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Games where the first level is the best

ResourcefulStar

Neo Member
The Prologue is the best part of Trails in the Sky the 3rd. It's like the climax of a Bond film, with an ordained priest playing Bond's role.
 

I Wanna Be The Guy

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
All the Sonic games.
Only Sonic Adventure 2.

Best Sonic 1 stage - Starlight
Sonic 2 - not sure but it sure as hell aint Emerald Hill
Sonic 3 - Icecap
Sonic & Knuckles - Flying Battery
Sonic Adventure - Speed Highway
Sonic Heroes - not sure but it aint seaside hill
Sonic 06 - probably Crisis City
Sonic Unleashed - Rooftop Run
Sonic Colours - Starlight Carnival possibly Aquarium Park
Sonic Generations - not sure but green hill is second worst to planet wisp
Sonic Lost World - Ok you got me. First stage probably is the best here
Sonic Mania - Studiopolis
 

Sephzilla

Member
229DEEDE04FA9FDB93177912366BB9ED3CAD2DAB
 

Widge

Member
God of war 3

I love the game in general but that first level pumps you up and all the rest of the game while its good, is doesn't reach the same level. Especially the end fight, they could have do a lot more with the setting.

I remember seeing something about the design of the GOW games. The first level is the one they make last...by that point they're so locked into the groove, everything is absolutely on point.
 

ChrisD

Member
Meh, Icecap has the best music in S3&K, and Hydrocity sits right behind in that regard. But for fun's sake, I do like Angel Island most.

2 is definitely Chemical Plant Zone, though.

Never actually finished 1 lol. But I do love Green Hill Zone.


Agree with the poster earlier who said Bloodborne. Yharnam is so well-crafted.
 

ngower

Member
Medal of Honor: Frontline. Normandy beach was so epic, the rest of the game I don't even remember lol

Came here to post this. That part was incredible and the rest was...just okay. I remember playing it on those plasma screen stations they had at EB Games and thinking it looked like real life. I've since looked back and uh...no.
 

sikkinixx

Member
Final Fantasy 7. Midgar is the best section of that game.

And as divisive as it was, I think the opening hour of MGS V is absolutely stunning. The game does lots of good things, but nothing made me go 'holy fuck' the way that intro did

Agreed. I was frantically texting my friend about how awesome it was. Tense. Great story beats. Dark. Looks great.

The open world stuff was amazing but I would love a world where that more guided first hour was a full game.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
RE4 is a great pick, and I would also say Demons Souls. While Latria might be more athmospheric, Boletaria 1-1 is just pure level design perfection imo. Undead Burg in Dark Souls is also really special imo.
 

DukeBobby

Member
Resident Evil 7

The first maybe hour of that game is the best part

Maybe during the first playthrough. The scripted nature of it makes it a chore on subsequent playthroughs.

The entire main house section is easily the best part of the game.
 
Recently? Breath of the Wild for me. Before meeting the king, that game was magical. After, it lost a lot of it's mystery and intrigue.
 

Lynx_7

Member
FF VII's Midgar is a good choice. I just love that setting and would love see a full fledged game with that kind of vibe the whole way through.

MGS 2's tanker is great but I can't agree with it being the best part of the game. MGS 2 is one of those rare cases where I'd actually say the very last parts were its strongests.
 

ikuze

Member
Sonic Generations
Totally enjoyed that level and then had to fight through all the rest... Played the first level maybe a hundred times and the rest just once.
 

Memento

Member
FF VII's Midgar is a good choice. I just love that setting and would love see a full fledged game with that kind of vibe the whole way through.

MGS 2's tanker is great but I can't agree with it being the best part of the game. MGS 2 is one of those rare cases where I'd actually say the very last parts were its strongests.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode I coming 2021 for PS5
 
Fort Frolic though.

Anyway the opening to the new Prey is the best part. The rest of the game is consistently really good but it never really regains the highs of the beginning.
Definitely agree with this. One of the best openings of any game ever, tbh. Too bad the game doesn't do much with it, still a great game though.
 
I feel like we do this thread every other week. I loved the beginning of Dead Space 2 in the insane asylum, but sadly the game got worse as you go on.
 
Fahrenheit : Indigo Prophecy. First level was by far the best part of the game.
This is my answer as well. Usually when you start a game the possibility diminishes until you see what the game offers vs the marketing or your imagination. The possibilities seemed so huge in this first level.
 

Daouzin

Member
Maximo for PS2

I don't know what it was about that stage, but I could play it over and over again.

I think Bloodborne opening area is the best designed segment in any game ever. The enemy placement, pacing, level design in general, atmosphere, etc. It is freaking perfect.

Agreed. Didn't think of it right off the bat, but yes, man, what a great area.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

I actually feel the opposite. When I recommend this game to people I always tell them to ignore the first stage or two. I just remember it feeling kind of generic and meh, to start.
 
Undead Burg if we count it above the Asylum in Dark Souls 1. Fucking sublime.

Edit: Wait no the Burg is perfect but not the best
 
I knew there would be a bunch of Sonic posts. Real talk, outside of maybe Sonic 1 none of the first levels in any 2D Sonic game are ever the best. Most iconic? Sure. But they're all super basic, super short and have roughly the same visual style.
 

Van Bur3n

Member
Bloodborne. Central Yharnam is the definitive representation of why the game is so good. A perfection introduction to a brilliant game.
 
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