Settings we'd like to visit ... or re-visit

[Lanko]

ME 2 and 3 are great in gameplay and very good in story too (not gonna say much on that, some people would disagree on certain parts, but if you play it, let's see your own conclusions).

ME 2 is the best of the three. Fight me.

ME3 is better, even if only for the consequences of previous choices finally unfolding for their full splendor 

Ha! I refuse to believe that red/blue/green star child beats suicide mission! (though I will admit The Citadel, as part of ME3, is probably the best DLC).

That part doesn't count 

But the beginning of ME2 is non-sense too if we stop to think about it...

[Yora]

I really love Morrowind. I'v never seen anything like it before or since. Barsoom might come somewhat close but doesn't reach its depths.
Morrowind is a setting that doesn't look like a fictional version of a culture from Earth's history. That's almost impossible to find in fantasy. The lack of any such fantasy books is one of my main motivations to attempt getting into writing. Someone has to do something about this!

ME 2 is the best of the three. Fight me.

I wont. ME2 is the best game of all games!

[ScarletBea]

I'd like to visit:

* the Glass House in Copper promise
* the Chromeria in Lightbringer (to see people with luxin)
* Drassil, the big fortress in The Faithful and the Fallen
* the Library in Discworld
* one of the Rain Wild cities on trees, in the Rain Wild Chronicles

For now

[tebakutis]

ME3 is better, even if only for the consequences of previous choices finally unfolding for their full splendor 

Ha! I refuse to believe that red/blue/green star child beats suicide mission! (though I will admit The Citadel, as part of ME3, is probably the best DLC).

That part doesn't count 

But the beginning of ME2 is non-sense too if we stop to think about it...

I adore the opening of ME2, honestly. I mean

Spoiler for Hiden:

They literally blew up the ****ing Normandy. I was attached to that ship, dammit. Even the random crew members. I was thinking the game would open with some new threat and then Shepherd and company would spring into action, but no. They got BLASTED TO SMITHEREENS. It's still one of my favorite/jaw-dropping openings to any game I've played.

but as much as I did love how you got to see some plot threads come together in ME3, others were a letdown. The whole Rachni thing? Eh, turns out it just changes whether

Spoiler for Hiden:

It's a Rachni queen or a resurrected Rachni queen

and yeah, I did love ME3 to death. But the other reason ME2 beats it out for me is ME3 lacked the uncertainty of ME2.

The entire time I was running through ME2, I felt this burgeoning uncertainty about my actions. Cerebus is bad, right? But what we're doing is good. But the Illusive Man is bad, right? But he's helping me and supporting me and we're doing good, right? But my old allies think I'm crazy for siding with him, right? And some of my new ones are straight up evil, but we're still doing good, right?

The question "does the end justify the means" was all over ME2, and I really dug the anthology-like nature of it. As compared to ME3, which had a rather linear narrative similar to ME1, ME2 took me into the nooks and crannies of the Mass Effect universe. It was a bunch of smaller stories that fleshed out the universe as a whole, and each of my "dirty dozen" crew members had such an interesting backstory.

But different strokes.

ME 2 is the best of the three. Fight me.

I wont. ME2 is the best game of all games!

*fistbump*

[Lanko]

Funny, I thought that for ME3, about the unpredictability. Do I allow or not a cure for the Genocide? What if they become another threat as big as the Reapers in the future? Do I sacrifice the Geth or the Quarians? Will I really be able to use Reaper tech to good use, like the Illusive Man says?

Well, except for the colored beams part of course.

In ME2 I felt Normandy's destruction and what happened to Shepard unnecessary. The Normandy is simply rebuilt anyway. And Shepard could've just be discharged or something. The two year gap felt unnecessary as well. Garrus could've just quit C-Sec and went mercenary one month later.
And except for maybe some special dialogue, the two year gap didn't really affect anything. You're even able to become a full Spectre again anyway.

Did you actually saw the Indoctrination Theory, tebakutis? I was also pissed off at "colored beams", but when I watched my mind blown away. Indoctrinating the player! Holy... Years later and with an extended DLC, I still think that was a much better plot twist that no one would see coming...

[youtube]ythY_GkEBck[/youtube]

They made even more videos about it years ago

But this one was the original and still awesome, specially correlations like Rachni x dreams, the boy, etc.

[The Gem Cutter]

FBI Hotline? Yes, I'd like to report a kidnapping. Yes, ma'am. I'll hold ... Well, it's a thread on settings, and these two Mass Effect fans sort of just kidnapped it. No, I've no idea. They've made no demands. No, they didn't appear armed or even hostile. Quite civil and engaging, really. Sure. I'll hold.

[Peat]

Like Lanko, all my initial thoughts were game settings. Although in my case, mostly pen and paper RPG settings.

I agree with Yora that Morrowind is the shiznit though. I'm an Eldar Scrolls fanboy in general and I think they've done some really interesting stuff in general (I keep wondering if anyone else has used the idea of using shouts as a weapon a la Skyrim) but Morrowind is their crown jewel. It feels so deep, so varied, so weird and yet so accessible... and Vivec might be one of my favourite characters in fantasy as a whole.

I'd love to visit the world of Exalted. It is a super-gonzo world combining the best of ancient mythology, anime, sword & sorcery, Tanith Lee and a bunch of other stuff (although deliberately very little medieval Europe), serving as the backdrop to a world of tragic demigods.

I also have a lot of love for the Warhammer setting (RIP), particularly the Old World. Its a fun mix of Moorcock, history and D&D with a big shovel load of black humour.

The Old World of Darkness setting would be fun to tour too. Feel like its the ur-Urban Fantasy setting to an extent.  Lot of very interesting stuff in there.

Shame game fiction by and large isn't of a very high quality.

[tebakutis]

Heh, I suppose I could throw Gem a bone since we threadjacked his thread.

Honestly, mine are silly. I'd love to go to Narnia (from the original C.S. Lewis books). Talking animals. Goddamn talking animals! I want a talking animal as my best friend, and it would even be cool to meet Jesus Lion (especially if he still sounded like Liam Neeson!) But I'd also want to be there during the "golden age", when the four Children of Adam and Daughters of Eve rule peacefully and everyone is happy. Because there's no way I'd survive that nonsense with the White Witch. I'd be a statue for sure.

Also, I'd love to move to Xanth. The books went from interesting to progressively silly, and yes, I'm aware that Anthony got increasingly pervy as the years went on, and I'm also (now) aware of some problematic stuff in his early books that I didn't pick up as a teen boy. But all that aside, I loved Xanth. It was super dangerous, yes, but it was just so quirky and funny, and I'd love to have a random (not super powerful, just interesting) magic talent. Obviously, I'd be a Xanth native, not a mundane.

Hmm, where else? Videogame settings we've already talked about, but though I love those settings, I wouldn't actually want to live there, because in one, Reapers are about to destroy the entire galaxy, and in the other, I'd probably get murdered in my home by some Dark Brotherhood jerk who wanted to steal all my cabbages. I adored the setting from Final Fantasy 6 (steampunk magitech!) but again, it's kind a horrific world to live in, especially after Kefka blows it up.

Oh! I'd love to live in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Assuming I avoided that whole pesky genocide thing, I'd totally be an Airbender, because I prefer not to hurt people if I can, and Aang makes it look so amazingly fun.

EDIT: And to Lanko ... yup, I think the Indoctrination theory was cool. But it's too dark for me. I want my Shepherd to save the galaxy at a high price (and that is, indeed, what happened, despite the Star Child nonsense).

[Lanko]

Like Lanko, all my initial thoughts were game settings. Although in my case, mostly pen and paper RPG settings.

I agree with Yora that Morrowind is the shiznit though. I'm an Eldar Scrolls fanboy in general and I think they've done some really interesting stuff in general (I keep wondering if anyone else has used the idea of using shouts as a weapon a la Skyrim) but Morrowind is their crown jewel. It feels so deep, so varied, so weird and yet so accessible... and Vivec might be one of my favourite characters in fantasy as a whole.

There's a book who uses a magic system called Breath, if I'm not mistaken. I have no idea if they shout, though.

But...

I believe it's a book by *gasp* Sanderson.

And he really didn't work for you, if I remember right 

[Peat]

Not so well so far, no  But I am stubborn so will be back for another go.

*googles* Did you know that Sanderson Breath is a brand of mountain bike?

Warbreaker? Does sound interesting based on a quick flick through Wiki. I'll add it to the memory bank.

[Eclipse]

Warbreaker , good luck with that one...I was generous when I rated that one 3/5

[JRTroughton]

Bas-Lag or Sigil.

Both weird and wonderful.

[Yora]

For people who love Sigil I recommend The City of Dreaming Books and The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers. I think they share a lot of the elements of Planescape.

[JRTroughton]

Oooh, thanks!