Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

General and high profile video game topics.
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MSR1701
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby MSR1701 » August 13th, 2021, 8:58 am

strat wrote:Quick Man's stage is pretty easy with a little practice, and you can just get through with the Time Stopper (you still have to do at least one screen). Zero Stage 1 in Megaman X5 is an infuriating retread of the idea. It worked in MM2 because you had a split second to view the room before the laser beams. In X5, you practically have to memorize every little beam to get through the barrage of instant death or use that game's time stopper thingy.

Battle Toads has worse levels than Turbo Tunnel, believe it or not. I can't stand the riding snake level or the aquatic tank. Or most of the levels after Turbo Tunnel, even.

The Peter Puppy level in EWJ has a "bonus" section where you can whip Peter over his house which is a lot more difficult and full of power-ups. Not only can I not beat this section, most YT playthroughs skip it.


Oh the X5 Sigma Stage 1... UGH. X5 has a Time Stopper equivelant, but its functions not quite as well as ye old Time Stopper in MM2. Also, that stage has the Black Devil for a boss...
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And while most of X6's levels also could make the list for this thread, I specifically want to list the Gate Stages:
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And which EWJ Pete the Puppy are we referring to? The EWJ1 stage or the EWJ2 Bonus Rounds of Pain?
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Retro STrife
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby Retro STrife » August 13th, 2021, 12:12 pm

Maybe I'm in the minority, but how about Marble Zone from the first Sonic the Hedgehog on Genesis? Maybe not "shameful", but definitely one of the most disappointing levels ever. After enjoying the rush of Green Hill Zone, suddenly the game comes to a screeching halt, sticking you into a plodding traditional platform-jumping routine. The level design is all fine and well, but it removes all the roller coaster speed that instantly hooks you in Green Hill and is a really abrupt and weird transition.

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MSR1701
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby MSR1701 » August 13th, 2021, 12:18 pm

I agree, Marble Zone does feel odd after the fun that was Green Hill Zone.

Still a better Zone than, say Sonic 2 GG's Underground Zone...
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Or Sky Zone...
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Hagane
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby Hagane » August 13th, 2021, 2:08 pm

Snot a Problem level on Earthworm Jim - This level exist only to give that humour factor to the game, it's boring as hell.

All the water levels on Sonic games - Ok you're playing a fast game and then all of sundden everything becomes too slow, and you can't even swin anywhere, you have to walk very slowly underwater, WTH?

The Dice Palace level on Gunstar Heroes - It ruins an awesome game, you have to stop the shumup stages to play a board game?? No thanks.

Hagane
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby Hagane » August 13th, 2021, 2:18 pm

Retro STrife wrote:Maybe I'm in the minority, but how about Marble Zone from the first Sonic the Hedgehog on Genesis? Maybe not "shameful", but definitely one of the most disappointing levels ever. After enjoying the rush of Green Hill Zone, suddenly the game comes to a screeching halt, sticking you into a plodding traditional platform-jumping routine. The level design is all fine and well, but it removes all the roller coaster speed that instantly hooks you in Green Hill and is a really abrupt and weird transition.

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I kind of like the Marble Zone stages, those more plataforming based levels are a nice change of pace. The problem with Sonic game is the lack of variety, you're always running and face some obstacles here and there, and that is it, there is not a auto scrolling stages (which would be awesome for Sonic games) or a levels where you fly or something, just give me something new, and you play two or three levels that look the same, it doesn't even change the weather or night/day to distinguish the levels.

Voor
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby Voor » August 13th, 2021, 3:53 pm

I’m torn on this one, but Mario Bros 3 goes WAY to heavy on the autoscroller levels. Granted, they’re challenging and fun in their own right, but it gets old towards the end.

TheEagleXIII
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby TheEagleXIII » August 13th, 2021, 7:49 pm

Marble Zone has grown on me over time, but that's an interesting point of view about it being misplaced after Green Hill. But I grew up with the infamous slowed-down PAL version if Sonic 1, so that definitely added to the torture on that level. Labyrinth Zone was another I disliked, partially due to double slowdown when combined with the underwater effects. Again, it's grown on me now I can play how it was intended.

My least favourite Sonic level is probably Aquatic Ruin.

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Aesthetically it's really nice and there's some neat elements like the Totem Poles shooting arrows, and the Boss is great (until you figure out the easy way to beat Robotnik) - but I hate the layout. Half over, half under water. On land, too many elements in the foreground make it hard to discern where you are. Grounder badniks (with the drills and tracks) bust through walls just pixels away from springs, those Totem Poles that fire arrows are also sometimes annoying placed, resulting in getting hit after bouncing off a spring. Sometimes both are combined. There's also several moments where you can see multiple pathways ahead, but you can't always tell which way running forward will send you. Those badniks that look like little swarms of flies congregate and move awkwardly at the top of ledges not giving you time to jump to attack or escape. All those things combined just make it feel cramped - and that's not even taking into account that's only the top half of the level.

The underwater half just steals your momentum, and you have to tread way too cautiously on land to prevent yourself ending up down there. Once your down, that's it. You gotta ride it out until you reach the one spring that allows you to get back on land, and the pathway feels linear and is never fun on any of my repeated playthroughs. Oh and that one spring that gets you back on dry land? It ain't one of those nice classic Sonic springs...
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Its one of these sideways 'lever' springs. The ones that make Sonic do that isometric flip and feel spongey on land, and have all the force of a limp handshake underwater. That thing is useless at getting you out of the water quickly when you got the drowning countdown blaring.

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MSR1701
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby MSR1701 » August 13th, 2021, 7:52 pm

In the ROM hack Megaman X in Sonic 2, Aquatic Ruins Zone is one of the WORST levels to slog thru in the game... everything you described above dialed up to 11.

jon
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby jon » August 14th, 2021, 10:55 am

Those water levels in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins are excruciatingly tedious and take forever. In at least one specific location on one of Yoshi’s levels you have to go backwards to either make progress or to get to a secret level, which wasn’t that great anyways. On some levels in the game they give you like 900 seconds. That’s really different than the original.

mbd36
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Re: Video Game "Hall of SHAME - Video Game LEVELS"

Postby mbd36 » August 14th, 2021, 12:55 pm

TheEagleXIII wrote:Marble Zone has grown on me over time, but that's an interesting point of view about it being misplaced after Green Hill. But I grew up with the infamous slowed-down PAL version if Sonic 1, so that definitely added to the torture on that level. Labyrinth Zone was another I disliked, partially due to double slowdown when combined with the underwater effects. Again, it's grown on me now I can play how it was intended.

My least favourite Sonic level is probably Aquatic Ruin.

Image

Aesthetically it's really nice and there's some neat elements like the Totem Poles shooting arrows, and the Boss is great (until you figure out the easy way to beat Robotnik) - but I hate the layout. Half over, half under water. On land, too many elements in the foreground make it hard to discern where you are. Grounder badniks (with the drills and tracks) bust through walls just pixels away from springs, those Totem Poles that fire arrows are also sometimes annoying placed, resulting in getting hit after bouncing off a spring. Sometimes both are combined. There's also several moments where you can see multiple pathways ahead, but you can't always tell which way running forward will send you. Those badniks that look like little swarms of flies congregate and move awkwardly at the top of ledges not giving you time to jump to attack or escape. All those things combined just make it feel cramped - and that's not even taking into account that's only the top half of the level.

The underwater half just steals your momentum, and you have to tread way too cautiously on land to prevent yourself ending up down there. Once your down, that's it. You gotta ride it out until you reach the one spring that allows you to get back on land, and the pathway feels linear and is never fun on any of my repeated playthroughs. Oh and that one spring that gets you back on dry land? It ain't one of those nice classic Sonic springs...
Image
Its one of these sideways 'lever' springs. The ones that make Sonic do that isometric flip and feel spongey on land, and have all the force of a limp handshake underwater. That thing is useless at getting you out of the water quickly when you got the drowning countdown blaring.


No hate for Labyrinth Zone in the original Sonic? It's no fun at all and moves along at a glacial pace.


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