Are slippery stages good design?

[Croooow!]

The only time I've really hated ice levels was New Super Mario Bros Wii. Not when I played through the game by myself mind you, but when I played through with my wife and she didn't understand the mechanics behind it. I can still hear Luigi crying out, "Help me!".

[ExedExes]

When you say ice level, I am reminded of the numerous examples in the Adventure Island series. Of course, this is all moot when you have the Blue Camptosaurus....

[Gamerforlife]

I guess I don't mind them if done right, but I've played so many platformers with them that I could do without them. It's just one of those gaming tropes that's been done so many times that it just feels uncreative to me now

[scarper]

I think they are only good if they focus on controlling inertia while jumping, and only happen once or twice in the same game. Too many enemies will ruin them. Too much slipperyness will piss people off.

[shadobeni]

hate 'em, don't appreciate 'em especially in mario games where the controls feels slippery to me already. I guess in race type sequences, it's fine.

[J T]

They provide an interesting change up, as do levels with a lot of wind that blows your character around, or underwater levels that slow everything down. There is a point though where any of these things becomes annoying when the game's standard controols are well done, but all the specialty stages keep you from being able to play the normal gameplay.

[MrNash]

I don't mind the occasional ice level. They can be good fun. The extra challenge is welcome, although I wouldn't want to play an entire game like that.

[GameMasterGuy]

They're absolutely pointless. 90% of the time you can constantly jump and it'll play normally.

[sabrage]

Better than water levels/10

[Jontendo]

Solid controls, linear stages and slip pair well, when used sparingly.

Ascending stages, where one false move sends you all the way to the bottom, or controls are poor (or both), are intolerable.