Your favorite Game Universe.

[Legendairy314]

After diving into some Halo books for cheap on my phone it got me thinking about how great the universe for Halo is despite some of its games. It manages to create an interesting view of the future with tormented super soldiers and apocalypse makers strewn about space. The mesh between all of these story elements makes everything seem alive and relevant to each other; and I believe that's a staple of great world building.

Than again, Fallout is damn near perfect as well. You have the unusual aesthetics of the 50's mixing with the sci-fi tech and all the crazy mutations thrown about as well. Important characters have lasting impressions that will transcend the current game you're playing and the connections between what may or may not happen is astonishing.

Funnily enough, my favorite game, Portal 2, remains relatively secular and disjointed from the rest of the Half-Life universe and, generally, remains contained within its own little world. I enjoy the hell out of that world but without the integration I feel like there may be a vital part missing there. Then again, it might not even need it.


So Escapists, what's your favorite game universe? What kind of world building truly brought you into another location and allowed you to immerse yourself into something that you've yet to experience anywhere else?

 

[Keoul]

A lot of game universes sound nice but the thing is we can't all be superheroes, if you imagine yourself living in any of the 3 you mentioned but as a normal civilian instead of a protagonist, life wouldn't be much different from what we have now.

The only two universes that come to mind where a civilian life-style would be fun as well would be pokemon and (presuming you survive the calamity) Bastion. Pokemon seems the most interesting personally but Bastion would be a ridiculously interesting place to live, whole worlds turned upside down and you gotta re-discover everything.

 

[Terminate421]

Pokemon. Why? The potential.

You have semi-intelligent animals with super powers that live with humans in a mutual relationship. Competition thrives and figuratively replaces guns. The world is quite clean and very large and mystical.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Kingdom Hearts seems like a nice universe to live in once you get over the fact it's under threat of destruction every goddamn time.

 

[Foolery]

I never really get immersed in games. I did really like Ivalice from Final Fantasy XII. The deserts kinda got repetitive, but it had a great variety of scenery otherwise.

 

[the_great_cessation]

The biggest one for me is probably The Legend of Zelda series (1992-2006). I grew up with these games and they completely captivated my imagination. When I was a kid I loved the setting of Hyrule: it's lore, it's races, it's geography - everything about it really. As I've gotten older, I find I still hold Hyrule, Termina and The Great Sea as my bar for all fantasy worlds and settings. I think this is mainly because it is essentially a perfect blend of eastern and western heroic archetypes and draws heavily from a myriad of myths and fantasy traditions of cultures the world round. The worlds depicited in Zelda seem to borrow as heavily from Celtic Legends, Japanese Folklore, European Fairy Tales and Greek Myth as it does from more modern story telling tropes such as Western Fantasy and Anime. As a result, The Legend of Zelda is fantasy in it's purest form: a rich amalgamation of different cultures storytelling traditions, culminating in a mythic fantasy adventure set in a highly imaginative and beautifully designed secondary world for the global age.

The series has had a harder time portraying this in recent entries but when the series is at it's best its one of the most universally appealing fantasy settings found in not just video games, but all forms of modern media.

 

[Legendairy314]

A lot of game universes sound nice but the thing is we can't all be superheroes, if you imagine yourself living in any of the 3 you mentioned but as a normal civilian instead of a protagonist, life wouldn't be much different from what we have now.

I'm more so interested not in living within worlds that were made but simply exploring them through this medium. Yeah normal life is boring for many of those people but the experiences and occurrences within breathe life into what could just be a map with things to shoot at and objects to hide behind.

 

[thiosk]

I'm a 40k man myself.
Grim darkness, for the emperor, kill the alien. Jolly good.

 

[Fox12]

Kingdom Hearts seems like a nice universe to live in once you get over the fact it's under threat of destruction every goddamn time.

True, but Nomura flat out said no one is allowed to die in KH, so I think you'd be safe. Except for that fat guy who got killed in KH1. Everybody just sort of forgot about him.

Other than Pokemon, I can't think of any. Fallout is awesome, but I certainly wouldn't want to LIVE there. It's like people who say they'd want to live in Westeros or Midland... no, you don't.

 

[Old Father Eternity]

This is the way it is with the Zone: if you come back with loot-- it?s a miracle;
if you come back alive -- it?s a success;
if the patrol bullets miss you -- it?s a stroke of luck.
And as for anything else -- that?s fate.

 

[MHR]

I hadn't really thought of this before, but I'm going to go ahead and say the Elder Scrolls, you know, Skyrim and Oblivion and so forth.

Lots of lore, magic, and there's always some kind of trouble to be stirred up. Not to mention a working "hell" like oblivion where daedra come through and cause mayhem.

Wouldn't want to live there of course. I'm too fraidy to adventure, and most deaths seem to be caused by murder of some kind even if one tries to avoid fighting. I'd probably end up a boring farmer/city person anyway.

 

[Flutterguy]

The world of Tail Concerto, anamorphic cat and dog population stuck between steampunk/mid-evil/fantasy where it seems everyone can easily afford robots and airships. Not to mention fucking JETPACKS THAT NEVER RUN OUT OF FUEL.

Obviously The Elder Scrolls has one of the richest and well composed stories to ever be in a video game. Except for the part where everyone of the series you start as a prisoner chosen by fate to save Tamriel. The atmosphere and story make the series a true epic anyways. Not to mention truly epic battles to be had that leave the greatest math nerd with the fastest reflex skillz as the victor!

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

The Halo books by Nylund were good, fun and actually gave some soul that was left out of the Bungie versions... And then Reach happened and killed the best book in the series. I would have played that as a game, but the Reach we got wasn't the Reach we deserved, it wasn't even the Reach we needed.
It was a disappointment.
My favorite universe? Maybe the Assassin's Creed universe, mostly because of the genetic memory thing, something I've always liked and assumed it is feasable at some level, though an Animus seems unlikely, it would be fun to be able to access your ancestor's memories. That is until you accidentally came across your own conception's memory... then you can't burn out enough brain cells to ever get that out of your head, depending on WHO's version of the memory you experience it from...
*shudder*

 

[Terminate421]

Pokemon. Why? The potential.

You have semi-intelligent animals with super powers that live with humans in a mutual relationship. Competition thrives and figuratively replaces guns. The world is quite clean and very large and mystical.

These 5ft aggressive bees with drills would love for you to visit!

The world is also eerily underpopulated and you lose money when you get your Pokemans beaten up...

OT: The world of Nirn is wonderful to explore, the continent of Tamriel is always fun to explore and I hope the series takes us to outer lands like Akavir! The lore is so expansive and fun to follow.

Living there...no, sorry, don't feel like living in a world filled with death around every corner and world destroying elderich abominations seem to pop up like daisies.

There is also the Fallout universe which is fantastic.

That is why I'd pack one of these:

These 11ft centipede with horse legs are very equipped with being amazing.

 

[The Enquirer]

Hurm good question... I'm going to have to say Mass Effect. Or Saints Row 2 as I enjoyed playing the straight man to an increasingly wacky world.

I never experienced anything like Mass Effect before it though so it would probably take the cake.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Honestly?

Got to be Disgaea. The lore's not that expansive, and the entire story is basically a punch in the the balls of fantasy writers who take their work a little too seriously. Perhaps only for the Prinniers, dood.

I didn't play 3 though - though really, I imagine it's "something bad happens, fourth wall breaking, more bad stuff, good stuff, more comedy, end boss" like all other Nippon Ichi games.

 

[TheCrapMaster]

Warhammer universe, fantasy or 40K, once you get into it you start comparing it to everything else. Rich lore with tons of books and a shitload of aliens & races etc. Tho seeing this started as a figurine game and has gotten into games warhammer maybe wont count as a "game" universe.

So for my second count i am torn between mass effect or fallout. Both games have realy fleshed out universes but can still add alot of stuff for new content. Tho maybe not mass effect threat wise seeing the reapers what THE threat to the known universe in that game.

 

[EmilShmiengura]

Warhammer 40k also. Sadly I'm afraid we're not going to see games in that settings in the near future. Also The Elder Scrolls universe. Which is getting a MMORPG (basically the equivalent of a funeral for the development of a game universe). I sure know how to pick them...

 

[keiji_Maeda]

Kingdom Hearts seems like a nice universe to live in once you get over the fact it's under threat of destruction every goddamn time.

Not a real problem is it? You can usuall sit it out and wait for the "ordained one with the key" as long as you ahve that secular piece of knowledge, you could probably makea decent scratch in the real estate business.


But Keyblade help you if you try to evict poh!