Question of the Day, July 7, 2010

[captain wow]

Metal Gear Solid 2. I thought it was bad when you had to swim through it the first time on your way to fight vamp. But swimming back with that insufferable little wretch Emma stuck to your back like a barnacle was the lowest point of the entire series IMO. She had hardly any health and the lung capacity of an asthmatic 50 a day smoker!!

 

[Ophiuchus]

Sonic, for this reason:

As soon as you hear it, a frantic panic takes over you and you cant help but scream at the TV "Gimmie some fucking bubbles!" Especially when youre stood on a bubble patch and waiting for one.

Exaaaaaactly this. That music is still nightmare fuel, even though we're nearly 20 years on.

 

[lacktheknack]

Sonic, for this reason:

As soon as you hear it, a frantic panic takes over you and you cant help but scream at the TV "Gimmie some fucking bubbles!" Especially when youre stood on a bubble patch and waiting for one.

I'll one-up you. Play this loudly.

 

[yourbeliefs]

Anyone who doesn't say TMNT on the NES has either never played it, or is lying.

Amen. Disarming the bombs and having to swim around electric seaweed was a 1-way ticket to broken controller town. I also loved how the turtles could swim in THOSE levels, but if they fell in the water in any of the platforming sections they would die (or get hurt, I can't quite recall.)

 

[DrEmo]

Which one was the worse?

Option G: All of them.

Under water levels sucked, still suck and will forever suck. They are worse than quick time events and more annoying than mid-fight loading.

Videogames nowadays have to have a poorly designed vehicle mission to fit the quota. Back in the day it was water levels and not vehicle missions.

The only good underwater level was in Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal and it's because you were TECHNICALLY underwater. Underwater inside a nice, dry base. That's the only one I tolerate.

 

[boredkid]

Other
SW: KotOR
Manaan. Took. For. Ev. Er....

 

[fix-the-spade]

Only the Sonic ones traumatised me.

The MArio, Starfox 64 and Ocarina ones were fantastic. They actually worked.

Now, 40 Fathoms and the wreck of the Maria Doria on Tomb Raider 2. Those were some hellish levels.

 

[sudokucrazedman]

Mega-Man, two specifically, you just get the ability to augment your jumps due to water and as you're going up you realize the entire ceiling is covered in instant death spikes, not to mention things like giant angler fish spitting shrimp at you and metroids coming out of the ceiling and floor.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Spoiler: This One

I'd go into more detail about why this level can fuck off straight to hell, but it would quickly devolve into incoherent swearing.

I second this. That level was fucking insane!

Those of you who're saying the Water Temple from Zelda is so bad are just weak.

 

[Javex]

Earthworm Jim. In that submarine-bubble thing. Holy tedious-ness.

 

[DragonChi]

The water temple's in Zelda can die in a hole.

Hmmm, I would have gone with "die in a fire" myself, its a lot more painful than just falling. make that temple go through the same agony as we all did I say.

 

[DragonChi]

When I first read the Question of the Day, I suddenly got this tune in my head from Mario 64. It's the only song I remember from that game, because I played those levels way too much and too long just to find those little stars..so ye, Super Mario.

Spoiler: For those Interested

Spoiler: Put on your Nostalgia Glasses

OMFG, that area was my BANE before Ocarina of Time was out.

 

[ghstbearx]

Easily the worst underwater zone was Kedge Keep in EverQuest, which was the home to Phinigel Autropos for the Ruins of Kunark epic weapons. EQ at this time was still using the original UI which meant that the visible part of the game was only 60% percent of the screen and players mostly used first person view.

The zone itself was like a sunken small castle, primarily made up of boxy rooms and corridors. The pathways were very tight and restricting which made it easy to miss a turn when navigating the place. The zone was plagued by paper thin walls which allowed for monsters from a room next door to attack you. The pathing in many places sucked so that the fish in the next room would run the opposite way and come back 3 minutes later with a whole bunch of friends. Sometimes the monsters would attack you from the floor and walls and you couldn't attack back.

All of the monsters were aquatic in some form. A good majority of them had disenchanting spells that would remove your buffs. Underwater breathing was still pretty uncommon in the game aside from the short duration spells that some casters had. Your entire trip through the zone had you in fear of drowning. It was often that after a boss encounter you'd still probably drown to death shortly after it was over.

Of course it wouldn't be a typical water zone if it didn't force the players to move around as if you were swimming in the usual body of water where movement speed and acceleration is decreased and line of sight now impaired by a third axis.

 

[tehweave]

This is a good list, but I think we need to include the underwater levels in Metriod Prime and Prime 2. (Maybe they'll do another list with newer-gen titles.)

As for this list, it's a toss-up between Mario 64, Zelda, and Star Fox.

Now, Mario 64 is annoying, but never really a dealbreaker. The eel thing scared me as a kid (I WAS 8) but overall, it was quick and painless.

Zelda's level was in fact, a pain in the ass. You had to change the water levels, the dungeon is non-linear after every other dungeon being the opposite. I finally get to the door where dark link is, and can't get through because I FORGOT A FREAKIN SMALL KEY. But overall, I overcame the obstacles and beat the boss. It was hard, but never impossible.

What is impossible? STAR FOX 64's UNDERWATER LEVEL. First off, we've had levels with the landmaster. It's a weird perspective, but manageable. The underwater level? Every enemy somehow does about 2x damage than regular, maneuvering with close to ZERO visibility is impossible (I mean space is pretty dark... It takes some kind of a mastermind to make WATER darker than SPACE.) if you didn't have infinite torpedoes it would be beyond impossible, except that every other enemy does that annoying blast thing that does massive damage over a certain area, and unless you memorized the strategy guide or gamefaqs guide for this thing, the boss fight is INSANE. What kind of clairvoyance do I need to beat this guy? I hate, hate, hate, HATE this level.

 

[ZehGeek]

Meh, I'd say Mario and Sonic. I've always had fustration with underwater levels.

 

[mew4ever23]

Damn that Water Temple. Damn it straight to hell.

couldn't have put it better myself.

The water level so bad that it's designer actually apologized for it.

 

[Anacortian]

Ecco the Dolphin

 

[Snotnarok]

All water levels suck, 9/10 times they're pulled off poorly.

Sonic 3 was probably the better one considering you weren't in water very long you were just in and out.

The worst I can remember is Megaman Legends 2, oh my god I hate that level. I HATE it.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

The Donkey Kong Country underwater levels were actually very well made and had a excellent background music and athmosphere, imo.

 

[linkmastr001]

You guys are insane. The water temple was awesome.

AWESOME! I found someone who agrees!!