Best game level ever?

[Holdfast]

I just felt the need for a bit of speed, and as I do once every few months or so, I pulled out my old Xbox Burnout2 disc and thrashed the Supercar around Big Surf Shores.

It's a track/car combo I never get tired off. The track is very cleverly designed, just (but only just) about allowing you to burnout through the entire 3-lap race if you do it perfectly, as well as being pretty to look at, and flowing/fun to race around. The game music matches the mood beautifully, which all goes to say that it's probably my favourite "level" in any video game. Both in terms of design and execution and also in terms of just sheer fun to play and replay.

What's your favourite?

Feel free to interpret level as broadly as you choose, so tracks, courses, matches are all fair game.

 

[Mr Light]

I think the level I've most replayed is Level 3 of Halo 2, the one that starts on the bridge with the tank and ends with you boarding the Scarab.

 

[Rii]

Just a couple that spring to mind...

Silo from Goldeneye 007
Shalebridge Cradle from Thief III
Tiny-Huge Island from Mario 64

 

[clint g]

The shadow moses level from MGS4
The first level in Splinter Cell 3
The final level of Xenosaga III

 

[Capt. Vulcan]

Big Game Hunters in Starcraft is something I never get tired of.

 

[SilentP]

First/last levels in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.
Assault on Kile II in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Surface in Goldeneye 007
Dam (1st level) in Timesplitters 2

 

[HappyDayRiot]

^ Speaking of TS2, we had that on last night and it reminded us all that the best level ever is Chinese. Places to hide, not too maze-like to get lost in all the time, perfect level for Deathmatch, Elimination or Capture the Bag... yeah, it's perfect.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

* Lord Bafford's Manor, from Thief
* Hong Kong market, from Deus Ex
* The Well (aka well6.bsp), from the original Team Fortress mod for Quake

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but those are the ones that stick out in my mind.

 

[John Clark]

Not sure if I'd say best, but a memorable one for me was from Call of Duty 4 - The chernobyl section.

 

[Starbreaker]

Toy Time Galaxy
http://mycheats.1up.com/view/section/3150586/20103/super_mario_galaxy_/wii

 

[Brikar99]

Certainly not 'best', but one of my favorite game levels was the motorcycle highway chase in "007: Everything or Nothing"

 

[backstept]

Pandora's Temple in God of War
the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the racing titles it appears in
also Laguna Seca in the racing titles it appears in
the airboat and buggy levels in Half-Life 2

 

[Canadave]

the airboat and buggy levels in Half-Life 2

The airboat sequence is awesome, and is one of my choices. The bit in the buggy would be up there too if it weren't for every time you have to stop and beat off antlions. I fucking HATE antlions.

*ahem*

Some others:

Goldeneye: Facility
Perfect Dark: Can't remember the name, but the second level of the first mission, in the research base.
World in Conflict: Battle of Pine Valley

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The Falling Ship - Jedi Knight (Dark Forces II)
The final part of mission 2 (the warehouse district) from Deus Ex
The last level of Portal (all of it )
The scrapyard training circuit from X-Wing Alliance
DM-HyperBlast - Unreal Tournament
"Curst Gone" - Planescape: Torment
Part II: Four Map Pieces - Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
"The Girl Who Wanted To Be God" by Manic Street Preachers - Audiosurf

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The final part of mission 2 (the warehouse district) from Deus Ex

I fucking hated that entire mission! I quit playing the game for quite a while because of it.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The final part of mission 2 (the warehouse district) from Deus Ex

I fucking hated that entire mission! I quit playing the game for quite a while because of it.

The thing I liked about that final segment was that you could choose very different paths to the final goal (and in one path you could still choose to go one way or another still). Actually I liked the New York segments of the game a lot overall.

 

[Yoda]

Not sure if I'd say best, but a memorable one for me was from Call of Duty 4 - The chernobyl section.

+1 to that sentiment.

I really liked the Mile High Club epilogue level too.

This is a good topic but I find myself having problems thinking up specific levels that stand out. For multiplayer games there are plenty that I really liked... lots of really well balanced and fun Warcraft 3 maps... a lot of the CoD4 maps were great, the nighttime one based on the broken tank single player segment was probably my favorite there. There were a couple in Battlefield 2 + Special Forces that I really loved.. maybe one that was called Warlord? Bah.. I think trying to describe all these levels will be a losing battle.

The Death Star run from the original X-Wing was all sorts of epic, as your ship goes in the trench and then triples its velocity! Epic!

I'm really failing with specifics here... uhhh... Through the Fire and Flames expert in Guitar Hero 3?

*shrug*

 

[The Evil Dead]

The Falling Ship - Jedi Knight (Dark Forces II)

Yeah, definitely.

 

[Lindley]

The final part of mission 2 (the warehouse district) from Deus Ex

I fucking hated that entire mission! I quit playing the game for quite a while because of it.

The thing I liked about that final segment was that you could choose very different paths to the final goal (and in one path you could still choose to go one way or another still). Actually I liked the New York segments of the game a lot overall.

I'll admit that area frustrated me for a little while. Once I found the window though, it was fine. And in retrospect they do give you plenty of clues where to look....it was just so odd (at the time) having such a large area to investigate without much in the way of linear guidance.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The Death Star run from the original X-Wing was all sorts of epic, as your ship goes in the trench and then triples its velocity! Epic!

Yeah, loved the Death Star levels in X-Wing, including the laser tower clearance level and the preceding massive space battle.

I also have a soft spot for some of the other X-Wing levels, including the training mission in an A-Wing where you have to fight other Rebel fighters in an arena-like mission.

And of course, for me the single best moment from TIE Fighter:
"Enough of this charade, Gamma 1 is the Emperor's stool pigeon! Gamma 2 and 3, destroy Gamma 1 now!"