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What is the worst designed level you've experienced?

DaciaJC

Gold Member
1280px-Operation_Metro_Screenshot_5.png

Operation Metro
 

10k

Banned
Crysis 3 second or third level. Hard to see shit, its a mess. Stuff is all over the place, there is no real flow to the level.
 

Zeppelin

Member
de_dust is a pretty fucking broken map. If you lose any round except the pistol round and the following eco rounds as CT, your team sucks. de_dust2 on the other hand, is the greatest multiplayer map ever designed.
 
I hate random, procedurally-generated levels. Honestly, I'd rather play a poorly designed level because you can at least get used to it and map it out in your head.

Randomly generated levels work when the mechanics themselves are interesting enough to carry the game.
I feel like, with that, the games end up being fun in spite of the random levels, as opposed to because of them.
 

Kyzon

Member
The Caves in PSO. They randomly change when you go there (I think), and it's confusing as hell. Every room looks the same to me.
 

Yagharek

Member
There are two that come to mind.

The first is the first 'compy level in the EA made The Lost World videogame back on PS1.
Half the platforms you had to climb up had major clipping problems and you would die if you fell through what appeared to be solid rock.

The second that comes to mind is Halo 3's Cortana level. A fundamentally broken, impossible to navigate blandfest with poor signposting, terrible spamming enemies and an all-round rubbish experience. I actually enjoyed the Library level in the first game, but Cortana was a piece of shit and pretty much killed my interest in the series (along with the rest of the 'story' in Halo 3, but that's a different issue altogether).
 
First thing that came to mind was the damn marble garden zone from Sonic 3. I just find it dull, frustrating mechanics (the spin top). Recycled mid boss and it just never fucking ends, ugh.

lwnDE7C.png


Never cared for the music track either. Certainly my least favorite sonic from the glory days.
 

kevinski

Banned
I'm torn between most of the dungeons in Phantasy Star II and most of the levels in Sonic CD (too many bumpers, spikes and springs).
 

DocSeuss

Member
A Red Letter Day, from Half-Life 2.

Because you basically follow Alyx into a room, you walk around and fiddle with bits, people exposit a LOT (which goes counter to the AMAZING intro where there WAS no exposition) and it's mostly useless shit (essentially: 'here's backstory, now go to Eli who will tell you why you're here'), then there's a contrived reason for you to go through the excessively-boring Canals.

Being locked in a room so people can talk at you but not tell you anything worth knowing? Bullshit level design, right there.

Lots of bad level shit in that game, though. The final level is awful because it presents no challenge--it's like suddenly playing a game with a gun that's been modded with 999 dmg. Ravenholm, while GREAT from an audiovisual standpoint, showcases the game's reduced ammo count, forcing players to rely on the game's physics (Half-Life 2 is pretty much just a contrived physics tech demo, anyways). Sandtraps was a bunch of needless physics stuff, with really fucked up pacing (Half-Life 2 is basically 'bad pacing, da gaem').

I could pick on a game like Legendary or something, but, hey, why not a 'great' game? Don't get me wrong; there are good levels, which I genuinely enjoy, like Ravenholm (yeah, I know what I said above), Nova Prospekt, Anticitizen One (I think?), and Highway 17, but the game's first few hours, and occasional bits throughout really, really irk me.

Also, I may sound nuts, but you know when I stopped liking Nova Prospekt? When Alyx showed up. In fact, as I look back on the game, I realize that I don't like a single bit where I'm hanging with her.

Cortana:Halo 3

Wow, I love that level. Sure you don't just hate it 'cause it's a Flood level?

The first time through, I got kinda confused by it, but ever since then, I've had a blast going through it with multiple loadout types (just like every Flood level other than Keyes, which is awful because of the infinite Flood and too-narrow corridors), just trying to see what I can do. The only part of the level I actually hate is the corridor section with the ranged Flood forms, because it really sucks on Legendary, and kinda on Heroic. The hiddenish flamethrower seems pointless.

One of the levels in Halo: Combat Evolved (can't remember which one exactly). It was so repetitive, that I couldn't tell if I was going backwards or forwards in the game.

Uh, could be Two Betrayals, Assault on the Control Room, The Library, or 343 Guilty Spark.

Personally, I think The Library is amazing. It's the level that weeds out people who don't know how to play first person shooters. I could wax eloquent on this, but I'm tired. The basic idea is that FPSes are easy to pick up and play, but because of that ease, they're kind of hard to come to grips with. There's not so much a skill curve as there are two distinct skill levels--one for everyone, and one for people with really good spatial skills. The Library is the level that really forces you out of your comfort zone. Halo has an insanely wide variety of ways to play, not just with the sandboxy levels, but the massive enemy gamut and the weapon sandbox. Unfortunately, players seem to get fairly comfortable playing just one way--they tend to find Halo boring as a result, and hate The Library because of this. It's a game that forces you out of your comfort zone. You go from popping out of cover and picking guys off to suddenly being forced forward, nonstop. If you're stuck playing one specific playstyle, then, well, the Library will fucking destroy you. It's a work of genius, and only bad players hate it.

Two Betrayals and Assault on the Control Room are the same level, in reverse. I used to hate 'em, because they were repetitive, but when I returned to Halo, after years of playing video games and actually becoming somewhat good at them, I discovered that, holy shit, they're actually pretty fucking awesome. They're a series of nigh-identical arenas with varying setups of enemies and weapons. Here, Halo is trying to encourage the player to try different things. It's like "hey, hey, hey, you there, try new things!" So it presents you with a lot of superficially similar situations, then remixes them. So first, you go through it with increasing difficulty (iirc, the last room before the gauntlet up the tower to the control room proper) until this room with some hunters, and then you're sent back through, but this time, in increasing difficulty with Flood. It comes directly after The Library, IIRC, which is a 'pure' Flood level.

Basically, Halo's structure is like: covenant + getting used to driving --> covenant but more focused (and hunters, hi) --> ultimate covenant sandbox that is SILENT CARTOGRAPHER (I love this level) --> 'now let's have fun with covenant' --> meet the flood and phase out covenant --> pure flood level --> reintroducing flood + covenant --> full-on flood + covenant (fuck Keyes, though, seriously) --> now put it all together and you have The Maw.

The levels are repetitive in part because the game wants you to feel comfortable with navigating spaces so you only have to think about combating the AI, rather than being enamored with the level spacing. So it's all about encounters with enemies and changing that up across playthroughs, rather than having a lot of unique corridors.

Then there's 343 Guilty Spark, which I tend to get lost in. I enjoy playing it, but it's hard to navigate--easily the hardest to navigate level in the entire series.

Halo is basically a mirrored game. I mean, your journey is bookended on the Pillar of Autumn, Assault on the Control Room/Two Betrayals is a thing, and then there's Truth & Reconciliation/Keyes. But, given how complex Halo's AI and weapons are, I'm pretty sure I'd be insanely satisfied just playing a randomly-generated selection of enemies and weapons inside a cube.
 

Labrys

Member
For me, it's Duncan's factory from Mother 1.

WARNING HUGE PICTURE
http://local-static0.forum-files.fobby.net/forum_attachments/0001/4445/DuncanFactory.png

This place is ridiculously huge. It's so big, it's bigger than most of the of the games maps put together. And you go there pretty early in the game.

The place is ridiculous. Every part of the place looks the same so it's pretty damn easy to get lost. If you go in the wrong direction from the moment you enter the place, you're basically screwed. The monsters aren't too bad, but you'll get worn down pretty quickly, especially since you had JUST met your second party member, who starts off at level 1.

OP hit the nail on the head! I love Mother 1, but this was just stupidly designed.
 

Rezbit

Member
Final chase mission in Assassin's Creed 3. GIANT PIECE OF SHIT

Oh man, this so hard. Absolute shocker of a game.

Also, most turret sequences in games are terrible. Thinking Gears of War, any of the Call of Duty games, etc.

Tomb of the Giants in Dark Souls just felt like "Okay we've used most of our cool stuff for all these other awesome levels. How about we just make it pitch black?" It's sucky.
 

kevinski

Banned
OP hit the nail on the head! I love Mother 1, but this was just stupidly designed.

Climatrol from Phantasy Star II is worse, in my opinion, and a lot of people don't even consider that to be the most difficult dungeon in the game. Phantasy Star II is probably the only game I've ever played in which looking at a map for a dungeon actually made me feel worse, because I realized just how much shit I was about to have to go through.
 

MAtgS

Member
First thing that came to mind was the damn marble garden zone from Sonic 3. I just find it dull, frustrating mechanics (the spin top). Recycled mid boss and it just never fucking ends, ugh.

lwnDE7C.png


Never cared for the music track either. Certainly my least favorite sonic from the glory days.

Sonic 3 levels in general are quite messy when viewed at a distance but this one takes the cake.
 

hao chi

Member
Wacky Workbench in Sonic CD was awful. I think it was act 2 where nearly ever part of the ground was a launch pad, which made the exit really annoying to find.

Other than that I really enjoyed Sonic CD though, it was just that one part that pissed me off.
 

Rapstah

Member
The core with all the amoebas in Metro 2033.
I think I just realised what part of the book this was trying to represent and I can't believe they have the author's approval. Another terrible level in Metro is Battlefield or Battle-something, the level where you have to go through the map with the fighting Nazis and communists. The first 30 seconds of that can be played exactly one way and you will be forced to hear the commander sing every time you restart. The rest of the map is a bunch of random shit ending with another scene where you have to wonder how the author ever approved.
 
Personally, I think The Library is amazing. It's the level that weeds out people who don't know how to play first person shooters. I could wax eloquent on this, but I'm tired. The basic idea is that FPSes are easy to pick up and play, but because of that ease, they're kind of hard to come to grips with. There's not so much a skill curve as there are two distinct skill levels--one for everyone, and one for people with really good spatial skills. The Library is the level that really forces you out of your comfort zone. Halo has an insanely wide variety of ways to play, not just with the sandboxy levels, but the massive enemy gamut and the weapon sandbox. Unfortunately, players seem to get fairly comfortable playing just one way--they tend to find Halo boring as a result, and hate The Library because of this. It's a game that forces you out of your comfort zone. You go from popping out of cover and picking guys off to suddenly being forced forward, nonstop. If you're stuck playing one specific playstyle, then, well, the Library will fucking destroy you. It's a work of genius, and only bad players hate it.

No.
The level is complete ass.

I agree with you on your other comments, though.
 
Everything Darksiders 2. What a waste.

I don't recall anything downright bad (the shooter section was really weak though), just bland and easy.

Not like that dungeon in the first game where you get the portal gun. The dungeon is fine, and probably the trickiest out of all of them, but the fact that you had to fight the same terrible miniboss with the chain-ball three times made me quit the game and start over a year later at least twice. It's a long tedious fight that they repeat almost verbatim the second time (except you have to have him hit the ground twice initially before you can damage him, it's exactly the same after that). They change it up the third fight, but it's too late.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
Every Dungeon in Persona 1....Every Single One.

They just get so convoluted and maze like that I can't understand how anyone had fun exploring them. Those dungeons still haunt me to this day.....and I was using game shark to beat the game.
 

Moxx19

Banned
Halo campaigns feature some of the most boring and repetitive level designs I've played. At the start of the fifth level in CE you are literally forced to experience the same level design of hallways and outside connected bridges and challenge 3 times before the game finally moves on. Add to that, that half of the game is literally going back through the same environments you've already experienced with a Flood coat of painting on top. Don't even get me started on Cortana.
 
People love that game, but Sonic CD really does have bad level design. A bunch of spots where you end up running around in a loop, looking for a way out. That's not good at all.

Exactly! Aside from the anime and Metal Sonic I find it to be the worst 2D Sonic.

Word of advice: NEVER play Sonic CD if you hate Metropolis Zone this much

Stay the hell away from that game. lol

First thing that came to mind was the damn marble garden zone from Sonic 3. I just find it dull, frustrating mechanics (the spin top). Recycled mid boss and it just never fucking ends, ugh.

Never cared for the music track either. Certainly my least favorite sonic from the glory days.

;_; But that stage.... is.... actually decent.

Sonic 3 levels in general are quite messy when viewed at a distance but this one takes the cake.

Woah is that the whole map of Marble Garden?? crazy. I want an overview of the modern sonic stages from Unleashed, Colors, and Generations now or even City Escape.

Wacky Workbench in Sonic CD was awful. I think it was act 2 where nearly ever part of the ground was a launch pad, which made the exit really annoying to find.
Other than that I really enjoyed Sonic CD though, it was just that one part that pissed me off.

Man for me Sonic CD goes down as one of the worst games I played. Random dips for no reason, bad spindash, getting stuck in the floor, and that god damned UFO Special Stage.
(which gets better with practice but still fuck it.)

The rerelease fixed some of the errors but still kept that level design..... Had to pass on it.
 

Emwitus

Member
For me, it's Duncan's factory from Mother 1.

WARNING HUGE PICTURE
http://local-static0.forum-files.fobby.net/forum_attachments/0001/4445/DuncanFactory.png

This place is ridiculously huge. It's so big, it's bigger than most of the of the games maps put together. And you go there pretty early in the game.

The place is ridiculous. Every part of the place looks the same so it's pretty damn easy to get lost. If you go in the wrong direction from the moment you enter the place, you're basically screwed. The monsters aren't too bad, but you'll get worn down pretty quickly, especially since you had JUST met your second party member, who starts off at level 1.

gow ascension battle at archimedes. The one where you fight against the medulas. Y'all know what i'm talking about. I returned the game right there.
 
The Tower of Babel from Xenogears.

Climbing via platform jumping + bad platforming controls + falling down half the level from missed jumps + random battles + as system loads a battle movement works but jumping doesn't = FUCK YOU

Oh god Babel Tower. So much rage and agony stemmed from there. That place completely broke my tolerance for random battles.
 

Ty4on

Member
First thing that came to mind was the damn marble garden zone from Sonic 3. I just find it dull, frustrating mechanics (the spin top). Recycled mid boss and it just never fucking ends, ugh.

lwnDE7C.png


Never cared for the music track either. Certainly my least favorite sonic from the glory days.

Sonic 3 levels in general are quite messy when viewed at a distance but this one takes the cake.
Nice to see I'm not alone when it comes to Marble Garden. It's just so messy and confusing.
Man for me Sonic CD goes down as one of the worst games I played. Random dips for no reason, bad spindash, getting stuck in the floor, and that god damned UFO Special Stage.
(which gets better with practice but still fuck it.)

The rerelease fixed some of the errors but still kept that level design..... Had to pass on it.

Hey, the UFO stuff is pretty cool! Find it to be one of the easier special stages in the 2D Sonic games.
 

Surface of Me

I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
One of the levels in the first BLOPS game was atrocious in design and instruction. I can't remember which one it was though. The whole campaign was awful.
 

MAtgS

Member
Oh no, I'm not saying the zone was bad, just that it looked messy at a distance. It's not something that's not actually noticeable when playing it.

I was only trying to be nice & give the above guy some supplemental details regardless of personal opinion.
 
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