New Zelda Scans: 2 to 3 times bigger than OOT

[Dark Jaguar]

Yes, actually, Halo DOES have ridiculously large areas. The scale isn't nearly real world mind you. It was in fact boring to wander the areas, but not really due to scale. Namely, it's because the places repeated themselves like 5 times in a row, and in the next level you get to go through that BACKWARDS. Just having ONE massive field strewn with various rocks in interesting ways where you must carefully set up sniping locations or else drive around in a vehicle causing horrific visions of NIGHTMARE as you point out, despite however obvious such a conclusion may already be, that you are intoxicated to a degree that can't be properly expressed by current mathematical theorums. As a result, you can obtain massive air by flipping a hoverjet through the air and on top of a giant alien tank causing IT to explode.

At any rate, yes, some locations are incredibly redundant in the real world. But, take some of the massive locals that are not. Consider for example being in the midst of a massive jungle (the REAL real world, try placing your boss in a situation such as THAT next time they say "yeah well, this is the real world" in response to any time you point out obvious logical flaws safe in the knowledge that you are indespensible and can at least get away with criticism), but not just that, a jungle location next to a massive upshifted part of the land forming a continuous SHEER mountain range and at a certain point, a huge waterfall. There are enough variations in the land to keep you just staring at it for DAYS, so long as you do it in such a way as to avoid looking PARTICULARLY delicious.

I've seen enough amazing locals... um... via TV I'm sad to say, that I believe it's safe to say they need not be boring per say.

As far as a game, a lot of extra quests do need to be involved.

You know, considering the nature of this conversation and the opinions revealed thus far, I'm surprised we have yet to bring up what is basically endless similar region incarnate. Wind Waker's oceans.

It's endless waters with nothing for a LONG period of time. It's pretty close to actually being on the scale of a very small island chain. However, I actually don't mind sailing around there, THE FIRST TIME. I was very happy to get the warping ability at a certain point in the game, but I did enjoy those first moments of sailing.

However, they did certain things. I recall when I first saw the ghost ship in that game. That sameness with the epicness of the music, the swelling waters, and the gulls swooping in to follow me about (what, no dolphins?) were just fun, making me want to go sailing (but I AM landlocked as it stands), and then it was suddenly broken by night fall, rough storms, and then suddenly the image of this ship slowly drifting in and out of existance with St. Elmo's fire floating all about it and a sudden change from the silence of night to this haunting melody that was like ghosts singing some pirate shanty. The ship itself was rather disappointing, but that introduction, wow.

And that's basically how massive expansive areas need to be handled. Make the journey itself FUN, make the landscape vary to enough of a degree that it's interesting the whole way, and throw in a lot, and I mean a LOT, of both hidden areas that are developed in UNIQUE ways (the one thing WW didn't quite get right in that area), and many interesting and unique events that happen as you travel along.

Sure, they can give you events, but when it's all the same thing over and over, it's boring. If they go to the effort of designing many different and unique events for you to do, then it's exciting again. Plus, as was mentioned, the actual travel should involve some constant needs. For example, if you are wandering through the desert, you need to get some water every now and then. Maybe not on a realistic time frame, but every few nights, a need to get some water. More than that, either make getting water a fun enough experience that redundancy is okay (perhaps an involving minigame like that pirates game mentioned above), or have some variations in the quests to get it. Like, now it may just be an oasis, but later you may need to go into an old well you found to see if it really is dry, or maybe you end up getting captured trying to steal some water from a camp of desert bandits. You know, stuff like that. Newness has a fair amount of importance. A lot, and I mean a LOT of stuff in a game can be the same old same old without getting any complaints from the gamer. It's expected to have a good level of consistancy instead of throwing random stuff at you like an end boss battle that doesn't even try to use the game engine you've been playing with for the entire rest of the game (I'm looking at YOU Devil May Cry!). But, some variation is needed on a noticable level or as a player I just lose interest because I feel like I "did that already". No problem if the game involves fighting enemies the entire way through, but level 2 better involve stuff that level 1 didn't have. I want to see some weird conveyer belt with lightning bolts across it that I didn't even realize they could do on level 1 (I'm looking at YOU Double Dragon!), and of course, all sorts of new enemies that make you change the way you fight throughout, or new moves outright complimented with enemies that make you have to adapt them into your fighting style.

So, variation is needed in video games. I'm not asking for every single moment to be effectively a whole new game, but enough that I feel like it's all new and stuff.

That all said, if the game is trying to give you some weird artsy message that can only truly be done by redundancy, go for it. Keep in mind I better really FEEL it. I'm not letting Bungie suddenly tell me that Halo is modern art for example :D.