The Best Level 1's in Video Games.

[sXeth]

Perfect Dark - The DataDyne building was just dripping in the atmosphere and stylization of the game that unfortunately just kind of vanishes soon on after. And was also by the far the game's best effort at actually having stealth mechanics in an era when that was still fresh and novel.


Star Fox (either one, though 64 is just the original but actually on hardware that can render it well). A solid intro and right into the thick of things. Tutorialization is done efficently and in mission.


Final Fantasy 7 (the original, not FF7:R which does quite the opposite) : Whether just the first dungeon or if we consider it the whole of Midgar/Disc 1. One of the best paced and most atmospheric intros in the series, if not in gaming in general. For something that was effectively the prologue, the Midgar section did a great job of keeping pace and building things up, all leading to that final escape into the world (and the first glimpse of any actual daylight, in the original)

 

[Kyrian007]

If you picked easy mode, then Jill automatically starts with a machine gun. If you pick hard mode, she starts off with her standard pistol.

It must have been hard mode then, I remember using a pistol for most of the game. Then again, maybe not. Machine guns in all the RE games I've played are basically wastes of inventory space. If she gets a chance to pick up a pistol early on then maybe I just switched to the better weapon.

Perfect Dark - The DataDyne building was just dripping in the atmosphere and stylization of the game that unfortunately just kind of vanishes soon on after. And was also by the far the game's best effort at actually having stealth mechanics in an era when that was still fresh and novel.

Yes, that one was great. It was also a good level to illustrate the differences in objectives between easy, normal, and hard... and it was great in co-operative.

 

[BrawlMan]

Pretty cool first opening level.

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[BrawlMan]

Ikaruga - First time I played the game was in 2002 on GC. Epic opening stage.

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TMNT Arcade, Turtles in Time, and Shredder's Revenge - We have "Fire", "Big Apple: 3AM", and "Jaw Breaking-News!" respectively.

 

[BrawlMan]

Ristar has a great and simple opening level.

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[Silvanus]

Others have already mentioned some of my favourites: FF7, Perfect Dark, Starfox 64, Bioshock.

But also: FF9 and FFX also have brilliant, tone-setting intros. The "kidnap" in FF9, and the incredible Blitzball cinematic followed by Sin's attack on Zanarkand in FFX (and that banging song).

And Bob-omb Battlefield in Super Mario 64. One of the purest, most fun levels in the game to open it. Brilliant.

 

[Absent]

In the age of arcade and of Amiga, I think games usualy started strong, hooking you before progressively lowering the quality - after all, the more you went, the less likely players were to see it (and the ending barely existed). I've often played games with cheat codes and still enjoyed re-playing the starts more often than the rest of the game.

In particular, I loved the first level of Licence to Kill, it was... my first, uh, tactical shooter ? Can we call it that ? A shooter where, instead of dodging and firing, you could stop, think, plan your move ? I found it awesome.


The next levels were fun, visually and narratively, but much less interesting in terms of gameplay.

And No One Lives Forever had incredible settings and levels (unexpected ones that I still don't want to spoil), but that first level, Morocco, is still the most iconic. Just thinking of it, I feel like I need a monkey.

 

[mirbrownbread]

The opening level in the original Deus Ex, Boletaria Castle 1-1 in Demon's Souls, finding the vent entrance in MGS 1...

 

[Absent]

I also love the tension and mystery of empty corridors. So I really liked the first level of Rebellion's Aliens versus Predator (at least with the original actor on that wall screen, I don't know what happened with his replacement but many AvP editions have an abysmal actor instead of him). It's long abandonned corridors before the very brutal Alien first encounter. Afterwards, well, it's a permanent onslaught for most of the game. A different, easier thrill.

Same with the first Unreal. Before it becomes a massive shooter, you get to explore your huge crashed spaceship, wondering what happened, where you are, etc. I love those passively narrative, roleplayable phases, before it becomes space invaders and brainless reflex shooting with no room for imagination, anxiety, speculation...

 

[Hawki]

This potentially opens a can of worms since a lot of games are without "levels" (e.g. adventure games, RPGs, etc.), but if I include "levels" as well as "openings" (has to include gameplay), then I guess I can nominate:


-Aladdin (Genesis)
-Army Men: Sarge's Heroes
-Castlevania (as in, the original game)
-Doom (2016) (as in, everything from when the Doom Slayer wakes up to the title screen)
-Gears of War 4 (interspacing gameplay of various points in time with Jinn's speech is a nice touch)
-Golden Sun: The Broken Seal (as in, the entirety of the prologue up to where Isaac and Garet are knocked unconcious)
-Half-Life 2 (it's debatable as to what counts as a level or not, but in the sense of the player taking control, wondering what the heck is going on, making their way through the train station, etc.)
-Halo: Combat Evolved (entire Pillar of Autumn section)
-House of the Dead
-Killzone 2
-The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (if you count the opening/Hyrule Castle as a level)
-The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (console, Helm's Deep level)
-Medal of Honour: Frontline (yes, storming Normany is its first level, and yes,
-Resident Evil 4 (as in, everything up to the church bell ringing could be called a level - certainly that's how the demo functioned)
-Sonic Adventure 2 (City Escape)
-Star Fox 64 (Corneria)
-Time Crisis 3 (whether you take level 1 as 1-1 or the first "crisis zone," point remains)

 

[Absent]

-Resident Evil 4 (as in, everything up to the church bell ringing could be called a level - certainly that's how the demo functioned)

I've only played RE 1, 2 and part of 3, but for the roughly same reasons as AvP and Unreal, I liked their beginnings better than the rest of the games.

In particular, I found that these RE games were the best computer version of a Romero-style zombie game (at least until Project Zomboid). I don't like running zombies, I like the slow dread of a shuffling zombie that seems just dumb and numb and laughable until you failed to notice one or until you stumble upon a group of them. And I like the process of horror setting in. So, Resident Evil throwing you into a mystery that turns out to be a zombie outbreak is the best part of the game for me. It just goes downhill when it starts throwing giant mutant toadmen and randomly shaped human squids at you. It dilutes the classic dead dread. Playing them, I've kept wishing for the RE games to have kept it at the "living-dead invasion" genre of their first chapters.

 

[Xprimentyl]

The tutorial of [Prototype] where the player is handed an effectively fully-upgraded Alex Mercer, and permitted to wreak havoc throughout the city, i.e.: jumping over buildings, tearing helicopters out of the sky, throwing tanks like so many bags of peanuts, etc. It serves as a foreshadowing of events to come as the game starts you at square one immediately thereafter with the "level 1" Mercer, and you have to level him up to get back to the opening epic-ness.

 

[BrawlMan]

In particular, I found that these RE games were the best computer version of a Romero-style zombie game (at least until Project Zomboid).

Dead Rising says hi.

And I like the process of horror setting in. So, Resident Evil throwing you into a mystery that turns out to be a zombie outbreak is the best part of the game for me. It just goes downhill when it starts throwing giant mutant toadmen and randomly shaped human squids at you. It dilutes the classic dead dread. Playing them, I've kept wishing for the RE games to have kept it at the "living-dead invasion" genre of their first chapters.

I don't know why you're so shocked by this. Resident Evil has always been a monster mash. The first game hat references to Jaws, Night Of Living Dead, and Jurassic Park (the Hunters function simulator raptors). It's what made the franchise stand out. Capcom always wants to try something different and be progressive about it, and that's why I enjoy the company so much. They were never afraid to do things differently or mix it up. You know I'm not the biggest fan of original RE4, it saved the franchise. Before that point, people got tired of the camera angles in the slow zombies. Not to mention, that as much as a great game RE1 remake is, it did not sell well. RE0 sold even worse. Capcom made a desperate gambit, and pulled it off. Thank you, Shinji Mikami and your awesome team.

 

[Absent]

I don't know why you're so shocked by this. Resident Evil has always been a monster mash.

When I played RE, RE hadn't an always. It was just that new zombies game that came from japanese consoles or something. With the reputation of being the best zombie game. So I was a bit disappointed to realise that it was true for the first few sequences only.

I think it's also part of what made me give up at RE3. RE1 and 2 had a lot of great purely romero sequences, with the occasional crazy scifi mutant monster inbetween. And some tedious boss encounters (tedious because it went full akira scifi middle in my romero fantasy, and tedious because they really made my keyboard-driven tank movements all the more annoying). And RE3 was just one continuous mutant boss battle, so even less of what I wanted.

Still, at the time, it wasn't a whole franchise defined by its akira-isms. It was merely the closest we had to a genuine, immersive, experience-of-the-living-dead.

 

[BrawlMan]

When I played RE, RE hadn't an always. It was just that new zombies game that came from japanese consoles or something. With the reputation of being the best zombie game. So I was a bit disappointed to realise that it was true for the first few sequences only.

That's on you. The first Licker showing up in the police department hallway let you know that there are more than the zombies trying to come after you. RE2 stay home perfectly and bright as clear as the day.

think it's also part of what made me give up at RE3. RE1 and 2 had a lot of great purely romero sequences, with the occasional crazy scifi mutant monster inbetween. And some tedious boss encounters (tedious because it went full akira scifi middle in my romero fantasy, and tedious because they really made my keyboard-driven tank movements all the more annoying). And RE3 was just one continuous mutant boss battle, so even less of what I wanted.

Less Akira, and more the Terminator combined with Dawn of the Dead. I get what you mean. But once again, the franchise always took from different films or TV shows. Resident Evil 2 has an aliens reference. The G-Baby acting as a chest burster.

Still, at the time, it wasn't a whole franchise defined by its akira-isms. It was merely the closest we had to a genuine, immersive, experience-of-the-living-dead.

I understand and appreciate your love. Just to get started RE2 Remake if you haven't already. I'll admit something to you: I don't like RE7, and I don't care much for Village either.

 

[Absent]

and I don't care much for Village either.

Haven't played them, so I only judge by the cover, but my impression is that I would have loved it as a horror survival game in east european folklore (some sort of modern Undying), and would have been pissed to see it tied to RE gene virus conspiracy stuff.

That and the awkwardness of that oedipean fetish all over the internet, but I'm not certain the game should be blamed for the gamers.

 

[BrawlMan]

Haven't played them, so I only judge by the cover, but my impression is that I would have loved it as a horror survival game in east european folklore (some sort of modern Undying), and would have been pissed to see it tied to RE gene virus conspiracy stuff.

Village takes place after Resident Evil 7. You'll be dealing with zombies, vampire like creatures, and lycan type creatures as your main enemies. It's basically universal monsters in Resident Evil form. The game is in first person, but came with the free, optional, third person update. My main problem with village, is that I don't care too much for Ethan, and it's just RE4 again, but different type of monsters. Since you're playing as ethan, a normal guy, you don't have any melee options. You can block and push block, provide you done a perfect block.

That and the awkwardness of that oedipean fetish all over the internet, but I'm not certain the game should be blamed for the gamers.

No, the game should not be blamed for that. This is nothing for the Resident Evil either. Look up Alexia Ashford from Code Veronica, or Helena's sister from RE6 (Capcom did that one on purpose).

 

[BrawlMan]

• House of the Dead 1, 2, & 4
• Time Crisis 2 & 3
• Resident Evil 2 & 4 Remake
• Crash Bandicoot 2
• Dynamite Headdy
• Panzer Dragoon I & II

 

[BrawlMan]

Hi-Fi Rush