I can see my house from here!!!

Whether it's a fantasy land, a sci-fi land, a post apocalyptic land, or simply a recreation of our current world in pixels, the scenery in Gaming is leaping and bounding to becoming the very imprint of an artists mind on your screen.

Now, we discuss. What is your favourite sceney, vista, landscape, etc in a video Game.

Ever.

Yes, this is where we can rant and rave about things we find fantastic about the worlds we inhabit through those cunning boxes we call consoles.

Present your top three views in gaming, with or without a particular order.. (Three not required. Some people can never decide, so feel free to post less!)

I'll start off the debate. My first scene to present is very simple:

Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion. The highest point in the Shivering Isles on a clear night sky.

The sky blazes with crimson and purple nebula and star clusters, that move and change slowly, always keeping you interested and making you even awestruck sometimes.

This sky, combined with a view of the ENTIRETY of the Isles (Oh yes), makes for a totally breathtaking scene, and I congratulate the designers on it. If VR Gaming ever does become mainstream, this is a place I could lose myself for HOURS in.

My Second Scene. Also quite simple:

Metal Gear Solid 4:

Travelling through the snow on an Alaskan Island, the wind tearing past Snake in an intense blizzard that covers his sneaking suit in a powder coating. You make it past a couple of automated sentries and take off your NV goggles to navigate further, under the strain of the sneaking.

Then, the wind and sleet clear up slightly, almost unveiling the Shadow Moses Heliport like a stage curtain, unchanged in 9 years since MGS1. And a track begins to play that makes you remember and smile.

I don't know why, but this scene builds up such anticipation and nostalgia, as well as a sheer idolisation of the work put into making such a scene work out, and in no other way could Shadow Moses have been successfully revealed to fans.

Amazing.

Now, put forward your suggestions, and I'll see if I can think of some more. I'd love to hear your opinions. When the line between Movie and Game begins to blur, wonders can occur.

I could lose myself in Morrowind's world as it was always different and each area had it's own creatures.

Oblivion but less so as it wasnt as diverse as Morrowind. There were some cities in Morrowind that I dont think i ever visited. Oblivion was great, nothing bad but there was no variation until the shivering isles.

Oblivion - The Knigts Of The Nine when you are up in the sky and can look down on the world. Jesus H Corburt Tap Dancing Christ!

MGS2 - Enough said. Played that game so many times and never gets dull.

MGS4 - Act 4. Ive only played te first game once and i was hit by all the memories. Plus that place felt haunted. Was truly amazing.

Crysis - Never in my life have i been so impressed with a physics engine! The only fault the game has is the high specs but its worth it. Plus the suite and real time gun customising.

The opening FMV to Final Fantasy X. I'll pause for a minute so you can find your socks that just blew off.

The opening FMV to Final Fantasy X. I'll pause for a minute so you can find your socks that just blew off.

Originally Posted by Blank Planet

And it's hard to NOT be affected by the nostalgia and haunting nature of Shadow Moses in MGS4...

An artwork in graphical presentation, combined with music, ambient sound and flashbacks...

Very interesting idea for a thread, my friend. I've moved it to general gaming discussion for now though. This could have easily been a general tech discussion thread too. This will do for now.

Anyway, Final Fantasy XI takes the cake for me. Being one of many MMORPGs which I have tried to get into, FFXI stuck with me in terms of overall size and detail in landscape. The opening sequence shows a historic war which burns and completely ravages a town then proceeds to show how big the world of Vana'diel really was. I dunno what it was but living and breathing a character within the game seemed almost realistic thanks to the landscape and overall atmosphere. Maybe it was the huge variety in the world which included beaches, mountains, high grass, caves, valleys, canyons, glaciers, deserts, you name it.. It was also very nicely how weather played into the overall atmosphere too. You could walk your way from one part of the continent to the other and watch the sunset turn into night and the sunrise turn into day again. It just stuck with me and something that no other game could replicate.

The opening level of Condemned (first one) really sets the tone for the game and is thankfully kept throughout.

Also the opening FMV to RE: Code Veronica X. What a sequence that was!

I watched my brother play Crysis on his beefy PC and I was struck speachless at the visuals. With the graphical settings at full, the landscapes just blew my mind at how beautiful it all looked.

And there was a british dude who didn't die or turn evil, so three cheers for Crytek I say.

If you turn up Age of Conan you can see quite far into the distance which adds a sense of depth. sure its no crysis but i cant help but feel slightly impressed.

When playing Morrowind did anyone notice how detailed the night sky looked? For its time that looked realistic enough. (note for its time).

I agree with the Morrowind point... GORGEOUS night sky, even by today's standards. The Shivering Isles Night sky must have recieved inspiration from it's Morrowind predecessor.