History Main / UnexpectedGamePlayChange

** [[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-space-halo-reach/701420 The new space combat sequence]] in the upcoming Halo: Reach.

* The WallBanger [[ScrappyLevel Dynasty stage]] in ''[[MegaManX Mega Man X8]]'', where you suddenly go from 2D running and shooting to a 3D hovercar chase that rather shamelessly rips off ''StarWars: Episode 2.''
** It has been Capcom's practice to include a forced scrolling hoverbike sequence in games since ''X4''. It wasn't exactly loved back then, and the element has been panned every time it appears. ''X8'' helpfully gave you an extra hoverbike level in case you needed more practice. * shudder*

* The unlicensed ''MegaMan'' ripoff ''Rocman X/Thunder Blaster Man'' has a ForcedScrolling motorcycle shmup level late in the game. Needless to say, it's SoBadItsHorrible, so you probably won't play that far.

* The [[PlatformGame platform jumping]] areas in the NES ''DoubleDragon'' games. Mission 6 of the second game has a ''MegaMan'' style TemporaryPlatform sequence. And there's the hallway in the TempleOfDoom in most versions of the first game where you have to navigate a DeathCourse of SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom and SpikesOfDoom.

* ''[[{{Banjo-Kazooie}} Banjo-Tooie]]'' featured several "Breegull Blaster" segments, where the game's usual platforming action strayed and the game became a first-person shooter with Kazooie as the gun. Not only did you fight a boss this way, but all of the maps from these modes were included in the multiplayer mode as "shootouts."

* If a ''{{Touhou}}'' game, a ShootEmUp series, has any decimals in its numerical listing, it's one of these. 7.5 and 10.5 are both {{fighting game}}s, while 9.5 is... think ''Pokémon Snap'', except now the Pokémon are trying to kill you. Sometimes with [[BeamSpam lasers]].

** And ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' features a major fight scene between Snake and Ocelot. Nothing unusual about that, except [[spoiler: both characters are piloting Metal Gears, Snake in REX, and Liquid in RAY. The only thing better than a bitchslap, is one involving 100-ton bipedal death machines.]] Of course that doesn't really matter since it's [[RuleOfCool completely]] [[HumongousMecha fucking]] '' '''[[BestBossEver awesome.]]''' ''

* The first ''LegoStarWars'' game had three vehicle levels (Podracing, gunships blowing stuff up on Geonosis, space battle over Coruscant) which were all partly different between each other and having gameplaywise nothing to do with the platforming/action part. [[IGotBetter It got better]]. Vehicle levels are now of the same standard and no longer have own rules for every level.

* Rhythm and button mashing sequences in Zelda: TwilightPrincess. They fit the game about as well as stand up comedy in Schindler's List.
** [[YourMileageMayVary Hey, there's an idea for the director's cut.]]

* ''StarFox Adventures'' has it a bit backwards--while the ''StarFox'' series is a shooter, ''Adventures'' was a Zelda-esque game, so when the game threw in "classic-style" shooting elements [[spoiler: including the final boss]], it felt a bit weird.
** One can attribute this to it's origins as ''Dinosaur Planet'', a game that had nothing to do with ''StarFox''.

** The Adventures of Batman and Robin, from animated series fame, had after several platforming levels where you beat up random thugs, suddenly you driving the Batmobile in a carchase with Two-Face. It's also it's resident [[ScrappyLevel Scrappy Level]].

* ''FinalFantasyVI'' had the opera scene. One had to remember a couple melodramatic (but hey, it's ''opera'' after all) lines from an opera; any mistake would end the scene and require it to be restarted.

** ''SpaceQuest'': Examples include the landspeeder/skimmer sequence in the first game, the HumongousMecha FinalBoss battle of ''III'', and the burger-making minigame in ''IV''.
** So, so many Sierra games also have pointless gambling simulations shoehorned in.

* The first LegoStarWars game had three vehicle levels (Podracing, gunships blowing stuff up on Geonosis, space battle over Coruscant) which were all partly different between each other and having gameplaywise nothing to do with the platforming/action part. [[IGotBetter It got better]]. Vehicle levels are now of the same standard and no longer have own rules for every level.
* Return To Castle Wolfenstein involves a particularly annoying sequence early on in the game where the player is forced to sneak through an entire level, and if the player is seen, they usually get a game over almost instantly because an alarm is sounded(only in rare cases can the player get away with killing the enemy and not having another turn on the alarm.) The reason for the annoyance lies in the RTCW enemy sight and hearing range, which is absurdly large, and makes sense for an FPS game, but for stealth it turns the entire level into a Scrappy Level.

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* One of the ''DonkeyKongCountry'' games has a level where an offscreen villain is continuously trying to shoot you, with a big crosshair showing where his next shot will go. An UnexpectedGameplayChange comes in one of the bonus areas of this level, where you control the offscreen cannon and must kill all enemies in the bonus area.

* ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', meanwhile, features ''{{Starfox}}''-style rail shooter space combat.

*** [[YourMileageMayVary YMMV.]] I had never played either game before and didn't have too much trouble with it, and beat the scores well before the final boss.

** Wrath of The Lich King added a new vehicle mechanic and a lot of opportunities to use it. Most of them include you mounting on something that accounts to giant death machine and laying waste to hordes of enemies. These are undoubtfully awesome. Most of the rest have you take on something that's even stronger. These are fun if you like the change and are [[ScrappyLevel hated]] by the ones who find it hard (even if it really isn't).

* ''[[SuperMarioBros Super Mario Land]]'', while mostly a standard Mario game, includes a few side-scrolling shooter
levels, including the final level and boss.

*''Doom 3'' Does this when you defeat the two Hell Knights outside the teleportation gate [[spoiler: that Dr. Betruger activates]]. You get sent into hell and suddenly find that your flashlight which has been used the entire game is missing along with your entire arsenal. Shortly you will regain your weapons, but a short while later when you [[spoiler: defeat the Guardian and obtain the soul cube which is not charged and unusable and then]] make back to Mars, your inventory will be empty again bullets and all minus one useless item, you even have to locate your flashlight again. Not only does this reset everything for you, but that means all the bullets you saved prior to this instance are gone.

** ''Devil May Cry 4'' had not one, but two instances of an incredibly frustrating dice game.