8 Beloved Video Game Levels That Have Aged Terribly

And finally, Half-Life's Xen is certainly something of a Marmite level, but those who love it really love it. 

After all, it represents a major setting shift from the rest of the game, transporting Gordon Freeman from the Black Mesa Research Facility to an abstract alien border world.

At the time of Half-Life's release, there was certainly an exciting unpredictability to Xen, its literally otherworldly visuals and hostile flora and fauna lending it a totally unique atmosphere.

But if you've played the O.G. game since, Xen is a decidedly tougher beast to like - the meandering level design brings the game's overall pacing to a thudding halt once you know where it's going, and the low-gravity platforming is a major source of frustration.

Even though 2020's fan remake Black Mesa gave Xen a much-needed visual and design makeover, its beefed-up length still makes it a chore to power through.