Some games are great, but very few sustain a consistent greatness for their entirety. Indeed, just think of your favourite game in the world and there is bound to be the odd mission, task or level that really blows. Here’s a run down of ten levels in otherwise good games that really stick out like a sore thumb for being a little sucky.
Chemical Plant Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic is meant to be about speed, an element that Sonic 2 was able to deliver extremely well; for the most part at least. After blazing through an epic Green Hill Zone, this bastard of a level just stops you in your tracks like a veritable brick wall of poor design. The whole level is labyrinth like in its cut and paste structure, and the precision timing required to escape the ever rising sea of chemicals sends all but the most skilled of players to an early grave.
Sirena Beach – Super Mario Sunshine
Mario Sunshine had a lot of weak elements, but Sirena Beach was the stage that had more annoying shine sprites than any other. That first one with the manta ray boss was probably the most frustrating section of the entire Gamecube game library, and the Mysterious Hotel Delfino sprite, whilst interesting, slowed the pace of the game down to a crawl.
The Library – Halo: Combat Evolved
The original Halo revolutionised the FPS back in 2001, but it has one veritable Achilles heel in its design. Whilst the majority of the campaign impressed gamers with its open and explorable maps, the Library takes it all back and forces players to fight tedious waves of enemies in increasingly confined and similar looking spaces. The fact that the game became so successful in spite of this horrible level is a testament to the quality of Halo’s gameplay.
