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[nkarafo]

I'm playing through the original DOOM (again) and it reminded me, how well designed some of the maps are.

The second map (e1m2 - Nuclear Plant) and third (e1m3 - Toxic Refinery) are so good, i never get tired going through them. Even though i enjoy e1m3 a bit more because of the music, i'm going to give it to e1m2 because of the big yard and the optional labyrinthine area inside the plant. I remember back in the day looking through the windows and wondering if i can ever get to explore outside. When i finally did it it was an amazing feeling, i felt like i broke the code or something. Though Toxic Refinery also has a secret exit. Man, it's hard to pick.

Such good level design... Many games like this had great designs that were a joy to explore and solve. Duke Nukem 3D and Quake 1 also had many great levels.

I miss this kind of gameplay/design. DOOM 2016 and Eternal tried a bit to emulate this but i don't think they come close.

 

[Cravis]

I miss those kinds of maps. Extremely well designed and chock full of secrets.

oh obligatory

 

[Coolwhhip]

Probably nostalgia but I loved this level, simple but memorable.

 

[Virt McPolygon]

Probably nostalgia but I loved this level, simple but memorable.

Also back when players were given multiple objectives without a way marker or bright glowing path.

 

[bender]

MGS2 Tanker

 

[Coolwhhip]

Also back when players were given multiple objectives without a way marker or bright glowing path.

Indeed. Lots of the Goldeneye 64 levels are great. I like how "videogamey" they all were instead of EPIC MOVIELIKE EXPERIENCES. You can watch them all here.



After watching some of them, have to admit it wasn't nostalgia, it was really a great game way ahead of it's time.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

I'll refrain from posting my usual Halo 2 > delta halo and go with these instead -

 

[nkarafo]

Probably nostalgia but I loved this level, simple but memorable.

Goldeneye had some pretty well designed levels (Dam, Facility, Control, Bunker)

It also had some crappy ones though (Jungle, Streets, Statue).

 

[gtrwll]

Don’t know if it’s the best but Silent Cartographer from Halo: CE is up there.

 

[Tschumi]

I miss those kinds of maps. Extremely well designed and chock full of secrets.

oh obligatory

I loved those maps so much, i went through like a 1 week obsession with my friends in the early 00s were we filled the left page of our notebooks with floorplans for half life levels.. i remember a lot of chemical spills from cracked containment tanks...

---

Dungeon siege is one big level, so that's cool. Epic experience.

Telvanni towers in Morrowind had super high polygon counts and great textures...

Okay getting more real now...

Blackrock Depths in Vanilla WoW. Tyros think it's too long and complex but if you had a committed band of friends and good class mix it was the closest thing to lord of the rings that game produced... 23 boss encounters, must be about 30 individual bosses

 

[Amiga]

Uncharted 3 ship level

the best game in the franchise IMOO.

 

[German Hops]

 

[rofif]

Well the Hollywood holocaust in Duke nukem 3d. It's the first level. Great ambient, much interaction and many ways to finish it

 

[Scotty W]

Only 90’s kids will understand:

 

[Jethalal]

Uncharted 3 ship level

the best game in the franchise IMOO.

It was pretty good but the game was pretty glitched for me even after patches, so my overall experience was mixed.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Some of Mario 64's levels are up there.

 

[ZehDon]

Liberty Island or Hell’s Kitchen from the original Deus Ex.

 

[Yoshi]

City Escape in Sonic Adventure 2.

 

[Jethalal]

Virtua Cop 2 was pretty wild, albeit short.

 

[Freeman76]

Very hard to single out one in 30 years of gaming, but the first thing that sprang to mind was the clockwork level in Dishonored 2

 

[farmerboy]

Most recently? Abby's descent through the hotel in TLOU2. Great design in the sense that you really felt grounded in that space. The way certain vistas were framed in that hollowed out building was really well done.

 

[Makariel]

Boletaria 1-1.

 

[TexMex]

1-1

 

[kyliethicc]

All of Knack 2.

 

[silent head]

sen's fortress

 

[Beardsalt]

Last level in Radiant Silvergun back on the Sega Saturn had my jaw dropped at that time, one of the most memorable moments in gaming for me!

 

[tusharngf]

BEST MAP EVERRRRR

 

[Codes 208]

Silent cartographer is up there (also assault on the control room), green hill zone, click clock woods (banjo)

City Escape in Sonic Adventure 2.

I wouldn’t call it the best for level design but that music gets me every time.

 

[gradient]

Megaman X's first level is basically a masterclass in teaching the player how to play without using a tutorial

Super Mario Bros 1-1 is much the same in the way it subtly introduces the player to the mechanics.

Always impressed with those.

 

[Popup]

Fish Factory in What remains of Edith Finch.

 

[The Grey Wolf]

Destiny 2 Unforgiven expansion has some truely jaw dropping beautiful areas in the maps.

 

[Robbit_80]

Don’t know if it’s the best but Silent Cartographer from Halo: CE is up there.

This!

 

[nemiroff]

One of the most memorable experiences for me is Halo's Silent Cartographer.

 

[Gaelyon]

Dark Souls. The whole game is like one huge single complex and coherent level.

 

[borborygmus]

Very hard to single out one in 30 years of gaming, but the first thing that sprang to mind was the clockwork level in Dishonored 2

That was an overengineered piece of shit. The wall shifting stuff added nothing at all.

 

[Freeman76]

That was an overengineered piece of shit. The wall shifting stuff added nothing at all.

Thanks for your opinion that I dont really give two fucks about.

 

[Soodanim]

Thanks for your opinion that I dont really give two fucks about.

Dude

 

[RaZoR No1]

Do racetracks count?
If yes: Nürburgring Nordschleife

 

[Kumomeme]

i like pokemon crystal's victory road. that game level has plenty of rewarding secret.

 

[Zheph]

Yharnam

 

[Explosive Zombie]

Anything in Super Metroid. Anything in Half-Life 2.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Thief 2 - First City Bank and Trust
Dishonored 2 - Sokolov's House

Even they do not hold the candle to probably the greatest achievement in combining architecture, gameplay, and storytelling. I give you:

Thief 3 - The Cradle



Here you can find a 10 PAGES review from PC gamer on only this one level (major spoilers if you didn't play Thief 3): http://gillen.cream.org/thecradle.pdf

 

[sxodan]

 

[Loope]

Blighttown, and i'm not joking

 

[Come On Tars]

Probably nostalgia but I loved this level, simple but memorable.

I always wondered why bonds character model doesn't have eyes. In multiplayer he did. Strange.

 

[SenkiDala]

Pitioss Ruins from FFXV. The level design of this dungeon is insane. Sad that most players won't even know that it exists.

 

[DogofWar]

Impossible to choose one level ffs!

But some that truly stand out:

Lofty Castle in Spyro the Dragon:

One of my favorite childhood memories is this level, I even had a dream about it once. The level design in the first Spyro game is great in general tbh and this game is often overlooked when talking about platformers. A lot better than any sequels. The soundtrack is also the best one in the game (which has a very underrated soundtrack in general, written by Stewart Copeland).



The Alchemilla hospital in Silent Hill is another one that truly stands out to me, every room you can enter is a new horror in itself. Back when horror games actually used psychology and fear of the unknown to scare you and not jumpscares that you got used to after 3 hours like most other horror games.

Another great contender which has already been mentioned are 1-1 in Demon's Souls. Simply amazing!

 

[The_Mike]

 

[anthraticus]

I miss those kinds of maps. Extremely well designed and chock full of secrets.

oh obligatory

Either that or boring & barren open worlds.

Give me some interesting level design like in Thief 1/2, Deus Ex, Chaos Strikes Back, Doom 1/2, Blood, Duke 3D..