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[Companion Cube]

Am I the only one who finds those ridiculously boring?

Reminds me of some old UT maps from 6-7 years ago.

 

[Warm Machine]

Almost any Zelda. Metroid Prime was impeccably designed especially considering the mechanics. The original Banjo Kazooie was amazing especially the four seasons tree. Any of the quicky puzzel levels in Mario Sunshine.

I would have to say that Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy had really great levels and level design.

Lately I've been very impressed by Call of Duty 2 and its structure although linear.

 

[renvi]

Resident Evil 4

 

[belgurdo]

Deus Ex. If there's a crate in the room, you are just about to use it in the next one

Lol dropping tnt boxes 200 ft down stairwells and onto a gaggle of guards in some of the New York stages ftw

 

[dextran]

Midnight Club II - Paris

 

[Error]

 

[Yamauchi]

Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2

 

[Diablos]

I think the locations in Dragon Quest 8 rock.

They're simple, yes. But they also take on a very efficent minimalistic approach to the texturing which allows the locations to look very detailed (especially for being on PS2).

The result looks like an old school 8 or 16-bit RPG truly for the times. Not an RPG that takes a totally different approach to graphics (e.g. FFX - and there's nothing WRONG with that, but it doesn't feel like an old RPG obviously). Enix did a good job making the locations look like a current-gen game but feel like a really old one.

 

[mCACGj]

Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World
Mega Man 1-6

 

[Kevtones]

Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2
Zelda: OOT
Banjo Kazooie (collectathon with great levels)
RE4
Beetle Adventure Racing (gimmeh a hell yeah)
Mario 64

 

[jett]

Super Mario 64. It's sad that it's been almost 10 freaking years and no 3D platformer has managed to beat it in terms of level design yet.

Metroid Prime.

Metal Gear Solid 3.

SMB3

Yoshi's Island

 

[Reilly]

Super Mario 64. It's sad that it's been almost 10 freaking years and no 3D platformer has managed to beat it in terms of level design yet.

I guess you haven't played Klonoa 2 yet.

 

[Error]

I guess you haven't played Klonoa 2 yet.

not even close.

 

[SolidSnakex]

I guess you haven't played Klonoa 2 yet.

That'd 2.5D, so it doesn't really count. Most 3D platformers now try to have huge worlds instead of worlds broken up like Mario 64 was. Hopefully Mario Rev doesn't follow that style. Bring back the long jump too.

 

[jett]

I guess you haven't played Klonoa 2 yet.

First of all: Mario 64 is 3D, Klonoa is 2D. Second of all: :lol

 

[karasu]

Psychonauts

 

[the androgyne]

 

[Gattsu25]

Sonic 2
Mario 3

 

[brandonh83]

Yeah, as mentioned, Ocarina of Time Forest Temple. Some of the best music there too. Oddly creepy.

 

[CreatureX3]

Zelda: Oc o T

Forest Temple.

Peer can back me up...
http://insider.ign.com/teasers/305/305702.html
goddamnit insiders bullcrap.

Holy crap, the Forest Temple from Ocarina of Time is so amazing. The whole atmosphere, from the visuals, level design, to that hauntingly eerie theme music... simply beautiful. Nintendo at its best!

 

[Tiger]

 

[jett]

sweet jebus no.

...well, those two levels are all right. all the others, though... uke

 

[vjoe]

I really like the levels design in R&C games:

 

[MomoPufflet]

I guess you haven't played Klonoa 2 yet.

I guess you're on crack.

 

[sonikokaruto]

sonic 1. Green hill zone. best, evaa

 

[arhra]

I can't believe noone's mentioned PoP:SoT yet. That final tower, when you don't have the dagger, was just amazing (the rest of the game was pretty fucking awesome, too)..

 

[AniHawk]

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

 

[cvxfreak]

Super Mario 64
Super Mario Sunshine
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario World

 

[Insertia]

Half Life 2 is really on a entirely different level when it comes to level design.

Some levels really dragged at parts, but when HL2 is at it's best it blows everything away.

 

[firex]

both half-life games, oh and all 3 thief games. and deus ex. and then super mario bros. 3 and psychonauts.

 

[Chris_C]

By good do you mean in agameplay sense, or just pretty?

Shinobi PS2

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, The Two Thrones.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Doom II.

 

[Zilch]

Sonic 1-3 and S&K.

 

[Xellotah]

Zelda OOT

Metroid Prime

Super Mario World

FZero (SNES)

Prince Of Persia : SOT

RTYPE

Doom

 

[ZigZagZig]

Shadow Warrior by 3dRealms.

 

[Mike Works]

Ocarina of Time and ICO both had great level design for action/platformers. But the grand-daddy map of them all will forever be;

We really need to get some oldschool BF1942 gaming sessions going on again, those were fun.

Spoiler

Except when Coot would lay mines everywhere

 

[Tain]

Oni for PS2

What an underrated game.
Sure, the control had some problem, but it was a first year title, ya know?

An actual architecutre designed the buildings and structres in the game.

Oh, man, you were serious with the first post. I actually thought that the level design was Oni's main flaw. It couldn't have been more repetitive. Controls were great, though.

 

[Ruud_Luiten]

Toejam & Earl2
Wonderboy III
Zelda OOT / Majora's Maks / Windwaker / Oracles / Alttp / Zelda DX
Mario64
SMB3
Gran Turismo (part one)
Earthworm Jim

 

[J2 Cool]

SMB-SM64 [/thread]

 

[Rlan]

Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Hydrocity Zone, Carnival Night Zone, Ice Cap Zone, Mushroom Hill Zone, Flying Battery Zone, Lava Reef Zone, Sky Sanctuary Zone, Death Egg Zone. All fantastic, each with their own quirks.

 

[Shunsui]

Zelda franchise got one of the best level design ever.

Then Prince of Persia (the original), Out of This World, Flashback are great.

Metroid Prime is really good.

And of course Mario64

 

[teruterubozu]

Metroid Prime & Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

I think some people here are confusing level design with pure art style rather than gameplay flow.

 

[Crazy Harry]

Am I the only one who finds those ridiculously boring?

Nope, you are not the only one, I totally agree with you.

About great level design:
There are some very good levels in the Call of Duty games. I had some very scary situations in those games. It then pretty much felt as a war.

 

[GitarooMan]

Banjo Kazooie
Rayman 2
Castlevania III

 

[Doom_Bringer]

FPS's
Facing Worlds - UT
Lava Giant - UT
Under Water Assault - UT
Wake Island - Battlefield 1942
Jungles of Far Cry
Cambodian Incursion - Battlefield Vietnam

Adventure Games
World of - Beyond Good and Evil
Jak III and Jak II's World
World of Shadow of Colossus
Ico's Castle
Some stages in Ape Escape were really good
GTA III, GTA Vice City and GTA SA all have great level design

Action games:
MGS3's Jungles
Some stages in Splinter Cell games are really good

Shooting
the first couple of stages in Einhander
Gradius V

Racing
Dolphin's Cove - Need for Speed High Stakes
The French and German track - Need for Speed High Stakes

 

[Shunsui]

There is also the greatest Rare's game: Goldeneye...

 

[gollumsluvslave]

At the time I have to say that the original Tomb Raider's levels were great.

Other notables:-

Half-Life (and 2 except Water Hazard and Highway 17)
Halo CE (if only for Silent Cartographer and Attack on the Control Room)
Thief II

For artistic design and imagination American McGee's Alice was great as well...

Quake I and II had some great DM levels back in the day...

 

[Finaika]

Kunoichi
Shadow Hearts Covenant
Skies of Arcadia

 

[Deleted member 1235]

I'm sad that monkey ball 1 hasn't got a mention yet.

 

[Funky Papa]

Some people should differentiate between level design and level aesthetics as some choices are great looking but also pretty senseless as an exercise of actual level design.

It's my duty to pimp SiN a little more, because it is simply the most open FPS ever. Lots of different paths and levels and all of them are very, very fun to play.