Half-Life (Main Series) Bottom 5 Levels

[nokori3byo]

And, by that I mean the five most bitched-about levels in the history of the HL series (excluding the Gearbox games).

I call it like this:

1. Residue Processing: Probably, the most maligned level in franchise history.

Why?: It's often pointed out that RP doesn't really justify its own existence as a level. There's very little combat and little in the way of memorable puzzles, with the main challenge coming in the form of environmental hazards.

Does it deserve it's reputation?: Well, yes, but in fairness, it's not very long. Jump over some toxic goo and ride a gratuitous conveyor belt or two and it's over.

2. Xen A close runner up for most shat-upon HL level and the unenviable poster-boy for the jumping puzzles of the game's final act.

Why? Xen, as a whole, has been criticized for lacking many of the elements of game-designed that disitinguished the Black Mesa portion of the game. Additionally, the abundance of jumping puzzles makes frequent saving an irritating necessity.

Does it deserve it's reputation?: Apologists for Xen point out its design is actually innovative and visually interesting. I for one, found the jarring trasition from the Lambda Core to the silence of the border world to be effective. Jumping rankled a bit, but at least it didn't take too much time.

3. On a Rail: After the inspired puzzles of "Blast Pit" and "Power Up," this level succeeded only too well in fulfilling the promise of its title.

Why?: It's overlong and suffers from repetetive gameplay.

Does it deserve it's reputation?: "Rail" could definitely have done with some tightening, up. In its defense, it does end on a high note, with the player getting a brief whiff fresh air before launching a rocket to move the story's plot forward.

4. Exit 17 A disappointing conclusion the a game distinguished by tight gameplay and design.

Why? Escort missions are so 90s. Ferrying citizens back and forth to the train gets old a bit fast and the sight of the Combine unimaginatively popping in through windows to attack effectively kills the feeling of dynamism usually present in the series.

Does it deserve it's reputation?: Yes and no. While the escort segment of the level might disappoint, the final puzzle/boss fight is a passable climax, and the conclusion is one of the best ever featured in a computer game.

5. Sandtraps Probably HL2's most criticized level, though criticism of it tends to be selective.

Why?: Many players see "Traps" as an unnecessay elongation of Highway 17's long and winding road. It certainly is long and includes perhaps one too many barricades.

Does it deserve its reputation?: No. Any and all criticism of this level is effectively silenced by the Brobdinagian dose of win which is delivered at the end in the form of the nightime assault on Nova Prospekt. End of debate.

Honourable mention goes to Interloper, which shares some of Xen's perceived flaws, but smears them a much longer level and Anticitizen One, which a lot of people seem to view as being to long and just sos so in terms of gameplay. Highway 17 has been known to take flak for the same reasons.


Actually, this thread was just a pretense to see how different people felt about some of the more ciritcised franchise levels. Let me know what you think.

 

[Omega11]

Hmm, first, Anticitizen One, and Highway 17 were (in my possibly lone opinion) SOME OF THE BEST LEVELS OF HL2, The Best? SAND TRAPS, NOVA PROSPEKT, and FOLLOW FREEMAN.

Now, ahem, following you,

1. Power Up, fun, but lots of back tracking

Why?: The Garg is a bitch to face, and you often have to run by him in order to get from entrance, to control room, to cart, to generator. Though there are lots of good fight scenes, the tedious running back and fourth to flip switches, and the pits of radio activity, not fun.

Does It Deserve Reputation? I could say so, the Garg's first appearance was quite enjoyable, as well, it is a hot level with abou enough action to keep you going.

Honestly, that's the only level I have to critiscise =\. As far as I'm concerned, Half-Life (all games in general) kick total ass, the only level I have a 'bone to pick with' was On A Rail, but I'm sure you've covered my concerns in great detail.

 

[bbson john]

Criticise: Point insertion

WHY I CANNOT SKIP THE CUT-SCENE? D:

 

[nokori3byo]

Hmm, first, Anticitizen One, and Highway 17 were (in my possibly lone opinion) SOME OF THE BEST LEVELS OF HL2, The Best? SAND TRAPS, NOVA PROSPEKT, and FOLLOW FREEMAN.

Oh yeah, I love all those levels. In fact, there's not a level I don't like in HL2. There are, however, some I don't like in HL1.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Sandtraps rocked once you ditched the car IMO.

 

[Kevin]

On a rail was too long, true.
And im not saying i didn't like "Highway 17" or "Sandraps" but driving the car along the road was soooo long i could say, it was a graphically enhanced and "in-the-outdoors" version of "On a rail".

 

[Godron]

Hmm... the only level I remember getting angry with was Interloper; some of the bits where you're surrounded by controlers and vorts were very frustrating. Other than that, I found most of Xen pretty brilliant, even the jumping puzzles I didn't mind too much.

 

[nokori3byo]

Hmm... the only level I remember getting angry with was Interloper; some of the bits where you're surrounded by controlers and vorts were very frustrating. Other than that, I found most of Xen pretty brilliant, even the jumping puzzles I didn't mind too much.

I kinda liked the Grunt factory. If you're a good shot, the Vorts and Grunts can be despatched pretty handily with the magnum or crossbow. The controllers got easier once you figured out that you could just duck into a narrow hallway and pick them off as they came around the corner.

That said, the level was too long and in no way one of the game's best.

 

[Hellrider]

I personally really liked On a Rail,don't know why but i just did.

And Sandtraps is one of my favorite HL2 chapters.

And actually I didn't really have chapters in all HL related games that i hate.

 

[Iron_cube]

Hey! Xen was awesome!

No one else idled in the xen pools, with that refreshing ambience sound while looking at some xen plants moving around?

I thought these were the best HL1 maps.

And I must say that the EP1 ending was really short and fast, but I enjoyed the new strider aggressivebehavior they coded in.

 

[Darkside55]

Everyone knows I love Xen, so I'm not going to say anything on that.

You know what should be on your list? Follow Freeman.

I hate Follow Freeman. That chapter is the Cloverfield monster.

 

[Asknoone]

Follow Freeman is like, nearly the best chapter in HL2. Repent, Darkside.

 

[McGooTheWise]

Follow Freeman is like, nearly the best chapter in HL2. Repent, Darkside.

Seconded.

I hated Forget about freeman. Why? it was an incredibly short level, and piss poor game play after the best valve level I know of, surface tension. (Btw, the best part of surface tension is after the explosives warehouse.)

Another favorite of mine was Office Complex. it seems to be the part where you really start to understand just wtf is going on in the game. Also, you get the shotgun. Theres many extra places to explore.

Questionable ethics has to be my favorite level, however. it's because the environment just seems more friendly, and you get all your shit back after they took it. I loved seeing the bullsquids, soldiers, and houndeyes fight each other, also, and the scientist and Barney explode after the gauss gun overcharges. best part ever.

Least favorit levels?

Interpolar
Anti Citizen One
Rout Canal
On a rail
Black Mesa Inbound
Exit 17
Entanglement

Those are ones I dislike, for obvious reasons.

The 2n'd part of interpolar, however, is pretty neat.

 

[Darkside55]

Follow Freeman is like, nearly the best chapter in HL2 if you are a sadist.

Fixed.

"Hay guys, let's FOLLOW FREEMAN!"
"NO! Don't trip that laser, you idiot!"
"Hurr hurr hurr!"

 

[Asknoone]

Entanglement

Wow drown please.

 

[McGooTheWise]

Wow drown please.

Don't get me wrong, the level has great gameplay, and the turret defending throughout the level were awesome, but waiting for all the character interaction killed it for me. it was great the first time, but now it's all like "Yeah, yeah, I heard it all before *host_timescale 10*"

I bet you still wanna watch me trip off a high cliff though, huh?

 

[nokori3byo]

Frist of all, Entanglement is good. Not bad, good.

The only part of HL2 I can really find fault with is the driving segment leading up to the arrival that the lighthouse. The beginning of Sand Traps, does however feature HL2's scariest moment in the form of the darkened zombie tunnel--a bit I hated and admired in roughly equal measure.

 

[nutcrackr]

Follow Freeman is my least favorite level, Xen is also quite hard to really get into due to the odd and weird level design, I ended up skipping most of it during my playthrough.

 

[Baratos]

I thought Follow Freeman was the best part of the game, and is the level I have replayed the most. Striders are my favorite enemy of any game. They made me understand on a basic level why Earth was conquered in just 7 hours.

 

[Kevin]

Xen had some of the best ambient soundtracks and level designs i have ever seen in any game. It's a bit underrated. Like some guy said...try to sit in a puddle of the healing liquid and just look at the plants and the void and all...;(it's...beautiful...

 

[achilles_d]

Entanglement is one of my fav chapters

 

[leib10]

Residue Processing got old fast, and Route 17/Sandtraps was a bit too long and repetitive. Other than that, I have no complaints about the HL series level designs. The really, really good ones far outweigh the bad ones.

 

[kupocake]

1. Interloper: When people moan about 'Xen' they're moaning about Interloper rather than the single-map, non-event chapter that actually carries the name 'Xen' (which has virtually no jumping puzzles and a semi interesting visual intro to the 'border-world'). One of the coolest things about any Half-Life game is the natural progression from area to area so you can imagine you're in some context, moving towards some goal. Interloper (sandwiched between the similarly offending Gonarch's Lair and Nihilianth chapters) destroys this by presenting three seemingly disconnected spaces in Xen.

The first map has the worst, least intuitive jumping puzzles in the game, or perhaps any game. You jump from polygon to polygon to polygon to spaceship and hope for the best, whilst picking off Xen aliens with weak AI in order that they don't fry you once you're in range but more concerned with keeping your balance.

The next section isn't specifically annoying, it's just not really that interesting. Plenty of slow trudging along, picking off dumb AI from a safe distance and standing for half an hour in the healing pools.

The 'factory' sections are hideous. The architecture isn't specifically 'exotic', and the constant use of conveyor belts rather makes the entire area look like someone decided to re-skin Black-Mesa craptasm Residue Processing. Then you make it to almost citadel-esque towers of emptyness. Occupied by irritating and easy to kill controllers, and those horrible rotating platforms on sticks. Nothing in this particular part seems to make any sense. The design is outlandish in the blandest sense. Like someone put some primatives into a box and shook them around a bit. Ick.

2. Gonarch's Lair: Neat monster design, another rubbish non-descript area and the strings attached to the encounter (i.e. Scripting) are far too obvious.

3. Residue Processing: Boring, but quick about it. Scenario is good, but it feels a lot like the challenge of the game is conveniently put on hold so the player can find their feet again. And then it puts environmental puzzles in to compensate, and fails at doing so.

4. Exit 17: The one word that describes Exit 17 is 'rushed'. Rushed within the game, apparently rushed in a development context too. Saying goodbye to City 17 involves no especially hard fight or violent climatic street-war. There is no chaotic last ditch attempt to leave a crumbling city, just a forgettable sequence of triggers that follows a dull escort section. In fact, the horrible 'four at a time' squad mechanic is the only thing to be carried over from HL2's brilliant streetwar chapters, and it's even less welcome here as you get the sense that Valve desperately needed to 'pull a Bungie' and copy/paste some gameplay into a single area. Hell, they were apparently so rushed they forgot to even show the level title.

5. Nihilianth: Nothing says 'rudimentary' like an end of game boss. Except perhaps an end of game boss floating around the inside of a textured cylinder.

Others:

On a Rail is often criticized. It's not bad as such, but it just goes on for a long time (it is composed of 10 maps, a total equalled only by Surface Tension in HL1. Though ST certainly NEVER dragged).

In people's struggles to name a bad Half-Life 2 chapter, Sandtraps almost always rears its head, yet it is actually one of the game's most versatile chapters. The driving sections are somewhat unwelcome after the already lengthy Highway 17 chapter, yet the brief area here is actually among the best the Buggy maps have to offer. The lighthouse defence map has a brilliant Gunship battle, though the drop-ship assault is extremely flawed and easily exploited. The antlion nest section involves jumping puzzles and is apparently therefore put on an equal footing to the Xen maps: yet it is short lived, a logical extension of the gravity gun's capabilities and possible to avoid entirely if you'd rather shoot the hoardes of antlions that appear. And then there is the nova prospekt assault, which is surely the single best NPC accompanied sequence in the game, with the best gunship battle and overall chaos-factor you've seen.

 

[losttheskyagain]

I don't think there is a single map in the entire HL series I can speak poorly of except "Apprehension." Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic map. Really well done. The crossbow is one of my favorite weapons. I just can't stand being underwater in games. Every time I get to that chapter, many "eeuuugh" noises are made. So, it's more of a personal thing.

Euuugh, that ichthyosaur...

 

[Omega11]

DAYUM
Entanglement was awesome. . . especially the end, where Kleiner has a SPAS (gun I mean) XD -Forgot to click reply, referring to Samon's 'Wow Drown Please' post-

I'll admit On A Rail, could not be favoured because of its 'fun level' because of its length, ut finding the Vorts against Marines fights was fun, you also got to see just how poorly the military was dealing with the situation, and this is amplified in Surface Tension, so, it's meaning was good, but the length, not so much, it really sucked the first tim too, bcause of all the switches and that, you don't know how to use them, or miss, or screw up, and you get caught in a loop, which costs health =(

But above all, these 'crappy' levels add to the Half-Life experience, sure, it's frustrating, but to hear that good ol' soundtrack Valve cooked up at the end of major fire fights, and complicated scenarios, brings about such pride, and it's FUN to beat them, Sandtraps, the first time, was tedious bridge building, but when you beat it (and subsequently, th game) you go back and play it, just for fun (or I did, I also pulled out my SMG and stepped on the sand for some good ol' Anger Management ^^). And that's the purpose of Half-Life, and I think without a doubt, most of these tedious levels amplify that.