Losing yourself in a world...

When is the last time you felt that sense of wonder and mystery?  interesting areas to explore and people to talk to and things to do?  SO many games are linear (which can be great) or have boring worlds, or whatever.  I feel it is so rare to see beautifully hand crafted worlds lately and it makes me sad.  I would say that the best one this gen is probably Red Dead Redemption.  Which is kind of shocking for me, since usually sandbox worlds are less interesting to me.  I would say its only real competition is the arkham games and maybe Darksiders.  None of these come close to past game worlds though, most notably the Zelda series.

I keep hoping that someone gives me that beautiful and immersive world to explore and have fun in.  I have it in my head and if you could see it, you would all be amazed lol.  Don't get me wrong, big sandbox like worlds can be fun, such as Assassins Creed, GTA, and others, but I want a world that feels rich with detail and unique at every bend.  Of course it would likely be smaller than sandbox games because of this.  Here is to hoping the next Zelda doesn't dissapoint.  

The last time I truly felt a sense of wonder, that I wasn't really playing a game while I was playing?

Majora's Mask.

That being said, many games this gen are quite easy to get lost in, such as Xenoblade, Dark Souls and Far Cry 3. While I love getting lsot in their worlds, they don't hold the same sense of wonder that Majora's Mask and, to a somewhat lesser extent, wind waker held for me. It could be any numebr of things, but I think the main one is that I'm older and I find it harder and harder to really convince myself that I'm not playing a game while I'm playing. Not necessarily the games' faults, that's just how I am.

Open world games are usually lots of fun, but because they're so open and complex to program, they almost never really feel "alive" or "real" to me. I think Majora's Mask was the perfect size, and, as I already said, Wind Waker to a lesser extent. They both seemed vast enough to realy capture me, without coming off as fake. Especially Majora, for numerous reasons, main one being the predictability. Not that the game is rpedictable, but that all the NPCs have shedules. Concerns. Problems. The repeating cycle actually elevated the atmosphere for me.

This is all for me, of course.  I can easily get immersed and lost in a game, but I have yet to play a game that really feels as real as Majora's Mask or Wind Waker.

The last time I truly felt a sense of wonder, that I wasn't really playing a game while I was playing?

Majora's Mask.

That being said, many games this gen are quite easy to get lost in, such as Xenoblade, Dark Souls and Far Cry 3. While I love getting lsot in their worlds, they don't hold the same sense of wonder that Majora's Mask and, to a somewhat lesser extent, wind waker held for me. It could be any numebr of things, but I think the main one is that I'm older and I find it harder and harder to really convince myself that I'm not playing a game while I'm playing. Not necessarily the games' faults, that's just how I am.

Open world games are usually lots of fun, but because they're so open and complex to program, they almost never really feel "alive" or "real" to me. I think Majora's Mask was the perfect size, and, as I already said, Wind Waker to a lesser extent. They both seemed vast enough to realy capture me, without coming off as fake. Especially Majora, for numerous reasons, main one being the predictability. Not that the game is rpedictable, but that all the NPCs have shedules. Concerns. Problems. The repeating cycle actually elevated the atmosphere for me.

This is all for me, of course.  I can easily get immersed and lost in a game, but I have yet to play a game that really feels as real as Majora's Mask or Wind Waker.

turtlethetaffer

Dark SOuls is great in ways, but has too many annoying moments for me to get fully lost in it :P.  plus what I am reallyu looking for is something with a world, rather than a nightmare lol.  Something with town(s), fields, dungeons, or anything like that.  You hardly see those kind of games now and not many companies aside from nintendo (before the Wii) specialize in them.  

I think OoT, MM, and WW all did a phenomenal job of this, though wind waker had slight issues with its world/water.  they are truly wonderous worlds to be in, explor, and complete your journey.  I feel all the open worlds of today are MASSIVE in size and lose the detail and beauty because of it.

I guess I just keep hoping for Zelda WiiU to follow in the footsteps of past Zelda's rather than SS.  TP was good but was too empty.  I remember when I saw the first screenshots of Castlevania Lords of Shadow.  I was so hoping it would be a 3D take on the metroidvania world setup, but alas it was God of War instead.

[QUOTE="turtlethetaffer"]

The last time I truly felt a sense of wonder, that I wasn't really playing a game while I was playing?

Majora's Mask.

That being said, many games this gen are quite easy to get lost in, such as Xenoblade, Dark Souls and Far Cry 3. While I love getting lsot in their worlds, they don't hold the same sense of wonder that Majora's Mask and, to a somewhat lesser extent, wind waker held for me. It could be any numebr of things, but I think the main one is that I'm older and I find it harder and harder to really convince myself that I'm not playing a game while I'm playing. Not necessarily the games' faults, that's just how I am.

Open world games are usually lots of fun, but because they're so open and complex to program, they almost never really feel "alive" or "real" to me. I think Majora's Mask was the perfect size, and, as I already said, Wind Waker to a lesser extent. They both seemed vast enough to realy capture me, without coming off as fake. Especially Majora, for numerous reasons, main one being the predictability. Not that the game is rpedictable, but that all the NPCs have shedules. Concerns. Problems. The repeating cycle actually elevated the atmosphere for me.

This is all for me, of course.  I can easily get immersed and lost in a game, but I have yet to play a game that really feels as real as Majora's Mask or Wind Waker.

NaveedLife

Dark SOuls is great in ways, but has too many annoying moments for me to get fully lost in it :P.  plus what I am reallyu looking for is something with a world, rather than a nightmare lol.  Something with town(s), fields, dungeons, or anything like that.  You hardly see those kind of games now and not many companies aside from nintendo (before the Wii) specialize in them.  

I think OoT, MM, and WW all did a phenomenal job of this, though wind waker had slight issues with its world/water.  they are truly wonderous worlds to be in, explor, and complete your journey.  I feel all the open worlds of today are MASSIVE in size and lose the detail and beauty because of it.

I guess I just keep hoping for Zelda WiiU to follow in the footsteps of past Zelda's rather than SS.  TP was good but was too empty.  I remember when I saw the first screenshots of Castlevania Lords of Shadow.  I was so hoping it would be a 3D take on the metroidvania world setup, but alas it was God of War instead.

I would love if Zelda U was somehow connected to Majora's Mask. I want another really dark Zelda game. Maybe they can recapture some of the magic.

And yeah, dark Souls is weird... It's truly nightmarish, yet difficult to put down.

With every eyar, I see one or two more small issues with OoT... IMO Wind Waker and Majora surpassed it in most every respect, including world designs. About the sailing in WW, I think it actually added to the game. It gave it a bigger sense of adventure and anticipation... To me, it made the destination all the more fun and satisfying when there was that tangible buildup. 

ni no kuni is one that comes to mind.

Probably the first Spyro game on PS1. Back then, the atmosphere was so dreamy.

Recently, Bioshock Infinite has had the same effect. I love when a game can pull off that early-morning-that-looks-like-the-evening look.

When is the last time you felt that sense of wonder and mystery?  interesting areas to explore and people to talk to and things to do?  SO many games are linear (which can be great) or have boring worlds, or whatever.  I feel it is so rare to see beautifully hand crafted worlds lately and it makes me sad.  I would say that the best one this gen is probably Red Dead Redemption.  Which is kind of shocking for me, since usually sandbox worlds are less interesting to me.  I would say its only real competition is the arkham games and maybe Darksiders.  None of these come close to past game worlds though, most notably the Zelda series.

 

I keep hoping that someone gives me that beautiful and immersive world to explore and have fun in.  I have it in my head and if you could see it, you would all be amazed lol.  Don't get me wrong, big sandbox like worlds can be fun, such as Assassins Creed, GTA, and others, but I want a world that feels rich with detail and unique at every bend.  Of course it would likely be smaller than sandbox games because of this.  Here is to hoping the next Zelda doesn't dissapoint.  

NaveedLife

Skyrim perfectly fits this description. Seeing your knowledge of so many games, I'm 99.9% sure that you've heard of such popular games as Bethesda ones so I must assume you already played Skyrim and didn't like it. If you didn't like Skyrim, then no game on earth will fit the profile you are looking for.

[QUOTE="NaveedLife"]

When is the last time you felt that sense of wonder and mystery?  interesting areas to explore and people to talk to and things to do?  SO many games are linear (which can be great) or have boring worlds, or whatever.  I feel it is so rare to see beautifully hand crafted worlds lately and it makes me sad.  I would say that the best one this gen is probably Red Dead Redemption.  Which is kind of shocking for me, since usually sandbox worlds are less interesting to me.  I would say its only real competition is the arkham games and maybe Darksiders.  None of these come close to past game worlds though, most notably the Zelda series.

 

I keep hoping that someone gives me that beautiful and immersive world to explore and have fun in.  I have it in my head and if you could see it, you would all be amazed lol.  Don't get me wrong, big sandbox like worlds can be fun, such as Assassins Creed, GTA, and others, but I want a world that feels rich with detail and unique at every bend.  Of course it would likely be smaller than sandbox games because of this.  Here is to hoping the next Zelda doesn't dissapoint.  

Al-Manyouk

Skyrim perfectly fits this description. Seeing your knowledge of so many games, I'm 99.9% sure that you've heard of such popular games as Bethesda ones so I must assume you already played Skyrim and didn't like it. If you didn't like Skyrim, then no game on earth will fit the profile you are looking for.

Skyrim was pretty good in many aspects and it does have a pretty good world (didnt play it all the way through), but it isnt perfectly what I am looking for.  Again pros and cons, there are some amazing aspects.  It is SO much more interesting than oblivion.

To name a few

Far Cry 3- Such a wonderful open world, love just sneaking around killing stuff with the bow

Skyrim- Probably the only game I can just wonder around hours on end

Metro Last Light- Words can't describe how beautiful this game is

RDR- I can ride around in RDR for hours (probably just as long as Skyrim)

years ago , it must be 10 years ago now I got lost in Black & White for awhile until I got bored by sameness of it all and had to quit for a couple weeks.

Oblivion fit that bill and you can mod the game until it is worth getting lost in again with more lands to explore, more quests and more NPCs.

Fallout3 was almost as good but became to grim.

I always get that feeling with Elder Scrolls games like Oblivion and Skyrim. They have their flaws as all games, but their worlds really appeal to me and I can travel their woods and plains for hours just enjoying the immersion.

it is a matter of personal opinion and appeal - when Fable first came out it felt that way for a long time and I did get immersed in that game for a long long time

even got immersed in Fable TLC

Now I remember a long time ago ...the first time I could do that was in Daggerfall which was my favourite until Morrowind and then came.....there will alway be another one coming along. and I can still get immersed in Silent Hill 2

I unknowingly lost about 10 to 20 hours on DarkSiders I & II's enviroment (mostly in the dungeons, not out in the open). And my 1st play through in ME2 was pretty gripping, despite killing half my crew, best 2 nights EVER ! Also I haven't played Trine 2 yet, but damn it is tempting me, must be "Trine Fever"Lulekani

ME is a tricky series.  there are times the world/lore/characters are so well done and immerse me like crazy, but other times it feels bland and empty and such.  the first couple hours of ME1 were probably my favorite part of ME1 and 2.

[QUOTE="Lulekani"]I unknowingly lost about 10 to 20 hours on DarkSiders I & II's enviroment (mostly in the dungeons, not out in the open). And my 1st play through in ME2 was pretty gripping, despite killing half my crew, best 2 nights EVER ! Also I haven't played Trine 2 yet, but damn it is tempting me, must be "Trine Fever"NaveedLife

ME is a tricky series.  there are times the world/lore/characters are so well done and immerse me like crazy, but other times it feels bland and empty and such.  the first couple hours of ME1 were probably my favorite part of ME1 and 2.

this generation, some of my favorite worlds have been in skyrim, fallout 3, demon's souls, dark souls, closure, and dishonored. i'm playing through deadly premonition right now, which has an awesome world so far but i haven't finished the game yet.

going a little further back, i love metroid prime, shadow of the colossus, majora's mask, and baten kaitos: eternal wings and the lost ocean.

this generation, some of my favorite worlds have been in skyrim, fallout 3, demon's souls, dark souls, closure, and dishonored. i'm playing through deadly premonition right now, which has an awesome world so far but i haven't finished the game yet.

going a little further back, i love metroid prime, shadow of the colossus, majora's mask, and baten kaitos: eternal wings and the lost ocean.

LoG-Sacrament

see for me, the second list of games is SO much better (though the first list ant bad at all with some greats) than the first.  man I love all of those games.  well i have not played SoTC yet, but the other 3 are amazing.

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"]

this generation, some of my favorite worlds have been in skyrim, fallout 3, demon's souls, dark souls, closure, and dishonored. i'm playing through deadly premonition right now, which has an awesome world so far but i haven't finished the game yet.

going a little further back, i love metroid prime, shadow of the colossus, majora's mask, and baten kaitos: eternal wings and the lost ocean.

NaveedLife

see for me, the second list of games is SO much better (though the first list ant bad at all with some greats) than the first.  man I love all of those games.  well i have not played SoTC yet, but the other 3 are amazing.

[QUOTE="NaveedLife"]

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"]

this generation, some of my favorite worlds have been in skyrim, fallout 3, demon's souls, dark souls, closure, and dishonored. i'm playing through deadly premonition right now, which has an awesome world so far but i haven't finished the game yet.

going a little further back, i love metroid prime, shadow of the colossus, majora's mask, and baten kaitos: eternal wings and the lost ocean.

LoG-Sacrament

see for me, the second list of games is SO much better (though the first list ant bad at all with some greats) than the first.  man I love all of those games.  well i have not played SoTC yet, but the other 3 are amazing.

I have the ico collection, I just have not played it.  I have a massive backlog at this point.  i doubt i will ever play all the games I have to play :P.  It would takes at least hundreds of hours, and games dont stop getting released :P.

I really should play SoTC before some others though, as it seems to be one of the games that will (and already is) talked about forever.

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"][QUOTE="NaveedLife"]

see for me, the second list of games is SO much better (though the first list ant bad at all with some greats) than the first.  man I love all of those games.  well i have not played SoTC yet, but the other 3 are amazing.

NaveedLife

I have the ico collection, I just have not played it.  I have a massive backlog at this point.  i doubt i will ever play all the games I have to play :P.  It would takes at least hundreds of hours, and games dont stop getting released :P.

I really should play SoTC before some others though, as it seems to be one of the games that will (and already is) talked about forever.

[QUOTE="NaveedLife"]

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"] you've gotta play SotC (it's cheap and easy to find if you have a ps3). i love skyrim, but SotC takes the opposite approach with lore. you know almost nothing as far as game-confirmed facts go and it only brings out the mystery and grandeur of the world. ancient ruins clearly had a use, but time obscured exactly what it was. there are ambient activities like eating fruit and killing lizards that seem irrelevant at first but you'll eventually realize they fit in perfectly with the game. even the sparse wildlife has a place. the whole zen garden design of the overworld encourages the reflection that's needed. it's one of my favorite games.Lulekani

I have the ico collection, I just have not played it.  I have a massive backlog at this point.  i doubt i will ever play all the games I have to play :P.  It would takes at least hundreds of hours, and games dont stop getting released :P.

I really should play SoTC before some others though, as it seems to be one of the games that will (and already is) talked about forever.

Haha yeah thats true.  I have Graces F, Abyss 3DS, Paper Mario Sticker Star, The Witcher, others.  I should probably play other games first like Far Cry 3 (kinda long game too though right?), Sleeping Dogs, Hitman Absolution, and others.

Currrently, Bioshock: Infinite has me coming back.  Every time I start playing another game I get bored with it and want to go through the world of Infinite again, so I do just that.  I think what has me coming back is it's not another boring/realistic setting.  As much as I'm looking forward to The Last of Us, I feel I won't be as interested in finding new areas and seeing the world due to its realistic depiction the world.  It's like for Infinte they managed to capture the wonder of an impossible city in the sky by making the art design be somewhat more fantasy, which allows it to have a very distinct feel to it.

Skyrim also had me coming back a lot to find new areas, and this may happen again soon if I decide to finally get the DLC (after a while Skyrim started to get boring due to a very limited amount of armor/weapons, but the DLC seems to provide more in that department).

[QUOTE="Lulekani"][QUOTE="NaveedLife"]

I have the ico collection, I just have not played it.  I have a massive backlog at this point.  i doubt i will ever play all the games I have to play :P.  It would takes at least hundreds of hours, and games dont stop getting released :P.

 

I really should play SoTC before some others though, as it seems to be one of the games that will (and already is) talked about forever.

NaveedLife

Haha yeah thats true.  I have Graces F, Abyss 3DS, Paper Mario Sticker Star, The Witcher, others.  I should probably play other games first like Far Cry 3 (kinda long game too though right?), Sleeping Dogs, Hitman Absolution, and others.

Dark SOULS!!!

strange, i have just been balsting through games, or skipping them altogether because i want something long and that engulfs your being. 

The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind

Nothing before or after ever came that close again....

Minecraft SMP.

Edit: duplicate, sorry!

Currrently, Bioshock: Infinite has me coming back.  Every time I start playing another game I get bored with it and want to go through the world of Infinite again, so I do just that.  I think what has me coming back is it's not another boring/realistic setting.  As much as I'm looking forward to The Last of Us, I feel I won't be as interested in finding new areas and seeing the world due to its realistic depiction the world.  It's like for Infinte they managed to capture the wonder of an impossible city in the sky by making the art design be somewhat more fantasy, which allows it to have a very distinct feel to it.

Skyrim also had me coming back a lot to find new areas, and this may happen again soon if I decide to finally get the DLC (after a while Skyrim started to get boring due to a very limited amount of armor/weapons, but the DLC seems to provide more in that department).

blueboxdoctor

[QUOTE="blueboxdoctor"]

Currrently, Bioshock: Infinite has me coming back.  Every time I start playing another game I get bored with it and want to go through the world of Infinite again, so I do just that.  I think what has me coming back is it's not another boring/realistic setting.  As much as I'm looking forward to The Last of Us, I feel I won't be as interested in finding new areas and seeing the world due to its realistic depiction the world.  It's like for Infinte they managed to capture the wonder of an impossible city in the sky by making the art design be somewhat more fantasy, which allows it to have a very distinct feel to it.

Skyrim also had me coming back a lot to find new areas, and this may happen again soon if I decide to finally get the DLC (after a while Skyrim started to get boring due to a very limited amount of armor/weapons, but the DLC seems to provide more in that department).

Granny_Spanked

I couldn't get into Bioshock 1.  epic opening, then it just turns into a world that feels so repetitive and filled with corridors.  Infinite looked a lot more interesting to me.

For me, some of the most immersive games I've ever played are horror games. Sometimes games create a world you can get lost in, but it may not be a world you would -want- to get lost in. Alan Wake, for example, had beautifully detailed environments and great atmosphere in spite of the fact that it was essentially linear.

I would recommend Vampire Bloodlines. It's an early Source engine game and, to be honest, it's not a -great- game exactly. The combat is broken, it's buggy, but it's one of the most interesting games I've ever played. Great story with branching dialog trees that are also determined by character stats, multiple solutions to different problems and a semi-open world city for you to explore. The game has a strong community following and there are a number of 3rd party patches that have been released for it that address some of the issues the game has.

-Byshop

[QUOTE="Granny_Spanked"][QUOTE="blueboxdoctor"]

Currrently, Bioshock: Infinite has me coming back.  Every time I start playing another game I get bored with it and want to go through the world of Infinite again, so I do just that.  I think what has me coming back is it's not another boring/realistic setting.  As much as I'm looking forward to The Last of Us, I feel I won't be as interested in finding new areas and seeing the world due to its realistic depiction the world.  It's like for Infinte they managed to capture the wonder of an impossible city in the sky by making the art design be somewhat more fantasy, which allows it to have a very distinct feel to it.

Skyrim also had me coming back a lot to find new areas, and this may happen again soon if I decide to finally get the DLC (after a while Skyrim started to get boring due to a very limited amount of armor/weapons, but the DLC seems to provide more in that department).

NaveedLife

I couldn't get into Bioshock 1.  epic opening, then it just turns into a world that feels so repetitive and filled with corridors.  Infinite looked a lot more interesting to me.

Bioshock was alright, it had a creepy atmosphere and a pretty good story. I felt it was a little overhyped, but Bioshock Infinite is a far better game in every aspect.

For me, some of the most immersive games I've ever played are horror games. Sometimes games create a world you can get lost in, but it may not be a world you would -want- to get lost in. Alan Wake, for example, had beautifully detailed environments and great atmosphere in spite of the fact that it was essentially linear.

I would recommend Vampire Bloodlines. It's an early Source engine game and, to be honest, it's not a -great- game exactly. The combat is broken, it's buggy, but it's one of the most interesting games I've ever played. Great story with branching dialog trees that are also determined by character stats, multiple solutions to different problems and a semi-open world city for you to explore. The game has a strong community following and there are a number of 3rd party patches that have been released for it that address some of the issues the game has.

-Byshop

Byshop

A few games come to mind.

Mass Effect 2 and 3. - I could replay these games and it never gets old.

Deadly Premonition - Different kind of game that makes you want to keep playing and find out what wierd wacky thing will happen next.

Grand theft auto 4 - It's a no brainer. So much to do and see.

Bastion watching the world appear and fall apart as you walk arround. The entire story and action taken by "The Kid" being narrarated by the narrarator. It was a unique way the game is experienced and cant wait for Transistor to experience it again.

Bastion watching the world appear and fall apart as you walk arround. The entire story and action taken by "The Kid" being narrarated by the narrarator. It was a unique way the game is experienced and cant wait for Transistor to experience it again.

Ragma117

Playing Dragon's Dogma. It has it's flaws but the pawn community, hundreds of gear and weapons, stas etc make for a very immersive experience. I hated scanning for minerals in ME2 but at least it had an end purpose unlike ME3's lackluster final mission.

A few games come to mind.

Mass Effect 2 and 3. - I could replay these games and it never gets old.

Deadly Premonition - Different kind of game that makes you want to keep playing and find out what wierd wacky thing will happen next.

Grand theft auto 4 - It's a no brainer. So much to do and see.

marcheegsr

far cry 3 is very immersive.