Best/Worst Sections in Games

[Moonface]

1. What do you think is the best/worst section in games you've played and why?

2. What sections in games do you personally love or hate to play when replaying a game? I ask this one since you might dislike a section even though it's not necessarily bad, it's just not something you like to go through, such as an obligatory tutorial section.

[macGamr]

Loooooong cutscenes that you can't skip. But if you also mean sections in games in regards to level design, then these damn auto-scrolling levels. I mean ones in platform games where if you can't keep up with the pace it's going, and it's packed with one giant chasm underneath to make things worse, this will be the worst day for you ever.

[lp0 on fire]

As Mac said long cut scenes you can't skip, but also
Escort missions, Defend x missions and QTEs.

[Dragon Lord]

Anything underwater or that involves being in or on a large, open body of water. Especially if there are giant sea creatures involved.

Examples: love Majora's Mask to death, it's my favorite LoZ game along with ALttP, but every time I play it an I get to Great Bay, knowing what's involved in that area, I'm just like, "Well, that was a fun playthrough!"

It's only in 3D games as well. I don't have a problem with any underwater levels in 2D games, but when I can't see what's behind me, to my sides, or above/below me, I can't stand it. Even if I know there's nothing in the water, it still terrifies me. Skyrim for example has no giant sea creatures, the most you'll ever encounter in the water are some Slaughterfish (I think that's the right name), but I still can't go out into the sea in that game.

In Okami (which I'm currently playing), there's a part where you come out of this sunken ship and you're a decent distance away from the shore, and a giant sea serpent chases you, and you have to try to get back to shore before it gets you. I knew this part was coming, because I read ahead on it, but it will still prevent me from ever replaying this game again. It was pure nightmare fuel for me and I will never do it again.

Fuck Subnautica.

[Moonface]

Underwater levels are among my least favorite sections of Crash Bandicoot 3, especially for time trials. I just find their pace to be too slow.

I also hate the section in Dead Space where you have to shoot the asteroids. It's the only part of the game that detracts from the experience.

On subsequent playthroughs I find puzzles in action/adventure games to be tedious. I already know the solution, so it just ends up feeling like a road block to more of the action, especially in games like Uncharted. When I replay those games I want only combat and short puzzles. Anything long and it gets on my nerves because there's nothing to get out of it.

On the subject of Uncharted, I love the Nepal and train sections of 2 (minus the temple puzzle). I think it may be my most replayed part of all the Uncharted games.

[Dragon Lord]

Underwater levels are among my least favorite sections of Crash Bandicoot 3, especially for time trials. I just find their pace to be too slow.

For me, it's not so much that they are slow or boring (I mean, sometimes they are), but more that I have an extreme fear of the ocean, and that carries over into video games (I believe I have talked about this before on here). But it's only in 3D games, where I'm unable to see behind me, above me or below me. Especially when I know that something lurks in the water with me.

To give you a visual representation of me doing a water part of any 3D game that requires me either going underwater, into the water at all, or even on the water in any sort of vehicle, please watch the following video:



Just replace, "For the Krusty Krab!" with, "For the Platinum Trophy!" and that's basically me during those parts of games.

[Mr EliteL]

Going to use Uncharted 4, as it's the game I remember best of the Uncharted series. Need to play my Uncharted Collection to remember my favourite sections of 2....or 3. From UC4, Chapters 17 & 18. Not really for gameplay reasons, and of course I love all the dialogue, plus Sam and Sully as partners from the game, but having Elena back as the companion just felt extra special. Also for the downtime/exploring during those chapters.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door now, there's a chapter that is my favourite, but also has probably my least favourite part included in it, which makes no sense since that should make another chapter come out on top. Chapter 6, 3 Days of Excess. Don't care how others players may have felt about wondering around a train for ages, but I loved it. The funny mysteries going on, with the real one later, I enjoyed all of that and always look forward to it as I near the chapter in any playthrough. However, the Day 2 stop at Riverside Station is where my enjoyment levels go down a bit. Feels a bit tedious to go through, as I'd rather be back on the train listening to Pennington, and helping solve crimes. Although I wouldn't really say that part is categorised as an absolute "worst", just a hindrance.

[Moonface]

I didn't mention it before, but I hate having to sit through tutorials again in a game after playing it once. Especially if you lock a difficulty behind beating the one before it then proceed to tell me how to play the game when I play the new difficulty. I just beat your game to unlock this, I clearly know how to play! >.<

[Amalthea]

Anything underwater or that involves being in or on a large, open body of water. Especially if there are giant sea creatures involved.

I was thinking this as well, though more for the reason that Moonface mentioned about their pace, being boring or just... annoying. The ones that come to mind most are the water levels from the Donkey Kong games on the SNES (though Aquatic Ambiance is a great track).

Or when you get stuck on that raft in Illusion of Gaia   I swear it must be a ten minute cut-scene that feels never ending.

[ShiraNoMai]

Anything underwater or that involves being in or on a large, open body of water. Especially if there are giant sea creatures involved.

I was thinking this as well, though more for the reason that Moonface mentioned about their pace, being boring or just... annoying. The ones that come to mind most are the water levels from the Donkey Kong games on the SNES (though Aquatic Ambiance is a great track).

Watching Speedrunners get through those water levels in DKC2 this past GDQ was quite impressive. Actually made it look like those sections wouldn't be as annoying to get through.
I do have to say, though, that I think Super Mario Odyssey gets points for making water sections enjoyable the moment you were able to capture a Cheep Cheep and are able to breeze through the water faster than you could air sometimes. Or even skip entire water segments with the Gushen capture and water jet your way across areas.

[Dragon Lord]

Or when you get stuck on that raft in Illusion of Gaia   I swear it must be a ten minute cut-scene that feels never ending.

There's actually a way you can get through that whole sequence a bit faster. RPGLimitBreak had Illusion of Gaia in their Questing For Glory marathon, and I was like, "Oh boy, this speedrun must get fun during the raft sequence." They then talked about how you can cut a good chunk of time during that sequence out my manipulating your HP to be at just the right amount, which makes it so you don't have to spend nearly as long capturing fish to fill your HP. 

It's something you'd never think to do casually, of course, but seeing them do it to shorten that part was just like, damn, I've been wasting so much time when I replay that game.

[Moonface]

Seeing this again, I really don't like the island section in Resident Evil 4. It takes the action aspect too far because a lot of it turns into mob rushes and enemies start getting guns. There's a few tense moments with the Regenerators but overall I don't like the tone this part of the game has compared to the rest.

I also don't like the opening area of RDR2 because it's just so slow and dull. Same for the epilogue; I haven't even finished it because it's so slow and filled with farm chores.

[Nightingale]

I know what the intent is, but the whole tram scene on Half-Life is just... ugh.

And I'm also not a fan of the way Pokémon: Black and White feels the need to hold your hand for five minutes... as if it hadn't already handed you a monster capable of destroying the whole town!

[Maniakkid25]

Chapter 6 of Dark Chronicle sucks, because it's spinning your wheels for six hours getting absolutely nothing new accomplished. It requires you to go back through all the dungeons you've been in before, unlock a new area, and travel through that for 4-6 levels so that you can obliterate a normal monster with the Ridepod and get a gem.

Meanwhile, a "best" area can be Sanctuary Fortress in Metroid Prime 2. IMO, it's a really cool area, especially considering the items you get there like the Screw Attack and stuff.

[WR91]

I just really can't stand when I keep dying from something so easy to others. Like in Gears of War. Not even too far into the game I keep dying and after about 20 minutes of trying to defeat a boss I just give up and call it a day/night.

One day I'll beat it. One day.