This world looks amazing!

Have you ever had it in a game where the level/world/enviroment/landscape was just amazing?
What are your favorite ones and what are your least favorite ones?
Why do you like it so much/Why dont you like it?
If you could change something about it, what would it be?

NOTE: This is about area's and worlds in a game, not graphics.

Playing Nintendo games the majority of my life, when I popped in Shadow of the Colossus for PS2, I was stunned by the graphics. Everything was so life-like and detailed it was crazy. Of course the game was ridiculously hard for me, but at least it still looked cool haha.

Ehhhm i actually meant levels and worlds, not graphics since we already have a thread for that ^^;;
And i dont wanna violate the rules :P

But my favorite would be Aiur from StarCraft 2, since they portrayed ots destruction so well, and even the Overmind and its tendrills are all over the place, i loved playing missions on this world.

Ahh I see, well the line kinda gets blurred for me there but the same example would still apply. The first level was like Middle Earthesque. Ancient architecture, wide-plains, and mountains ranges, it was all pretty grandeur, again, since I had up to that point been restricted to relatively simplistic level designs. And of course the graphics play into it.

Flush'd said:

Ahh I see, well the line kinda gets blurred for me there but the same example would still apply. The first level was like Middle Earthesque. Ancient architecture, wide-plains, and mountains ranges, it was all pretty grandeur, again, since I had up to that point been restricted to relatively simplistic level designs. And of course the graphics play into it.

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Yeah it may somewhat look confusing indeed... might have to edit it a little bit

Konohagakure in Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, it's cool A. Because it's visually stunning and B. It so expansive.

What I would change would be the entrance in the Chunin Exam Stadium as well an entrance to the Chunin Exam Preliminary Arena in the Forest of the Death.

Also, Manhattan in Spider-Man 2 and 3, the accuracy of the city to it's real-life counterpart is amazing. Everything is where it should be in the real life New York City

What I would change here is the addition of neighboring boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens. It would also be cool if you could actually swim to the Statue of Liberty seeing how you can swim in Spider-Man 3

Flush'd said:

Playing Nintendo games the majority of my life, when I popped in Shadow of the Colossus for PS2, I was stunned by the graphics. Everything was so life-like and detailed it was crazy. Of course the game was ridiculously hard for me, but at least it still looked cool haha.

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Were you also shocked by the framerate? :P

As for me...I really can't think of anything other than Mario Galaxy. The game is full of those worlds. This game has such a huge scope it's unbelievable.
Here's some Dolphin screenshots I've found off Google.


It's amazing. I'm not a big Galaxy fan, but when it comes to presentation and scope it is second to none.

First thing that comes to mind is Journey, the visuals in this game are breathtaking and when you combine it with an amazing soundtrack it just enhances the experience even more.

The other games I can think of is the Mass Effect games. Im a huge Sci-Fi fan and the way the different planets in Mass Effect explain the evolution of the different species in the series is really intriguing, for example how the Salarians which are an Amphibian species reside in a planet which is reminiscent to Earth's rain forests.

Spinosaurus said:

As for me...I really can't think of anything other than Mario Galaxy.

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Same here! Those screenshots bring back so much memories, I really want to play it again all of a sudden... Beach Bowl Galaxy was cool, my kind of place for a Summer holiday! xP
I can't wait for another Mario game like Galaxy/64 to come out, I don't really count the upcoming Super Mario 3D World since you can't really explore the level as much as you'd want to.

When I first got into The Elder Scrolls, I was stunned by the amount of detail and lore they put into the world. Even outside of the game, I was always looking up and learning about the history and societies of Tamriel, their deities, the factions, all the wars that occurred and relations between the races, backstories of major characters and so on.

I've also always loved the worlds in Final Fantasy games. The stories are linear and the worlds are not quite as extensive and exploreable as that of The Elder Scrolls, but they still manage to pack a good amount of history, religion and captivating back stories into their games.

When you first hit Anor Londo in Dark Souls...my god the view is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful in-game cities ever.

Pandaria, in World of Warcraft. Simply stunning.

I feel like that a lot when playing the Final Fantasy/Tales of series. Those games have pretty awesome worlds that get me so excited about playing. <3 I'm not really sure why though. I guess it just gives me that feel of adventure? I really like games such as them.

Probably not the obvious choice for some but the graphics from Hitman: Absolution looked amazing.

Any sunset on a beach in Dragon Quest 8. My god does that game hold up even today.

Eternal Sonata. Every landscape... I just fell in love with them all. They were glorious, bright, sunny and gorgeous, dark and mysterious... C:

Anywhere in Deus Ex: Human revolution. Truly stunning, and had plenty of details packed into the landscape.
Spider Man 2 also had great level design, but I can't say much for where's stuff been placed, as I've never been outside of Australia, let alone gone to NYC, haha.

LoudSilence said:

When you first hit Anor Londo in Dark Souls...my god the view is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful in-game cities ever.

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Yeahhh, Dark Souls in general has a really great setting. All of Lordran is so intertwined and connected with each other, while each area retains their own distinct feeling and atmosphere. Anor Londo in particular was pretty breathtaking, especially in comparison to all of the places found before it. That transition from rundown and post-apocalyptic settings to something of such grandeur and beauty, damnnn was it impressive. In addition to Dark Souls, I take a liking to seamlessly connected game worlds such as those in Metroid, Castlevania, and so on.

Rook Island from Far Cry 3.

I already loved the world from Far Cry 2, but this one was just, so beautiful, like you were in a jungle-ish island with animals and tribes. Also the graphics kinda helped making Rook Island what it is now, and i always play this game even though i completed it, just for Rook Island <3

awolffromspace said:

I take a liking to seamlessly connected game worlds such as those in Metroid,

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Oh my god how could I forget.

Super Metroid and Metroid Prime (all of them) had great settings and atmosphere. Galaxy wowed me, sure, but Metroid games were so immersing.