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

[Krystian C]

Hands down, Panzer Dragoon. Breathtaking every step of the way.


With a close second, the new F-Zero on GC. Some of the coolest cities ever. The enviroment through the trees and the underwater track are amazing.

 

[Scott L]

Turok 1
Super Mario Bros. 2
Mario 64
Half Life
GTA3

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Those Tron screens look amazing! Also big. Changed to URLs.

 

[Max Leung]

Asheron's Call - it actually feels like a living, breathing world. Butterflies in the green areas, swamp bugs in the swampy areas. Flies buzzing about, the rain and thunder, the crickets in the evening. The game is very immersive - I think mostly due to the sound design. Although the sunsets and waterfalls are quite stunning, for its time.

 

[Larry Talbot]

What a great thread and an excellent question. This is a topic that is important to me in terms of gaming but one I never would have thought to raise myself.
In some ways, playing a game is a bit like going on a vacation: if the scenery is ugly and uninteresting, I find myself asking "Why am I here?" (Of course if the game itself is terrific in all other aspects, this isn't quite as important; but I still think the worlds themselves are a big part of games.)
As for my nominations, I'll second "Mafia" - just driving around the cities and the countryside gave me one of the most impressive gaming experiences I can remember.
I think the world in "Morrowind: Elder Scrolls" was pretty impressive as well (even though I found the overall game pretty dull to actually play.)
Does anyone remember the PC game "Messiah?" Where you play this little cherub that can poessess the bodies of others? That game had some pretty neat futuristic environments from what I recall, though I only played the demo.
Even though it is fake 3D and the graphics don't hold up by today's standards, the horror fan in me wants to nominate "Blood" as well, especially the first level set in the mortuary. (By contrast, the technically superior sequel, "Blood 2," had far more uninteresting worlds to explore)

In terms of what I DISLIKE, I thought the generic sci-fi spaceship environment had already gotten boring back in the days of Duke Nukem 3D (though I liked the Duke levels set in LA - especially the "Adult" bookstore ) The latest "Dino Crisis" game set in space is a good modern day example of this. If I have to wander through miles of industrial metal gray backdrops, I find myself asking that "What the hell am I doing here?" question.

 

[James T]

I loved Morrowind. There were times when I just sat and did nothing but watch the sun rise/set or even just stare at the water. Beautiful world.

 

[LanceH]

We seem to have similar taste, Larry T. I have a ton of Xbox and PC games that you would probably love. To summarize a few of what I consider to be the top-choices for PC, in terms of in-game worlds and gaming experience, I would suggest the following;

Call Of Duty ~ www.callofduty.com The definitive WWII shooter. After playing this game, Medal Of Honor games (and even BF1942) will seem over-simplified and anti-climactic. The atmosphere, level design, sound and visuals make for a refreshingly realistic war experience.

TRON 2.0 ~ www.tron20.net Without question the most unique FPS I've ever seen. If you love color, dazzle and sheer originality of in-game worlds, weapons and characters, you'll love TRON 2.0. You'll find yourself unable to bear the wait to see what surprising level design will appear next.

Max Payne 2 ~ www.rockstargames.com/maxpayne2/The Havok engine allows for ragdoll physics and highly interactive environmental objects. Max is cooler now and has a beautiful counterpart (whom you get to play at times). The graphics are more dazzling than ever and the gameplay is classic Max with a new edge.

Mafia ~ www.mafia-game.com Larry, you already know this one, but for those of you who have never played it, this is Grand Theft Auto in the 1930s... only much, much more movie-like and realistic (if you ask me). Something about that era is more fascinating to me. I like using a Tommy Gun as opposed to an M-16. Tons of classic cars, the map is immense and reminds me a lot of an old San Francisco.

 

[Tyler M.]

MDK 2, Half Life, all the Myst games, Syberia, and Superbike 2001, because the tracks are picture perfect

 

[Alanna]

The worlds of Spyro were beautiful landscape-wise. Take out the dopey cartoon characters and Id love to vacation there. Speaking of vacation, DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball had gorgeous beach locations, keeps me warm even in the middle of winter. Hyrule is a good choice however...

 

[Matt Pelham]

Halo, without contest.

 

[BrianShort]

Fallout takes all

You're right, I loved the Fallout world (both games). I guess I didn't think of this right away because it's a bit old. It's too bad Black Isle closed down, I would have loved to see Fallout 3 :frowning: Maybe somebody (Brian Fargo, please!) will pick up the rights from Interplay, or make a similar game with a different name.

More recently, I'd have to agree with ICO. Beautiful game, and I guess they are working on a sequel?

How about Flight Simulator 2004?

Brian