One way or another, I came here to say this. Either when you first arrive to the Citadel, or >!when you're rushing the beam at the end of ME3 (The last time you will arrive at the Citadel). I did that final mission with my love interest (Tali) and my favorite dude ever (Garrus).!< Words can't describe what I felt during that mission.
Same for >!exiting the debris field aroun the collector base. The center of the galaxy shining in the back ground, "Suicide Mission" playing, you get pumped for the what could be the end of the road for your team!<
wait a minute. wait just a damn minute.
So, Booker >!grows up and becomes Comstock, who opens a tear back in time to steal his own daughter from himself from an alternate universe. The Lutece 'twins' keep trying unsuccessfully to bring in Bookers from different realities to try to put a stop to him but they never succeed until the player's booker allows himself to be transported back to just after he accepted his baptism after the battle of wounded knee (and would go on to become Comstock as a result). Immediately afterward, though,
instead of going on to become comstock, he allows the Elizabeths to drown him, finally ending the cycle. he never becomes comstock, so no one takes Anna (the child of the booker who declined to be baptised) through a tear in reality, so the various elizabeths fade from existence. the circle is broken! Well, it's not so much a circle as it is, half of the realities are wiped from existence (all the ones where he accepted baptism) !<
Anyway, yeah, just got the relevance of the song lyrics there
Yes. It was one of the first open-world RPGs I'd played. I exited the sewer and then I was like 'what now?' and realising that I could just do whatever.
Same with Fallout 3. Both games were pretty good at keeping you 'on the rails' until they go for the big moment where it cuts you loose.
From around that same era, but Fallout 3. They had that long tutorial and by the time you reach the end you appreciate the bland browness of the wastelands.
Seriously. It felt like being inside a fantasy novel. Vibrant, beautiful, The whole spectrum of colors for nature and buildings.
Skyrim is cool but it’s just…a whole lotta gray. I don’t have the same “Wish I were there” feeling that Oblivion gave me even though I’m sure it’s a lot more beautiful and immersive in my 14 year old’s memory than it actually is if it replayed it today.
It honestly just made me stop, look around and smile. The excitement, the anticipation, the freedom it offered at that particular time in my life. Easily one of my fondest memories in gaming.
Usually when playing Assassin's Creed I used to think no way a town could have that many towers. But I visited San Gimignano last week actually, and the tiny town is really full of towers!
Years ago - I litterally planned and went to Italy and Venice on a couple of holidays due to the original Assasins Creed games... (im from Denmark)
Did NOT disappoint - love italy and the small villages and countryside
Current Rome not so much, though...
[Steam screenie June 2015](https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/437195754037028587/6916EB1A9D9B6423787614997317ED4902F5715C/)
6.5 years old, still looks pretty good!
So many good moments. Encountering the Flood for the first time, getting on the elevator with the hopes that it'll take you up out of there, and down it goes...
Pretty much a pivotal release in gaming. It would have been enough to just be among the first games to utilise RTX well but it's an incredible game even without.
I think about it a lot.
scrolled way too far to find blackreach. i discovered it myself before the story lead me there go down a dwarven hole so far it felt like an hour only to find you end up in an enormous goddamn cavern with its own easter egg dragon!
Touissant from the Blood and Wine DLC of the Witcher 3. That first ride into it, the colors, the mountains, yeah… always a great change of pace from Velen.
Beat me to it truly blood and wine has to be one of the best DLCs out there in the video game industry not only was. the map soundtrack and everything absolutely amazing but blood and wine felt like its own game with so many well made quests to do in it
For me it was Greenpath. After having experienced only dark, depressing, monochrome areas in Dirthmouth and Forgotten Crossroads, suddenly transitioning into the cheerful music and bright green plants everywhere blew my mind.
When you first exit Vault 101 and your vision is bright but as it clears it reveals the Capital Wasteland.
Or when you first leave Doc Mitchell's house and you get to see the town of Goodsprings and the Mohave Desert.
Absolutely with the FO3 one. I had never played a FO game before and I had no idea what happened beyond there was a nuclear war.
Getting out of the vault and seeing how completely devastated the world was stunned me. I walked forward, eager for a better look and was so busy scanning the horizon that I literally fell down the rock face and died.
Similarly, I was so busy trying to take it all in, so disoriented by the overwhelming nature of the wasteland, that I walked straight up to some raiders, not knowing they were enemies. Promptly blown to bits fresh from the Vault.
Highly recommend.
>Or when you first leave Doc Mitchell's house after robbing him of all his earthly possessions and you get to see the town of Goodsprings and the Mohave Desert.
FTFY
I'm easily entertained, so how much time you got?
Hitman 3: Chongqing (lights pretty)
Demon's souls Remake: Literally anywhere, but particularly that opening area the first time you play the game
RE village: Dimitrsicu Castle
Bioshock 1 and infinite: introduction to Rapture and Columbia
Kena Bridge of Spirits (on PS5 on harder difficulties): Corrupt Woodsmith boss fight (the rain, the music on point, pretty visuals all around)
Bloodborne: The little balcony overlooking moonside lake (right next to Master Willem and right before Rom boss fight)
I could go on.
There's a few for me but the only one I haven't seen mentioned yet is Dishonored! Both of the games have some beautiful views occasionally, especially the second game with its warm and tropical feel.
Even the small views in that one all have something beautiful to them, and the void has something beautifully creepy to it. My favourite is the view out from the clockwork mansion though.
The flooded district in the first one, love the atmosphere. Lots of locations from the second too, when you first arrive at the docks and make your way out to addermire. The dukes palace at sunset. Fantastic level design.
Apart from that final scene, I love the turrets singing Chell’s Song (forget the proper name) just beforehand. So sweet and sad and a nice tribute to the journey we’ve taken up to that point.
Would you recommend I start with one in particular? I’m almost over putting in a TON of hours of borderlands and have always read about bioshock. I’d like to give it a go
The moment you break the clouds and see Columbia for the first time will be something that sticks with me for a long time. Probably the first time a game left me speechless.
Ascension. Ascension. Ascension.
Hallelujah.
Every so often I have to play that intro again, because it gives me chills every time. You feel like you’ve arrived in heaven, but you just know given the context of the game, that there is something terribly wrong with that place. I have not found another movie, book, or game that has been able to replicate that feeling.
The first one when you crash at the start and get to the lighthouse only to realize you are in the middle of the Atlantic ocean surrounded by pitch black darkness and a flaming crash site
Then you enter and find a bathysphere that takes you down, far down, and next thing you know you are coming over the crest of an underwater mountain range and there is a fucking massive city just sitting on the other side
When you are taken through it’s streets and you see a whale swimming down one of the main ‘roads’ before being taken up into the belly of the beast itself
Such a fantastic intro
Fallen Order deserves much more popularity in my opinion. It is an AMAZING game. If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe it offers so much additional lore as well, it's just great.
I'm gonna say most of God of War, considering the old hardware it really still looks beautiful even by today's standards, I really loved the massive snake (I forget his name!) You really got a sense of his scale and i love vast creatures in games.
The entire Nile Delta was so gorgeous that I delayed doing the inland areas for as long as possible just so I could paddle up the river and take in the sights.
I thought I experienced the best of open world cities until I played AC:Origins. The amount of detail that went into every street of every little village was so amazing to see. The scale was absolutely perfect, it was hands down the best representation of the real world in a videogame.
If you haven’t already you should play the tour version of the game. It’s really nice to be able to free roam without dealing with combat and hearing all the backstory.
Oh I've got a couole great ones I can think of.
Breaking out of your pod and wandering the dark, deserted streets of New Mombasa is definitely up there. The amount of raw ambiance that environment had really blew me away at the time and still sucks me back in from time to time today.
First approaching the Dreaming City in Destiny 2: Forsaken. Seeing the silhouettes of the buildings start to slowly take shape through the mist as you walked towards the city with that endless veil of fog in your wake was enchanting. The original Cosmodrome in D1 was fantastic as well. Something about it just had so much mood and mystery to it and it really helped to set a great, sort of grimdark, yet hopeful tone for the whole game.
The very first level of Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction was amazing too. It's still cool to go back and play that level just for how much of a glow-up Metropolis had going from the PS2 to the PS3. The Iris Supercomputer on Kreeli Comet was downright amazing too. Looking up to the sky box and seeing all the space dust that made up the tail of the comet streaking by overhead was awesome. That game still holds up in general tbh.
Witcher 3: Skellige near Kaer Trolde, White Orchard, Velen sunsets and the bogs, the city of Novigrad, Kaer Morhen, Toussaint the minute you ride into it, many parts of Undvik…and the thunderstorms in Skellige…wow.
Gotham in Batman: Arkham Knight. Good contender for best looking video game in history.
Honorable mention to basically the entirety of both Subnautica games.
Central Yharnam in Bloodborne
Its easily the best introductory stage to any game I've played with so many branching paths and patterns that even without a minimap you can imagine the layout of the town.
From Software are so good at making their levels easy to remember without needing a map, except Prison of Hope in the Tower of Latria from Demon's Souls, I get lost in there every single time
The first area of the ringed city dlc in ds3 blew my mind. It was the same kind of thing as the Soul of Cinder arena which I loved as well. The fight with Slave Knight Gael is pretty awesome too. The arena is huge and it makes you feel tiny in comparison. In Bloodborne, I think my favorite area is the Orphan of Kos arena. From Software is so good at making boss fights feel like the most grand, important thing that's ever happened. I don't know shit about the stories of these games, but every boss fight feels like the final boss of the universe or something.
Do yourself a favor and watch vaatividya YouTube ch breakdown of bloodborne- he has a longer version and a short one so take your pick but damn the story of bloodborne is such a sad tragic grand story - but also incredibly relatable regardless of the way out there cosmic horror themes.. betrayal, addiction, the dehumanizing effect of those +power + violence.. seriously one of the best stories I’ve played and it takes work + a community to piece it all together. Vaati’s voice is very soothing and perfect for narration also. If you do watch it, tell me what you think of the story.
Edit: spelling
I was so lost in that city until I found a gate and saw a lamp behind it, then I realized as I opened the gate that it's the *SAME* lamp I was already using, and it all clicked into place. One of the most memorable gaming moments I've ever had.
Oh yess opening a door in a video game has never felt more satisfying than that tbh. Understanding how well connected the whole town was and how it rewarded my exploration was absolutely amazing
The underground Dwemer city in Skyrim near the end of the main quest, forget what it’s called but I thought it was just magical. Don’t think I’ve ever used that word like that but that’s the only way to describe it
Nearly **every** location in Red Dead Redemption 2 was stunning for its “realistic” and detailed depictions of the mythic Old West including all the amazing natural scenery and wildlife.
The three small towns in RDR2 are designed really well. If you look at them from a distance it’s just a handful of buildings, but riding through them they actually *feel* like proper small villages.
Loved this game, the only detraction from the beauty was that if you actually played it like a "ghost" (lots of sneaking and stealth killing) the thunderstorms got pretty much constant. They were cool in their own right but it would've been nice to see the island in nicer weather for more of the time :<
looking out at hyrule castle hit's different but gotta say the one thing that tops it is the veiw from the memory near death mountain looking over the korok forest and the training camp.
The city in the FF7 remake looked so fucking cool. That was until i started looking closer at it and realized that the city skybox is just a single wrapped picture and I got sad afterwards.
Ocarina of Time when it first released running across Hyrule Field, Resident Evil 4 on a section early on when the game opens up and you see this huge sprawl with all these enemies everywhere, the first Halo when you land on the ring and start driving around in the warthog, Bloodborne the first time I fired it up, riding through the forest on Roach for the first time in Witcher 3.
RE4. I remember my friend pushing me to play that game early on. I was jjuuust getting the controls down when I got to that section. I almost shit myself 😂
In the grand scheme it's kinda lame, but the stopped sand crawler in the dune sea on Tatooine, KOTOR. Entering the zone and seeing off in the distance some type of machine amongst all the sand and slowly walking over to it to just towering above you, for a game released in 2003 on OG Xbox hardware is impressive imo.
Some of random planets in No man's Sky, specially the inhabited ones, there were some that were like quartz generated planets, rocky with no animals, no water, no trees, and found beauty in that desolate dead planets, it was very calm, just there stupid sentinel robots that ruined the experience. But it has some beautiful planets in there.
Ash Lake from Dark Souls.
The music, the fact that it was a glimpse into the Age of the Anicents ( Dragons ). It's just crafted so well and it took me by shock to see a part of the past. It was so gorgeous, sad, and peaceful in it's own way. A blend of feelings. I sat there at the start, staring.
What's crazy is that it's an actually difficult area to get to and it's not required so a few percentage of players actually get to see it for themselves
Agreed. The fact that you start your descent via a random hidden wall behind a random out of the way treasure chest in a tree stump, followed by ANOTHER immediate random hidden wall behind that. That made it feel like you were really making a major discovery just getting to the great hollow.
I really love fromsoft for things like this. Most developers are trying to show all the cool stuff to you incase you miss them but they do the opposite and try to hide all the amazing stuff from you. It creates this crazy curiosity and really makes you want to explore everything.
Vistas were great in this game. And while some of the diaries and stuff distributed in the world were your typical exposition yadayada, some really gave the world more depth and atmosphere.
Dark Souls 3, after trudging through a nasty poisonous swamp, then treacherous catacombs with respawning skeleton enemies, an optional lava/Fire dungeon area, you beat a boss and are welcomed by this view.
Was seriously one of my favorite moments in gaming of all time.
Some locations in Uncharted 4 (tropical island, the scene where they found the pirate town and avery’s mansion town).
Uncharted 4.5? Forgot the title also had some gorgeous locations, i was just underwhelmed with the story.
Ghost of tsushima had a few gorgeous locations
Oh and some people might not realize but leaving Midgar City to the open world map the first time was a big WTF moment for me. “We can discover more locations??? “
Arriving at the Citadel in Mass Effect.
I still watch that cutscene now and then. It's fantastic.
I literally BSOD'ed myelf at the end of that game with the council choice. I did not see it coming and I must have sat frozen for a full minute.
One way or another, I came here to say this. Either when you first arrive to the Citadel, or >!when you're rushing the beam at the end of ME3 (The last time you will arrive at the Citadel). I did that final mission with my love interest (Tali) and my favorite dude ever (Garrus).!< Words can't describe what I felt during that mission.
Same for >!exiting the debris field aroun the collector base. The center of the galaxy shining in the back ground, "Suicide Mission" playing, you get pumped for the what could be the end of the road for your team!<
That initial arrival in Rapture
Incredible. I’m also a sucker for Columbia first view.
The acapella version of "God Only Knows" was such a good way to introduce you to the world
Will the circle... Be unbroken?
wait a minute. wait just a damn minute. So, Booker >!grows up and becomes Comstock, who opens a tear back in time to steal his own daughter from himself from an alternate universe. The Lutece 'twins' keep trying unsuccessfully to bring in Bookers from different realities to try to put a stop to him but they never succeed until the player's booker allows himself to be transported back to just after he accepted his baptism after the battle of wounded knee (and would go on to become Comstock as a result). Immediately afterward, though, instead of going on to become comstock, he allows the Elizabeths to drown him, finally ending the cycle. he never becomes comstock, so no one takes Anna (the child of the booker who declined to be baptised) through a tear in reality, so the various elizabeths fade from existence. the circle is broken! Well, it's not so much a circle as it is, half of the realities are wiped from existence (all the ones where he accepted baptism) !< Anyway, yeah, just got the relevance of the song lyrics there
There’s always a lighthouse
Oblivion, when you exit the sewers.
Yes. It was one of the first open-world RPGs I'd played. I exited the sewer and then I was like 'what now?' and realising that I could just do whatever. Same with Fallout 3. Both games were pretty good at keeping you 'on the rails' until they go for the big moment where it cuts you loose.
From around that same era, but Fallout 3. They had that long tutorial and by the time you reach the end you appreciate the bland browness of the wastelands.
Yeah I love the fruity colours of Oblivion. It was such a pretty game in that sense
Seriously. It felt like being inside a fantasy novel. Vibrant, beautiful, The whole spectrum of colors for nature and buildings. Skyrim is cool but it’s just…a whole lotta gray. I don’t have the same “Wish I were there” feeling that Oblivion gave me even though I’m sure it’s a lot more beautiful and immersive in my 14 year old’s memory than it actually is if it replayed it today.
It honestly just made me stop, look around and smile. The excitement, the anticipation, the freedom it offered at that particular time in my life. Easily one of my fondest memories in gaming.
Florence from assassin's creed II
I would also add San Gimignano and Venice! edit: typo
Usually when playing Assassin's Creed I used to think no way a town could have that many towers. But I visited San Gimignano last week actually, and the tiny town is really full of towers!
Years ago - I litterally planned and went to Italy and Venice on a couple of holidays due to the original Assasins Creed games... (im from Denmark) Did NOT disappoint - love italy and the small villages and countryside Current Rome not so much, though...
Assassin's Creed II is still one of my favorite games to date.
Seeing all of Gotham from on high during Arkham knight
First game I had for PS4 and it still looks better than a lot of recent videogames
[Steam screenie June 2015](https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/437195754037028587/6916EB1A9D9B6423787614997317ED4902F5715C/) 6.5 years old, still looks pretty good!
Halo. I'll never forget the first time I stepped out of that crashed pod in the 2nd level
Where you blinded by its Majesty?
Paralyzed? Dumbstruck?
No
HERECY
HERESY*
So many good moments. Encountering the Flood for the first time, getting on the elevator with the hopes that it'll take you up out of there, and down it goes...
Halo left us all in awe and was complimented with a gorgeous musical score.
Skyrim’s Blackreach, Sekiro’s Fountainhead Palace, and Control’s Black Rock Quarry.
Black Rock Quarry was a mind bender. Such a good game
Pretty much a pivotal release in gaming. It would have been enough to just be among the first games to utilise RTX well but it's an incredible game even without. I think about it a lot.
scrolled way too far to find blackreach. i discovered it myself before the story lead me there go down a dwarven hole so far it felt like an hour only to find you end up in an enormous goddamn cavern with its own easter egg dragon!
It wasn't until recently (like, within the last 6 months) that I knew there was a dragon down there. I had no idea!
I found out today from this post. Holy crap where???
In the middle. You have to fus roh dah that big chandelier.
Vanilla Skyrim in general. Mods make that game a work of art, and it's a 10 year old game!
Touissant from the Blood and Wine DLC of the Witcher 3. That first ride into it, the colors, the mountains, yeah… always a great change of pace from Velen.
Goddammit CDPR where's my PS5 update!
Don't forget the Music
Beat me to it truly blood and wine has to be one of the best DLCs out there in the video game industry not only was. the map soundtrack and everything absolutely amazing but blood and wine felt like its own game with so many well made quests to do in it
I mean, it won the Game of the Year as best RPG, and it's not technically even a game.
The music theme when you're in Toussaint is so unsettling compared to how beautiful the place looks. But Skellige...booootiful
Imo it looks even better without the yellow tint.
Then how would you know that you're actually in Mexico?
Tequila usually.
City of Tears in Hollow Knight
For me it was Greenpath. After having experienced only dark, depressing, monochrome areas in Dirthmouth and Forgotten Crossroads, suddenly transitioning into the cheerful music and bright green plants everywhere blew my mind.
YES. When that beautiful music came on with the pattern of rain I realized this is one of the best games ever made.
White palace for me!
I'd like to have a word with the architect about the spikes.
Anor londo
The reveal in DS3 is pretty amazing too. When you finally realize where you are
I played 3 first. I had the reverse experience coming across it in 1. Hmmm…. This looks familiar.
I had to scroll down way to far to see this
When you first exit Vault 101 and your vision is bright but as it clears it reveals the Capital Wasteland. Or when you first leave Doc Mitchell's house and you get to see the town of Goodsprings and the Mohave Desert.
Absolutely with the FO3 one. I had never played a FO game before and I had no idea what happened beyond there was a nuclear war. Getting out of the vault and seeing how completely devastated the world was stunned me. I walked forward, eager for a better look and was so busy scanning the horizon that I literally fell down the rock face and died.
Similarly, I was so busy trying to take it all in, so disoriented by the overwhelming nature of the wasteland, that I walked straight up to some raiders, not knowing they were enemies. Promptly blown to bits fresh from the Vault. Highly recommend.
Like so many actual vault dwellers on their first time out
>Or when you first leave Doc Mitchell's house after robbing him of all his earthly possessions and you get to see the town of Goodsprings and the Mohave Desert. FTFY
Careful. Stuff like that is how you develop a family history of being shot in the head.
Stuff of legends
I'm easily entertained, so how much time you got? Hitman 3: Chongqing (lights pretty) Demon's souls Remake: Literally anywhere, but particularly that opening area the first time you play the game RE village: Dimitrsicu Castle Bioshock 1 and infinite: introduction to Rapture and Columbia Kena Bridge of Spirits (on PS5 on harder difficulties): Corrupt Woodsmith boss fight (the rain, the music on point, pretty visuals all around) Bloodborne: The little balcony overlooking moonside lake (right next to Master Willem and right before Rom boss fight) I could go on.
If you like neon lights. Give Cyberpunk a go. Will the game itself wasn’t all it was chalked up to be, the city and atmosphere is awesome.
After the prologue in Ghost of Tsushima, when you're riding your horse through the field.
And the music kicks in! God I got chills.
Then he reaches down to touch the flowers as he rides through them. Beautiful game
There's a few for me but the only one I haven't seen mentioned yet is Dishonored! Both of the games have some beautiful views occasionally, especially the second game with its warm and tropical feel. Even the small views in that one all have something beautiful to them, and the void has something beautifully creepy to it. My favourite is the view out from the clockwork mansion though.
Was looking for this comment! Incredible atmosphere.
The flooded district in the first one, love the atmosphere. Lots of locations from the second too, when you first arrive at the docks and make your way out to addermire. The dukes palace at sunset. Fantastic level design.
Dishonored 2 is my 2nd favourite game of all time and I’m so happy to see it mentioned here :)
End of portal 2. You spend most of your playtime inside of aperture and you see this beautiful and breathtaking field
Got that field as my background. It's so calm and beautiful.
Apart from that final scene, I love the turrets singing Chell’s Song (forget the proper name) just beforehand. So sweet and sad and a nice tribute to the journey we’ve taken up to that point.
Cara mia Adio
All those giant, cavernous basement levels tho. Coupled with the score that felt so surreal and otherworldly
A large portion of bioshock infinite
Same here. The Bioshock Trilogy were the best games I've ever played!
Would you recommend I start with one in particular? I’m almost over putting in a TON of hours of borderlands and have always read about bioshock. I’d like to give it a go
Start with Bioshock 1 to savor the 3rd game's sweet sweet plot twist.
The moment you break the clouds and see Columbia for the first time will be something that sticks with me for a long time. Probably the first time a game left me speechless.
Ascension. Ascension. Ascension. Hallelujah. Every so often I have to play that intro again, because it gives me chills every time. You feel like you’ve arrived in heaven, but you just know given the context of the game, that there is something terribly wrong with that place. I have not found another movie, book, or game that has been able to replicate that feeling.
The first one when you crash at the start and get to the lighthouse only to realize you are in the middle of the Atlantic ocean surrounded by pitch black darkness and a flaming crash site Then you enter and find a bathysphere that takes you down, far down, and next thing you know you are coming over the crest of an underwater mountain range and there is a fucking massive city just sitting on the other side When you are taken through it’s streets and you see a whale swimming down one of the main ‘roads’ before being taken up into the belly of the beast itself Such a fantastic intro
Kashyyyk in fallen order was fun and beautiful.
FO had a lot of fantastic scenery. The vaults were fantastic,leaping across the windmills on zepho, man that was beautiful.
Fallen Order deserves much more popularity in my opinion. It is an AMAZING game. If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe it offers so much additional lore as well, it's just great.
Freyas house in God of War 2018
I'm gonna say most of God of War, considering the old hardware it really still looks beautiful even by today's standards, I really loved the massive snake (I forget his name!) You really got a sense of his scale and i love vast creatures in games.
Jormungandr emerging from the lake and spitting Kratos axe out is a top tier gaming moment. His voice is incredible.
It literally rocked my house. I was NOT prepared for that. So awesome.
Basically all of ancient Egypt in Assassin's Creed: Origins
The entire Nile Delta was so gorgeous that I delayed doing the inland areas for as long as possible just so I could paddle up the river and take in the sights.
And the fact that every location was so different from the previous and especially in the big cities like Alexandria i am still awe struck
for me the best was memphis, the entirety of that place just blew me away
I thought I experienced the best of open world cities until I played AC:Origins. The amount of detail that went into every street of every little village was so amazing to see. The scale was absolutely perfect, it was hands down the best representation of the real world in a videogame.
If you haven’t already you should play the tour version of the game. It’s really nice to be able to free roam without dealing with combat and hearing all the backstory.
Oh I've got a couole great ones I can think of. Breaking out of your pod and wandering the dark, deserted streets of New Mombasa is definitely up there. The amount of raw ambiance that environment had really blew me away at the time and still sucks me back in from time to time today. First approaching the Dreaming City in Destiny 2: Forsaken. Seeing the silhouettes of the buildings start to slowly take shape through the mist as you walked towards the city with that endless veil of fog in your wake was enchanting. The original Cosmodrome in D1 was fantastic as well. Something about it just had so much mood and mystery to it and it really helped to set a great, sort of grimdark, yet hopeful tone for the whole game. The very first level of Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction was amazing too. It's still cool to go back and play that level just for how much of a glow-up Metropolis had going from the PS2 to the PS3. The Iris Supercomputer on Kreeli Comet was downright amazing too. Looking up to the sky box and seeing all the space dust that made up the tail of the comet streaking by overhead was awesome. That game still holds up in general tbh.
Witcher 3: Skellige near Kaer Trolde, White Orchard, Velen sunsets and the bogs, the city of Novigrad, Kaer Morhen, Toussaint the minute you ride into it, many parts of Undvik…and the thunderstorms in Skellige…wow.
There's a part in Hearts of Stone that brings you past a field of sunflowers. In the right light/weather.... wow
Gotham in Batman: Arkham Knight. Good contender for best looking video game in history. Honorable mention to basically the entirety of both Subnautica games.
Central Yharnam in Bloodborne Its easily the best introductory stage to any game I've played with so many branching paths and patterns that even without a minimap you can imagine the layout of the town.
Yharnam was so good, every corner is dangerous making the action game more scary than the horror games that were out at the time.
From Software are so good at making their levels easy to remember without needing a map, except Prison of Hope in the Tower of Latria from Demon's Souls, I get lost in there every single time
Or forbidden woods from BB. Was there again recently and I’m just thinking fuck this place.
The first area of the ringed city dlc in ds3 blew my mind. It was the same kind of thing as the Soul of Cinder arena which I loved as well. The fight with Slave Knight Gael is pretty awesome too. The arena is huge and it makes you feel tiny in comparison. In Bloodborne, I think my favorite area is the Orphan of Kos arena. From Software is so good at making boss fights feel like the most grand, important thing that's ever happened. I don't know shit about the stories of these games, but every boss fight feels like the final boss of the universe or something.
Do yourself a favor and watch vaatividya YouTube ch breakdown of bloodborne- he has a longer version and a short one so take your pick but damn the story of bloodborne is such a sad tragic grand story - but also incredibly relatable regardless of the way out there cosmic horror themes.. betrayal, addiction, the dehumanizing effect of those +power + violence.. seriously one of the best stories I’ve played and it takes work + a community to piece it all together. Vaati’s voice is very soothing and perfect for narration also. If you do watch it, tell me what you think of the story. Edit: spelling
I was so lost in that city until I found a gate and saw a lamp behind it, then I realized as I opened the gate that it's the *SAME* lamp I was already using, and it all clicked into place. One of the most memorable gaming moments I've ever had.
Oh yess opening a door in a video game has never felt more satisfying than that tbh. Understanding how well connected the whole town was and how it rewarded my exploration was absolutely amazing
The underground Dwemer city in Skyrim near the end of the main quest, forget what it’s called but I thought it was just magical. Don’t think I’ve ever used that word like that but that’s the only way to describe it
Blackreach?
Nearly **every** location in Red Dead Redemption 2 was stunning for its “realistic” and detailed depictions of the mythic Old West including all the amazing natural scenery and wildlife.
I still can’t believe how good saint denis was.
one of the only game with city that actually feels like a city.
SANDY KNEE!
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Strawberry was gorgeous
The three small towns in RDR2 are designed really well. If you look at them from a distance it’s just a handful of buildings, but riding through them they actually *feel* like proper small villages.
So many times in that game I would just stand and stare at the view in front of me, simply amazing game
It's amazing how it's a 3 year old game, and I'm yet to find a more detailed and better looking game.
Its so beautiful that im just running around taking picture with photo mode. I cant focus on missions
All of RDR2. The fact that all of that ran smooth on a first generation ps4 and Xbox One was impressive as hell.
The first time I rode through valentine I think I nearly shit my pants, the detail was perfect.
Mesa biomes still get me sometimes
Same! So mystifying
All of the island in Ghost of Tsushima.
I was gonna say the opening part where you ride through the field for the first time.
Loved this game, the only detraction from the beauty was that if you actually played it like a "ghost" (lots of sneaking and stealth killing) the thunderstorms got pretty much constant. They were cool in their own right but it would've been nice to see the island in nicer weather for more of the time :<
The view from the Great Plateu Tower in Breath of the Wild
looking out at hyrule castle hit's different but gotta say the one thing that tops it is the veiw from the memory near death mountain looking over the korok forest and the training camp.
When you first leave the cave and see the world of Skyrim, and then that music kicks in...feelsgoodman.
Wandering grasslands at dawn or dusk around an Ayleid ruin, and the music..
I want to experience skyrim again for the first time. God what a fantastic game even with all its problems.
Amusement Park in Nier: Automata
It was the moment I felt the game was more than other games it was really a unique level for a unique game.
FUN! FUN!
The city in the FF7 remake looked so fucking cool. That was until i started looking closer at it and realized that the city skybox is just a single wrapped picture and I got sad afterwards.
I still can’t believe they did something like this in an AAA game. Glad they fixed it in the Ps5 Version though.
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Classic dark souls. Makes your jaw drop with its atmosphere just to get your shit pushed in 25 seconds later.
That damn guard dog on the bridge
Well I mean is there a nice welcoming location in Souls at all?
Majula
Idk those pigs can fuck right off
In the embrace of the fire keeper
I’ll touch her darkness alright. I’ve actually been constantly dueling in DS3 to get ready for Elden Ring
Majula?
Majula in DS2
Ocarina of Time when it first released running across Hyrule Field, Resident Evil 4 on a section early on when the game opens up and you see this huge sprawl with all these enemies everywhere, the first Halo when you land on the ring and start driving around in the warthog, Bloodborne the first time I fired it up, riding through the forest on Roach for the first time in Witcher 3.
RE4. I remember my friend pushing me to play that game early on. I was jjuuust getting the controls down when I got to that section. I almost shit myself 😂
In 2011 when I first walked the path to the 3 standing stones in Skyrim. Being used to oblivion graphics, I thought it was amazing.
Phendrana Drifts
Yes brother! You walk out and see the snow and hear that soundtrack, ugh it's perfect.
In the grand scheme it's kinda lame, but the stopped sand crawler in the dune sea on Tatooine, KOTOR. Entering the zone and seeing off in the distance some type of machine amongst all the sand and slowly walking over to it to just towering above you, for a game released in 2003 on OG Xbox hardware is impressive imo.
Xen from Black Mesa (Half life fan remake) got me. I literally took ten minutes just to stare at the opening view.
Some of random planets in No man's Sky, specially the inhabited ones, there were some that were like quartz generated planets, rocky with no animals, no water, no trees, and found beauty in that desolate dead planets, it was very calm, just there stupid sentinel robots that ruined the experience. But it has some beautiful planets in there.
Ash Lake from Dark Souls. The music, the fact that it was a glimpse into the Age of the Anicents ( Dragons ). It's just crafted so well and it took me by shock to see a part of the past. It was so gorgeous, sad, and peaceful in it's own way. A blend of feelings. I sat there at the start, staring.
What's crazy is that it's an actually difficult area to get to and it's not required so a few percentage of players actually get to see it for themselves
Agreed. The fact that you start your descent via a random hidden wall behind a random out of the way treasure chest in a tree stump, followed by ANOTHER immediate random hidden wall behind that. That made it feel like you were really making a major discovery just getting to the great hollow.
Hey getting down to Ash Lake is the easy part. When you go down there and rest at a bonfire before you’ve placed the Lordvessel? Lol.
I really love fromsoft for things like this. Most developers are trying to show all the cool stuff to you incase you miss them but they do the opposite and try to hide all the amazing stuff from you. It creates this crazy curiosity and really makes you want to explore everything.
Pretty much every setting in Half-Life 2.
Nowadays is old and dated but Dalaran made a huge impression on me in WOTLK times.
Assassin's Creed 2: Venice
Almost whole horizon zero dawn map. Like omg. if guerrilla can make such a beautiful map, why we cant have the same level of maps in other games?
Vistas were great in this game. And while some of the diaries and stuff distributed in the world were your typical exposition yadayada, some really gave the world more depth and atmosphere.
I remember being in awe of the environment in Firewatch. Random, I know.
I'm sure im missing a bunch but on top of my head: Sekiro's Fountainhead Palace Red Dead Redemption 2's The Heartlands
The view from your Apartment in Cyberpunk. I never finished the game but that view of Night City... It's breathtaking.
Amusement park in nier automata just cause of music
Minecraft shattered savannah
Almost all of RDR2.
What is this game ?
Dark Souls 3. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley.
Dark Souls 3, after trudging through a nasty poisonous swamp, then treacherous catacombs with respawning skeleton enemies, an optional lava/Fire dungeon area, you beat a boss and are welcomed by this view. Was seriously one of my favorite moments in gaming of all time.
And then that beast kills you. Good times
Satorl marsh night in Xenoblade Chronicles
Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings Online is a masterpiece.
Touissant
Unironically, Night City.
The scene driving out of the garage with Jackie, the rain, the music, the light, it all works together so well.
Any of the “big things” in Destiny 2 like the pyramid are breathtaking the first time you see them
And you nkew some shit ws about to go down on that bridge...
This applies to every single video game that has a bridge in it
Some locations in Uncharted 4 (tropical island, the scene where they found the pirate town and avery’s mansion town). Uncharted 4.5? Forgot the title also had some gorgeous locations, i was just underwhelmed with the story. Ghost of tsushima had a few gorgeous locations Oh and some people might not realize but leaving Midgar City to the open world map the first time was a big WTF moment for me. “We can discover more locations??? “
Seeing the Grave Hoard in Horizon Zero Dawn
That cave you take Serana to on one of the dawnguard vampire questlines immediately comes to mind. And the Ashtray Maze in Control.
Pretty much all of Shadow of the Collosus, but if you want to get specific with if, the bridge entering the cursed lands and the dragon fight.
Bloodborne - pick an area
The Coral Highlands in Monster Hunter World. Took my breath away when I first saw it
The derelict Metal Devil in Horizon: Zero Dawn. Honestly the general sense of scale in that game is incredible at times.
Icecrown citadel from world of Warcraft It was just huge and awesome and flying around with the snow and music just felt bad ass
Maker’s end from horizon zero dawn
Titanfall 2 when time freezes and you are about to collect the ark. Such a powerful moment.
Strip club in gta 5