Best "World" in Gaming

[BloatedGuppy]

What world do you feel has been the most fleshed out, has the most compelling lore, feels the most REAL to you? A lot of authors spend years fleshing out their fictional worlds, giving them a tremendous sense of history and depth. George R.R. Martin built his reputation on it. Tolkien kick started an entire genre with it. But what about games?

Some possibilities include Tamriel (Elder Scrolls), Britannia (Ultima), Post apocalyptic Earth (Fallout), Ferelden (Dragon Age), Azeroth (WoW) and many, many others.

What would your choice be, and why? I know there's a lot of console titles I've never touched with well developed universes. I'd like to hear about them. Ideally it would be a world developed over a long running series, but if you feel there was a strong one-shot by all means make your argument.

Me, I'm starting to lean towards this place...

Spoiler

...but my heart still says this place...

Spoiler

 

[adam352]

I'd have to say, from a gameplay standpoint, Skyrim (from Skyrim!). There's just something about it that makes me stop and stare for minutes at a time randomly.

There is also the world from the Journey, which is stunning and yet tragic at the same time.

The Forbidden land from Shadow of the Colossus is pretty amazing, similar to the Journey and so varying and beautiful.

 

[Tohuvabohu]

There is only one world that will always remain the most impressive to me.

Spoiler

[/spoiler]
(I'd provide more screenies, but it's hard to find any while at work.)

I can't even describe why. It's not like it has the most fleshed out and compelling lore with interesting characters or fantastical mythologies.

And it most definitely doesn't feel real either. But it does feel... Odd.

I guess it's nostalgia plus the otherworldly-ness of the games that I love so much. On top of the inherently quirky nature everything seems to have, even though there's quite a lot of shocking and gruesome things going on increase the appeal even more.
Though the classic ps titles used pre-drawn backgrounds on a screen-to-screen basis, the way it was presented worked so well, and really gave the games their own very distinct atmosphere. The massive and exaggerated sense of scale in every location you visit, from ancient temples to industrial factories, add quite a lot to the sense of scariness and foreboding.

Call me silly. But I have a knack for bizarre/surreal things. And as someone who enjoys writing fiction, I think of these games as inspirations. Completely original and imaginative creations that revels in it's own surreal and bizarre oddity.

And yes, I cannot wait for the HD remake. I hope they capture that sense of Odd again, and that it might revive this franchise.

 

[Zhukov]

I'd have to go with Bioshock's Rapture.

Okay, fine, it's just one city rather than a world, but still...

The visual design is great, so long as you don't mind art deco. Grand halls in ruin, patrolled by roaming madmen and shambling, groaning golems. Good attention to detail too. Much of what made Rapture, well... Rapture is revealed by inspecting your surroundings. One detail that always stuck in my mind was the toilet stalls with coin-operated meters on them. No such thing as a free shit in the world of Andrew Ryan.

The world of Half Life will also always have a corner of my heart to itself. I love the mix of old Soviet architecture overlaid with the Combine's imposing futuristic structures. However, what makes it really fascinating is the mystery. They'll always giving hints of great events and powerful actors behind the scenes carrying out the plans millennia in the making. Sadly, I suspect that if they were to pull back the curtain and reveal the truth, if indeed they've actually written one, would not be as interesting as the mystery.

Lastly, there's newcomer Dishonored with the city of Dunwall and whatever the archipelago around it was called. The surface details are fascinating enough, but once again it does a good job of hinting at a lot more going on. That heart had a lot of very interesting things to say if you were thorough in its use. Sadly, the game didn't use it to anything near its full potential.

 

[DustyDrB]

The Mass Effect universe, easily. The first game set the tone so well. Every moment felt like a new discovery. The music had that introspective wonderment to it that really sold the "newcomer to a big, intimidating universe" feeling. The politics, the races, the history...it all made the setting feel real. Mass Effect 2 lost a lot of that "newcomer" feeling, but still built the universe up further. By Mass Effect 3, this isn't really a factor anymore. All that knowledge from the first couple games comes and informs how you decide certain things (or at least how you interpret what is going on).

I know some fantasy universes have deeper lore, but [insert a dozen typical criticisms about fantasy tropes. Let's not even start that discussion]. Basically, I come into new fantasy works with too much baggage. Rather than feeling enthralled in that world, I find myself just comparing that work to other fantasy works instead.

 

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Dunwall from Dishonored (I'm a sucker for a steam-punk re-imagining of Victorian-era London). Arkane put so much care and detail into the world that I can't wait for future instalments of the franchise.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Lastly, there's newcomer Dishonored with the city of Dunwall and whatever the archipelago around it was called. The surface details are fascinating enough, but once again it does a good job of hinting at a lot more going on. That heart had a lot of very interesting things to say if you were thorough in its use.

Dunwall from Dishonored (I'm a sucker for a steam-punk re-imagining of Victorian-era London). Arkane put so much care and detail into the world that I can't wait for future instalments of the franchise.

In terms of visual flair and setting Dunwall certainly has a lot of potential. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of the place in future installments. I wish franchises didn't have to stick to a single genre...why not a full out RPG in Dunwall? Spiritual successor to Arcanum? Make it happen Arkane!

 

[ResonanceSD]

Tyria from Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. It's massive, full of stuff, and DRAGONS!

 

[Zhukov]

Lastly, there's newcomer Dishonored with the city of Dunwall and whatever the archipelago around it was called. The surface details are fascinating enough, but once again it does a good job of hinting at a lot more going on. That heart had a lot of very interesting things to say if you were thorough in its use.

Dunwall from Dishonored (I'm a sucker for a steam-punk re-imagining of Victorian-era London). Arkane put so much care and detail into the world that I can't wait for future instalments of the franchise.

In terms of visual flair and setting Dunwall certainly has a lot of potential. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of the place in future installments. I wish franchises didn't have to stick to a single genre...why not a full out RPG in Dunwall? Spiritual successor to Arcanum? Make it happen Arkane!

(There should be a rule against quoting a guy before he's had time to edit his post, damn it.)

Sadly, I basically regard Dishonored's narrative elements as a string of excuses to stab people held together with the thick, gummy glue of wasted potential. They clearly put a great deal of thought into it, what with all the information and history that was available. However, they equally clearly didn't know what to do with it.

Also, that game was just begging for some decent characters. Begging on its knees with its face in the dust.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

(There should be a rule against quoting a guy before he's had time to edit his post, damn it.)

Sadly, I basically regard Dishonored's narrative elements as a string of excuses to stab people held together with the thick, gummy glue of wasted potential. They clearly put a great deal of thought into it, what with all the information and history that was available. However, they equally clearly didn't know what to do with it.

Also, that game was just begging for some decent characters. Begging on its knees with its face in the dust.

I think I enjoyed it more than you. I don't debate there's room for a TON of fleshing out there which is why I'd hesitate to put it amongst MY best worlds, but it certainly has potential. As for the game itself, it was like the bastard love child of Thief and Deus Ex, so I found myself very fond of it almost immediately.

 

[Zhukov]

(There should be a rule against quoting a guy before he's had time to edit his post, damn it.)

Sadly, I basically regard Dishonored's narrative elements as a string of excuses to stab people held together with the thick, gummy glue of wasted potential. They clearly put a great deal of thought into it, what with all the information and history that was available. However, they equally clearly didn't know what to do with it.

Also, that game was just begging for some decent characters. Begging on its knees with its face in the dust.

I think I enjoyed it more than you. I don't debate there's room for a TON of fleshing out there which is why I'd hesitate to put it amongst MY best worlds, but it certainly has potential. As for the game itself, it was like the bastard love child of Thief and Deus Ex, so I found myself very fond of it almost immediately.

Oh, I enjoyed playing it just fine. (Non-lethal ghost, whoo!) I mean, I could nitpick it to death without much trouble, but it was generally solid, functional and fun on all fronts.

Just, yeah... the narrative stuff... grrr.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Just, yeah... the narrative stuff... grrr.

What? I thought you looooooved saving little girls. You should've been all over it like a dirty shirt. =P

 

[scorptatious]

The world of Final Fantasy IX.

Firstly, it still looks stunning today. The art direction for this game is absolutely superb, and I've never played another game where the world feels so large, and yet so cohesive, and utterly, bizarrely beautiful at the same time.

Spoiler

Not only is the world amazing to look at, but Squaresoft did an amazing job with the lore.

A lot of other games, especially RPGs, tend to lay the lore really thick and heavy. Any chance the writers get to show off just how much background stuff they've written, they'll happily bog you down with exposition about the history of this faction versus that faction, or the royal lineage of this kingdom, yadda yadda yadda. It's a really leaden, dull way to convey lore, I find.

The world of FFIX has lore. Plenty of it, in fact. But the developers never burden the player by walloping them in the face with a load of it. The lore of FFIX isn't told through cutscenes, or extended database entries. It's told through the actual gameworld itself. So you may see a statue dedicated to a character here, or a recurring symbol there. Characters might mention a bit of local history just in passing, or a recurring name might appear on key items. But actual lore exposition is kept to a minimum, which makes the world so much easier to get into. The world is presented to you, and if you want to know more about its history, it's up to you to go find all the details Square hid throughout the game. It's possible to get a surprisingly dense, rich and consistent sense of history in Final Fantasy IX if you look hard and see all the little snippets of info scattered everywhere.

The first time I started wandering around Alexandira during the evening as that lovable little black mage, I knew I was going to have a great time with Final Fantasy IX.

OT: For me it would probably be...

The Forbidden Land from Shadow of the Colossus. It's vast and mostly empty. It sort of gives off both a lonely feeling and a sense of adventure. As you wander (pun not intended) around the land on your horse, you find a bunch of amazing places that are hidden away in their own pockets of land.

I still get tingly whenever I come across places like the grove where IV is or the temple where XIV lives.

I also really love the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas. A place where pockets of civilization live amongst the ruins of the old world, where mutated creatures, radioactivity, and raiders thrive. And in the center of all of it lies New Vegas, which, as one of the guys from Yogscast describes it, is a single lone candle in the darkness.

I guess I'll also throw in the Castle from ICO. It's a pretty beautiful place. The amount of detail is amazing, and there are plenty of moments in the game in which you can see places you're going to go to, and places you've already been. Like the windmill area.

At the same time, like the Forbidden Land from Shadow of the Colossus, it's pretty empty. Besides the shadow creatures that occasionally pop up to steal away your ghostly white friend, no one else really lives there. It gives off a very lonely feeling. Which is probably one reason why the partnership between Ico and Yorda works really well in that game.

 

[Zhukov]

Just, yeah... the narrative stuff... grrr.

What? I thought you looooooved saving little girls. You should've been all over it like a dirty shirt. =P

Only when they make the effort to characterize the little sods before they inevitably get kidnapped.

 

[Murrdox]

Thinking about this question actually makes me take a really close look at the games that succeed in creating their own worlds compared to the games that succeed at adopting worlds from other IPs. Many of the games that popped into my head where I most love the worlds come from movies, novels, or other games.

Dawn of War series (Warhammer 40k)
The Witcher series (Fantasy novels)
Baldur's Gate / Planescape Torment (D&D)
Mechwarrior series (Battletech)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (sci-fi story)

I think Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age are both games that are INCREDIBLY impressive in the quality of the world building. Half the fun of playing Dragon Age: Origins was discovering more about the world you were in. Bioware just did a fantastic job with it. I'm not going to mention the sequel.

 

[skywolfblue]

Azeroth (WoW) (Well Outland isn't "technically" azeroth, but I'll lump it together because it's equally awesome). I just love Blizzard's art style, and the way they borrow sooo many concepts, and put their own unique twist or spin on them. From the night elf tree towns, to the gnomish steampunk city. From the peaceful floating rocks of nagrand, to the dark and terrifying shadowmoon valley or icecrown.

Grizzly Hills and Howling Fjord are pretty much my favorite zones of all time.

One of the big reasons for WoW's success was that world. It was big, it was huge, it would make newcomer's jaw's drop in awe.

 

[dumbseizure]

I think mine would have to be the entire setting of Mass Effect.

It is so vast, there is so much to discover, and everything is so different that you literally can not get tired of exploring everything.

Actually, Secret World would be a close second as well. Even though it is just modern day Earth, the Mythological creatures, the Dungeons, The pits of hell, Caverns covered in black slime, Exploring a crashed cargo ship where a kraken like creature attacks you, it all works so well that you could even see these possibilities happening in real life. And my god, I love the lore in that game.