The Top 20 Videogame Levels - Part One

Here I'm going to list my top 20 favourite levels in games I've played so far. Some might seem a little surprising, and I'm sure nobody will agree with me on certain ones, but each has been picked for a reason, and I will explain why. Be warned, spoilers feature prominently in this list. So, in no particular order:

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All - Final Case

Not only is it by far the longest case in the game, it is also one of epic proportions. It's a seven hour struggle that swings from hostage situations, to trying to find you own client guilty, to desperately buying time to save a friend's life, to sweeping a room full of teddy bears for bugs, to… well, you get the picture. The spectacle of it is increased by two different endings that are very clearly defined as 'good' and 'bad'. Exhilarating, exhausting, but most of all, excellent.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - The End

In a game so full of incredible boss battles and moments it could have filled this list all by itself, it's tough to pick just one section of this masterpiece to enter into this list. So it's after some deliberation I find myself remembering the 2 hour sniper fight with pensioner The End as my favourite moment in this game, or maybe any. A test of endurance and skill, you'll soon realise this isn't going to be over any time soon (unless you use one of the many amusing and innovative methods to cheat your way past it.) You'll soon be looking for the glint of sun reflected off of the lens of your foe's binoculars, or using the thermal goggles to track his footprints, or maybe even donning a crocodile cap and hiding in the river to trick him… But it's the thing that follows this physically and mentally exhausting fight that's really the icing on the cake; a four minute ladder climb with nothing to do but stare at the wall and listen to the quiet vocal solo. That, game designers, is called pacing.

Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 - Venom

Lylat Wars/Star Fox 64 was a game shockingly ahead of it's time. It had multiple routes through the game subtly determined by how well you performed in it's levels, and it introduced rumble and a dogfighting multiplayer mode. The final level was a pure revenge mission which had you racing towards the villain of the piece, Andross. An inredible example of on rails gameplay preceded one of gaming's best boss fights, and it was all capped off by the ability to seemingly raise Fox's dad from the dead. But only if you were good enough.

Shadow of the Colossus - Final Colossus

In a game entirely based around making you feel guilty for doing the only thing you could, by the end of the game you were feeling suitably mentally worn down, especially as your only companion in the whole game, your horse Agro, has just died in order to save you (or so you are led to believe..) So it's wearily, but with a sense of awe and dread, that you begin to scale this enormous level cleverly designed as an astonishing looking monster. Will you be able to bring yourself to kill it? Well, there's no alternative…
Guitar Hero 3 - TtFaF

In arguably the most punishing game in both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, having just bested the likes of Metallica's One and Slayer's Raining Blood, you would think that you had beaten the best Neversoft had to offer. Well, not exactly. To truly finish the game you had this impenetrable wall of notes to contend with, and it was one that started with an intro that required many players to import real guitar techniques (ie tapping) into their plastic Les Pauls just to get past the intro. And if you managed to get past that, there was still an umpteen number of finger frazzling solos to get through. Yeah, good luck with those…

Star Wars Battlefront - Bespin Platforms

Probably the strangest choice on the list so far, this open level was a firm fan favourite for Battlefront players. Mainly because it consisted of two choking walkways leading to one central platform, where one grenade could send you flying off of the level into the seeming infinity of Bespin's atmosphere. It's incredibly exhilarating battling your way through an enemy infested corridor in order to reach the key central control point. At least until a wild grenade ends your fun in an instant. Level design at it's best.

Grim Fandango - Rubacava

In a game filled with great areas to, err, point and click in, it's surprising that there was such a clear favourite in my mind. The harbour city of Rubacava is the site of the longest single portion of the game, and it's one of the most enjoyable places to explore in any videogame ever. As soft jazz music plays subtly in the background, you'll make your way through the town and encounter numerous film noir-esque characters along the way, all smoking and wearing berets, some even calling you incomprehensible slang names. The actual gameplay here is genius, too, with a particular highlight being locking a waiter into a cupboard and listening to his many different cries for freedom. Or maybe I'm just sadistic.

Zelda: OoT - Hyrule Field

Frequently hailed as the greatest game of all time, the one thing everybody who has played this will remember is the first time you ride into the sprawling Hyrule Field on your humble steed, Epona. As the obligatory 'epic' music kicks in, you'll struggle to contain your excitement as you try, and fail, to find a fault or barrier in this huge playground. Well, maybe you won't today, in the world of ultrarealism and fully fledged open worlds, but back in 1998 it was a real shock.

Resident Evil 4 - Village Opening

Best Opening Level Ever? Probably. Nothing quite sets the tone for the desperate battle for survival that RE4 is, like being chased through a rural Spanish village by angry farmers who are aiming their pitchforks at you. And just when you might have found a 'safe' place to hole up for a while, you'll hear the terrifying sounds of a chainsaw revving up, before the door of wherever you're hiding is kicked down by a guy brandishing the aforementioned chainsaw and wearing a bag on his hand. Don't act quickly enough, and you'll 'get to' see one of the most spectacularly brutal deaths in gaming. So yeah, it's a good level.

Half Life 2 - Turret Standoff

While most would pick Ravenholm as their standout moment from this incredible game, I've decided to go for the desperate standoff in the prison during which your main weapon is a gravity gun. Well, a gravity fun that can lift up gun turrets and place them in front of your rapidly advancing foes, conveniently mowing them down so you don't have to. What starts off as a relatively simple puzzle of sorts soon becomes the most intense, elaborate Tower Defence game you'll ever play. And if that sounds like I'm trying to belittle it, then be assured that I mean that in the most praiseworthy way possible. Panic-inducing chaos at it's best.

So, that's the first 10. Look out for part 2 sometime soon!