Loved this place. I think it's easily the best world in any KH game. Really feels like something out of Disneyland and the music is relaxing. And like you said, it's actually a pretty well constructed level with lots of hidden places and things to do. I need this on my ps3 SE!
Windfall really stands out for me as a convincing town. I love the variety of experiences within the town, and how it avoids the feeling of there being just a few houses, or the City problem where you can't interact with more of the locations.
I really enjoyed Zoah's Holy District from Panzer Dragoon Saga. I especially loved that you would see it from the the Liberal District side for a while, so it's pretty special when you finally get to visit and see the difference.
This is a really great thread, and I hate to be a bitch, but...
Please, please, PLEASE don't just post screenshots without labelling the town and the game it's from. Not everyone here has played every single game ever made.
You don't have to write a long paragraph telling me why you like that town (though some insight like that is great), but at least tell me where it's from so I can look it up and maybe try and experience what made that town special for myself.
Most of my personal favourites have already been mentioned, but something I've realised in the course of this thread: KOTOR and the Mass Effect games are some of my favourite games of all time, but I can't say any of the towns/cities/planets in those games stick out as particularly well-designed or memorable places. The games themselves were phenomenal and the action that takes place in the towns are great, but none of them had the character of, say, Liberty City in GTA3, or Clock Town in Majora's Mask, or any of the towns in Oblivion. I'd explore the towns in KOTOR and ME1/2 from top to bottom to not miss any great characters or quests, whereas I'd explore the other places I mentioned simply because they were INCREDIBLY cool environments that were just fun to explore on their own. That to me is what makes a great game town.
(Special shout-out to Oblivion: I didn't like the game itself all that much, but I thought they did an INCREDIBLE job designing the world, and in particular making every town be extremely distinctive and have its own unique design, culture and flavour while still feeling like they belonged to the same "country".)
This is where I witnessed my first pvp raid in World of Warcraft. It happened back around launch when I was level appropriate for the zone. Needless to say I wasn't much use to the counter raid that came to help beat them back, which they did eventually. This is my favorite town in any game I've ever played. It's great looking and is in my favorite zone in the game, Redridge Mountains.
Darkshire.
This is one of my favorite towns because of its atmosphere. This has a lot to do with the surrounding environment, Duskwood's haunted theme is one of my favorites in the game.
Lut Gholein.
I had too many good times in Act II of Diablo 2 to not mention Lut Gholein. It was my favorite town in the game.
The first time I played it, I didn't really like the place. I remember finding it boring (admittedly, I was 14). When I replayed it in my 20s, I loved it.
Here are a few of mine. I think my Canadian bias might show in some of these, though (you'll see...). Hahahaha! (Also, I love town designs by Yasuyuki Honne, but sometimes the designs of the town isn't enough to make me love the town.)
I know a few of these have been posted already, so I'll just add my +1 to them.
Perhaps because it reminds me of a lot of Québec City in the winter (examples here, Château Frontenac et Place Royale), but I really liked this town a lot. My boyfriend and I have decided that whenever we get married, we'll go to QC for our honeymoon, and it has to be in the winter. I generally like these wintry towns because the snowfall is calm; and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Flanoir handled it all very beautifully; I really like the feel of the town, the architecture and the overall impression it made.
Definitely my favourite town in a videogame. I love this place.
Opalus is not very big at all. It basically consists of a military academy and straight streets of people frolicking in the snow. The BGM makes the town especially memorable for me, however. The added effect of an academy in the town kind of reminds me of a snowy Toronto (or insert any other school town that gets covered in snow on a regular basis), as silly as it sounds.
Mmmmmmm... candy... I'm a sucker for Yasuyuki Honne's designs and art. I um, can't look at this place or go through it without craving a pastry, or feeling the desire to bake something. Haha. One of the tastiest looking towns in a videogame. And the acoustic theme is awesome.
Never before had I experienced such an intricately put-together town in a Zelda game. The town may be small, but it's the people who make the town what it is. In a way, they make the town (and the game itself) feel bigger. Everyone has a schedule, everyone has their own problems and worries to bare on their shoulders, everyone is just going about their own routine even though a giant moon is hanging over their heads, waiting to crash into their livelihoods.
Trying to fix everyone's problems and seeing the results of that made Clock Town very special to me.
Another snow town. But it's ridiculously pretty. Beautiful lights, wonderful architecture, lots of ice and snow... and that BGM gives off the impression of a nice, tranquil town. The castle's design (both interior and exterior) is also quite beautiful as well. It just makes me feel all cozy inside.
This is kind of like Clock Town where I felt like the people were what made the town so great. I'm not sure if a lot of people did this, but if you go back to Tazmily after nearly every new chapter, the NPC dialogue changes.
You increasingly see how the effects of everyone's new capitalist lives are shaping their thoughts and words and feelings. It's a huge contrast to the previous chapters (1-3), where they were generous, traded things amongst each other without resorted to the new thing called "money", where everyone went on a search for a lost citizen, etc. Some of them continuously say that they don't want to live in the sticks. It isn't until you return from your mushroom trip on the island that you realize that everyone is gone. And that the village is deserted.
The development of the town and its citizens are really interesting to look at because of all of this. I really liked how well it was written, and it's one of towns I remember the most in any videogame I've played.
The sense of place is one of my favorite aspects of any game. I can enjoy a game without it as much as the next guy, but a game that takes me to an engrossing locale can mean the difference between an enjoyable game and a truly memorable one for me.
A few of my favorites have already been mentioned, so I'm just popping in to thank kai3345 for starting this and everyone else for contributing.
This is where I witnessed my first pvp raid in World of Warcraft. It happened back around launch when I was level appropriate for the zone. Needless to say I wasn't much use to the counter raid that came to help beat them back, which they did eventually. This is my favorite town in any game I've ever played. It's great looking and is in my favorite zone in the game, Redridge Mountains.
Post of the week, thank you Dark Schala! Suikoden's headquarters definitely deserves its place in this thread. Great writeup on Mother 3.
I also want a mention of Ultima VII. I can't find specific pictures of it's great towns.. (such as Buccaneer's Den), so this generic one has to do.
Much like Majora's Mask, Ultima VII's towns are filled with characters affected by time. They will go to sleep, go to their respective jobs or hobbies, turn on the lights in the evening and go to the tavern. It's an amazing game and I can't wait to play it again.
Post of the week, thank you Dark Schala! Suikoden's headquarters definitely deserves its place in this thread. Great writeup on Mother 3.
I also want a mention of Ultima VII. I can't find specific pictures of it's great towns.. (such as Buccaneer's Den), so this generic one has to do.
Much like Majora's Mask, Ultima VII's towns are filled with characters affected by time. They will go to sleep, go to their respective jobs or hobbies, turn on the lights in the evening and go to the tavern. It's an amazing game and I can't wait to play it again.
Witcher 2, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Fable...there are a lot of RPGs where characters have schedules ala Majora's Mask. They DO make games like that these days.
Witcher 2, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Fable...there are a lot of RPGs where characters have schedules ala Majora's Mask. They DO make games like that these days.
Don't make me laugh. I played New Vegas and that shit was static and glitchy as hell.
Elder Scrolls? Don't make me laugh again! Characters just stand in place.
Haven't played Fable 2 or 3, can't really remember the first game that well. Have you played Ultima VII? My comments weren't just referring to character's schedules and day-to-day activities, but the overall interactivity and sense of place that the world offered. If you can see it, you can interact with it. Something that is sorely lacking in recent games.
It's got the noir feel down pat, but it's also the best implementation of the "one year later" story gap in the game. Manny demonstrates his entrepeneurial skills by transforming the diner to a swanky nightclub, and climbs up the social ladder with ease. New characters are introduced with implied existing relationships and events, and interact with Manny accordingly. You explore the town over the course of one night, but the things you experience seem so much more without seeming forced.