[General Discussion] Gamings best ever backgrounds

Whew, Deus Ex is tops when it comes immersion. Though I didn't actually get that feeling you're talking about in Deus Ex until I reached Hong Kong. When I saw those streets alive with people it just suddenly hit me that I was playing one of the best that gaming had to offer. I felt it again at the DuClare Chateau where if I recall correctly you're hit with a rather startling revelation. Man, I need to play that game again. I just wish that I didn't get headaches when playing the PC version.

I agree with the Helloween that Resident Evil has typically had good backgrounds. Primarily the mansion of the first game (moreso in the REmake; redone Aqua Ring = unforgettable) and Raccoon City (especially the police station) in the second game. Those places really came to life with all of the events and creatures involved. Despite the cheesy dialog, those were great times. I knew Resident Evil 2 was destined for greatness when those zombies came crashing through the window in the gun shop and started feasting on that poor guy. It was like, "Whoa, I'm really in danger here!"

Metroid has often impressed me, and the two backgrounds that stick out the most are Brinstar from Super Metroid and Phendrana from Metroid Prime. The former for providing a lively and appropriately lush alternative (in both sound and visuals) to the dank caves of Crateria and the latter for its pristine quality. Ice Valley is of course a remarkable piece of music that only further cements your arrival at the Phendrana Shoreline as a truly special occasion.

It's not really a background in the singular sense that you're talking about perhaps, but those Bramble stages in Donkey Kong Country 2 have always had a certain quality about them. I find the whole game to be something of a work of art though.

I always liked the feeling of isolation that the original Silent Hill provides. The school and the hospital were very well realized. The hellish transitions from normalcy to the twisted world of Silent Hill were so effective in that game. I remember how crazy it got in the sewers after I reached for that key.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I don't have a picture, but talking FFXII, I was most impressed by the Sandsea when I first got there. Seeing the endless ocean of sand and walkways was an awe inspiring moment that makes you believe in the reality of the fantasy. That's what playing RPGs has always been about for me.

Edit: The Kastolatian Sea map and scenario in Ogre Battle is one of my favorite backgrounds as well. That was another moment where I felt impressed by the magnitude of everything as you fought off the mermaid hordes in a large ocean of islands.

http://www.houseofwacks.org/ogre/Wal...tage9Main.html

There's nowhere I can't reach.