Levels!? What levels, this is a computer game !!

[Hostile_18]

Sorry for the dramatic title (not really). Thinking about what made Deus Ex so special made me realise one thing I loved about it was that the levels never really felt like levels but rather real world locations. It seems the majority of games these days have levels that mainly go from A to B, yet levels that are open ended to some degree are so much more fun. Now I'm not talking about open world games but rather games that have levels that feel and have a layout like real world locations, locations that can be approached multiple ways. Can anyone think of more games that have this approach to level design? Off the top of my head Deus Ex, Thief, Far Cry, The Darkness & Rainbow Six (the old ones) spring to mind. I'd love to play more games with this design philosophy!!

 

[Hostile_18]

I think some linear games do do a good job of disguising it such as gears and drakes fortune but what I was getting at is more levels that if zoomed out would be more box shaped than long and narrow. Levels say that you could approach the objective multiple ways and due to the lay out of the levels feel like real places with more than one way to go.