Friday Favourites #4

Everybody has their favourite places in the world. A favorite holiday destination, a favourite city break, a favourite restaurant to eat out at, a favourite room in the house, a favourite chair to sit in at home or favourite side of the couch and that's great. These are places where we have created strong emotional ties or where we are most comfortable. I myself prefer the left side of the couch, there is a cafe in Hanley that I am rather partial to and I'm quite fond of Scotland. 

Real world places are not on my mind today though, virtual places are.

Digital worlds are of course not real. They are merely code written in such a way as to mimic only the appearance of an actual environment. Sounds are added to the illusion but these too are digital and are not tangible in any way other than their artificial recreation. Digital worlds can be seen and heard but they do not exist anywhere. They are however referred to as virtual worlds or virtual reality because really, they are virtually real. What I mean is, the only thing missing from some of these virtual worlds nowadays is the tangibility and that's just one thing so it's little wonder that some of these virtual worlds can leave lasting impressions on a person just as much as the real world can. So here are some of the virtual worlds that I have left a digital footprint in and they in turn have imprinted a binary code onto my heart!

Rapture.

A metropolitan city at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean where only the most talented, intelligent or skilled of individuals reside in a society where laws and limitations do not exist. Rapture is the city in which the game Bioshock is set. The concept of a living, breathing city for humans existing at the bottom of an ocean is certainly quite fantastical but the way in which the world of Rapture has been created and the manner in which you experience it can make you believe it is a real place. Knowing that it is not a real place only makes you wish that it was.

Warhawk/Starhawk.

All of the environments in Warhawk and Starhawk are war zones. They are beautifully rendered and depicted but they are war zones where two rival factions, the Eucadians and the Chernovans in Warhawk and the Rifters and the Outcast in Starhawk tirelessly fight battle after battle for virtual supremacy of the digital battlefield. Honestly, the destruction only makes the environments more beautiful but that's not the main reason why Warhawk and Starhawk make such an impression. They are multiplayer only games which means that your allies on the battlefield as well as the enemy are other people playing the game with you, or against you. So the experience is a shared experience. There is no artificial intelligence to fight against, you're up against real people with real people fighting alongside you.

Sonic Unleashed.

"What?!" those of you who know this game may have just exclaimed and I would understand such exasperation at the revelation that Sonic Unleashed is among my favourite virtual worlds. I would argue however that what the game lacks in actual gameplay it makes up for in atmosphere but I'm certain that I'm in a minority with that point of view.
In the areas of the game in between the gameplay levels (they're called the hubs) the atmosphere really shines through. They are free roam areas where Sonic can explore and interact with the non playable characters in the hub. The music within the hubs is brilliant and changes mood depending on whether you are in the hub during daytime or night.

Little Big Planet.

The Little Big Planet was something else when it revealed itself to the real world. The likes of which had never been seen before. It was truly unique. A fantastically imaginative world with fantastic imaginative characters and a musical score perfectly suited to the style and atmosphere of the game. The charm of the game and the games protagonist sackboy is perpetuated by the ability to customize your own sackboy and explore the Little Big Planet. Then once you are done exploring you can then leave your own mark on the Little Big Planet by creating your own little part of it for others to visit.

The Mishima Zaibatsu.

For this one we have to go back to Tekken 4 on the Playstation 2. Tekken 4 was a return to the roots of the series installment of the franchise. Heihachi Mishima was the games main antagonist as he was in the first game and a surprise return of a previously thought dead character reignited the Mishima bloodline rivalry. A lot of detail had been put into the storyline and the infamous Tekken cinematics were of the highest quality yet. 

The Tekken Force mode of the game really shone through in Tekken 4 and that is where you get a feeling of fighting your way through the Mishima Zaibatsu to face Heihachi Mishima at the end in his own private dojo. Once beaten, Heihachi Mishima's dojo is unlocked for you to use. It may seem like only a small detail but it makes a big difference to the experience of the game. Just like the small things can make a big difference in the real world.

Liberty City.

Grand Theft Auto 3 was a defining moment not only in the Grand Theft Auto franchise but also in a lot of gamers lives! I am certainly not the only one who spent a great deal of time in the GTA3

depiction of Liberty City. The city felt vibrant and alive as you roamed around it. It was certainly quite an achievement back in the days of Playstation 2 and if the city itself was a real world location I would have no problem getting around it without a sat nav. It's a virtual world that many people can say that they know just as well, if not better in some cases than their own home town.

Brutal Legend.

A land of metal. Not a land made of metal, A land created by the gods of heavy metal music. Where the best way to communicate and get things done is with an electric guitar and a handful of awesome riffs. The vehicles are flame emblazoned hot rods and the striking landscapes are inspired by the greatest heavy metal album covers. The land is watched over by the Guardian of Metal, Ozzy Osbourne. 

This is another digital environment that if it were a real world location I would have no problem navigating around. I spent a great deal of time here as it was a great place to visit. Driving around the land in a hard rock hot rod as classic heavy metal songs drift on the wind, interacting with the inhabitants of the land who are based on real world individuals such as Lemmy from Motorhead, Robert Plant, Lita Ford, David Bowie and Eddie Van Halen to name just a few. Were the land of Brutal Legend a real world location it would definitely be a regular holiday destination for me.