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Your favorite worlds in RPGs?

TucoBenedictoPacifico said:
The topic isn't really clear to me.
When you talk about "world" are you referring to world design (best map to explore and so on) or to setting/lore?
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Both?
I personally lean more towards the lore side but world design still plays an important role and for some people, it's more important. Just go with whatever you like.
 
I really liked the world and lore in FF XIII. The Cocoon side was pretty much a dyson sphere full of utopian cities and sci-fi stuff and even lush forests and sea. I liked how a lot of it was assembled from materials stolen from the lower world of Pulse. It's an artificial world that shouldn't exist. The world below was a prehistoric looking wildlands full of ancient ruins. The setting alone is one of the reasons I have played it so many times since it came out.

Final Fantasy VIII is another one. From the futuristic metropolis of Esthar, to the quaint sea-side town of Balamb it is a world I enjoy revisiting at least once a year. The evidence of the original war against the sorceress and the Lunar Cry are also fascinating. I love how the datalog tells you how the people who used to live on the Cetra continent spread out and influenced the architecture of places like Dollet.
 
I'd have to go with XenoBlade Chronicles....the worlds ( Mechonis and Bionis) is on the bodies of 2 giant dormant mechs! It's awesome!

xenoblade-chronicles-mechonis.jpg


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Going just by the world and not the gameplay within I'd have to say Skyrim.
 
Coxy said:
The world of Ar Tonelico is fantastic, really weird and original as well as one of the most massively fleshed out with history, lore, its own cultures and trends and pop culture too

You very rarely feel like you're just going through the same generic RPG lands in it
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Came in here to post this (and that image of AT1's Tower specifically). So I'll settle for AT3's Tower:
towerat301tis3o.jpg
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Honourable mentions:

SMT Nocturne: Vortex World
Breath of Fire V: Deep Earth
Phantasy Star Online: Ragol / Pioneer 2
Disgaea: The Netherworld
 
Loved the worlds in Risen, Dark Souls, Dragon Quest VIII, FFXII and IX.

I'm gonna be playing a bit of FFXIV just to see and experience a bit of its world, the game doesn't interest me too much (it being an mmo and all), but the world looks amazing. I really wish a sp FF would have that kind of world again.
 
I loved Zeal in Chrono Trigger.

CT spoilers:
Too bad it had a dark side and self-destructed.
 
Another vote for Xenoblade.

But...

Let's hear it for some of the first open worlds in RPG history, Sosaria/Brittania from really old-school Ultima!

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Azeroth and Ivalice... Fuck man, soooooooo good!
 
PshycoNinja said:
-Kingdom Hearts original worlds (The World that Never Was, Land of Departure, Keyblade Graveyard, Twilight Town, End of Worlds)

-TWEWY's world

-I am starting to dig the FINAL FANTASY XIV and FINAL FANTASY XV worlds. They're both expansive and absolutely beautiful.
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It is? You've seen less then ten minutes of it...
 
Twilight Town

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I would like to live there with Roxas and Xion. During summer break we could visit the beach or partake in struggle battles. We wouldn't hang out with Olette, because she's annoying, but I wouldn't mind being friends with Pence and Hayner. I think I would work as a delivery boy, but I would need Roxas to show me how to ride a skateboard properly. Then we would end every day with some sea-salt ice cream atop the clock tower.
 
Brian Fellows said:
The world of Suikoden.
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So much this. The political intrigue of the northern continent and its history of war and tragedy make the Suikoden series one of my all time favorite worlds... Some seriously impressive world building went on in
most of
those games.
 
Mass Effect galaxy, super bleak world of Demons Souls and honestly gotta drop Jade Cocoon 2 in here as well. The Wormhole Forest is one of the weirdest fucking concepts I've seen in a game, fucking bizarre.
 
Terca Lumireis from Tales of Vesperia, just read this description:

Vesperia takes place on the planet Terca Lumireis. The people of Terca Lumireis have come to rely on "blastia", an ancient civilization's technology with a wide array of capabilities, such as providing water, powering ships, or creating barriers around major cities and towns to protect them from monsters. The Imperial Knights and Guild members also use "bodhi blastia" to enhance their abilities in combat. The blastia, created by the elf-like Krityans, are fueled by a substance called "aer" that lends its power to the blastia's ability, but can be fatal to humans in large concentrations.
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ToV has some of the most beautiful environments you will ever see in an RPG, the game is freaking gorgeous.
 
Great thread. So many to list, though certain ones stand out in my mind.

As far as worlds that span multiple games, Ivalice and Hyrule are among my absolute favorites.

For worlds represented in a single game, Bionis and Mechonis from Xenoblade and Gaia from FFIX are also two of my favorites.
 
I don't like Xenoblade as a game but I admit the world is pretty cool and unique.

Darkmakaimura said:
Nosgoth is an awesomely dark world.
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It is, and it's my actual favourite game world ever (the Blood Omen 1 version of Nosgoth), but it's not really an RPG... :P


My picks:

Panzer Dragoon Saga
Final Fantasy Tactics (fuck off poseur Ivalice of FF12, only FFT is real!)
Phantasy Star series (not the online crap)
Demon's Souls (especially the Tower of Latria)
Dark Souls
Skies of Arcadia
 
Norrath (EverQuest). The sense of achievement you got from reaching the max level was great (and the server-wide announcement was a nice touch). Nothing was handed to you, you had to earn it. This world was not built to accommodate or baby you, so when you accomplished something you felt great. And you respected the world because it was unforgiving.

But apart from that, I loved the setting and lore. especially the second expansion, Kunark. The dungeons were dangerous and full of traps, and the overworld had crumbling statues and towers that hinted at the powerful beings that inhabited the areas before you. And the world was vast. I mean really vast. Leveling was slow, and you'd stay a long time in a particular zone before outleveling it, so you got to know all the hills, buildings, mobs and players.

The East Commonlands tunnel, North Freeport bank, the bridges of the Karana's, Halas lake, Chardok, Sebilis, Karnors Castle, Sol B, fishing in Lake Rathe with friends, duelling in the Arena, camping the Ancient Cyclops, helping friends get their Epic's. All these and more are indelibly imprinted in my mind. There isn't enough hours in the day to recount the memories I have from that game. Norrath was the best designed world I've played in, but it wouldn't have been quite as good without the people I explored it with. They're what made it memorable.
 
Going to go with Ivalice (FFXII) and whatever the world of Suikoden is called.

I just really dig the setting, lore, and different races in both.
 
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