot more repetitive quickly. Especially when I was getting max stats with all characters. 

[Maryokutai]

From more recent years, Control's Ashtray Maze immediately came to mind. There's a big show factor gong on there obviously because of the music choice, but it's also a pretty cool setpiece from a gameplay perspective as everything is shifting around as you move through it, but without it turning into an annoying 'find your way' kind of stage, despite what the name suggests.

 

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a game that pretty much only consists of cool levels, but I'll just leave Parallel Universes as my pick here. I remember reading an interview with the developers that they almost canned that stage because they couldn't get it to work, which you wouldn't guess when looking at the final piece.

 

A bit older, but I've always loved that stage in Mirror's Edge where you had to climb the inside of an abandoned building to get to a sniper position. It has a very ethereal vibe to it thanks to the colour and music choices made. And the fact that there's zero dialogue for the entirety of it despite this being a very personal moment for the protagonist. I'm not sure if it was made deliberately to provoke this response, but it's a really standout moment in that game for me.

 

Also, good shout with those two Titanfall 2 stages @mfnick, two standouts stages in a game that's pretty much excellent form start to finish.

[Metroid66]

Anyone remember that part in the Arkham asylum where you had to platform around a giant Scarecrow. I always remember that as a bit of a spectacular.

[shinymcshine]

It's 1990 and PGA Golf Tour, local multiplayer, and the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.

 

If you know, you'll know......

[shinymcshine]

@OCH That level in CoC:DCotE is a great shout !

 

Not sure if it qualifies as such, but the Point Lookout DLC for Fallout 3 was pretty fantastic, as was the whole Bitterblack Isle area in DD : Dark Arisen.

 

Also had loads of fun with the pirate ship sections of AC Black Flag - whether it was ship to ship combat, whaling, diving, fort assaults or just sailing along listening to the shanties.

[radiofloyd]

I was going to say Rivet City in Fallout 3 as well, and Bower Lake in Fable 2.

[Maryokutai]

22 hours ago, Metroid66 said:

Anyone remember that part in the Arkham asylum where you had to platform around a giant Scarecrow. I always remember that as a bit of a spectacular.

 

I think the moments leading up to those were better, even if they are one-trick ponies that only work the first time.

[Nag]

 

Quote

Nag says... "Do you think open worlds have become detrimental in video games? With a map full of activity icons and what feels like cut and paste busy work.... or do you enjoy the freedom of being able to wonder off in any given direction and forging your own path?

 

Open world or a more curated level based structure, which do you prefer?"

 

[mfnick]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Holy shit I’m so sick of the open world design and it’s elements making it into every fucking game. 90% of them is just filler. 
 

I was listening to TCGS this week and David Turner kept going on about how old AC 6 felt just because it was a level based game. He wanted to be flying around an open world. Bitch that’s an entirely different game. Of which there’s already a million of. Piss off. 
 

Just fuck man, I can’t even begin to explain how fucking sick of open world design I am. Just padding getting from A to B. The endless fetch quests. The mission designs which could be done by AI. Fucking collecting twigs to craft basic shit - needing a sort of filter or ‘vision’ in all of them just to see the twigs which are collectible from the ones which aren’t. 
 

This type of crap is getting into more and more linear games which I mostly enjoy too. Or they feel they have to add these open areas - UC4 and TLOU 2 are the easiest examples of this since they’re basically the only AAA budget linear games these days. Those jeep parts and the Seattle part respectively didn’t add anything to those. It was just padding. GoW Ragnarok was another. After a promising opening just turned into the most mediocre shit with its open area quest designs. Gears 5 another. Anyone actually enjoy those sled parts? Not saying they’re bad as such but my they add fuck all apart from a few hours of padding. 

I hate how every AAA game is this now. 

[one-armed dwarf]

Equally I think there's open world games that do try to do different things. Hell, Starfield is one of them (albeit it also has all those detective vision crafting skill tree things you mention, so not that different I suppose_

 

I used to hate these games but I think the genre has broadened itself out a lot the past few years. Death Stranding is an open world game but could not be farther from the boilerplate checklist fare of Ubisoft.

 

I think we have a better balance of those sorts of games now