We all talk about classics like The Ocean House Hotel from VTM:B, All Ghilled Up from MW1, The Clockwork Mansion from Dishonoured 2, Silent Cartographer from Halo, etc.
What do you think (if anything) is worthy to join that list?
I personally have three I think are very good, but not necessarily top tier.
House Beneviento from Resident Evil Village - I know most would probably rate Castle Dimitrescu higher, but the sudden shift to more puzzle-based gameplay and the dichotomy between the more mundane house and the horrific creature(s) within really stuck out in my mind.
Ashtray Maze from Control - A mindbending power fantasy in the best sense, all set to heavy rock. A highlight.
The Halligtree from Elden Ring - The best overall legacy dungeon in the game in my opinion, with an interesting descent that starts in the top of the branches and spirals down and down until you get to the cavernous interior, and ends in the meme-worthy Malenia, blade of Miquella.
Would love some more suggestions people have enjoyed.
Discovering underground in elden ring. First Time nokstella. Thinking "ok yes this game is really crazy" because it's 100% optionnal and large.
Stumbling aimlessly into Siofra River was a top 5 gaming experience for me
There are at least 3 different jaw dropping zone entrances where I was just floored.
But just charging up to Stormwind to then fight Margit, THEN actually get into the castle, I felt like a real hero.
But taking the elevator down, and down, and down to Siofra River was mind bending and made me realize the magnitude of what I had gotten myself into.
Makes me want to go relive it again.
One of my biggest wtf moments was actually one of those catacomb dungeons that you enter through a lift downwards that instead of going upwards on the way back instead goes another level deeper.
I was so confused. It completely threw me off
Charging up to Stormwind hahaha, Elden Ring/WoW crossover.
When I got on the elevator the first time, I started reading an item description for something I just picked up. After reading it, the elevator was still going and I thought, "damn this is a long elevator." Then I had that same thought like 3 or 4 more times before the end.
I found myself there pretty early and did everything I could. Was Fantastic.
The Siofra well completely blew my mind so hard I literally thought "how the fuck did humans even make this game"
A genuine question, have you played Skyrim?
It's hard to pick but House of Hope from Baldur's Gate 3 is probably one of my favorite areas in any game. The rest of the game is amazing as well but every playthrough I can't wait to get to House of Hope.
Baldur`s Gate 3 and Elden Ring are so insane for things like the House of Hope and the Underground Areas in Elden Ring because there are probably a ton of players who finished both games without ever touching these areas, and even if you don`t the games are amazing.
I probably have close to 1300 hours in BG3 between the xbox and my pc and I will still find new dialogues or a cutscene or something else I have missed in my other runs. There's still several quests in Act3 in BG3 I have yet to do because I usually forget about it by the time I do House of Hope. I should make my next run a "No House of Hope till X is finished" run.
The House of Hope is hard to miss ? It's closely tied to the main quest and Laezel's quest.
Honestly I didn’t think it was until two of my friends finished the game without doing it.
The game should give you a prompt "are you sure you want to move forward ? You'll miss a banger of a soundtrack" :D
BG3 is a game where there were probably at least two dozen times where I stopped and said to myself “this game is fucking insane.” lol
Sinnerman from Cyberpunk 2077 maybe? Certainly stands out/sticks in your brain for a while (mine at least)
In middle school I was in an orchestra and we had one song that was real somber and slow, and our conductor told us "For this song, you know that you played it well if nobody claps, because nobody will want to break the spell when it's over."
That was over fifteen years ago, but I thought about it when I finished Sinnerman, because that's how it felt finishing that mission.
I played this for the first time a few months ago, and I couldn't understand how it wasn't a bigger deal when it came out. I was already really immersed, and to do all that was kind of a little bit unbelievable, like wtf was I watching. It wouldn't even let me enter photo mode!
Stumbling into the Vault of Glass in Destiny for the first time was pretty wild. The sense of scale and mystery as you progress deeper. We didn’t have enough people initially and had to figure out everything blind with some pretty bad weapons.
It took us days to beat the Templar and - it just kept on going and getting stranger. We didn’t know what a raid even was.
Older than 10 years but yeah, Vault of Glass was brilliant. I didn't play it until maybe a year after the fact because I fell off Destiny pretty early. Even being sherpa'd by a friend still had me astounded.
Crumbling Farum Azula and the Haligtree from Elden Ring. IMMEDIATELY upon reaching them, I was in love. Spawning in the tree tops and having to work your way down sooo far.. And just takin off and finding all Farum Azula and its insane inhabitants had to offer in its ancient labyrinthian destruction.. Breath taking.
I adore the aesthetic of Crumbling Farum Azula and hate navigating it lol
I forget the name of it, but the mission in Red Dead 2 where you assault that plantation mansion, and burn it to the ground,
I don’t remember the mission name either, but you’re talking about the attack on Braithwaite Manor after they kidnapped Jack. One of my favorite missions in all of gaming.
That felt sooooo good to burn it down
Also there were several good missions at the end. That one on the mountain top tracking down Micah and square off against those three thugs and that classic western style soundtrack kicks in was gold.
“Just you left, is it?”
“Yeah. Just me.”
QUICKDRAW MODE ACTIVATE!
Came here to say this one, yep. Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern is the mission name. When the gang is slow-walking up the house, all standing in one line across the gravel road... ooof, sooo good.
Also fun fact: If you return to the burned down mansion a few days later (or whenever), you can find Catherine's corpse all burnt and crispy, and loot a unique item off her. Furthermore, if you search around in the former-room-to-the-left-of-her, you can find a gold bar.
Turns out there really was plantation gold. :)
Act 1 of Baldurs Gate 3 is so polished and packed with content that even three years after its release theres still hundreds of players that only play act 1 and have never even seen act 2 or 3. You could put over 1000 hours into act 1 in different playthroughs and see something different every time. What Baldurs Gate 3 has done for gaming as a whole hasn't even been fully recognized yet.
Don't remind me.... I've at least played through Act 2 but I have almost that 1000 hr mark and have only started Act 3. I was there in the beginning of Early Access though and started new games for each new class as they released them but still.
Clean House - Call of Duty 2019
This is one of the mission that made me fully aware how crazy impressive modern gaming is.
Jeff - Half Life Alyx was legendary, getting to experience that in VR was just awesome
Oh my god I forgot about this one but Yeah this definitely deserves a top spot
Honestly, the Titan Eikon fight from FF16 was one of the coolest gameplay sequences I've done in years.
Absolutely! I'd even say all of the lead up to, and including, that Bahamut fight
Not from the past ten years but criminal it wasn't on the list of all timers.
Oh, you are right: I misread OP's title. Agree with you nonetheless.
Dishonored 2 - A Crack in the Slab. What an absolutely incredible experience.
Both this and The Clockwork Mansion were amazing
I wanna play this so bad but sadly I get motion sick from low fov and fps :/ Good thing there's Deathloop ig but I do hope for a remaster of the Dishonored series!
Probably because I just beat it yesterday, but the final story mission and zone in Clair Obscure was amazing. The music combined with everything going on around the player gave me goosebumps, especially when the flag markers were all 33.
The "tomorrow comes" line at the beginning was badass
I was going to say Ashtray Maze or something from Elden Ring and then I saw your list😂 Agreed about the Haligtree, probably also my fav dungeon from Elden Ring. The exploration and difficulty in that area were awesome. I think you could make a case for Shadow Keep from the DLC as well, exploring that for the first time was super cool
Ashtray Maze was cool as hell. I'd say the musical chapter of Alan Wake 2 was even better though. I ran into a bug that made me repeat that area and even still was smiling ear to ear. Such a cool and surprising moment.
I would agree with that. Honestly most of the areas in Alan Wake 2 were so good. I was impressed with how much I loved both Bright Falls and the Dark Place. As someone who grew up in heavily forested areas, they did a great job of capturing the creepiness of just a dark, thick forest with nothing in it. And I'm such a sucker for the mobster NYC aesthetic in general.
The (Oceanview?) Hotel in particular was amazing and TERRIFYING
Hades’ final fight and approach to Hades himself. That entire sequence is layered with meaning, tension, and mechanical payoff. Still gives me chills.
Burning down weed fields with a flamethrower to Skrillix in Farcry 3. It’s 3 years past your decade target but omfg I was laughing hysterically that whole mission.
PS awesome VTM:B reference. That mission scared the hell out of me the first time
Resident evil 7 baker house
Dimas memory quest Far harbor dlc FO4 /s
You mentioned the Ocean House hotel first, which is how I know you're a true connoisseur.
that first mission of wolfenstein when ur storming deathhead’s compound. I didnt even like that game all that much but that first level was peak gaming
The journey to find these hidden places
Even with Maxed up, this dungeon is still a struggle to go through
I love most of the quest, so I'm not picky on this
Solo run on the last mission with ranked up difficulty and going all out with your strongest gear
From open world FPS with OP build to Survival Horror FPS where you have to depend on your instinct and hearing. This quest really makes you feel uncomfortable, yet reward you if you found the Militech Canto and choose the desired ending.
Its the same Alatreon hunt, but starting with either Fire or Ice Element. Only manage to get 700th kills since the pandemic
Endgame hunt with Fatalis is the best too.
The clockwork mansion in dishonored 2 was simply mind blowing
"We Sing" from Alan Wake 2
Dead City from Metro Exodus is up there for me.
The opening level of BF1
Abby vs Ellie at the theater.
That was the moment where I realized that I had been sympathizing with Abby without knowing it. Such a brilliant storytelling choice.
It's only just outside of the 'last 10 years', but since we're only just approaching the time you can experience it in its glory again, I wanna bring up the Green Fire Questline that Blizzard released in WoW Mists of Pandaria. But specifically, that final solo dungeon thing.
It became very easy to overgear it the next patch, and with the class being torn apart the next expansion meant that this one little challenge, designed for exactly 1/40th of the classes in the game, was a perfect little test for Destruction Warlocks for about 6 months.
Unfortunately, there was no stat squish for it, and the class changed so much it's not the same as it was anymore, even if you could make sure people weren't overgeared 11 years on.
It was really well made at the time, though. Surprisingly so, given how much effort would have gone into it for just one class and spec.
IMO, you did mention a good one in the OP with The Silent Cartographer, but I think Assault on The Control room was arguably more "sandbox" or "open world" because it featured every vehicle in the halo universe the player could access.
Aside from that, I think there were some levels on the N64's Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire that were slightly ahead of their time, but you had to activate "Wompa Stompa" to get many of them.
When I saw the post title I immediately thought of House Beneviento so it's cool you mentioned it. I had a blast in there and was definitely the highlight of village to me.
The fifth mission of the Titanfall 2 campaign: Effect and Cause.
Leyndell from elden ring. The moment you finally walk in and see the view of the whole city and dragon...one of the most jaw dropping, stunning moments in gaming. And there's like, 15 other similar moments in the game. It's insane.
In Control, there’s a point where you go to this maze, the janitor gives you some headphones, and you proceed to enter one of the coolest gaming experiences of my life.
Might be controversial but the Final Shape Raid in Destiny 2 was one of the most amazing first time experiences of gaming in my life. Each area felt different and the raid was actually hard.
Too bad how the game ended up now.
Destiny, the original saga ended perfectly imo. It had it's ups and downs but the overall experience of starting from the beginning and following it for 10 years, making so many friends and memories is something I'll never give up. Every single raid and dungeon in the game gives me chills. Havent played anything like it and probably never will again. It was a unique time that unfortunately most likely cannot be replicated again.
The Last Tiger from Battlefield V is a beautiful journey through a very unique normally untold perspective and just hits so hard on a human level. The collapse, the lies, the consequences of war and the conflict within a German tank commander to follow orders or acknowledge what is all around them, its powerful and the only Axis humanizing mission I know of
Secondly, Through Mud and Blood from Battlefield 1, slogging through Hell on earth in crude death machines against a simply unrecognizable landscape, sending out a carrier pigeon and taking control of this white dove flying somberly through the skies with artillery and planes going down in infernos, completely deaf to the horrors of war around you, orchestral music, it’s an incredible transition that set it apart
Blackreach in Skyrim
More mission than area, but the vibe in KCD2 "Hunger and Despair" is incredible. As powerful as you had become during the main story, you really get to experience, well, hunger and despair. It’s palpable.
Any settlement in RDR2.
Bitterblack Isle in dragons dogma, for me it's like THE perfect dungeon, lots of bosses and secret and great gear, and a multi phase end boss to finish it, you've got death running around it... it's great.
The musical portion of Alan Wake 2.
Sapienza and Miami in Hitman WOA trilogy
The weed fields in Far Cry 3. Longer ago than 10 years I know but nothing else stuck.
Hahahah I literally just commented the same. Super memorable mission with an awesome soundtrack
Once I realised what the music was it became really damn awesome. Also, the first time I did not know you're supposed to grab an rpg to sink the boat so I jumped in the water, swam after it, boarded and then used the flamethrower to sink it.
Hahahhahahahahah holy shit you had an even better experience than me
Manse of the Hallowed Brothers in Lords of the Fallen. It has absolutely perfect level design. On the outside, it looks relatively small and compact, but the entire thing is filled with winding paths, shortcuts, and is confusing as hell at first. The perfect kind of souls-like level.
Or Pilgrims Perch, also Lords of the Fallen. It’s like blighttown on steroids, and such a unique level. It’s like they took a classic dark souls level, and gave it a vertical layout instead of horizontal.
Which Lords of the Fallen is that? The original or the new one with the same name? Always been tempted to give one a try.
New one. The old one is a stinker, but the new one is genuinely my favorite souls-like out there. All the updates they’ve given it have made it amazing
Chasing Hare questline from Kingdom Come Deliverance. A very engaging investigation capped off with the very charismatic Hare. Absolutely made me fall in love with the game.
I liked the jungle mission from black ops 1, and then probably the deep jungle mission from MGSV where you get to take down some of the skulls.
Personally I have yet to experience a better boss fight than combat veteran in death stranding once completing the mission I was absolutely star struck with how good everything was it is and will always be my favorite boss fight. Slogging through those beginning missions to get to that masterpiece made it all worth it.
The prison in Silent Hill 2 Remake, my god that was stressful
This will probably sound like anathema to many, but... many of the shrines in both BotW and TotK are some of the cleverest puzzle-based level designs I've ever seen, even if they're bite sized relative to proper dungeons. Some of them feel like solving Portal/Portal 2 challenges for the first time in terms of how I had to go about figuring out or experimenting with solutions to them. Giving us what is a ton of freedom mechanically to solve them but still being as genuinely tricky as they were, was really fun and inventive imo.
How does I am the first to mention Doom 2016's Foundry or Kadingir Sanctum ?!
Both the Ashtray Maze from Control and the Herald of Darkness/ We Sing chapter from Alan Wake 2
Altis, or Chenarus.
The Whisper exotic mission from Destiny 2 ranks pretty high up there for me
After ten years of story twists and turns, You're Not Alone, the next-to-last quest of FFXIV: Endwalker, was an emotional journey and a cathartic release.
Gloom’s approach in tears of kingdom
Vow of the Disciple raid in Destiny 2
Mech Trenches - The Forever Winter. You feel like a rat fighting rats in an oppresive labyrinth that is housing constant battles and nameless death. Checking chased? Duck into a narrow corridor and into more horrors.
The opening of Battlefield 1 where you die over and over again from different soldier perspectives really set the tone for the rest of the game.
Additionally, while it’s multiplayer, the opening of the Operation on St Quentin’s Scar is unlike anything else I’ve experienced in a war game. The whistles, screams, explosions, and music all come together to show how important audio is to an immersive experience.
That was the peak of the Battlefield Franchise imo.
For me its the hirata estate from sekiro hands down. The creepy atmosphere, set pieces, and build up to the finale was awesome.
Caspian Sea area of Metro Exodus
Drinking with Lenny in RDR2.
Elden Ring was insane lol.
The time shenanigans level from Titanfall 2.
I agree wholeheartedly on House Beneviento, and I would add Lucas’ birthday room from 7.
Woodside Apartments, Brookhaven Hospital and Lakeview Hotel from the Silent Hill 2 remake are all masterpieces of modern horror and game design. The Last of Us Part II’s Hillcrest and Island levels are incredible. The Police Station in Resident Evil 2 remake is an all timer.
Effect and Cause from Titanfall 2
It's a shame this and Dishonored 2 came out so close to each other because they both have brilliant time jumping levels that should've been talked about way more than they already were.
This is the answer.
That time hopping between before and after was a thing of incredible creativity.