Visiting virtual stomping grounds, have you ever replayed a game because you miss a location?

[Chrozi]

There are many reasons why someone would play an old game they played a long time ago. I'm curious if any escapists popped in an old game just to revisit a particular location they miss like a town, dungeon, open world, vehicle, whatever.

I played Wold of Warcraft many years ago, and a couple years ago found myself actually wanting to walk around some of the old towns I frequented, I signed up for a month just to explore and tinker around a bit. I was quite surprised that since the expansions I missed, some of the most bustling towns were now nearly deserted. It was quite jarring, kind of felt like turning down a street you used to play on to find the neighborhood a shambles.

I haven't played since before cataclysm and I'm curious just to play for a month to have a look around. This got me thinking about some other games I would want to play just to revisit a location. Some came to mind, like the ROLF's home town in Phantasy Star II, the Turtle Village in Golden Axe, some Quake II multiplayer maps, I'm sure I can think of others.

So, anyone ever visit a virtual stomping ground?

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

I fairly frequently replay Sci-Fi games of the "high-tech shiny far-future space-faring" variety because I absolutely adore the locales. Ilium, the Citadel, Noveria from Mass Effect, basically every location from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Taris from KotOR, and so forth. Sure, I have plenty of motivation to replay these games, but the locations play a greater part than you'd think.

 

[Recusant]

Rubacava. Grim Fandango gave us a world that really could do with some more exploration, though I have no idea where another story set there could/would/should go.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Yup, the entirety of Okami. Also Kingdom Hearts.

 

[silver wolf009]

Sure, in fact I made sure to keep a save there just in case I ever get the hankering: Rapture's Fort Frolic.

Just something about that sick bastard Cohen, the dancer splicers, the creepy fact that the light follows you in the main atrium. It's like the city's trying to hold onto the glitz that it prided itself on.

Other than that, Halo 3's multiplayer map Construct always made me feel a bit poignant. There's an obscure sorrow's video about the sensation of walking through a quiet, empty place that used to be really busy, and that basically describes every Forerunner building, but Construct's view of a massive waterfall, and the wings of the Ark beyond it always made me feel small, in a good way.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I remember going back to Spiderman 2 just to webswing around the city, and sit on the very top of the Empire State Building watching the sun rise and set.

I would love to play the first level on the ring of Halo CE again - That sheer cliff waterfall and the Halo rising up in the distance to a perfect loop - What a view!

 

[Evil Moo]

I used to play through the Highway 17 chapter of Half Life 2 quite a lot. It was relaxing just driving across some of the more open and quiet sections of beach, taking pot-shots at the gulls, visiting the occasional empty house, rearranging all the furniture, firing some of it into the ocean like skipping stones. Good times.

 

[Idlemessiah]

All the freakin time. I love pottering about in games for an hour or so just to look around. I do that more than playing games seriously these days.

Some examples:

Jak and Daxter
Spyro the Dragon
Brutal Legend
Okami

Note the theme of crazy fantasy landscapes here.

 

[Xeros]

Racing games usually get me on this. The level design in the original 4 Need for Speed games, particularly 2 and 3, was enthralling. Proving Grounds, Outback, Mediterraneo, Mystic Peak, and Monolithic Studios were all-encompassing masterpieces that were brought to life even more through the brilliance of folks like Rom Di Prisco and Saka Kaskas among many others. F-Zero and WipEout are also very guilty of this; more-so the former, personally. Sand Ocean and Lightning were especially gripping. Eight Guitars and Osc-Sync Carnival set such a powerful mood to plow through those tracks. And with those in mind, I can't forget about XGRA. Breaking the sound barrier with Celldweller's 'Own Little World' blaring through the speakers. Some racing titles have so much soul and atmosphere in their tracks that I still pop these games in now and again for that unparalleled rush.

 

[Silvanus]

I used to go to Foible's Fair in Guild Wars 1 just because I loved it and wanted to chill there and watch the other players popping in and out.


It's a very simple outpost, but something about how it's so nestled away and how it's always lightly drizzling rain there made it ideal.

 

[infohippie]

The one that springs to mind most readily for me is the Shalebridge Cradle in Thief 3. Eerie, creepy-ass place that was more unsettling (and still is now!) than any actual "horror" game up until maybe Amnesia. Since the Thief games were so heavily mission-based, I guess you can't really separate the location from the mission that sends you there, but for ages I kept a save game just prior to the Robbing the Cradle mission just so I could drop back in.

Those were great games. I wish one day we could get a fourth one.

 

[Spider RedNight]

I really like the way Manaan looks in KotOR and the music is really pretty so I often have a save for there just in case I want to look out on the ocean.

I also love Arcadia in Bioshock; it was a pain in the ass but I thought it was the prettiest to look at.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

There have been loads of games I've replayed simply to explore or revisit the levels. I know most of these back to front.

Nosgoth in the Legacy of Kain Series. The whole damn thing (though Blood Omen 2 is a slog to get through).

Hells Kitchen in Deus Ex, with Paris a close second (Particularly the Templar Cathedral).

Detroit in Human Revolution.

"The City" in Thief series. I could break this down into individual levels, but there's way too many to pick from.

The Von Braun in System Shock. Particular favourites being Med/Sci, Recreation, OPs and Rickenbacker.

The section "Questionable Ethics" in Half Life 1 has always been a favourite. I loved mucking around with the "purge" systems and experiments. Black Mesa made this even better.

Ravenholm In Half Life 2. Half Life does Zombie Horror? Yes please!

"The Zone" in STALKER. Much like Thief, I could break this down, but I love way too many particular sections. I guess the Red Forest is one of my favourites.

And so on... some honorable mentions would be Star Wars: Dark Forces - Nar Shaddaa, Jedi Knight- Refueling Station, Jedi Outcast- Cloud City.

I can see Skellige from Witcher 3 being a future haunt... I'm still on my first run so I didn't include it here.

 

[FPLOON]

I did that a lot in The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction only to mindlessly destroy anything I could put my fist in...

Other than that, that was what I did in Sonic Generation in order to get that Platinum trochievement... *sighs* Good times...

 

[Chrozi]

Thanks for the great responses, interesting to see how your mind can become attached to a virtual space just like a real one.

 

[Xeros]

The Von Braun in System Shock. Particular favourites being Med/Sci, Recreation, OPs and Rickenbacker.

The Engineering and Hydroponics decks had me so hooked on their music and maze-like design it was almost disappointing to progress to the other decks. Still holding out hope for another title in the series, especially one that blends all of its elements together so well.

"The Zone" in STALKER.

All of the yes; all of it. Abandoned factories and laboratories like no other game can, or has delivered. I keep a save file on backup starting in the Rostok Bar for whenever I want to go perusing them again. Also holding out hope for another title. C'mon, Stalker 2, Stalker 2.

 

[DementedSheep]

Many of the levels in Alice madness returns. It has chapter select so sometimes I just mes around in the areas I like. The gameplay isn't bad but its the art direction that is it's biggest strength.
Although my favourite levels is House of Cards even though it's so simplistic.

Spoiler

Sovngarde in skyrim.

There are only two things that tempt me to mess around in the WOW trail again, one is to play a troll, the other is that the NE starting area is beautiful.