10 Awesome Video Game Levels That Ended Painfully Soon

5. All Ghillied Up - Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Rather than having another WWII-focused storyline, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare broke the mold, introducing a contemporary setting. It delivered a cinematic, high-stakes campaign and implemented a groundbreaking multiplayer that offered a levelling up system and all sorts of perks.

Although Modern Warfare has many gripping and pulse-racing missions, there's one that towers above all else. Rather than charging around guns-blazing, All Ghillied Up presents a slow methodical stealth mission in Chernobyl. Being surrounded by the irradiated ruins of this once prosperous city creates a permeating and haunting atmosphere that's hard to shake.

The mission is a flashback centring around a key character, Captain Price, which showcases his personal stake in the modern conflict and gives emotional weight to the overarching narrative.

Even though poor execution can make a slow-paced mission come across as boring, All Ghillied Up is nerve-wracking from beginning to end. Whether you're crawling under a convoy of tanks or snipering enemies from a mile away, you're constantly reminded that every breath you take may be your last.

The rest of COD 4 is fantastic (especially that WTF ending) but it would've been nice to see more levels like this one.