My Retrogaming memories always take me back to certain levels in certain games that either blew my socks off or were so enjoyable or frustrating to play that they have just stuck with me till this day.
Inspired by a cool article on the Metro website metro.co.uk
I decided to wrack my brains to see what amazing memorable levels are stored in my random access memory…
Here's the results of my intensive wracking!
"Infuriatingly Good Level Design" - Cheese Brdge Area - Super Mario World (SNES)
This level will stick with me until the day I depart this earth. The level contained a secret exit behind the usual exit that was accessible by using a caped Mario and a Yoshi and timing the jump underneath the exit just right so as you unveil the secret exit behind the usual exit. For me I found that I needed to complete this level using the secret exit and I couldn't rest until I'd achieved it. The thing is, I'd comfortably get to the end of the lvel each time and then when the pressure was on to time my jump, I'd get stage fright and fluff my lines!! This would result in me plunging to an untimely end or jumping through the normal exit rather than behind it! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr! The day I found the secret exit and timed that jump perfectly was one of my finest moments in video gaming! It was like a weight had been lifted from my control pad and I couldn't finally get on with the rest of the game!!
"Which Way Now?" - Labrynth (Final Level) - Wonder Boy In Monster Land (SMS)
At the time this last level seemed impossible. I was about 8 years old and it felt like the game was mocking me. I could never remember which way to go next. It was driving me insane. It was then that I made my first of many Video Games maps. Graph paper in hand I set to beat this bad boy level and yes after much trial and error I earned the right to fight that Robot Dragon thing!
"The Iconic Level" - Green Hill Zone 1 - SONIC The Hedgehog (Megadrive)
Well just thinking back to my first few games of SONIC makes me recall what amazement I felt as I guided Sonic around Green Hill Zone at break neck speed. The likes of which i'd never experienced before. As an introduction to Sonic's speed and his ability to undertake various acrobatic feats as well as completing a level from end to end in about 20 seconds it was a great and memorable intro to a gaming icon.
"The Road Is long" - Rainbow Road - Super Mario Kart (SNES)
A racing track that filled me with genuine fear.
A multicoloured behemoth.
A symbol of hardcore Mario Karters.
A way of separating the men from the plumbers.
Rainbow Road was the pinnacle of Super Mario Kart and the game felt like it was building up to this amazing track.
For someone who managed to get here for the first time it was an unforgiving experience as you plunged off of the side multiple times on your first lap only to put the Fishin' Lakitu to work.
For your best mate who you were showing the level to for the first time it was a definite WOW! moment that would make them want a SNES even more.
I'm not sure that the subsequent versions have hit the heights of the original Rainbow Road and maybe that's just 'cos i'm looking at it wearing Rainbow Coloured glasses.....
"Road Rage" - First 10 Minutes Of Grand Theft Auto - Grand Theft Auto (PS1)
My mate Lee owned the demo of GTA that he had got off the front of the Official Playstation magazine. He kept banging on about how cool the game was so we went over to play it.
The demo was limited to the first 10 minutes of gameplay and in that time you could do anything you wanted. We took it in turns to play the 10 minutes as each of us watched on in amazement as we mowed down civilians, hijacked cars and just caused 10 minutes of pure mayhem.
It was a game changing experience for me as it felt like the first adult orientated game that i'd ever played. The thing is it was pure fun and escapism, the likes of which I had never experienced before in a video game. The level was brilliant and opened the playground of GTA perfectly as you tried to cram as much into that 10 minutes as humanly possible!!
What's Your Most Memorable Level Of ALL TIME?
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