What is the most creative level/weapon/gameplay you have ever seen in a video game?

[Lotus Victoria]

Hello my fellow champions!

So, let's talk a little bit about creativity, something that has been missing in videogames since...well, a long time.

What are the most creative things(like weapons, levels, gameplay mechanics, enemies, etc), that you have ever seen in a video-game?

I'll start with some examples:

• The "job" system in Final Fantasy Tactics.
  
• Gravity Gun, Half-Life 2.
  
• "Brand" mechanic, in The World Ends With You. (PLAY THIS GAME! IS SUPER GOOD)
  
• The Nemesis System in the recent, but amazing, Shadow of Mordor.
  
• Shadow of the Colossus. This game is a big mountain of creativity.

So, what's your list?

[Ferocity]

Level (Dungeon):
- Shining the Holy Ark, South Shrine. Walking on ceiling can quickly become very confusing very fast.
- Dragon Warrior VII, Wind Maze for similar reason. 3D Maze with "sticky" gravity.
Gameplay Mechanics:
- Disgaea series. Geo panel system, dark assembly, monsters' merging, item worlds, etc., etc., etc.
Enemies (Atmosphere-wise):
- Final Fantasy XII. This game has the most ominous ghosts (phasing in out of nowhere, they actually scared me a couple of times when lights went off in Barheim Passage). Also dragons, many of them. And beautiful background music when fighting big bads.
- Elminage Gothic. Enemies are shown in 2D art here, but it is has a lot of variety and unusual... things in it.

[cudomix]

Redneck Rampage, crossbow that shoots dynamite-stuffed chickens.

[Deleted]

I really like the portal gun from the Portal series.

[Gumboy]

Pretty much all of dishonored when doing a stealth play through, and hitman blood money. Everything about it.

- - - Updated - - -

The blink ability in dishonored is what makes it.

[Deleted]

Dead Space series. I like the idea of cutting off limbs with plasma cutters to kill creatures.

Bioshock 1 & 2. Unique setting under water? Perhaps not, but it feels very creative to me, including the story with the Big Daddy's.

Castle Crashers. Creative levels and boss fights, too hilarious playing it with 4 friends.

Kingdoms of Amalur. I seriously love the weapon design. That's the first thing I noticed when I saw my brother play it many years ago.


And I agree with the guy above. Dishonored. Can add the stealth option from Deux Ex Human Revolution aswell then.

[barackopala]

Coolest weapon? CHARGE BLADE AND SWITCHAXE from monster hunter, so much badass on those two

[ro9ue]

Gears of War had a ton of sick weapons, but my absolute favorite was the Torque Bow:



Also overall in terms of gameplay and story: Portal 2, Bioshock.

[May90]

Definitely scaring a zombie with nonsense lines spoken from a moving mouth of a dinosaur mummy in Gobliiins 2. 40:10 on the video:

[Sj]

I really like the portal gun from the Portal series.

Definitely agree with this, especially the multiplayer.

[Mechazod]

The Scribblenauts series for all three.

[Usagi Senshi]

Bionic Commando and similar mechanics.

Any Treasure game

Shadow of the Colossus

Super Mario Galaxy

First time playing Jumping Flash, Nights, and Super Mario 64

P.N.03

Killer 7

Boyonetta 1&2

Madword

Contra Hard Crops

PN.03

Robot Alchemic Drive

Portal

Blast Corps

many more

[Mister Cheese]

Obligatory psycho mantis post and how brilliant Kojima is.

[kail]

The Portal gun is just too unique. Can't think of anything else that comes close to that weapon and gameplay. It got to a point that I'd spend hours discussing with friends on the physics and actual feel if something like that gun were to exist.

Trying to scramble through my memories on the most creative level. Might be back later on that.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Game mechanics: Gravity and portal guns from Half Life and Portal
Boss Battles: Shadow of the Colossus
Class mechanics: FF Tactics job system
Level design: The Reverse World from Pokemon Platnium (walking on walls! Sideways waterfalls)
Story: FF12 (Man vs the gods vs himself)

[Afrospinach]

Lately I have been hung up on death mechanics and save/reload style gameplay. Rogue legacy, rage and state of decay are games I have play which I think have interesting ways of dealing with this. I think fear of death can be stifling in games.

Weapon: Duke Nukem 3D's shrink ray. Not just the weapon in itself that is interesting, shooting things and stomping them. Use it in a mirror and run through an air duct. Neat. DN3D was full of little innovations like that and destructible environments and it was one of the first properly 3d games out there. Sometimes I think game studios are not even trying.

Level: Braid, the last level. Not going to explain it at all but for me nothing comes close to this genius layout.

Class mechanics: Probably dungeon siege, your "class" evolves from what you actually do. Unfortunately the system has the depth of a puddle in a car park in a game that is equally as deep.

I am also really fond of crysis and dishonored, 2 very different games but for both the same reason. The both give you tremendous tool kits to play with.

Bioshock 1 & 2. Unique setting under water? Perhaps not, but it feels very creative to me, including the story with the Big Daddy's.

A city beneath the sea is certainly not a unique or new idea, but there is something to be said for execution over originality. Bioshock 3 was more original for me and yet I don't really think it holds a candle to the first one for atmosphere.

[Lotus Victoria]

I am also really fond of crysis and dishonored, 2 very different games but for both the same reason. The both give you tremendous tool kits to play with.

Crysis (not the franchise, the first one) is one of my favourite FPS of all-time. People say it is only a graphical benchmark, but they can kiss my feet for all I care. The gameplay is amazing and the A.I is excellent.

[Howard Moon]

Samus' Morph Ball in the Metroid series comes to mind.

[Djuntas]

Warcraft 3 hero system. Changing a RTS formula spwaning other games. I personally never liked it trough.

[Saucerian]

Great topic. Games that go way over the top in artistic style or gameplay design are among my favorites.

Some that stick out in my memory:
- Sonic Adventure 2. Ahead of its time with arbitrary gravity mechanics in the later levels, years before Mario Galaxy.
- Brutal Legend. Pretty much everything about it.
- Bayonetta. Ditto.
- DmC. The series invented suspended gravity combos by accident. Loved the style of many levels in the latest one.
- Bioshock. The story and setting. Especially in 2 where you play as a little sister and see Rapture as they do. Cool and creepy.
- Child of Eden. There aren't enough games with timing actions to the music, let alone ones that look as good as this one.