15 Best Video Game Levels Of 2016

By Scott Tailford / January 7, 2017

Thanks to decades of innovation, Hollywood-aping and craftsmanship, the video game levels of the modern era are often better than ever.

Intricate clockwork concoctions of player agency and authorship, it's increasingly rare to come across something like a 'Supply Lines' from GTA: San Andreas (unless you played Chapter 13 of Final Fantasy XV, of course), as with development teams, testers and coding departments being demonstrably bigger, the overall bar of quality is far higher.

That said, what's the cream of the crop from 2016, and which particular sequences highlighted why their games were the standout best?

I've got my picks, but let me know your own in the comments below.

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15. Get Out - Gears Of War 4

Gears 4 saw new developers The Coalition revive the franchise by mostly sticking to their guns, whilst occasionally injecting proceedings with some very well thought-out and enjoyable set-pieces.

In many other games, such things wouldn't be playable, but a latter third act moment where the gang must escape from an underground infested mine sees them latch onto some elevator cables, before rocketing skyward out of the chasm at what feels like lightspeed.

(4:19 on the above video)

There's a great part where the whole structure gives way, and unlike say Uncharted, where thanks to it only being Nate who's at stake, you know he's going to pull through, there's a real "Are we all gonna make it out alive?!" rush as the scene comes to a close.