Hello Everybody, I don't even know if this is the right section of the forum, but I need help. To get my Bachelor Degree in November 2012, I want to write a Thesis (in Italy it's called like that) about the importance of the environment in videogames. My knowledge of videogames' vast, but if I can come across other titles that I don't have in mind, it would be great. I'll try to explain better my concept: Bioshock, Ocarina of Time, Oblivion have all of them great places to explore. It looks like they're not just there as a scenography, but they are alive, and are important as the main character in the game. I ask for you help, trying to find as much videogames I can with great scenarios, environment, places. Speaking of places, coincidentially Edge Magazine has (in the last numbers) a section called "places" near the end of the issue, which it explains the importance of a "place" in a videogame. So, if someone of you buys Edge magazine and could give me some scans of these pages in the last issues, plsz, send me a PM. My last question is: do someone of you know great books wich talks about videogames as art? I found some titles, but more I have, more I can go deeper in my research. I tried to be as clear as possible, and if you have questions, you're welcome. By the way, thanks a lot in advance, renone
There's a topic on that here: http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/27311963/gamings-most-beautiful-sceneries?page=0 Also, for instance, in Doshin the Giant (amongst other games) you had to alter the environment to keep on playing, as it was one of the goals in the game itself.
Here are a few off the top of my head: Shenmue: It's a living, breathing world, and one of the first of its kind. Still the best, IMO. Ico: The whole game is like one, big impressionistic painting. Portal: The environment helps to tell the story. It begins in a cold, sterile setting, and then you get to peek behind the curtains and see what's really going on. Portal 2: Really an extension of the first Portal. The Neverhood: A game all about art and style. There's a visual cohesion to the whole game. The Resident Evil Series: They took what was great about old horror movies and made it interactive. Just like a horror movie, the creepy old house is an important part of the story. Half Life 1 & 2: Really goes without saying. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Unfortunately I never played it So, thanks for the advice! I played Skull Monkeys but never played the Neverhood. Thanks for sharing this
-Best to mention Red Faction for its destructable surroundings. -Some (older) games had bugs where you unintentionally could warp to other levels...google them.
Everquest, a MMO, had many story events that were guided by the players on the server and caused large scale lore and environmental changes. Some of these changes were different between servers, depending on whether the 'good' or 'evil' races won the story events and in some cases these changes were permanent.
Adding to the list: Shadow of Colossus inFamous / inFamous 2 Killzone series - Just read the story with it's timeline and you'll realize what a universe GG created. Plus the art and visual style are fantastic. Uncharted Series - Everyone should play these games.
