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[LukasTaves]

Does gtaV counts?

Not that it's necessarily better than the rest, but for someone that went almost dark in the game and didn't knew about the switching mechanic it was kinda mind blowing.

Sonic Adventure 2
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid V

Spoiler

both of them

I'd say MGSV is the total opposite. The intro is absolutely terrible and thankfully the rest of the game has nothing in common with it

 

[Romars202129]

Every God of War game tbqh.

The hydra, the colossus, and Poseidon were the best parts of 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Yep. Wonder if 4 breaks the tradition.

 

[Y2Kev]

I think god of war is the right answer, but it’s not bad. I mean, it’s not “games where the first level is good and everything else is shit” it’s just games where the first level is the most enjoyable.

I think tomb raider is a potential example.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

I think god of war is the right answer, but it’s not bad. I mean, it’s not “games where the first level is good and everything else is shit” it’s just games where the first level is the most enjoyable.

I think tomb raider is a potential example.

Tomb Raider? Cant think of a single TR game where this is the case.

 

[Herne]

This has almost certainly been posted, but eh...

Star Trek - Elite Force

 

[tkscz]

Sonic the Hedgehog. Not to say the rest of the levels are bad, but Green Hill Zone is just made for what the game is supposed to offer.

 

[Lincoln6Vacano]

NieR: Automata. The first level sets a standard the rest of the game never lives up to

 

[eso76]

Can't think of many tbh. Not if we're talking about console or computer games.
Arcades though, now that's a different story.

magician lord

Hah! Exactly one of the games I was thinking of. They went all out in the first level (actually the first couple screens of the first level). Had great expectations but the rest of the game is so weak in comparison.

 

[Rickeh]

Damnd / Thrasher - "Eu ah hah hah, Eu ah hah hah"

Guy as he kicks barrels" HAAAAAAA"

Music kicks in

 

[Trickster]

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault has to be one of the best cases of this

 

[Aureon]

Dark Souls.
No the asylum, that's a shitty place - the first real level, undead burg. Unparalleled atmosphere and level design.

 

[Sponge]

Yooka-Laylee

 

[Y2Kev]

Tomb Raider? Cant think of a single TR game where this is the case.

Oh, I think TR2 is a good example depending on what you like about the game.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Oh, I think TR2 is a good example depending on what you like about the game.

I assume you're referring to the lack of combat in the first stage. Even then, I'd say Temple of Xian is a much better stage that offers the similar atmosphere and gameplay approach as Great Wall.

Great Wall was a really good opening level though.

 

[Strazyplus]

Divinity Original sin 2

 

[spiderferi]

Bioshock
Metal Gear Solid 5 The Phantom Pain
The Last of Us

Spoiler

may be controversial but that opening WRECKED me

The Last of Us' opening is the best thing in the game.

 

[MaKTaiL]

Killzone: Shadow Fall.

The first level on the forest is the best. It goes downhill from there.

 

[DMD]

Ninja Gaiden/Black/Sigma first level

 

[Chozoman]

EDIT

 

[Melchiah]

The Last of Us' opening is the best thing in the game.

It's a great opening, but I like Bill's town, the dam, and the university even more.

 

[hangdang69]

You can kind of just pick any God of War game and have it apply here

 

[RionaaM]

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault has to be one of the best cases of this

Hell no, the D-Day and Tiger missions are awesome! The first mission isn't particularly interesting to me, especially when compared to the others.

 

[curlycare]

Dead Island, everything gets so boring after the resort.

 

[GlamFM]

Bioshock

Just came in here to check the first reply.

Nailed it - as usual.

 

[CHC]

Dark Souls.
No the asylum, that's a shitty place - the first real level, undead burg. Unparalleled atmosphere and level design.

I feel this way about pretty much all of From's work aside from Dark Souls II.

Boletarian Palace. Undead Burg. High Wall of Lothric. Cetnral Yharnam.

All are just such perfect expressions of what the games as a whole are all about.

The Witcher III also does this. I won't say that White Orchard is by any means the "best" part of the game but it's an absolutely perfect microcosm of the game in its entirety - it introduces you to almost every major mechanic in a very natural and seamless fashion.

 

[dragonchild]

Dragon Quest III. Consider this map:

No, that's not the dungeon. Now, why's this guy showing a small part of the overworld map instead? OK, see Promontory Cave? And Najima Tower? Also that little clearing in the forest in the middle, south of Reeve?

They're all interconnected. It even connects to the dungeon of the castle in Aliahan!

You can actually use them to get around, if it wasn't a relatively dangerous cave at low levels (this is the first area so you start at level 1, but some of the beasties down there can pound you if you don't first grind to about 3-4 and get some decent equipment.)

There's no given explanation for this, but plenty are plausible, and that's the beauty of it. Promontory Cave is the farthest out, the lowest level, and has a natural cavern look. The forest entrance is right next to a warp portal that leads to another continent. Najima Tower is the residence of an eccentric wizard. The B1 level that connects them all is worked stone and kind of resembles a sewer system. So it's plausible to think the dungeon was basically an expansion of Aliahan's sewer, used to secretly go to and fro the various areas for some reason. But again, none of this is discussed or explained by the townspeople except to point out you access Najima Tower from underground (because 8-bit JRPG sprites can't swim). It's all told to you through the design of the dungeon itself, so it has a much more immersive feel than just a random cave you sweep for treasure. It also adds complexity that isn't just disorienting crap for the sake of padding the game. More like, you're just so used to dungeons being a get-in-and-get-out affair that you're initially shocked when you climb a staircase and find yourself in an area different from where you came in or where you're going. Like whoa, this place actually has a purpose!

And yeah, no other dungeon in the game looks quite so thought out.

 

[Copenap]

Dark Souls if we count Undead Burg as the first level (the asylum was the tutorial).

 

[ExReey]

Fahrenheit

 

[Melchiah]

Dead Island, everything gets so boring after the resort.

True. I liked the city and jungle at first, but they wore out their welcome.

 

[GodofWine]

HAZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

 

[Gai Murakumo]

Almost all Sonic games, Mega Man X, Contra III, a swack load of beat-em-ups.

 

[Calfirma]

Sly 2 simply because of Dimitry.
GREASY SWEET!!!

 

[Stairouais]

 

[MrChocolate]

Perfection.
*There's a place where everyone can be happy
It's the most beautiful place in the whole fucking world*

 

[Aureon]

I feel this way about pretty much all of From's work aside from Dark Souls II.

Boletarian Palace. Undead Burg. High Wall of Lothric. Cetnral Yharnam.

All are just such perfect expressions of what the games as a whole are all about.

The Witcher III also does this. I won't say that White Orchard is by any means the "best" part of the game but it's an absolutely perfect microcosm of the game in its entirety - it introduces you to almost every major mechanic in a very natural and seamless fashion.

Thinking about it, yeah. You're right.
Burg is better than all of the others, though. Maybe it just holds a special place in my heart.

 

[CAR105 3]

Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

The Last of Us' opening is the best thing in the game.

It really isn't. Early game TLOU was actually really weak on the gameplay front. The game took a while before it hit its stride. And besides, Winter was by far the best part of the game in terms of gameplay AND narrative.

 

[Poop!]

Brutal Legend

Loved the Action/Adventure beat 'em Up. The Pseudo-RTS stuff...not so much.

Came to post this.

 

[MysteryQuesadilla]

That first world in Donkey Kong Country. Perfect mix of music and tutorial without really being what we would think of now as a tutorial.

 

[RoseBell69]

I'm sure I experienced many games where the first level is the best... but, I can't seem to remember them at the moment. The one I can remember off the top of my recent memory is when I was playing Fire Emblem Fates in the Revelations route where you choose neither sides and go independently on your own. The following first chapter upon that decision making is when its just you/Corrin/Kamui, Azura and your butler/maid... it gave me a powerful experience of this isolation and having to truly overcome obstacles. It made me wish the rest of the Revelations route path would remain that way, to continue that epic adventure.

The soundtrack of the first chapter in Revelation route was extremely thrilling and phenomenal, it's truly an unforgettable experience.
Past Below
Past Below (Flow)
When both soundtracks hit that 1:01 mark, is when things to me gets really serious. Seeing my 3-man army tackle and try to make it out alive in that chapter is awesome.

 

[xir]

no one said riddick escape from butcher bay?

GAF is failing me.

 

[Q--_-]

MGS1 Intro, or THPS first level for me.

 

[Flagship]

John Woo's Stranglehold
Sonic Adventure 1 & 2
Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy

 

[manueldelalas]

For obvious reasons, every successful arcade game ever created, which had a structure like this:

Best stage -> mediocre stages -> great final stage

 

[Boss X]

GTA games always have the WORST first missions.

 

[Bloodporne]

Nioh

I love the whole game to varying degrees, but the first level proper "Isle of Demons" (sp?) is the most interesting level design wise hands down for me.

Level design in general seems like a steady decline as the game progresses.

 

[Bill R Boggess]

John Woo's Stranglehold

I played the living hell out of the first level demo and was deflated to find the rest of the game to be a slog.

 

[Melchiah]

It really isn't. Early game TLOU was actually really weak on the gameplay front. The game took a while before it hit its stride. And besides, Winter was by far the best part of the game in terms of gameplay AND narrative.

The winter is my least favorite part of the game with the escape from the quarantine zone. On all three playthroughs I hated the idea of going through it again, and wished it was already over when I was in the middle of it. The fall is by far my favorite season in the game. Intriguing locations to explore, good dialogue between the characters, and two good encounters with the infected.

 

[Dust-by-Monday]

Metal Gear Solid. The part where you come up out of the water and there's an elevator you have to get to, but there's a guard near it. It was so cool to run through the puddle for the first time, or dive into the water if you were about to get noticed. Such a great intro!

 

[PaulBizkit]

Resident Evil 0
The train is awesome. Should've done more with it or move the next location to something more interesting than just another mansion (like a port warehouse, where you ride a big ship)

MGS 2
The Tanker

God Of War 3
The first sequence (which is like 14 minutes long)