Sonic Adventure 2 has the best opening level of all time.
The Best Level 1's in Video Games.
- Thread starter CriticalGaming
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It's a game that wants you to take it slow and enjoy the moment because life is short(In Arthur's case, quite literally so) . The intro being so slow the way it is primes you for the experience. That and it acts as a tutorial that's woven into the narrative because, well, you're trapped in the snow on a mountain. You aren't going anywhere till spring, so you have no choice but to get to know your fellow gang members, go hunting, gather everyone up who got lost, etc. And only after that does the world open up and you can wander off to do shit to your hearts content.I feel like this is a backhanded insult of a comment.
It's fine if you aren't digging it but that is the game and if you're gonna bail, best to bail early.
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White Orchard from The Witcher 3
I love the idea of starting a game that is all about exploring and questing in this huge open world with basically a smaller version of the world. Like it's a whole tutorial area.
It is like a self-contained mini-version of the rest of the game, and it has one or two of every kind of thing. There is of course some tutorial and simple introduction to the story, but it cleverly avoids the real story until after you leave that place. You have a map you can ride around it at your own pace. It has points of interest and there's a little of each type- monster nests, places of power, bandit camps. There are couple of event quests, one side quest, one witcher contract, and one mini Witcher gear quest. You can apply your first skills, brew your first potions, and upgrade your first gear. And there is the introduction to Gwent.
But because the map is not the whole game map, you can do it all. I am always overwhelmed by RPG's and I usually just skip entire systems (I'm looking at you, alchemy and crafting). But not in W3, everything felt manageable. It encouraged me to keep at all these things so I got really good at the game.
It also does a great job story-wise of being both a self-contained story and part of the larger story. White Orchard is part of a recent conquest, picking up right after the events of Witcher 2 and being a key part of the larger W3 story. As you do side quests and explore points of interest, if you pay attention you can piece together the whole history of the town.
I love the idea of starting a game that is all about exploring and questing in this huge open world with basically a smaller version of the world. Like it's a whole tutorial area.
It is like a self-contained mini-version of the rest of the game, and it has one or two of every kind of thing. There is of course some tutorial and simple introduction to the story, but it cleverly avoids the real story until after you leave that place. You have a map you can ride around it at your own pace. It has points of interest and there's a little of each type- monster nests, places of power, bandit camps. There are couple of event quests, one side quest, one witcher contract, and one mini Witcher gear quest. You can apply your first skills, brew your first potions, and upgrade your first gear. And there is the introduction to Gwent.
But because the map is not the whole game map, you can do it all. I am always overwhelmed by RPG's and I usually just skip entire systems (I'm looking at you, alchemy and crafting). But not in W3, everything felt manageable. It encouraged me to keep at all these things so I got really good at the game.
It also does a great job story-wise of being both a self-contained story and part of the larger story. White Orchard is part of a recent conquest, picking up right after the events of Witcher 2 and being a key part of the larger W3 story. As you do side quests and explore points of interest, if you pay attention you can piece together the whole history of the town.
The got a failed quest right off the bat in White Orchard, about brewing a potion for the woman. Didn’t realize it til the next chapter and it kinda bothered me but then I failed a couple more and stopped caring lol. I’ll probably get back into TW3 after the main story of ER. It’ll kinda be like going back to leisurely comfort food after the late game shit I’ve been hearing about, and I’ve already been milking the game for years so it’s high time I actually finish it.
Yes sometimes W3 quests crash into each other and you can miss stuff like that. Fortunately they are almost all really minor. You're honestly just going to miss one brief cut scene dialogue with a random NPC that means nothing.
DOOM (2016)
No need for a deep back story, you wake up in a Mars colony, and as soon as you're able you are killing demons with a pistol. And when a person who cause the invasion in the first place offers to help, you punch the screen. Simple yet get the points across.
Dead Space 1 and 2: Ishimura and Sprawl
I can't tell which opening I like more, because it's a very different approach in horror genre openings. The first game builds up an mystery of what happened to everyone on Ishimura, then hits you with the necromorphs. The second makes you think you are safe from them at first, then the necromorphs invade of out of nowhere, and you are trying to find out wtf is going on amongst all the chaos and horrors.
Modern Warfare (the original, not the reboot): Crew expendable
That first level at the freighter ship was quite something. From sneakily infiltrating to the bottom of the ship to escaping while the ship is sinking was amazing. This of course was before COD began to go over-board with action sequences with zero percent of survival, something that would make Michael Bay blush. When they were used sparingly and appropriately, those sequences did make COD games great.
Witcher 1: Kare Morhen
As I've said in the other thread, I recently completed W1 on my ongoing playthroughs of the entire trilogy. While I still stand by on saying I never want to play this game again, I feel the first area of the game was done great. What I love about the most is how Geralt's amnesia is part of the gameplay, where he has to re-learn all the skills he has forgotten and re-awaken his reflexes and skills that remains dormant within him. For the player, that means tutorial. The enemies you fight are easy enough to deal while learning the game's mechanics
Shadow of the Colossus
Since the game is more or less an open-world where you hunt down bunch of colossi, I will refer Valus as the first level/boss. The build up to the boss was amazing. You travel across the land to defeat this colossus, not knowing what you are really in for, then you see this creature towering over you. Really, Valus was probably midning its business, probably harmless to you. Then you decide to take the thing out by climbing and stabbing, and absorbing the dark essence in the end. While plot is something that's quite sad, I think it teaches the players the basic gists of the game they are in for
No need for a deep back story, you wake up in a Mars colony, and as soon as you're able you are killing demons with a pistol. And when a person who cause the invasion in the first place offers to help, you punch the screen. Simple yet get the points across.
Dead Space 1 and 2: Ishimura and Sprawl
I can't tell which opening I like more, because it's a very different approach in horror genre openings. The first game builds up an mystery of what happened to everyone on Ishimura, then hits you with the necromorphs. The second makes you think you are safe from them at first, then the necromorphs invade of out of nowhere, and you are trying to find out wtf is going on amongst all the chaos and horrors.
Modern Warfare (the original, not the reboot): Crew expendable
That first level at the freighter ship was quite something. From sneakily infiltrating to the bottom of the ship to escaping while the ship is sinking was amazing. This of course was before COD began to go over-board with action sequences with zero percent of survival, something that would make Michael Bay blush. When they were used sparingly and appropriately, those sequences did make COD games great.
Witcher 1: Kare Morhen
As I've said in the other thread, I recently completed W1 on my ongoing playthroughs of the entire trilogy. While I still stand by on saying I never want to play this game again, I feel the first area of the game was done great. What I love about the most is how Geralt's amnesia is part of the gameplay, where he has to re-learn all the skills he has forgotten and re-awaken his reflexes and skills that remains dormant within him. For the player, that means tutorial. The enemies you fight are easy enough to deal while learning the game's mechanics
Shadow of the Colossus
Since the game is more or less an open-world where you hunt down bunch of colossi, I will refer Valus as the first level/boss. The build up to the boss was amazing. You travel across the land to defeat this colossus, not knowing what you are really in for, then you see this creature towering over you. Really, Valus was probably midning its business, probably harmless to you. Then you decide to take the thing out by climbing and stabbing, and absorbing the dark essence in the end. While plot is something that's quite sad, I think it teaches the players the basic gists of the game they are in for
Something subtle about the start of the game I like is the first three colossi you fight. Valus, Quadratus, then Gaius. I don't know if it's intentional but you are subtly being led into questioning the morality of your actions by starting with a monster, then an animal, then a human.
Someone mentioned Half-Life. It's iconic, no discussion here, but i think HL2 edges it out a bit by being able to actually walk around with Gordon, instead having to stay a cart.
By the same token, Spencer's Mansion from RE(make) and E1M1 deserve a mention.
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Speaking of survival horror, Silent Hill’s opening also deserves a huge nod.
Yup.
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Contra, Super C, Alien Wars, Hard Corps, and Contra 4. All have the best opening levels in a run n' gun game.
Castlevania Bloodlines has the best opening level in a Castlevania game.
Castlevania Bloodlines has the best opening level in a Castlevania game.
Another one; Dragon Age Origins
I love all the character origins in the game. I really do. I especially love how your origin connects to the main storyline, and loops back to you at some point. I.E. as a dwarven noble/commoner you have a reason to support who becomes a future king, or as a circle mage you get a stronger case to support your fellow mages (or dont).
But I'd argue my favorites are Human Noble and City Elf, because what happens in the prologue affects the landsmeet event. Hell, you can eventually become king/queen as a human noble!
While DAI certainly had multiple races and NPCs treating you differently depending on your race, I wish the origin prologues were brought back
I love all the character origins in the game. I really do. I especially love how your origin connects to the main storyline, and loops back to you at some point. I.E. as a dwarven noble/commoner you have a reason to support who becomes a future king, or as a circle mage you get a stronger case to support your fellow mages (or dont).
But I'd argue my favorites are Human Noble and City Elf, because what happens in the prologue affects the landsmeet event. Hell, you can eventually become king/queen as a human noble!
While DAI certainly had multiple races and NPCs treating you differently depending on your race, I wish the origin prologues were brought back
Then say something and add a description. Don't wait on anyone else to do it for you. I have not played Deus Ex since 2001, and I don't remember jack shit.
I know Liberty Island is a "cult classic", but i only played Deus Ex once, and New York and Hong Kong made a more lasting impression on me.
Liberty Island is weirdly memorable because of all the times I started up the game and never finished it.
I also used to get stuck on it as a kid, then give up. The stairway leading to the NSF leader was super dark and hard to see so I'd just get lost and be unable to finish that level. I'd give up, then return to it a few months later and give up again. I don't know why I was so weirdly stubborn about returning to this game. I guess I didn't have as many games as now and there was less distractions back then.
Eventually I got it though, and Deus Ex changed from that 'piece of shit game featured on MTV' to 'best game ever made'.
Depends on what you are looking for
New York and Hong Kong are just hubs. There can be some problem solving but it's generally you go do stuff. A lot of fetch quests. But there is way more interactions with people, which you don't see in the other type of levels. This allows a totally different sort of problem solving. You're going to get way more character development, world building, etc.
Liberty Island is designed to be a level and allows way for interaction with the environment and way more problem solving.... without the interaction with people. It's not modular set pieces stitched together like a hub.... but modular pieces can be interesting too. Mini side stories you dont really find in the levels.
I also find that I problem solve way more on Liberty Island but the latter levels I just do the same way each time. The problem solving is no longer there. There's a reason why this level was picked over the other levels
I remember this game called Legendary having a pretty good first impression/level where all these monsters start fucking up a city after some smart twat thought it a good idea to open the literal Pandora's Box. Cannot for the life of me remember anything else past that moment though, so it's probably best to keep the memory preserved that way, untainted by cold harsh realities.
Ah, Majora's Mask. The entire section up until you after you get the freedom to leave Clock Town is fantastic and really set up just how different the game was going to be from those that came before it.
I literally had forgotten that game existed until you wrote this. I didn't play it, mind you, but I vaguely remember it coming out, probably because I had some interest in it at the time.