Stunning Videogame Locales Redux – More Awesome Places To Visit (But We’d Still Bring Guns To Some Of Them)

DOAX

Also referred to as Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, takes place on the luxurious Zack Island. With rolling dunes, the clearest seawater, a multitude of ways to relax, there was always something graphically appealing to look at. Oh and there were the girls playing beach volleyball in little to no clothing, too.

Eternal Sonata

Or Trusty Bell: Chopin’s Dream, whichever you prefer, was a visual (and aural) delight set in an imaginary world which is dreamed by composer Frédéric Chopin in the last hours of his life. As it was set in a world that was entirely imaginary (even for a game-world), you could always expect such fascinating sights.

Final Fantasy X

I know, I know, you’re probably wondering [fanboy rage] “Why Spira? I know it’s awesome, but why isn’t *insert another FF game/location* here?” [/fanboy rage]. There’s no real answer, Spira was chosen as an *example* of the incredible and exotic locations that one can travel to in any instalment of the stalwart series. Spira was the (quite obviously) fictional realm in which FFX and its sequel FFX-2 (which could translate as FF 10-2, making you sound a bit dumb when you say it) were set. Traversing the in-game globe rewarded the player with a plentiful supply of sights, sounds and events. From the ruins of Zanarkand to the snowy peaks of Mt. Gagazet, Spira was pretty awesome.

GTA

The Grand Theft Auto series has always had some awesome stand out moments, with certain aspects of the scenery burying themselves into the subconscious of everyone to pick up the game. I even remember doing that immense jump over the bridge that was being repaired in the first city of the first GTA, good times. However, as the years go by, it’s obvious that graphics improve and are made more impressive over time, so the most pleasant-looking of the GTA series is generally seen as being GTA IV. From the outset it might look like various shades of brown and grey, but seen up close as you’re weaving through the streets and crashing from a bridge, plunging to your doom just as the sun rises over the horizon, lens flare on overdrive...It’s glorious.

Limbo of the Lost

It took real talent to piece this game together, toiling away for many, many hours. It’s a real feat to have accomplished something this outstanding magnificent. What I couldn’t get over was how the whole thing was their own work and they in no way stole from Diablo or Oblivion. It was still an interesting world to visit (downloaded for nothing, of course), if only to go “lolololol” and delete the game from your computer and subsequently your memory.

Metroid

There have been many moments of visual opulence in this series, but one that springs to mind immediately would be your visit to Tallon IV. From the lush jungle of the overworld and ruins, to the snow-covered Phendrana drifts, not forgetting the Magmoor caverns as well. Epic.

Myst

Always known for their stunning landscapes and inventive puzzles, the Myst series has always looked incredible and featured a whole host of visually appealing imagery. Sooo...One might as well say that any place visited in Myst qualifies as a stunning locale.

Prince of Persia

The Persia in these games (well, maybe not in the first one, that looked kinda boring) always looks like a pleasant place to visit (if you like places to be really sandy and full of guys wanting to kill you). The Prince’s last outing took the optical decadence to a new level and at times almost looked like a place you’d want to visit, but then remembered that sand gets “everywhere”.

Sonic

Green Hill Zone. Enough said.

World of Warcraft

The entire World of Warcraft – if I’m going to be perfectly honest – is stunning, especially considering it’s a few years old. From the lush forests of Ashenvale, to the...er...lush forests of Terokkar and the...lusher forests of Sholazar Basin, each area of the game hides its own variety of wonders to behold. Go there now. Oh wait, chances are you’re already there, my bad.

Zelda

I’ll never forget the first time I rode my horse Gimp over Hyrule Field. What was your horse called?