Whatever happened to secret levels?

[Daniel Cygnus]

Recently, I've been noticing an interesting trend in games: there seems to be a profound lack of secret levels, especially in shooters. It used to be that developers would always try to hide one or two amazing levels somewhere to reward the more diligent secret hunters (e.g. Doom and Quake), but now they seem to be few and far between, and usually in the form of a hurried afterthought.

Also, secret areas seem to have gone downhill in recent times. It used to be that you'd find a room full of ammo or health and occasionally something silly, but now it seems to be the standard useless-item-collectathon. (Gears, I'm looking at you.) One game that does this well is Halo. No matter what your opinion of the game is, you've got to admit Bungie knows how to hide something.

My question is: What happened to secret levels/areas? What could have caused their downfall?

My money's on the more cinematic presentation of modern games leaving no room for secret levels, making them immersion-breaking and bothersome to those trying to follow the story.

 

[jymbobjones]

maybe there hidden so well that u missed them ...... or it could be that the novelty of them wore off soon after the next gen consoles hit the shelves

 

[GodsOneMistake]

They were annoying... and Secret

 

[TheManFromVan]

shhh, if you talk about them, they won't be secret anymore...

 

[walkingdead127]

More emphasis on graphics and story. There is no extra time to make extravagant extras. Fallout 3 has some interesting moments if you look for them.

 

[DM.]

Not really, I just found an assault rifle in L4D in the toilets.

In a quite a few games actually things seem to be hidden in toilets.

I hope that games have swapped secret areas for toilets.

Want to see me type toilets again?

Toilets.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

The internet happened, and they couldn't use them as a means to sell strategy guides. At least, that's my theory. I too enjoy games with plenty of hidden treasures.

 

[bodyklok]

Development co$t$ went up so developers could no longer afford to put needles things like that in their games. It's a sad state of affairs but oh well.

 

[TheManFromVan]

The internet happened, and they couldn't use them as a means to sell strategy guides. At least, that's my theory. I too enjoy games with plenty of hidden treasures.

Yep, strategy guides used to be an industry in itself.

 

[Fingerprint]

Yeah for me its the realism of a game - to my mind that is a separate entity to immersion, though they are often confused - would you really find a room full of ammo, med kits and some awe inspiring weapon? Realistically, no. But games are just that: games. Look at Wolf 3D and Diablo 2 (they instantly spring to mind), they were both immersive - especially for their time - and Wolf in particular had hundreds of hidden areas, who doesn't remember walking along a wall holding/repeatedly tapping spacebar? And Diablo 2 had the Secret Cow Level. You step through a red portal into a field with a lot of Hell Bovines - whats not to love. Bring back secret levels!

 

[lwm3398]

sorry,that's a secret.

 

[gunbladejoe]

I dunno. people just decided they got so annoying that other people just decided forget it. doubt there was anything good in the secret room anyways.

 

[New Troll]

Hmmm... wonder if Diablo 3 will have it's own Cow Level?

 

[TheManFromVan]

Hmmm... wonder if Diablo 3 will have it's own Cow Level?

Of course it does, and I will find it.

 

[Erana]

Why hide content you could use to sell your product?

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Secret levels are still around, only now they cost money and have a different name: Downloadable content. Half of this extra crap we pay for IS already on the disc, so in a sense it's a secret level that can only be unlocked through generous infusions of cash.

 

[No-Superman10]

Secret levels are still around, only now they cost money and have a different name: Downloadable content. Half of this extra crap we pay for IS already on the disc, so in a sense it's a secret level that can only be unlocked through generous infusions of cash.

Bloody good point