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[uncledonnie]

Skies of Arcadia

This but really it was the overworld and not the map. So amazing and really sucked you in.

 

[tkscz]

The sheer size of the Morrowind map blew me away.

That's not even half of Morrowind

I think Skyrim is the only Elder Scroll in which you can travel the Entire Country. Morrowind only lets you travel the Island.

 

[RobotHaus]

I would like to mention Dragon Quest VIII in this discussion.

So the map is kind of simple, got yer islands and all that jazz, nothing too stellar to remark in just viewing the map.

But on foot, it's just lovely to view. You can see tons of places that you can get to, even see some special monsters walking around you can recruit.

But the best part of it (at least in North America) was the music. Oh gosh, what great music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg236zrHA40

 

[schragnasher]

AC

 

[vaelic]

the secret world

 

[Lombax]

final fantasy tactics

 

[DarkKyo]

Super Mario World

Damn this was what I was thinking. I got lost in this world as a kid.

 

[Nemo]

Can't believe the bare FFVIII love. It had by far the best theme (blue fields) and was made to look a lot better than you'd expect from a world map. Absolute classic that made you want to explore. When you get to fly balamb it's a blast to do all the side questing, also training at dragon island was fun as hell

 

[Raptomex]

I was OBSESSED with this overworld. Studied the strategy guides. Looked for every secret spot.

EDIT: dammit! shouldn't have typed anything

This. Because it's the best and the greatest game ever made. My friend and I want to use Lunar Magic to alter the world and create new levels. Going to be awesome.

 

[Maffis]

The game hasn't been released yet but the maps in Darksiders 2 looks really good.

 

[ArynCrinn]

Legend of Zelda 1 and 2, Metroid Prime, and Rayman Origins are good examples for me.

 

[Raptomex]

Also this:

Mount & Blade overworld.

 

[les papillons sexuels]

fable/albion

 

[Stormbringer]

For me, it was when I realized as I started playing EarthBound that there actually was no traditional overworld, and that if there ever was one, I was already in it.
The way you traveled seamlessly in this world suddenly made it seem HUGE, and it really felt like every step mattered.
It's not even my top favorite game or anything (though it's somewhere up there), but I must say that no other game made me feel as immersed in its world as this game did.

 

[bengraven]

Ahh, I love this topic. I really love maps growing up and I still do today. I'll toss in my favorite that I've not seen mentioned yet. I know that it's just a map of actual locations, as opposed to a map of a new game world, but I still just totally associate it with the game that it came with (Sid Meier's Pirates!). My copy actually fell apart at the edges from my folding and unfolding it while playing Pirates! until I basically had the entire map memorized.

Quoting, since it's a big dang image.

Fuck yes!

I can't believe I forgot this, especially since I'm usually the first person to point out Pirates! in threads.

I don't know anyone who didn't frame this on their wall. True story: four friends and myself owned the game and for some reason we all ended up with this framed on our wall, despite no one coordinating said framing.

Chrono Cross. The theme music for both worlds was just so good and the layout was so great.

I still love Chrono Cross. Top 3 JRPG for me. The world, the music, it's great.

 

[RedSwirl]

Why does seen so similar to Metal Gear Solid? Even had the tower where you fight the Hind-D.

Because Metal Gear 2 is literally about 85% the same game as MGS1, it was just made eight years earlier on 8-bit hardware. No seriously, play it. It's on the HD Collection.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Does something like Crusader Kings 2 count? ;P

 

[TripOpt55]

Link to the Past came to my mind.

If this was world map screens that sucked, I'd nominate Warrior Within's map. What a piece of shit. Why bother including that in the game at all.

 

[GimMick]

Dat first post ! Super Mario World map especially is marvelous, so many secrets in there !

Also approving the Morrowind (Vvardenfell), Crash Bandicoot, and DKC games' mentions in this thread.

 

[The_Player]

first result: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJeRRzhVGrs ?

second (maybe the one?): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsj5xjoLXtE

Yeah, the second one. Thank you kindly!

 

[Bisnic]

This is what i meant the other day by how Mass Effect 1 was presenting its planets, i mean when you see that, you really wanna explore the planet and see what the rest of the galaxy has to show, ME2 and ME3 don't do it that way and it sucks :

 

[cool_dude_2049]

Not the best pic, but the map in Test Drive Unlimited isn't intimidating at first until you are trying to drive on ever single road available.

Another vote for Mass Effect, especially Mass Effect 3. Being able to read up about every planet in every system in each galaxy is just incredible.

I miss being able to explore some planets on the Mako in Mass Effect 1.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

EU3 baby.

skyrim because it is sort of 3d and awesome
http://d1aw6a8fkdzosj.cloudfront.net/images/stories/Review_Pics/SKYRIM_-_PIC_3.jpg[IMG]

Here is a bad example, looks better in game[/QUOTE]

Skyrim world map took me out of the game, because when you realized how close everything was together, the sense of scale collapsed in on itself like a giant star of turgid shit condensing into a vast singularity with a gravitational pull so strong that no suspension of disbelief could escape.

 

[Shamdeo]

Map of Cocoon from FFXIII.
http://i.imgur.com/a8jY1.jpg

As you can see, you have to imagine the map sort of folded inward into a sphere.

 

[boiled goose]

really gaf? have not seen this yet.

 

[Conrad Link]

There are a few that are very special to me (FFXI, Pokemon Red), but Zelda 1 is the forever and always in my heart best.

 

[Candeldandel]

Still my favorite area of any RPG. Sometimes I just like to sit there and pretend...(Chrono Trigger).

Gotta have this glorious shot of Zeal at LEAST once every page My favorite place in the game was Enhasa, hands down.

 

[Rodney McKay]

Fucking hate that map. It may look cool but it's functionality is awful. Zero help when it comes to finding the right path up a mountain or such, way too cluttered deeper into the game when you've got markers all over the place and if you've got a bunch of active quests, and you can barely zoom out, so sometimes you don't even know what part of the map you're looking at cause you see such a small part of it.

Completely agreed. Over 100 hours into the game on the PC (with roads mod added) and it is still confusing as hell to tell where you are.

There was suppose to be a mod in the works that makes the map look like an actual MAP like Oblivion, but I'm not sure if it's finished.

 

[hongcha]

Seiken Densetsu 3:

Simply magical. I wish Square(-Enix) still made game worlds like this!!

Lunar:

Tengai Makyou IV: The Apocalypse:

 

[DJIzana]

I always loved the Chrono Cross world map.

QFT... my favorite game to this date. I fell in love with the world map, the game is simply amazing. Both on a artistic and musical level. Yeah, the story might not have been what people would have wanted it to be but for me... it's everything I've wanted in a Chrono sequel! =)

 

[Yoshichan]

Map of Cocoon from FFXIII.
http://i.imgur.com/a8jY1.jpg

As you can see, you have to imagine the map sort of folded inward into a sphere.

That's pretty awesome

 

[yepyepyep]

This thread makes me a little sad, seeing as world maps are increasingly seen as 'dated' concepts in games

 

[dragonlife]

Yes.

Baten Kaitos maps were awesome. Really beautiful to look at and let the equally marvelous BGM playback.




EDIT. Pics of some regional maps on both BK1 & BK2.

YES.

 

[vareon]

Not particularly impressive, but Mario RPG's world map is memorable to me.

 

[boi]

Red Alert

Emperor: Battle for Dune

 

[ctrayne]

.

 

[Martian]

Even though the game itself wasn't too great, the fact that you could walk in middle earth, more than made up for it (Lord of the Rings: The Third Age)

 

[Shadow of the BEAST]

fuck man this thread is like porn to me.

 

[RobotHaus]

really gaf? have not seen this yet.

Criminy! Learn to quote images! Plus this is a bit different as this is the whole game, rather than an over world map representing the whole world. I can see where you're coming from though, this is very immersive.

 

[sentry65]

Dark Souls

 

[ponpo]

Crusader of Centy was good.

 

[Cjdamon042]

A lot of the ones I like have been brought up but I didn't see this in a search so:

FFXII: Revenant Wings

It's not the most amazing thing ever, but I loved the look of it and flying around.

 

[pottuvoi]

Has nobody mentioned this series yet?

This.

Cloth maps are superior to any map system within a game.

 

[Portugeezer]

.

 

[yogloo]

 

[MarkusRJR]

I absolutely love the world maps in both Chrono Trigger and Skyrim. Chrono Trigger's world map music engrosses me in the experience, while Skyrim's map makes me want to explore everywhere and find hidden areas.

 

[MrTeachwell]

I don't think your LTTP picture is big enough.

Final Fantasy VII. You spend all this time in a very steampunk-esque city, battling an environment-killing corporation, and then BAM! Some old soldier named Sephiroth just killed who you thought was the big bad villain, your main character is starting to act unhinged, and it looks like shit is seriously about to get real. And then...you leave the city and realize you still have the rest of the world to visit.

Leaving Midgar in FFVII was a major "holy shit" moment.

This for me too, probably because it was my first experience with RPGs and I still had my 'golden age of gaming glasses'. I remember feeling such awe and excitement at the size of that world I was just released into. I also remember realising at that point that the game came on 3 discs and I was still on the first. Such great memories.

 

[NM0dz]

This thread has made me realise how much a world map draws me in. All of these maps are awesome, new and old. Here's to more awesome maps in the future...

Edit: going to track down the games I don't recognise here and give them a shot

 

[gollumsluvslave]

Not one mention of BG /BG2?

Of course I was an old AD&D nerd, loved Forgotten Realms, so BG2 was great from that point of view for me

Also, it's just a tiny part of the overworld:-

 

[chertipros]

Nothing special but the map for forget-me-not valley from harvest moon a wonderful life

It was Mostly area number 3 that did it. i never owned a gba link cable so i was never able to explore that area but seeing that mysterious off limits section of the town made my imagination run wild. it made me explore and try to learn as much as i can about the world to guess what was on that side. After talking to some npc's in the game who all said they came from the big city i imagined it to be a big bustling metropolis. Oh boy can you imagine my disappointment when i looked up on the internet what it was a few years later lol.