Jables Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 Having just wanked a little more over how tangible Rapture was as a world in Bioshock(less so in 2) I figured you guys'd have some awesome spots to rant about in the gaming world. GTAIV/Liberty City & San Andreas stand out as great examples of this: an environment so rich in detail, NPCs, music and ambience that you're almost beyond gaming so much as entering a new frontier. Not that I ever played it(it's on the list) but I imagine Psychonauts will come up, the Capital Wasteland was pretty capable too, IMO. New Vegas less so, but that's only because it was more uneven in terms of environs. Anyways, I wanna hear what you guys have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 if im going to spend any real amount of time (< 10 hours) in a setting without a crazy interesting plot (super rare in games), the setting better be interesting. my personal go-to: tolkein-esque my lady/my lord W/JRPG bullshit generic setting with dragons, knights, nothing different = same world with a brutal, lovecraftian/Berserk-esque feel = you have my attention this is why Jade Empire > KOTOR all day, even though the latter is prolly a better plot. Rapture, RDR, Yakuza, Metroid, etc i want to explore, GTA and most urban settings not so much. of course, unless you appreciate high attention to detail (Shenmue) it prolly doesn't matter anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm gonna set this right here: Vice City sucked. It was a boring brown and neon environment that was cramped, samey, and had nothing fun to do Just like the real Miami, I would wager But Liberty City circa Grand Theft Auto 3 was a load of fun, it was small but it never felt like it there was just enough to make you feel like the place just went on forever even though it was small enough that you could quickly learn the layout without much trouble. San Andreas the mileage varies: Los Santos sucked and San Fiero was half good/half bad but the countryside, the desert, and Las Venturas were great. I loved just taking a car and plowing through the trees looking for whatever. I would count any world that was in a game by Tim Schafer from Maniac Mansion to Brutal Legend I always feel sad just before the credits roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 flyover state shots in the opening, but closing delivers truth - Maniac Mansion was such an awesome setting when i played the NES one as a kid, and Grim Fandango is probably in my top 5 for atmosphere/environment; it's not easy to do noir with light-hearted, proven by the fact that i don't think anyone's pulled it off in the nearly decade and a half since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortiis558 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 System Shock 2 has great enviroments. It is all one big ship, but back when it came out, it hadn't been done to death already, so it was something new and exciting. Also the ambiance and sound design were fantastic. Just hearing a groan from one of the mutants was enough to put you on edge, and occasionally running into a ghost from the past was cool as well, as it also hadn't been done to death then. As far as just loving the enviroments and wanting to explore them for their own sake, I would say Everquest 1 is the best for that. I would spend hours just running around, trying to avoid mobs that would kill me in two hits, but when I got high enough level I used to go back to all the old places I wasn't able to go, but I would just run around marveling at the enviroment, not even concerned about leveling. It has some of the most diverse and beautiful enviroments. Kinda dated by today's standards, but no one else has done big open world spaces better than them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 SS2 is likely my next PC game in queue, been trying to mod it a bit first - really interested in seeing if it holds up, because it's cited as inspiration on most of my favorite horror games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I enjoyed my time in The Capital Wasteland. Whether coming up over a hill and seeing a sign of civilization, or hearing gunshots off in the distance and wondering if it's a roving trader shooting a dog or a dozen raiders shooting a slave. I'm a fan of Morrowind, Cyrodiil, and Skyrim for many of the same reasons. Reaching the apex of a mountain just in time to watch the sunrise. Seeing a deer leap out of the bushes and cross your path, and almost instinctively putting an arrow in it's neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortiis558 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 You know Morrowind I can totally see that, I had a blast just exploring that place, but not so much with Oblivion or Skyrim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keth Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Dead Space has one of the coolest and scariest environments I''ve played in a long time. Especially part 1 just for the deserted spaceship feel. I don't think I've played a game where I felt more hopeless and alone. I really want an old ghost pirate ship type game with this feel. Old pictures of ships in the middle of the ocean against a storm or fog setting always creep me out. I also loved Dead Island's setting. It's probably the best zombie experience out right now and the game really has some great organic scares that come out of it. I always enjoy something that can make the daytime scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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