Name worlds/levels/locations that mesmerized you in videogames

[DoomRevolver]

I'll start with Metroid Prime 3. Skytown, Elysia. I'll never forget exploring this planet for the first time and the amazing dreamlike soundtrack.

 

 

 

[LadyMistDragon]

Myst III: Probably tall of the game but I really liked Edanna the Nature Age

 

Leaving the bunker of Fallout 3 for the first time and being blinded.

 

Dark Souls: The various vistas, particularly those around the church. The game's scale is just so impressive overall though.

[DoomRevolver]

5 minutes ago, LadyMistDragon said:

Myst III: Probably tall of the game but I really liked Edanna the Nature Age

 

Leaving the bunker of Fallout 3 for the first time and being blinded.

 

Dark Souls: The various vistas, particularly those around the church. The game's scale is just so impressive overall though.

Now that you mention Dark Souls, the Irithill landscape in DS3 is outstanding.     

[fruity lerlups]

The Forgotten Vale in skyrim is one of the prettiest damn things ive ever seen in a map

[DynamiteKaitorn]

There's one specific chapter in A Hat In Time that will forever, until my death, hold a special place in my heart. <3

 

Spoiler

AAALPIIINEEE SKYLIIIIIIIINE!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Random fact: as I'm posting this I'm listening to the full track on youtube. Thank you Gears For Breakfast. ^w^

 

[Wavy]

The Prime series is so good with its world design. For me it was the Torvus Bog in Prime 2

 

It's theme is also so serene.

Spoiler

 

 

[dasho]

Gotta be the entirety of Skies of Arcadia

[Daytime Waitress]

27 minutes ago, dasho said:

Gotta be the entirety of Skies of Arcadia

 

The instant I read this thread's title, the jungle theme started playing in my head. That game just plain got scale and narrative and exploration so perfectly balanced. It felt like a proper adventure because you were sailing across vast distances and discovering all these unique landscapes and cultures, and it all tied into the concept of being king of the sky pirates and fighting off this impossibly large evil empire. And that Moby Dick subplot *chef's kiss*

 

I definitely think that SoA is why the Sea of Clouds area in FFXIV resonated with me so well, too... Actually, I'd consider FFXIV as a whole something that transfixed me - the landscapes are gorgeous and Soken's music just creates an atmosphere that I want to get lost in. Pity I can't stand the gameplay or monthly subscription model.

 

And I can't remember exactly when I first played it, but I could wander around in Quake's Honey maps forever. That transition from sleepy medieval village to entire underground civilisation with architecture and contraptions probably too big to have been built by people is my platonic ideal of Quake - a sense of scale that lands properly on the "beyond the scope of human comprehension" end of the Lovecraftian spectrum.

[Aurelius]

Must be this shot from Dark Souls 2:

Spoiler

 

Jokes aside, I spent quite a lot of time thinking about this, and found it disheartening just how many amazing locations I must have forgotten of all the games I've played. I'll drop in a few here that I still do remember.

 

Resident Evil (2002) HD remaster with its pre-rendered backgrounds. Shot is from the entrance hall:

Spoiler

There was this small moment in late 90s/early 00s where we had these absolutely gorgeous pre-rendered backdrops that ultimately paved way for actual 3D environments. Some others that come to mind are Final Fantasy VII and VIII, Baldur's Gate I and II (second especially), Planescape: Torment and the Donkey Kong Country -series.

 

Speaking of pre-rendered, Castle Elnath in Diadem from Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean:

Spoiler

 

Also Parnasse from the same game:

Spoiler

 

From games that had jaw-dropping visuals, Crysis opening shot comes to mind (you know, the one with the sunrise). The way the entire bay area was flooded with the morning light in real time was insanely impressive at the time. 

Spoiler

 

The Uncharted series also had some impressive visuals. I remember spending quite some time just walking around in the Himalayan village in Uncharted 2:

Spoiler

 

There'd probably be more if I racked my brain, but I'll leave it at this. Might add something later if I remember something a worthwhile mention.

Edited Sunday at 04:42 AM by Aurelius

[OniriA]

1. The Island of Auroa from Ghost Recon Breakpoint

2. Bolivia from Ghost Recon Wildlands

3. The world of NieR Automata

4. The world of The Witcher 3 

5. Night City from Cyberpunk 2077

6. The world and environments of Deus Ex Mankind Divided

7. The world and environments of Shadow of The Tomb Raider

8. Levels, environments, world and aesthetics from Limbo and Inside.

[RataUnderground]

If you know, you know...

 

[DoomRevolver]

57 minutes ago, RataUnderground said:

If you know, you know...

 

Vortex Rikers... Na Pali... Dusk Horizon... *teardrop*

[RombredKayn]

Ahem.

[yakfak]

i love the telvanni towers in morrowind and the city of the ancients from ff7

also the administration district in aldruhn entirely contained within an ancient carapace

(regretfully having to bop all the telvannis cos they own slaves and severing the threads of prophecy as a consequence is an excellent alternate main quest)

(that Fallout brand of ethically-murky side quest falls short in elder scrolls games cos a) almost everyone you meet is evil and b) you eventually sublime beyond the need for quest rewards. am i the evil one for slaying slave owning wizards, criminal syndicates etc? the answer is no with no actual strings attached because i am not a centrist)

(skyrim is worse than morrowind but i like the way a lot of the daedric princes quests basically compel you to be a scumbag; it helps to explain the constant strife and inanity of the setting where even you, the only quest solver in the whole kingdom, can be forced to play against type and become embroiled in the whims of the gods, not even really knowing what yr walking into ahead of time. i do feel that all the rewards of those quests should be cursed though; it would hammer home how much you've been used and how pointless it was)

enough digression, show me big shells and mushrooms

Edited Sunday at 10:00 AM by yakfak

[CrocMagnum]

In Diablo 2, Tristram and Lut Gholein are one-of-a-kind. 

Then the sheer quality of the music keeps me coming back.  

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 04:30 PM by CrocMagnum

[Patrick_Plays_Doom]

Black mesa's xen, in the og half life xen looked very eh..., but in black mesa xen looks like one of the greatest things ever

[Pechudin]

Revachol from Disco Elysium was a magical place, but that was more to the game's writing and music direction.

[Bank]

No virtual world has captivated me more than the island of Vvardenfell.

[JoeyKelastiof]

Ashenvale from WoW

[Master O]

6 hours ago, RataUnderground said:

If you know, you know...

 

 

Yet, Epic moronically chose to remove Unreal Gold from all digital storefronts.

 

What kind of an idiot does that?

[Drywtler]

Exploring Hong Kong in Deus Ex (2000) is one of the most mesmerizing experiences I've had with a game as of today. The canals and Tonochi's Road to be precise. So dark, so ominous... everytime I hear Desolation (outside of the game) brings me back to that first time exploring it.
 

Spoiler

 

 

[whybmonotacrab]

Ash Lake from Dark Souls. It's a moment of pure beauty after the hell that came before it, and it feels even more spectacular given how hidden it is.

Shadow Tower Abyss - the Tower. It's one of those moments that impresses upon you how truly alien the setting is. Unfortunately I can't find a decent picture 

[vanilla_d00m]

This boss location in Devil May Cry 1 (For PLAYSTATION) gave me the most goosebumps.  The fight and the music is really good.

 

Dante Vs Griffon (Second Fight)

 

 

[octosquidfunni]

The entire first 5 chapters of Half-Life, the world felt so alive and immersive.

[Master O]

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&amp;q=half+life+xen&amp;iax=images&amp;ia=images

[Gravepicker]

The Dragon Aerie in Dark Souls II:

Maybe not that impressive by itself, but by the third half of a game set mostly in oppressive interiors or some variation of "ruins", seeing a space as open and just, to me at least, so beautiful felt... like a palette cleanser. It's also a pretty short and easy zone where you get lots of upgrade materials, and the enemies are either annoying but easy to deal with or cool dragons that are strangely easy to kill.

[Turbulent]

If you know, you know

[DoomRevolver]

The world of Journey

 

 

 

Rayman 3 has amazing levels. But The Land Of The Living Dead was my favourite. Specially the partially invisible/cristal tower that you must climb (minute 14:00) which later transforms into this (minute 18:27)

 

 

 

 

Every landscape in RDR2 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 11:10 PM by DoomRevolver

[Murdoch]

I am an explorer at heart, so open world games really get me. The first for sure was Morrowind. I bought it out of a bargain bin around probably 2003-2004, not realising what it was. The first time I watched the sun set over the ocean just out of Seyda Neen, it finally dawned on me this was an actual cohesive world and not just level 1 level 2 and it blew my mind. Oblivion's OK but really needs mods to fix the landscaping, so we'll discount that. Skyrim's world definitely enthralls me too.

 

Fallout 3 and 4. Less so New Vegas, though not by much and perhaps due more to the relatively bland desert location. I think Bethesda beats Obsidian (if only just) on world building, but they are better writers. I could get lost exploring every nook and cranny of the Capital and Commonwealth Wastelands.

Witcher 3's world is absolutely stunning too.

Rapture as featured in Bioshock 1 and 2, and the Bioshock Infinite DLC. A great idea, well realised. I'd kill for a properly open world game set in pre-(or about to fall) Rapture.

I think Doom Eternal's world building is amazing. It does give a great sense of scale and location, albeit a bit frustrating in some ways as you can't go wherever you want and see those amazing sights up close.

Honorable mentions to Unreal and Half-Life 2. They did a pretty good job of conveying a sense of place albeit in a less seamless way than true open world engines.

Edited Monday at 11:43 AM by Murdoch

[EraserheadBaby]

Riven

 

I can't wait to try the remake. 

Edited Monday at 02:19 PM by EraserheadBaby