What are the coolest in-game worlds you’ve ever seen? (1 Viewer)

[LanceH]

I really love the look of MYST but the game itself is very dull. It's probably safe to say that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. will have some of the coolest looking in-game environments ever. Same with Far Cry, DOOM 3 and HL2. I’ve been playing through TRON 2.0 as fast as I can because I can’t wait to see the next level. The levels are brilliant!! For anyone who hasn’t played it, I highly recommend the gold demo (http://www.tron20.net). Morrowind, Mafia, and Vice City also all have remarkable in-game worlds for sheer size and things to explore. Max Payne 2 has a lot of interactivity with environmental objects which lends realism to the experience. Call Of Duty takes the cake for most incredible atmospheres and environments for a WWII shooter. What do you think makes a gaming environment great and which games do you think set the standard?

 

[Romar Armas]

Panzer Dragoon world.

 

[Dave Bennett]

I'll go with the obvious and say Hyrule.

 

[JoshF]

ICO hands-down.

 

[AlexanderS]

The planet in Metroid Prime. Especially looking at everything through Samus' helmet.

 

[KevinRB]

Interesting topic. I have to think about it more, but I definitely second Ico.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I'd also say ICO.

Fear Effect had a neat game world, mainly for the graphics effects.

 

[Dave F]

Tron 2.0 all the way. It's easily the most visually striking game environment that I've ever seen. It could've easily turned into a "one trick pony", but it was always a treat getting to the next level and seeing how they visualized another abstract computing concept.

If only configuring routers was as fun in the real world.

-Dave

 

[David Galindo]

MDK 2- no doubt in my mind.

 

[Bill MacAdoo]

Syberia

 

[chris rick]

Viewtiful Joe--what an underappreciated game.

 

[Aaron Cooke]

American McGee's Alice. for level design.

Space Harrier (arcade) for seeming cool when i was a kid.

Morrowind for just scope and seeming like a real world.

 

[DonRoeber]

ICO wins for me. I wish that the game had some replay value.

 

[LanceH]

I agree with you, Dave F. It's amazing how they took the original TRON style and came up with so many more variations on it. Not only that, but they actually made it look BETTER than it did originally. Imagine if they made a film sequel that looked like the game...!

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen004.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen004.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen003.jpg

 

[Tony Whalen]

Holy crap.

Now I gotta jot down Tron 2.0 on my Christmas-wish-list.

 

[Chris Farmer]

Hyrule is an obvious choice, especially in Ocarina of Time, fully realized, and if you could see it, you could go there.

L'Howan from the Marathon series fit together strangely well, especially when they did a better job integrating things in Marathon Infinity, it really felt continuous, like you were exploring different areas of a single world.

Metroid Prime is another that needs to be seconded, although I'm still a little iffy given the proximity of frozen wastelands with more temperate climactic zones.

Mario Sunshine deserves mention here, although the levels weren't contiguous and you had to use pre-approved travel methods, it was still neat to be in one level and be able to look across the bay and see another.

Any of the castles in Castlevania also work quite well, although my favorite would be the huge castle in Circle of the Moon (never played Symphony of the Night), Lament had cool single rooms but they didn't feel as well integrated into the whole as have the GBA CVs.

The recent Grand Theft Autos are obvious choices, and some of the levels in Tony Hawk 4 really worked quite well, feeling far more natural then the more contrived levels in Hawk 3.

 

[Andy Sheets]

I like the flavor of the levels in the No One Lives Forever games (the same developer that did Tron 2.0, IINM). The actual layouts aren't necessarily a revolution, but they capture that 60's superspy flavor so brilliantly that it's just a lot of fun to play those games

 

[DaveF]

Jet Force Gemini - wonderful serious/comic cartoonish world, with incredible music and sound effects. Very strong "feel" in the levels (good mood creation).

Turok 2 - I only played about half the game, but the enemies really brought it to life.

Half-Life -- outstanding sense of reality. Perhaps the best I've ever seen. I believed the environment, the inhabitants, and the situations. Phenomenally engrossing.

M.U.L.E. -- Cursed Wampus, hiding in the mountains.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Actually, thinking back, Myst had a great concept and looked beautiful. I'd love to actually visit the worlds from Myst III.

 

[MattSG]

Fallout takes all