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[GigaBowser]

Yes, it's all true my freinds. Nothing will ever be as adrenaline pumping as running into the house with the chainsaw man and all the villagers coming after you. Peak gaming.

Is there anything else that can possibly top it?

 

[Coconutt]

 

[TrueLegend]

You didn't had to godmode bro.

 

[Damigos]

COD4:MW stealth mission
God of War 3 opening
Spec Ops: The Line the White Phosphorus mission
Vanilla Word of Warcraft starting human zone until you reach Stormwind for the first time (if you can call this a level)
MGS1 opening mission, Meryl and Wolf mission and also MGS4 furnace level

 

[PillsOff]

It has perfect execution of the scene's intent realised thru gameplay systems first while cut scene/scripted events being secondary help shaping it into seamless flow of good content n gameplay happening on screen at all times

It is a statement on a power of RE Engine n organisational structure of Capcom internal studios they have being building for the last 20 years.

But asking if something is the best thing ever is still pointless clickbait

 

[hemo memo]

COD4:MW stealth mission
God of War 3 opening
Spec Ops: The Line the White Phosphorus mission
Vanilla Word of Warcraft starting human zone until you reach Stormwind for the first time (if you can call this a level)
MGS1 opening mission, Meryl and Wolf mission and also MGS4 furnace level

I like you.

 

[Loke]

Nah. Red Light District from Duke Nukem 3D.

 

[GymWolf]

It's a very cool section, not sure about best level design tho, it's not nearly intricate enough.

It didn't wowed me like let's say, the mechanical villa in dish2.

 

[kicker]

Too subjective a question, and the definition of best level is also too loose, too many factors to consider.

The re4 village is a cool area though

 

[Melchiah]

Central Yharnam in Bloodborne prevails over everything.

 

[lostinblue]

I wouldn't say best in gaming without thinking twice, but if you look at it as a vertical slice it's insane.

If that was the vertical slice they did for it, then they'd know instantly that they have lighning in a bottle, and then they can go from there. Part of me imagines development was like that but it could also be the last thing they did.

As for the new one, only played it on the demo, felt more like a culmination/insane vertical slice, but I obviously haven't played enough, nor tplayed the final version to voice an opinion about that.

 

[DelireMan7]

Someone needs to play Dark Souls

 

[Patrick S.]

Ravenholm is still the best.

 

[SeraphJan]

Criteria dude criteria

 

[killatopak]

Good choice.

I like Camp Omega in Ground Zeroes as well.

It's really hard to say best when we all have different tastes.

 

[Neff]

If the Spencer Mansion is a level, then it's Spencer Mansion.

If not then I'm going for Bob-omb Battlefield.

 

[Forth]

First play through of Bloodborne on my PS5 two months ago and it has to be Yharnam.
Nothing else comes close.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Peach's Castle:

While not a "level" in the traditional sense, Id say its one of the best areas in a video game, ever.

Braid, World 1:

If you know, you know, and if you don't, you really should play Braid.

Sonic Adventure 2, City Escape:

"Rolling around at the speed of sound..."

 

[harry mason 1989]

I think you mean contra hard corps stage 1 battle city

That theme is so good
What a great intro

 

[Gambit2483]

COD4:MW stealth mission
God of War 3 opening
Spec Ops: The Line the White Phosphorus mission
Vanilla Word of Warcraft starting human zone until you reach Stormwind for the first time (if you can call this a level)
MGS1 opening mission, Meryl and Wolf mission and also MGS4 furnace level

I always loved the opening "level" in mgs2. Those rain effects still hold up today...

 

[ProgenitorCastle]

First post best post

Exactly what I had in mind when visiting thread

 

[adamsapple]

Yes, it's definitely a mood setter for the game and a great "this ain't your pappy's Resident Evil" set-piece.

 

[poppabk]

I think what makes it kind of unique is that on your first play through the requirement to beat it are unknown. Are you supposed to escape the village? Kill all the enemies? Find some special area? Also your knowledge of enemy capabilities (or your own) is very limited at that point and they can do things that you aren't necessarily expecting, they can climb through windows, break down barricades, climb onto roofs, the chainsaw guy can one shot gruesomely kill you.
It kind if takes you out of that mode of gaming where you are thinking about it in a gamey type of way, and has you actually just trying to survive, constantly on the back foot.
It actively rewards treating it as a 'real' situation and punishes you for treating it like a game.

 

[Rykan]

Not even the best level in RE4.

 

[Represent.]

Bioshock. Rapture. 1 giant level. GOAT

 

[Koenigssee]

Iconic, yes. Best, no way.

 

[Hunnybun]

I think what makes it kind of unique is that on your first play through the requirement to beat it are unknown. Are you supposed to escape the village? Kill all the enemies? Find some special area? Also your knowledge of enemy capabilities (or your own) is very limited at that point and they can do things that you aren't necessarily expecting, they can climb through windows, break down barricades, climb onto roofs, the chainsaw guy can one shot gruesomely kill you.
It kind if takes you out of that mode of gaming where you are thinking about it in a gamey type of way, and has you actually just trying to survive, constantly on the back foot.
It actively rewards treating it as a 'real' situation and punishes you for treating it like a game.

It must be one of the most creative subversions of expectations in all of game design.

Genuine out of the box thinking.

 

[CherryFalls]

 

[01011001]

the first level of many classic 8bit and 16bit games are way above the village of RE4.

because the devs back then basically explained the whole game to you purely through leveldesign.

the first level in SMB placed blocks and enemies in a way that you have a high chance of accidentally learning all the mechanics.

the first level of MegaMan X teaches you every single game mechanic, including wall sliding, wall jumping, shooting and enemy weakpoints simply through leveldesign and enemy design.

or a more recent example that was heavily influenced by all these games is Shovel Knight and its DLCs, where once again, all game mechanics of the game are teached to you purely through leveldesign, even in the more complex character DLCs like Plague Knight's DLC

 

[SmokedMeat]

Only took the first post lol

Sorry OP but your slow walkin' hayseeds have nothing on classic Super Mario Bros.

Im also not a big Sonic fan, but Emerald Coast was sublime.

Also the prehistoric section in the original Tomb Raider.

Also the stage in Medal of Honor where you're undercover. I fucking loved that stage.

 

[Captain Toad]

Tower of Latria

 

[Spaceman292]

because the devs back then basically explained the whole game to you purely through leveldesign.

That's exactly what's happening in the village

 

[Hunnybun]

the first level of many classic 8bit and 16bit games are way above the village of RE4.

because the devs back then basically explained the whole game to you purely through leveldesign.

the first level in SMB placed blocks and enemies in a way that you have a high chance of accidentally learning all the mechanics.

the first level of MegaMan X teaches you every single game mechanic, including wall sliding, wall jumping, shooting and enemy weakpoints simply through leveldesign and enemy design.

or a more recent example that was heavily influenced by all these games is Shovel Knight and its DLCs, where once again, all game mechanics of the game are teached to you purely through leveldesign, even in the more complex character DLCs like Plague Knight's DLC

I'm not sure really. When you're working in a completely new medium I reckon the matter of needing to explain things to your users probably arises fairly naturally. It doesn't seem to take that much ingenuity to see that this new thing may have to be explained.

To completely upset expectations in an already mature medium, though, seems to involve really extreme creativity.

Things like RE4 are real first principles design. I think you could only come up with that by looking at exactly what tools you have and exactly what inputs the user will have and just testing those boundaries to destruction.

 

[Facism]

Half-Life with Surface Tension.

 

[March Climber]

Also by Capcom.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Playing it first time, it throws you off because you are so outnumbered and then all of a sudden the bell rings. Definately ballsy and memorable intro. I would say another game that did an amazing intro was Silent Hill 1. You get attacked by 2 monsters, got nothing to fight with or go anywhere and you die.....poof, it was just a dream!

EDIT:

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Village was more iconic in the original. Remake throws so many bodies at you it feels like you're actually fighting the full fucking village.

 

[March Climber]

Village was more iconic in the original. Remake throws so many bodies at you it feels like you're actually fighting the full fucking village.

Do you feel that this was a tech limitation?

I'm mainly asking because even the concept art of the original version of 4 showed a lot of enemies.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Do you feel that this was a tech limitation?

I'm mainly asking because even the concept art of the original version of 4 showed a lot of enemies.

Partially yes there's no denying that but when getting body blocked by the enemies goes from tense and scary to just annoying it's like... Bro.

 

[Damigos]

I always loved the opening "level" in mgs2. Those rain effects still hold up today...

I totally agree, just didnt want to put more MGS

 

[01011001]

That's exactly what's happening in the village

it does but isn't as perfect as Mega Man X's intro level for example.

and a lot of the work is done before you arrive at the village during your walk through the forest and in the first house.

so the village does introduce some mechanics to the player, in a very good way too, but it's not the part of the game that actually teaches you how to play.
that is doubly true in the remake, which stopped trying to naturally teach you mechanics completely.

if we only use the original RE4, not the remake, and we include the part before arriving at the village, then you have a point.

but only the village, and you have already passed the part that teaches you the majority of it.
and in the remake it's completely disqualified imo.

 

[samoilaaa]

you must be joking but if ur not









and these are just a few examples

 

[light2x]

Remember, no Russian.

 

[SSfox]

It's epic, but my all time favorite is Shadow Moses

 

[ÆMNE22A!C]

It's pretty good yeah

 

[k_trout]

I just can't imagine why you would think that, not even the best level in the game

 

[simpatico]

I wouldn't say "best" but certainly top tier iconic levels.

 

[Ywap]

I vote for the village in Evil Within 1

 

[Dirk Benedict]

The Castle>Village all fucking day

 

[RJMacready73]

Nah. Red Light District from Duke Nukem 3D.

That level always cracked me up, worlds going to shit through an alien invasion and strippers still gonna shake their diddies at you for a few dollars