Top 5 Favourite levels

[TheBritish]

SWAT 3 - One of the early levels with a guy who kidnapped little girls. (It was the perfect recration of "psycho house" and whilst I was using non-lethal weapons the whole game, I gave him an extra couple of sprays with the pepper spray)

Half Life 2 - Intro levels (Before you even get a weapon watching the combine kicking in doors and the hint of torture was just a great intro to game to make you hate them)

Vampire: The Masquerade - The Haunted House (It's... just... yeaaaahhh...)

Halo: Combat Evolved - Escaping from the Flood the first time (I know everyone else hated it, but damn, did it inspire the panic it was supposed to. I really was running backwards firing wildly with the shotgun. I loved it.)

Psychonauts - The postman crazyman level (Perfect example of the greatness of Psychonauts)

EDIT: I really thought I had some ones that nobody else would pick. Turns out I'm not alone on Vampire's Haunted House at least

 

[jez29]

1. The Tower of Dawn in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - basically the last 1/2 hour of the game, its perfect.
2. Fort Frolic in Bioshock - because Sander Cohen is amazing.
3. Defending White Forest in Half Life 2 Episode 2.
4. The Peragus facility in KOTOR 2 - so much atmosphere in that place, especially on the empty Harbinger.

And I'm surprised no one's mentioned this one:
5. The Shalebridge Cradle from Thief: Deadly Shadows. The scariest level ever designed with more atmosphere than the entirety of most other games. Here's to Thief 4! (Its not called Thi4f. It just isn't. Please?)

 

[xxnightlawxx]

Every Single Map in Warcraft 3, Starcraft and Diablo 2: Blizzard Entertainment
Deku Tree: Ocarina of Time
Vice City: GTA Vice City
Pandoras Temple: God of War
White House: MW2

 

[black-magic]

1. All Ghillied up (MW)
2. Azeroth (WoW)
3. Final destination (brawl/melee)
4. Crossroads (MW:1)
5. Bomb level (Trauma centre)

 

[Prometherion]

Definitive level: The mission in oblivion where you gotta kill all the people in the house without getting caught!!!

DARK BROTHERHOOD MISSIONS FTW!!!

Apart from the last mission anyway...

 

[silver wolf009]

I love:
1 fort frolic (Bioshock 1)
2 Blood gulch (Halo 1&2)
3 Seaons food 'n stuff! (Deadrising)
4 the facehugger level from AVP2 for the pc
5 and all the advanced portal challange chambers.

 

[Xeros]

1. Freedom Memorial - Syphon Filter 1

2. The Citadel - Half-Life 2

3. Bomb Omb Battlefield - Super Mario 64

4. The Cathedral (War to End all Wars chapter) - Eternal Darkness

5. Everything else from Syphon Filter's 1-3.

 

[Mana Fiend]

No order here, but top 5...

Purgatory - Mass Effect 2 (Seeing Jack's wake was just too cool).
Hydrocity - Sonic 3 (Just stands out for me).
Escape - Portal (GLaDOS' dialogue is awesome).
Bowser's Castle - Mario Kart 64 (not really a level, but a track is good enough :]).
The Forest Level - Donald Duck's Lucky Dime Caper (that's a damn classic game! ).

 

[Dangerbean]

Spoiler: 2. James Bond: Nightfire - Skyrail

Thats the only picture i could find *sigh*
This map is great for sniping. At each end of the map is a base. One is a castle and the other is a sky lodge, both connected by a tram. Littered around the map is boulders, secret passages, towers and RC Tanks/helicopters <3

Holy shit.

Best map ever.

I just remember the good old days with 2-4 controllers split screen, capture the flag against as many bots as possible and just sit there and snipe.

I still even play it now, why is there no modern games like this...

No way, thats exactly what me and my mates used to do!

 

[SangRahl]

1. Terror Missions - X-Com:UFO
Both times: before you have any clue what to expect, and then a year later when you can go in armed to burn the place to the ground, if you have to... Even after having full flight and psi amps, Terror Missions creep me the hell out.

2. Act 1, Middle East - Metal Gear Solid 4
First you're essentially unarmed... and then you get to fight alongside (or even against) the resistance fighters practically from start to finish.

3. Venice - Assassin's Creed II
Not every alleyway or canal has a "thieve's highway" to be able to make a quick and visually cool getaway, so you're left having to improvise a lot... And simply for pure style, nothing beats having the carnivale cape & mask with the black master assassin's armor. (seriously, I'd love to keep those or be able to earn them again, somehow)

4. Blackrock Mountain (BRD, LBRS & UBRS) - World of Warcraft
Not exactly a game 'level', but doing solo excursions in Blackrock from 47th to 60+ was my favorite pastime up until I finally retired my account. Blackrock Depths was my personal playground for sneaking around, and Blackrock Spire was terrifying all alone when on my way to get my new spider and worg pet (hadn't decided which to keep for raids).

5. Kakariko Target Practice - Link's Crossbow Training
A step-by-step stroll through a carnival style shooting gallery. It's also an area of great contention with the family... Every time someone ups the high score, some tops it by a few more points. Even after a near perfect run of 50k+, we still eke out a smidge higher every few sessions or so.

 

[Ricotez]

The Deep - Guild Wars
(Imagine a sea turned to jade, and a enormous mine running hundreds of meters deep, filled with all kinds of weird, mutated sea creatures.)

CP_Well - Team Fortress 2
(What can I say, I just like Well.)

Hard Rain - Left 4 Dead 2
(Can't see ****! )

The Excess Express - Paper Mario 2
(The problems start even before you arrive in Poshley Heights.)

The Citadel - Half-Life 2 and HL2:Episode One
(Super Gravity Gun FTW!)

 

[Dr_Roxo24]

All Ghillied up - CoD4 (do i need to explain??)
GLaDoS- Portal (once again)
Sub Base - Modern Warfare 2 (not sure why but this is my favorite)
Lust - Dante's Inferno (licky nipples! lol)
End Game - Modern Warfare 2 (Stabbing him in the eye was the best feeling i have ever had in a game)

 

[Nexus424]

Welp my list has to go.

1) Climax of Mass Effect where you are running up the side of the citadel. That was just beast for me.
2) Streets of Rage 2: Level 8

Spoiler: Wonderful music to beat someone up to

3) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle : Pyramid Cave with Sonic
The music and mixture of fast paced action made me replay this level many times.

Spoiler: Once again lovely music

4) CoD:MW2 Cliffhanger - That first section really made it feel like I was there.
5) Lost Plant...just Lost Planet

 

[Daniel Cygnus]

1. The Union Hotel (Killer 7). This is where the story comes to its mind-raping climax in which we find out some very interesting things about the true nature of the Smith Syndicate. The buildup to the final reveal is amazingly well-done.

2. Hangar (aka E1M1)(Doom). Widely regarded as one of the best levels in gaming ever, it also has some of the best BGM ever. Go ahead. Try not to hum it.

3. Airport (Storm Eagle)(Megaman X). This is more of a personal choice, but holy crap, is this level amazing. You climb up a bunch of fancy structures to reach the ship you fight Storm Eagle on, which takes off for the fight. The music here is pretty good, too.

4. No Mercy (Left 4 Dead). Running through an overrun city with the eventual goal of getting to the roof of the hospital is pretty intense. They absolutely nailed the atmosphere in this "movie". It's no surprise to me that it seems to be the most frequently played campaign.

5. Movie Theater (Duke Nukem 3D). The first level in one of the greatest games ever made introduced us to the surprisingly detailed world of Duke. Back when it came out, this was the pinnacle of detail in gaming. You could kick a trash can, and it'd bend inward for a second. You could use the toilets, and you'd get 10 health for it. You could fly around L.A. in a jetpack. You could shoot a fire extinguisher, and it'd explode.

 

[The Last Nomad]

1. Mexican Mission (timesplitters 3)
2. Training Grounds (timesplitters 3)
3. The Mansion of Madness (timesplitters 3)
4. Mars Lighthouse (golden sun 2)
5. Chapter 3.12 ~ The Price (fire emblem rd)

I see your liking the TS3 I love thye Mexican mission of TS2 & TS3. I was goign to include it in my list, if i had 6 i would put it in there. Same with the Siberian level on TS3 - Awesome sniping!

i sure do, Timesplitters Future Perfect is still my favorite shooter of all time

Im going to have to agree! I still play it. Get a few mates around, few beers and its a brilliant laugh. Infact, everytime a friend comes over they want to play it!

[HEADING=2]WE NEED TIMESPLITTERS 4[/HEADING]

Yes, we do... and I even have a User Group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Timeplitters-4] here on the escapist for those who agree...

My favourite levels are probably(in no Particular Order):
-Timesplitters FP: Siberian Level, Because as Distorted Stu said:"Awesome sniping!"
-Black: The level 'Nazran Town', the most exciting level in the most exiting FPS on the PS2.
-LOTR: the two towers: The first Helms Deep level where you knock down the ladders, so good even the creators copied themselves in the Return of the King Game.
-MGS3: The End Boss Battle, Need I explain.
-Doom 2: The Icon Of Sin. That level was made of Awesome.

And if entire game worlds count then:

Venice - Assassins creed II

the whole map in san andreas

These two aswell.

 

[ldbmikey86]

1. Wake Island - Battlefield: 1942
2. Alchemilla/Brookhaven Hospital - Any [applicable] Silent Hill game
3. The entire lighthouse island mansion thing at the end of the game - The Darkness
4. Fall of Berlin - Battlefield: 2142
5. The whole St. Mark's Bistro return to Liberty City mission, planes, shootouts, parachutes and all. good times - GTA: San Andreas

 

[Daniel Cygnus]

Arses, I meant to edit, not quote. I suppose I'll contribute further with my top 5 multiplayer maps.

1. The Longest Yard (Quake 3). See, I have this thing for symmetrical level designs. They just seem to be the perfect fit for online shooters for whatever reason. As for the map, it's a bunch of loosely connected platforms floating in an empty void, which is much better than it sounds.

2. Last Resort/Zanzibar (Halo 3). Say what you will about the game, but you gotta admit: Bungie makes some awesome maps. A giant fan standing in the middle of a field makes for a much better map than you'd think. Getting a decent team into the Warthog at the beach and driving it up to the base to wipe out the enemy team is always fun.

3. The Pit (Halo 3). Once again, symmetrical maps make for good times.

4. Underpass (MW2). This could just be because I'm usually pretty good whenever I play this map, but I like it a lot. It just seems to fit my playing style.

5. Crash Course (Left 4 Dead). This was obviously made with VS in mind, as it's only two (large) "levels" long, as opposed to the standard (medium-sized) 5. It's laid out very well, with lots of nooks for the Infected to hide in and lots of strategic locations for Survivors to hole up in.

 

[Distorted Stu]

1. Mexican Mission (timesplitters 3)
2. Training Grounds (timesplitters 3)
3. The Mansion of Madness (timesplitters 3)
4. Mars Lighthouse (golden sun 2)
5. Chapter 3.12 ~ The Price (fire emblem rd)

I see your liking the TS3 I love thye Mexican mission of TS2 & TS3. I was goign to include it in my list, if i had 6 i would put it in there. Same with the Siberian level on TS3 - Awesome sniping!

i sure do, Timesplitters Future Perfect is still my favorite shooter of all time

Im going to have to agree! I still play it. Get a few mates around, few beers and its a brilliant laugh. Infact, everytime a friend comes over they want to play it!

[HEADING=2]WE NEED TIMESPLITTERS 4[/HEADING]

Yes, we do... and I even have a User Group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Timeplitters-4] here on the escapist for those who agree...

My favourite levels are probably(in no Particular Order):
-Timesplitters FP: Siberian Level, Because as Distorted Stu said:"Awesome sniping!"
-Black: The level 'Nazran Town', the most exciting level in the most exiting FPS on the PS2.
-LOTR: the two towers: The first Helms Deep level where you knock down the ladders, so good even the creators copied themselves in the Return of the King Game.
-MGS3: The End Boss Battle, Need I explain.
-Doom 2: The Icon Of Sin. That level was made of Awesome.

And if entire game worlds count then:

Venice - Assassins creed II

the whole map in san andreas

These two aswell.

I soooooo joined that group! Woo 8 members!

 

[Meatfish]

Spoiler: 2. James Bond: Nightfire - Skyrail

Thats the only picture i could find *sigh*
This map is great for sniping. At each end of the map is a base. One is a castle and the other is a sky lodge, both connected by a tram. Littered around the map is boulders, secret passages, towers and RC Tanks/helicopters <3

Holy shit.

Best map ever.

I just remember the good old days with 2-4 controllers split screen, capture the flag against as many bots as possible and just sit there and snipe.

I still even play it now, why is there no modern games like this...

No way, thats exactly what me and my mates used to do!

Haha that brings back memories! We used to do the same thing, but instead of sniper rifles we used the guided rocket launchers where you fly the rocket yourself!

Nothing like guiding a rocket directly into someones face from across the map

 

[Distorted Stu]

Spoiler: 2. James Bond: Nightfire - Skyrail

Thats the only picture i could find *sigh*
This map is great for sniping. At each end of the map is a base. One is a castle and the other is a sky lodge, both connected by a tram. Littered around the map is boulders, secret passages, towers and RC Tanks/helicopters <3

Holy shit.

Best map ever.

I just remember the good old days with 2-4 controllers split screen, capture the flag against as many bots as possible and just sit there and snipe.

I still even play it now, why is there no modern games like this...

No way, thats exactly what me and my mates used to do!

Haha that brings back memories! We used to do the same thing, but instead of sniper rifles we used the guided rocket launchers where you fly the rocket yourself!

Nothing like guiding a rocket directly into someones face from across the map

This is weird because i did the exact same thing with the snipers AND the rocket launchers! We used to have RC Battles too.