Games that have amazing first levels but then......

[Anthony1]

after that first level, they really suck!!


I must admit to the fact that often times I will judge a game based on it's first level. I know it's dumb to do that. I mean, most games usually have about 8 levels or more, so judging a game on just 1/8th of it's content is pretty damn stupid, but for me it's like human nature I guess.

You play that first level, and if the graphics and sounds and playability and fun factor and everything rocks, then you think, "Man, this game is freaking awesome!".

And usually, probably about 7 out of 10 times or even more, if a game has a totally awesome first level, then usually the game is pretty damn good.

But I'm sure there must be some games out there, that have incredible first levels, and then the rest of the game goes downhill super fast.

I can't think of any right now that come to mind, maybe some of you guys can think of some?

[unbroken]

that medal of honor, where the first level is d-day(i forgot the name) for ps2. i had been waiting for a game like that forever, i LOVED the first level, it was everything i had imagined that a ww2 game could offer, sadly after the first few levels the game got really boring.

[Bluteg]

That was Medal of Honor Frontline, and while I agree that it got boring there was NO possible way it could outdo the awsomeness of the first level.

Too many games fit in this category to list for me but it's usually not the fault of the level design but it's usually the games repetitiveness kicking in. Halo 1 & 2 single-player seem to be like this very much.

[it290]

I like both of the games overall, but Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 both had super awesome first levels that were way more memorable than most of the other stages.

Another one for me would be Shinobi III. Great game, but the first couple of levels were real set pieces and some of the later stages felt a bit bland by comparison.

[briskbc]

I felt this way about Shadows of the Empire on the N64. The first level rocked. Flying around Hoth and taking out AT-ATs was something I always dreamed of in a Star Wars game. Things quickly got worse.

They made up for it with Rogue Squadron.

[Tachikoma]

Someone else mentioned a Medal of Honor game. For a more recent game, I'd have to say Medal of Honor Pacific Assault on PC. The first level which takes place at Pearl Harbor is simply amazing. The scripted events, action, music and graphics really suck you into the very short, yet memorable experience. Almost every other level after the first is kind of like " :/ .. maybe I should load up the Pearl Harbor level and play it again.."

[Push Upstairs]

Not really a "first level" but.. Blood on the PC had a great first episode. Level after level was some cool and unique shit....Train level, carnival...so on..so on. Really fun levels.

But later epsiodes tended to have alot of boring levels mixed in with a few great ones.

[InsaneDavid]

Ah, I can recall a couple..

I hate to say it since it really is such an awesome game, but I was so blown away by the overall design of the first stage of Einhänder (PlayStation) that no matter how cool the ones after it were they just couldn't stack up. The game is excellent in all aspects, but the experence just declined after that first incredible stage.

Skullmonkeys (PlayStation) was another game where the excellent visuals on the first stage trick you to kinda go along into a game that really needed a lot more testing time. You sit down to "OMG!! It really is a Neverhood platformer!" just to slowly watch the game fall apart as you get further in. No matter how cool a few of the stages later on were or how entertaining the cutscenes were, it was just one of those games that got progressively less fun the more you played it.

I'd also say Sonic CD but for fear of death I'll just keep my mouth shut. ^^;

[Dilemma]

Conker's Bad Fur Day

Killer intro, killer first level, then severely disappointing and redundant "South Park-style" humor.

[thegreatescape]

That was Medal of Honor Frontline, and while I agree that it got boring there was NO possible way it could outdo the awsomeness of the first level.


On the PC version D-day is somewhere in the middle, and the first missions are in northern Africa, so instead of starting out high it works up to it. Warhammer 40k: Firewarrior suffers the same problem as frontline im afraid- first level is hectic trench warfare in a battlezone defending against the attackers, but it works its way into a typical average (but playable) solo fps by the 3rd level.

[rarecube]

Maybe is because first levels are usually easier :-)

[pacmanhat]

Skullmonkeys (PlayStation) was another game where the excellent visuals on the first stage trick you to kinda go along into a game that really needed a lot more testing time. You sit down to "OMG!! It really is a Neverhood platformer!" just to slowly watch the game fall apart as you get further in. No matter how cool a few of the stages later on were or how entertaining the cutscenes were, it was just one of those games that got progressively less fun the more you played it.

The best part about Skullmonkeys is the secret/bonus level...that always kept it interesting for me. :lol:

Back on topic...I felt this way about Sonic Spinball - the first level was simple, easy and fun to do, but it got progressively more annoying and frustrating as time progressed.

[swlovinist]

Ahh, I have a game that is fresh in my mind. Magician Lord for the Neo Geo come to mind simply becuase the first level was easier, but it showed off what was the best about the game. The first level soundtrack is the best, but most of all, it was not cheap. As you progress in the game, the levels become incredibly cheap for deaths, somthing I dont like. Another thing about the first level it showed the power of the morphing orbs, somthing the later levels it becomes to cheap to pursue or just plan impossible. I like it when a game ramps up the difficutly level, but not when you get killed becuase of poor level design or impossible scanarios.

[Graham Mitchell]

Conker's Bad Fur Day

Killer intro, killer first level, then severely disappointing and redundant "South Park-style" humor.

I never played it all the way through, but my friend showed me pretty much all the levels--there was a lot of cool stuff in that game, actually, and a lot of clever ideas, even if the humor was a bit juvenile. Wasn't there a level towards the end where you have to drink a bunch of beer and then piss on the enemies to get them to move? I thought that was great! And who can deny that the poo level is entertaining?

[devilman]

Not to mention the scouse dung beetles. Great stuff!

[joshnickerson]

I second the Sonic Adventure/Heroes series. It always seems like Sonic Team put all their efforts into the first half of the game, and by the time you get to the last few levels, it's like they've given up trying to make the levels interesting or even remotely playable (SA2's space levels, I'm looking at you)

[Xexyz]

Oh boy, I'm probably going to get alot of hate for mentioning this but to a lesser extent, I felt this way about Super Mario 64. I'm not knocking the game as being bad, but the first level was so much fun that most of the levels preceding it felt more like chores. I will exclude the one level where you could make your surroundings change from big to small from this. That level was better than the first one IMO.

[imanerd0011]

I doubt anyone will agree with me on this, but I always though the first level of Super Contra was much better than the rest. It's not that the other levels are bad or anything, but the first level seems absolutely amazing, while the later levels seem only good.

[fishsandwich]

I felt this way about Shadows of the Empire on the N64. The first level rocked. Flying around Hoth and taking out AT-ATs was something I always dreamed of in a Star Wars game. Things quickly got worse.


I second THAT damn emotion!

The Hotch ice field scenes from the first SOTE really MADE the N64 (aside from SM64, of course.) There was nothing else quite like it at the time, and it ROCKED.

Then it came to a screaming, grinding, bleary halt when I started exploring endless mud caverns on foot. Gag.

I thought the first couple of levels of Pandemonium! (Saturn/PSX) were fantastic, especially the tower stage (I was playing the Saturn version, and it was pumping out some seriously smooth and funky 3-D goodness.) Then it started to sink into averageness. Still a good game, though.

Cheers

:D

[Bratwurst]

Not really a "first level" but.. Blood on the PC had a great first episode. Level after level was some cool and unique shit....Train level, carnival...so on..so on. Really fun levels.

But later epsiodes tended to have alot of boring levels mixed in with a few great ones.

Couldn't agree more. What was funny was all the great levels were found right in the shareware version (first episode). Years later I would pick up the commercial package for cheap, them later levels almost put me to sleep!

[Push Upstairs]

The 3rd episode....(or was it the 4th) episode of "Blood" had a few levels that took place in snow covered hotel was a blast to play. Secret passages and whatnot made that level fun.

But on those boring "Blood" levels it was just fun to use the cheat codes, get unlimited ammo and become invisible, and drop TNT or the lighted hairspray can near some of those hooded cultists or zombies. LOL

[Sotenga]

I'll mention the Adventures of Batman and Robin for the Genesis. The first level is considerably astounding, what with the fiery explosions, flood of clown soldiers, fighting Harley Quinn while attempting to dodge a giant claw, and ending by jumping from vehicle to vehicle to get to the Joker, all with kickass music.

Then we move onto level 2, which is awesome at first, dealing with Two-Face's goons on a zeppelin loading elevator, ending with Two-Face himself destroying the elevator and falling down while the background sways to and fro. It is after THAT that the game declines, when we go to the Batwing scene. It's fun to pilot the Batwing at first, but once you realize that about twenty minutes later, you're STILL IN THE SAME DAMN LEVEL... it gets repetitive.

Level 3 is just brutal, and it really lays it on thick with those damn "shock dolls." The jetpack scene is pretty bland, and this is around the time that you notice this game is a bit repetitive. Despite the fact that the graphics are impressive, the level design is... ehhhhhhh.

The final stage is just... BLAH. A real disappointment, and you expect Mr. Freeze to put up a greater fight, but his pattern is just so predictable... *sigh* The SNES game of the same name is definitely better, much more like the animated series. The Genesis game is... adequate, but repetitive, as you'll realize after the first level.

[Crush Crawfish]

I'll third the mentions of Sonic Adventure 1&2. Emerald Coast & City Escape are just so amazing and fun that the rest of the game just can't compare. I'll still never forget the first time I saw that killer whale in emerald coast. Amazing in '99, still amazing today.

[-hellvin-]

For me I'd have to say Duke Nukem 3D. I love the first episode and all of the levels but when it got to the space episode I hated the game. The 3rd episode was pretty cool but I still didn't like it as much as the first few levels. Generally, I don't think that game held up very well at all. Gimme Doom any day.

[hydr0x]

i must say i have never experienced this, can't remember a single game where the first level was far better than the others

[evildead2099]

Spider-Man (PSX). Swinging about NYC was fun, but you lose that sense of freedom once you are confined to the sewer levels that comprise the latter half of the game. Still a pretty great game overall, nevertheless.

Red Faction (1) is amazing, but one thing that irked me a little bit about it's final levels is the fact that the game's geo-mod technology becomes virtually obsolete (which gives you the idea to destroy terrain, creating your own pathways and shortcuts). Granted, you don't spend those final levels in bare-bones mine tunnels, but its a shame that a game whose framerate takes a hit to accomodate geo-mod technology doesn't bother to feature opportunities to use it during those stages.

[jslithy]

The first level of the original Thief is a classic. It's too bad there weren't more missions like it. It's not a bad game by any means, but it just didn't live up to the promise of the first mission.

[InsaneDavid]

Oh boy, I'm probably going to get alot of hate for mentioning this but to a lesser extent, I felt this way about Super Mario 64. I'm not knocking the game as being bad, but the first level was so much fun that most of the levels preceding it felt more like chores.

Not at all, I fully agree. Super Mario 64 started off as an incredibly cool amazing 3D adventure... and slowly became nothing but a headache.