most memorable locations in videogames?
- Thread starter Oddball
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There are way too many, but I'll list a few that come to mind right now.
Inverted Castle (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
It's a pretty cool concept. Instead of it being some generic alternate realm, they've taken the exact layout of the original castle and inverted it. Even kept the same locations, except made them stranger and more obscure to a degree.
http://brokenanalog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Symphony-of-the-Night-Galamoth.jpg
VersaLife Labs (Deus Ex)
The moment you step into this hi-tech, high security eye-candy place, you recognize it from the intro sequence and instantly realise how important it must be.
http://www.battlereports.com/users/Feanor/DXPart4/12%20greathall.jpg
Gold Saucer (FF7)
This definitely brings a lot of memories, whether it's the silly music, the date scene, the joke that is Cait Sith, or getting frustrated on its mini-games and trying to earn its darn GP.
http://addictedgamewise.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-ljrWlx2XgsM/UHRTW00wVbI/AAAAAAAABmk/XMNHRJW0OXg/s1600/FF7-Cait-Sith-003.jpg
Nova Prospekt (Half Life 2)
Hands down one of the best thought out locations in HL2. You storm into the facility, controlling a small army of giant alien bugs, and when inside, you have those cool defence sections where you must set up turrets and hold your ground from waves of troopers.
http://currentconfig.com/images/hl2images/novaprospekt_sm.jpg
Hades' Underworld (Titan Quest: Immortal Throne)
There are a lot of memorable locations for me in this game, but the dark and atmospheric feel of the Underworld in the expansion act of the game takes the prize, especially at the moment you enter it through a mountain passage filled with numerous streams of souls, and then seeing them all standing on the bank of river Styx and waiting for their judgement.
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/760/760900/titan-quest-immortal-throne--20070202114226073-000.jpg
Anor Londo (Dark Souls)
Looks-wise, this place looks like paradise. Every single section of it is beautiful. But darn, little do you realise when you first step into it that it'll be another difficulty curve that you must master before you can progress. And to finish it off, we've got our favourite boss duo that we hate at first but slowly get to love.
http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/7/70675/1976441-darksouls_anorlondo.jpg
Inverted Castle (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
It's a pretty cool concept. Instead of it being some generic alternate realm, they've taken the exact layout of the original castle and inverted it. Even kept the same locations, except made them stranger and more obscure to a degree.
http://brokenanalog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Symphony-of-the-Night-Galamoth.jpg
VersaLife Labs (Deus Ex)
The moment you step into this hi-tech, high security eye-candy place, you recognize it from the intro sequence and instantly realise how important it must be.
http://www.battlereports.com/users/Feanor/DXPart4/12%20greathall.jpg
Gold Saucer (FF7)
This definitely brings a lot of memories, whether it's the silly music, the date scene, the joke that is Cait Sith, or getting frustrated on its mini-games and trying to earn its darn GP.
http://addictedgamewise.com/wp-content/uploads/blogger/-ljrWlx2XgsM/UHRTW00wVbI/AAAAAAAABmk/XMNHRJW0OXg/s1600/FF7-Cait-Sith-003.jpg
Nova Prospekt (Half Life 2)
Hands down one of the best thought out locations in HL2. You storm into the facility, controlling a small army of giant alien bugs, and when inside, you have those cool defence sections where you must set up turrets and hold your ground from waves of troopers.
http://currentconfig.com/images/hl2images/novaprospekt_sm.jpg
Hades' Underworld (Titan Quest: Immortal Throne)
There are a lot of memorable locations for me in this game, but the dark and atmospheric feel of the Underworld in the expansion act of the game takes the prize, especially at the moment you enter it through a mountain passage filled with numerous streams of souls, and then seeing them all standing on the bank of river Styx and waiting for their judgement.
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/760/760900/titan-quest-immortal-throne--20070202114226073-000.jpg
Anor Londo (Dark Souls)
Looks-wise, this place looks like paradise. Every single section of it is beautiful. But darn, little do you realise when you first step into it that it'll be another difficulty curve that you must master before you can progress. And to finish it off, we've got our favourite boss duo that we hate at first but slowly get to love.
http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/7/70675/1976441-darksouls_anorlondo.jpg
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Anywhere in Bravely Default. That game is just SO GORGEOUS.
Anistar City in Pokemon XY. The Sundial is so cool.
Angel Village in Illusion of Gaia had such a feeling of melancholy.
Ice Country in Secret of Mana had beautiful music and was a great place to level grind.
Anistar City in Pokemon XY. The Sundial is so cool.
Angel Village in Illusion of Gaia had such a feeling of melancholy.
Ice Country in Secret of Mana had beautiful music and was a great place to level grind.
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Probably Noel's timeline from FFXIII-2. After the whole game was spent building up the dread and anticipation of seeing it, actually going there (unexpectedly) was an emotionally powerful moment. The stark red sky against the silhouetted, lonely shapes of the desolate landscape really hit home how hopeless it all was, and the music sent chills down my spine. Square-Enix schools every other developer in how you do post-apocalyptic and make it beautiful while desolate at the same time.
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Most memorable one when I was a kid would be Spiral Mountain. I can remember so much of that place, even though its been forever. I choke up a bit hearing a banjo cause it reminds me of that. Recently I've been totally engrossed in Forest and Hills in Monster Hunter 1. The ambient sounds, the roars and grunts of the monsters nearby, the sounds of wind blowing. Just everything about that place just sends sub zero chills down my spine. I listened to the sounds of the game, and completely forgot about the quest for half an hour.
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I've played a couple of games that have locations I'll probably will never be able to forget.
One of them is Sunless Sea. Great game, but heavily focused on narrative. If you're not one for reading, stay away from it.
Now, in that game, every island is quite memorable. Every port you can go to has something unique to them. Nuncio, Mt. Palmerston, The Chapel Of Lights, Avid Horizon, Port Carnelian (Love this place)... However, there is one I'll never forget. One port that, when I arrived, the only thing I knew is that I was better off away from it. In the southeast corner of the world there is the Sea of Statues, where the Kingeater's Castle lies. One of the most ominous locations in the whole game, even more ominous than Irem, The Saviour's Rocks and Frostfound, and truly one of the darkest places you'll ever find. Eat your crew, sacrifice yourself to the Kingeater, turn away and never come back, lest you unleash the anger of the Kingeater.
It has been mentioned before, but I must mention it again, for it is the most astounding, breathtaking place in the whole game: The Ash Lake in Dark Souls, a glimpse of what the world was before the lords came into existence, what it was when the dragons governed it and where you find what is possibly the last dragon in the Dark Souls universe. Not to mention the soundtrack that, strangely, you'll only hear if when you enter the place, you look upwards. Honestly, even if you don't like Dark Souls, you have to admit Hidetaka Miyazaki nailed it with that detail, because it was my first impulse (and probably many other player's) to look up to the sky of that place.
And a personal favorite from possibly my favorite game, which is not Dark Souls as it may seem given that I kinda can't shut up about it a second. Still, a magnificent game.
Anyway. Let's talk about undoubtfully good games, shall we? Games that are ART. With capital letters. The PC version of Journey. A beautiful game with a unique form of gameplay, scenery, soundtrack and a unique art style. Let us talk about Transistor. One hell of a game. Enjoyable, peaceful, tranquil, but still featuring one of the most tense bossfights I've ever had. Even more so than half the bossfights in DS.
The Spine, that...unknown process, a gigant serpent able to numb the Transistor, which is supposed to have control over the process. The stage where it's found is not particularly remarkable, however, it's insides are. Truly amazing what was done in that game.
Honestly, tho: Sunless Sea? fricking good game. 100% reccomended. One of the best narratives I've seen in a videogame and I've played both Transistor and Bastion.
One of them is Sunless Sea. Great game, but heavily focused on narrative. If you're not one for reading, stay away from it.
Now, in that game, every island is quite memorable. Every port you can go to has something unique to them. Nuncio, Mt. Palmerston, The Chapel Of Lights, Avid Horizon, Port Carnelian (Love this place)... However, there is one I'll never forget. One port that, when I arrived, the only thing I knew is that I was better off away from it. In the southeast corner of the world there is the Sea of Statues, where the Kingeater's Castle lies. One of the most ominous locations in the whole game, even more ominous than Irem, The Saviour's Rocks and Frostfound, and truly one of the darkest places you'll ever find. Eat your crew, sacrifice yourself to the Kingeater, turn away and never come back, lest you unleash the anger of the Kingeater.
And a personal favorite from possibly my favorite game, which is not Dark Souls as it may seem given that I kinda can't shut up about it a second. Still, a magnificent game.
Anyway. Let's talk about undoubtfully good games, shall we? Games that are ART. With capital letters. The PC version of Journey. A beautiful game with a unique form of gameplay, scenery, soundtrack and a unique art style. Let us talk about Transistor. One hell of a game. Enjoyable, peaceful, tranquil, but still featuring one of the most tense bossfights I've ever had. Even more so than half the bossfights in DS.
The Spine, that...unknown process, a gigant serpent able to numb the Transistor, which is supposed to have control over the process. The stage where it's found is not particularly remarkable, however, it's insides are. Truly amazing what was done in that game.
Honestly, tho: Sunless Sea? fricking good game. 100% reccomended. One of the best narratives I've seen in a videogame and I've played both Transistor and Bastion.
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For me it would definitely be the scenic overlook from Fallout 3. The first thing you see after leaving the vault is that amazing view of the Capital Wasteland. There are so many other memorable locations in that game, Dunwich Building, the White House (even though its not accessible) and so many others.
Other than that, Ravenholm from HL2. Plenty of people have mentioned it, and for me, its the reason I keep going back to play the game (on my fourth playthrough now.) The entire game is amazing, but that one level is just so memorable.
And again, like others said, Jensen's apartment in Human Revolution. The area itself doesn't stand out too much in terms of the overall design, but all the subtle details really left an impact. The broken mirror, the books, and the clockwork that Jensen did. There is so much symbolism in that apartment that its overwhelming.
Maybe a unique one for me would be the first alien capital ship in XCOM Enemy Unknown. Where you encounter the Sectoid Commander for the first time. The layout of this ship is so fun to play through, and the sheer amount of disoveries you make as you progress, and how they all get more severe until you reach the end and the strange anti-climactic discovery in the control room acts just denies you the release of tension that is built up through the whole level. Those are the most frustrating things to me, but they are also the most memorable.
Other than that, Ravenholm from HL2. Plenty of people have mentioned it, and for me, its the reason I keep going back to play the game (on my fourth playthrough now.) The entire game is amazing, but that one level is just so memorable.
And again, like others said, Jensen's apartment in Human Revolution. The area itself doesn't stand out too much in terms of the overall design, but all the subtle details really left an impact. The broken mirror, the books, and the clockwork that Jensen did. There is so much symbolism in that apartment that its overwhelming.
Maybe a unique one for me would be the first alien capital ship in XCOM Enemy Unknown. Where you encounter the Sectoid Commander for the first time. The layout of this ship is so fun to play through, and the sheer amount of disoveries you make as you progress, and how they all get more severe until you reach the end and the strange anti-climactic discovery in the control room acts just denies you the release of tension that is built up through the whole level. Those are the most frustrating things to me, but they are also the most memorable.
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Baten Kaitos - Parnasse, Town of Sugar:
Towns that are both delicious and beautifully edible are enchanting safety hazards around moisture... not to mention they have a jail with walls made of gingerbread that can be eaten.
Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
Towns that are both delicious and beautifully edible are enchanting safety hazards around moisture... not to mention they have a jail with walls made of gingerbread that can be eaten.
Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
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I have no idea why, but I always think of Lumbridge in Runescape. 
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Rainbow Road in Mario Kart on the SNES. A level with 90º turns, narrow roads, and NO WALLS. You can imagine how Godly I felt when I managed to learn all the driving tricks in the game and could ace Rainbow Road on 150cc and even lap the last three drivers on that difficulty without ever falling off the course. No rainbow road since has managed to capture that difficulty and satisfaction of mastery for me.
"The Drawing of the Web" in StarCraft Brood War. A map you play as Zerg, you get a tiny base, no flying units (except overlords, but they can't carry units), the map is covered in Protoss Dark Templars, Carriers, Reavers, and Dark Archons. The goal is to bring a hero unit to five points on the map to "set charges" that would blow up the inaccessible Protoss Base in the center of the map. That map gave me so many problems and issues. It is particularly memorable as a location because when I eventually figured out what the trick was, it became my absolutely FAVORITE map in the entire game. The trick? Roleplay as the Zerg. Huge mass of units that goes everywhere. Overwhelming numbers. Drag all your Overlords with you, drag all the Hydralisks with you at the same time, lay waste to every base on every control point on the map where you set charges. It cripples the Protoss so badly to do this, that they're not even a modest threat for the rest of the level, until you plant the charges. Fantastic map design.
Victory Road and The Elite Four in Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow. Why is it memorable for me? The music. My God, that music. Heroic and creepy at the same time. Hypnotic and Sinister. I will always remember that music and those locations because of it.
That first Hub zone in Hexen. A game my friend and I beat completely legit on N64. No cheats, just sheer willpower and intelligent playing. But, that first Hub area essentially teaches you how the game is going to play from that point on. Hub zone, you go to different worlds, collect their doodads, come back to the hub and plug 'em in. Or, just flip switches in the other locations. It's memorable because it's so early in the game and you visit it like 9 times before you ever complete it.
"The Silent Cartographer" from Halo 1. So many lost hours on that "sandbox" like map. So memorable because it's a prime example of fantastic map design. Multiple paths, multiple ways to approach every battle, no way to break the story even if you try to "sequence break" it. It's just a fantastic location and it's a shame no other Halo singleplayer map has tried to do what that one does again.
That's just a short list. I got a lot of these laying around!
"The Drawing of the Web" in StarCraft Brood War. A map you play as Zerg, you get a tiny base, no flying units (except overlords, but they can't carry units), the map is covered in Protoss Dark Templars, Carriers, Reavers, and Dark Archons. The goal is to bring a hero unit to five points on the map to "set charges" that would blow up the inaccessible Protoss Base in the center of the map. That map gave me so many problems and issues. It is particularly memorable as a location because when I eventually figured out what the trick was, it became my absolutely FAVORITE map in the entire game. The trick? Roleplay as the Zerg. Huge mass of units that goes everywhere. Overwhelming numbers. Drag all your Overlords with you, drag all the Hydralisks with you at the same time, lay waste to every base on every control point on the map where you set charges. It cripples the Protoss so badly to do this, that they're not even a modest threat for the rest of the level, until you plant the charges. Fantastic map design.
Victory Road and The Elite Four in Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow. Why is it memorable for me? The music. My God, that music. Heroic and creepy at the same time. Hypnotic and Sinister. I will always remember that music and those locations because of it.
That first Hub zone in Hexen. A game my friend and I beat completely legit on N64. No cheats, just sheer willpower and intelligent playing. But, that first Hub area essentially teaches you how the game is going to play from that point on. Hub zone, you go to different worlds, collect their doodads, come back to the hub and plug 'em in. Or, just flip switches in the other locations. It's memorable because it's so early in the game and you visit it like 9 times before you ever complete it.
"The Silent Cartographer" from Halo 1. So many lost hours on that "sandbox" like map. So memorable because it's a prime example of fantastic map design. Multiple paths, multiple ways to approach every battle, no way to break the story even if you try to "sequence break" it. It's just a fantastic location and it's a shame no other Halo singleplayer map has tried to do what that one does again.
That's just a short list. I got a lot of these laying around!
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Game was released about 18 years ago, it's not your fault if they haven't played it yet.
I just find it slightly ridiculous that since remake is coming, suddenly the story would be again considered as "spoiler."
I'm fully aware that you might be joking.
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The Operahouse from FF6. Home to quite possibly one of the most well known scenes in RPG history. Also where you fought a T-Rex boss. Awesome.
Fire Emblem 7 Chapter 26: Battle Before Dawn. This map was BULLSH!T. It was such a pain in the butt to get through this chapter. Oh the nightmares...
The Tainted Mountain from Dragon's Dogma. The first place you see in game, and the last place you do battle with the dragon, Grigori. (probably my favorite dragon in video gaming.)
and lastly, The Forsaken Fortress, from Wind Waker. I can still see myself sneaking around, humming the metal gear solid music.
Fire Emblem 7 Chapter 26: Battle Before Dawn. This map was BULLSH!T. It was such a pain in the butt to get through this chapter. Oh the nightmares...
The Tainted Mountain from Dragon's Dogma. The first place you see in game, and the last place you do battle with the dragon, Grigori. (probably my favorite dragon in video gaming.)
and lastly, The Forsaken Fortress, from Wind Waker. I can still see myself sneaking around, humming the metal gear solid music.
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The Scar (Pandora's Tower):
http://goo.gl/2roNKx
Yulia City (Tales of the Abyss):
https://goo.gl/3yQirU
Palace of Twilight (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess):
http://goo.gl/v2l6yS
Zeal (Chrono Trigger):
http://goo.gl/CCy0L6
AND It's ruins in Radical Dreamers:
http://goo.gl/8oU1r4
Dead Sea (Chrono Cross):
http://goo.gl/n3J0yg
Sorry for the URLs, I tried to have pictures in spoilers, but the forums said one of the pictures had an unsupported file extension... they're all JPG.
http://goo.gl/2roNKx
Yulia City (Tales of the Abyss):
https://goo.gl/3yQirU
Palace of Twilight (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess):
http://goo.gl/v2l6yS
Zeal (Chrono Trigger):
http://goo.gl/CCy0L6
AND It's ruins in Radical Dreamers:
http://goo.gl/8oU1r4
Dead Sea (Chrono Cross):
http://goo.gl/n3J0yg
Sorry for the URLs, I tried to have pictures in spoilers, but the forums said one of the pictures had an unsupported file extension... they're all JPG.
