Video games offer gamers a form of vivid travel. Some of the games will take you to fictional worlds that are non-existent in the real world. For instance, as you play Halo, it takes you to alien planets, while a game like Tomb Raider takes the players across the modern world into primordial ruins.
On the other hand, some games do exactly the opposite. The games take familiar places and use them as their setting. Therefore, as you play the game, you get a chance to explore real places that you’ve likely seen with your physical eyes. You will end up feeling like you’ve actually traveled to those places. Alternatively, it could leave you feeling like you need to visit that location physically. They are similar to travel blog posts that enable you to learn more about a location you plan to visit, as they usually provide enough detailing, leaving you yearning for more.
So, what are the coolest real-world locations you have encountered in video games? Here are some:
Sleeping Dogs – Hong Kong
The game renders Hong Kong beautifully, making the entire experience feel like a vacation. The city’s neon cuts through the night and cars range from fine-looking supercars to food delivery sedans. There are also street vendors continually trying to get you to eat some pork buns or noodles. You can even sing karaoke!
When you play this game a few times, you will feel like Hong Kong in the real world would be a letdown. This is probably because it might not be able to recreate the adrenaline-filled experience in Sleeping Dogs.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – The Colosseum
Traveling is normally fun until you bump into other tourists who ruin your experience. For instance, some jump in front of the camera while others just interrupt your good time. Fortunately, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood solves this problem by including the Colosseum in its version of Rome.
Several non-player characters stroll around the arena’s interior, but the game does not have touristy crowds. As a result, you have a peaceful time to explore the historic building. Even though the developers had to make several adjustments to the in-game Colesseum as per the technology available at the time, it did not diminish the impressive ruin.
Fallout 3 – Georgetown/Takoma Park
The game explores Washington D.C. and its surroundings in an immersive manner. It is also impressive how closely the in-game map follows the real-world map. Although the game shrinks things down a little, the relative distance is correct so much so you can navigate D.C. if you have a rough understanding of Fallout 3.
You’ll have fun wandering from monument to monument as you annihilate mutants and loot bunkers. However, the areas that stand out the most are Georgetown and Takoma Park. The neighborhoods have a unique feel, having wide streets, brick buildings, and never-ending politics. These are the areas where you will get complete immersion.
Medal of Honor: Frontline – The Railway Bridge at Nijmegen
The modernization then cancellation of the Medal of Honor franchise is regarded as one of the unforgivable sins of modern gaming. Nijmegen Bridge was perhaps the peak of the franchise’s efforts. In this mission, gamers have to sneak their way across and disarm bombs on one of the last bridges remaining over the Rhine.
It was classic Medal of Honor, having period-accurate weaponry, peak technological performance, and great attention to detail. Half of the things many people know about World War II are thanks to Medal of Honor: Frontline.
Marvel’s Spider-Man – New York City
Thanks to technology catching up with the real world, cities like New York can be realistically built-in video games regarding size and population. The game is not yet at 1:1; an individual measured the in-game distance between Harlem and Battery Park and discovered it was a little less than half the real-life distance. By the way, that is still a massive map!
However, what the game renders perfectly is the New York City atmosphere. The people of New York worked tirelessly to build a city with unique neighborhoods and personalities. These are the two things that Spider-Man has used to establish himself as an international hero. If you love New York City, you’ll love this game the more!
Metro 2033 – Moscow Metro
Moscow33 does an outstanding job of authentically recreating Moscow. The game renders identifiable landmarks and buildings as they appear in real life. However, the game’s strength is in the metro stations.
Real-life Moscow invested substantial amounts of money in building their stations. The game used these stations and used them to display the rot of the world. As you play the game, you will have shootouts in a metro system decorated with arches, chandeliers, and art that was once exhibited Russian affluence and are now hosts of desolation and ghosts!
