I really like the Alt Bosara city in TR since the day I saw a loading screen from http://mw.modhistory.com/download-78-15189 splash screen mod. As for unmodded cities I like Anvil and Leyawiin , but Leyawiin doesn't have same naval atmosphere as Anvil has.

True: Leyawiin seemed like a swamp and a city having a fight that neither was winning. The Better Cities version had a much more maritime feel about it though, and is definitely worth checking out for people who fancy giving Oblivion another spin.

Los Angeles in the 1920s

from L.A. Noire



Wasn't very interactive, but just loved to go sight seeing in that title.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Novigrad yet.

Edit: that was mean of me: not noticing that somebody mentioned something is exactly what I often do!

Hmmm...New Sheoth from Shivering Isles. I like the Tim Burton-esque architecture on Crucible, and the bright colors of Bliss, and the way the whole city is neatly split between the two is fun.

Yharnam from Bloodborne. The foreboding gothic architecture, the Escher-esque layout of the city, the grim Victorian atmosphere, and all the dark secrets lurking within its bowels...I wouldn't have minded if the whole game took place in it.

The Grove from Guild Wars 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uBGGPCAVhE It stands head and shoulders over all the other cities in the game, most of which are wonderfully designed as well.

Cosmo Canyon from Final Fantasy VII. Calling it a city might be generous, but it's still visually appealing. A town built into the side of a red rock mountain, with a network of tunnels and a big ol' observatory at the top. What's not to like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T3srk8Dkuo

If "wasted potential" were to be defined in the dictionary, I'd put a picture of Colombia right next to it. The city is indeed beautiful...for about the first hour or so. After than, it gets progressively darker, danker and dirtier until it's nearly indistinguishable from the leagues of brown shooters out there. And that's when they're not shoving you into the even darker and less inspired interiors. I honestly have no idea why they bothered with this setting.

I don't understand the enthusiasm for Vivec. It's interesting conceptually, but the ingame version is basically just several identical domes connected by bridges over canols. It's grand, but lifeless on the outside and rather simple-looking, with the exception of the Temple Canton and the Palace. I'd expect more greenery from a city on the water. I greatly enjoyed exploring Vivec, but visually I prefer almost any other town in TES.

Me too.

I'm not sure about wasted potential, but it definitely got increasingly depressing and nasty as the game went on and never came back from that. I guess much the same as seeing Rapture's downfall in BaS, only much more drawn-out and painful.


Because Morrowind, I guess...

Absolutely.

I haven't played any AC since the first one, but the thread has gotten me curious. https://devinsoshi.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/assassins-creed-unity-hd-wallpaper.jpg looks pretty http://www.readyuplive.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ACU_District_IleDeLaCite_14111251301.jpg, though a city isn't quite enough for me to justify the purchase. Or more importantly, the hours.

I call it wasted potential because the gorgeous art direction that everyone touts Bioshock Infinite to have goes straight to the gutter in very short order to just make another dime-a-dozen urban warzone. It didn't get ugly in an interesting way, it got ugly in a boring way. Depressing isn't the word I'd use because the city goes to ruin before I have a chance to get attached to it, and it was populated by [censored]s I wasn't sad to see burn.

I also call it wasted potential in terms of level design. A floating steampunk city is just demanding to have large sprawling environments, massive verticality, and long-range shootouts, but all we got instead was a linear corridor shooter.

But Morrowind has giant crab shells offering respite from the choking dust and mushroom towers looking out to shimmering sea at sunset and city of light, city of magic! (okay, that one's a bit claustrophobic) and all those atmospheric little villages.

Tamriel also has golden metal set in a carved out mountainside and a long-dead metropolis buried deep underground, and a swampy town where it's always, always raining, and a city built inside a massive, ancient graht-oak, and a mad mind split in half.

Ehh. This post only served as a reminder that I hate choosing. Not that it matters, my favorite city would be the one with the most interesting society and the most touching music anyhow and that's not what this thread is about. Unless... Rapture?

I really like the art design of the cities in FFIX. Specifically, Treno and Lindblum.

And its cousin, http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/darksouls/images/d/d2/CotIK_location_Eleum_Loyce.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141001150832

Conceptually I'll cast a vote for the http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/d/d8/The_impreial_citywiki2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110812181238. Not bad looking out of the box, but nothing like the cannon of old lore of course.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/gothic/images/a/a3/802.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101223225750&path-prefix=cs from Gothic II is probably my hesitant favorite. Not necessarily 'beautiful', but it has charm and character unlike any other city I've seen in video games.

The one I'm building in Cities: Skylines.

This is certainly an interesting topic to think about. And now that I want to engage in the conversation, I can't seem to recall many games I've played with cities that truly blew me away. Though, the cities in AC and AC2 (the only AC games I have played, because the nonstop sequels killed the fun for me) are wonderful: fully explorable, highly detailed, and each has a unique "feel"/environment, with the major historical landmarks being rendered beautifully. Someone else here mentioned The Grove from GW2, and I have to say that that one certainly is beautiful in a very literal sense, even if the design makes getting around it awkward sometimes. But for the most part, the most beautiful game locations I can think of aren't cities at all (ex: Besaid and Kilika Island and the Calm Lands from FFX).

ha it's fine to call me out when my eyes miss it twice....clearly I haven't had enough coffee today

I 100% agree vivec was hugely overated I finally get there to see one of the most talked about cities in morrowind and its just giant blocks over water that was the big whoop?

Funny, my strongest memory of Nar Shaddaa is of obese Rodians and surfing garbage barges...

Both possibly being the same city.


Aside from Anor Londo in DKS, and the Citadel in ME, I'd say Ehn'gha from Eternal Darkness is pretty memorable. I also liked Sootopolis from gen3 Pokemon.

*edit*

Since when did we have to solve captchas to post?

Especially with the new nighttime feature.

It's just seems to be a forum bug. It was mostly fixed after the recent software update, but still pops up occasionally.

I'd have to say the cities in the Yakuza games, especially Yakuza 5. They're so beautifully designed that they feel so alive and beautiful.

Novigrad in TW3. London in Asscreed Syndicate.

Think I'll add Marcuria from The Longest Journey/Dreamfall Chapters as it has a certain charm.

Neo-Paris from Remember Me would be even more impressive if it was made open world. Still one of the more interesting cities in a game.

Good to see Novigrad getting some appreciation from people

Columbia and Rapture being the banol choices.I also liked Boston in Assassin's Creed 3, and Arcadia Bay from Life Is Strange; though I'm not sure if they're necessarily the most beautiful.

To be honest you can't really beat Columbia; it's a city in the sky

Notable mentions:

Paris from the Saboteur, Seattle from Infamous: Second Son.

I'll break mine into 3 categories:

Linear City: The noir city of the game Contrast

Open World City: Vivec from Morrowind

Super MMO Open World City: Metropolis from DC Universe Online