The Elder Scrolls universe vs other fantasy realms

[Monolith]

Any other Song of Ice and Fire fans here? The world of Westeros is the most detailed and well fleshed out universes I've ever read about. Of course there are also places like Hyrule and the Harry Potter universe that I love, but Westeros is the most well put together.

I have yet to tackle the books, but I've seen the first season of the show and I was instantly hooked. I felt it was reminiscent of Tolkien's works, in a way (with a grittier, darker, more violent atmosphere), in the sense that it felt like a retelling of actual historic events in a real world, albeit not our own. Middle-earth is more lyrical, poetic, a place of beauty, whereas Westeros feels like it's a scarred medieval battleground. Both are highly evocative in their own way. It's funny how some world makers succeed at creating that sense of reality while others fail, even though they try very hard (Dragon Age, I'm looking at you!).

Personally Middle Earth and Tamriel are number's 2 and 3 on my list, in that order. My number one is Ansalon from the Dragonlance Novels. I am just in love with the amount of history put into creating that world, even from the very "beginning" of their time.

I'm also a fan of Ansalon, it's a highly immersive setting! It's been a long time since I read the Dragonlance novels, but they ranked among my favorite fantasy literature when I was younger.

just to tell you how detailed the lord of the rings are, you can get a book that can tell you every thing in the lord of the rings from rock type to population.
as for game of thrones im going to read them soon

I have that book. I'm assuming you're referring to Karen Wynn Fonstad's 'Atlas of Middle-earth'? Good stuff in there for us hard core Tolkien nerds. I'm still not quite hard core enough to have read the Silmarillion, but I have read the Hobbit and the LotR trilogy dozens of times in both Finnish and English, as well as the Unfinished Tales. I've always wanted to get my hands on the many volumes of the History of Middle-earth, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[samgurl775]

I have yet to tackle the books, but I've seen the first season of the show and I was instantly hooked. I felt it was reminiscent of Tolkien's works, in a way (with a grittier, darker, more violent atmosphere), in the sense that it felt like a retelling of actual historic events in a real world, albeit not our own. Middle-earth is more lyrical, poetic, a place of beauty, whereas Westeros feels like it's a scarred medieval battleground. Both are highly evocative in their own way. It's funny how some world makers succeed at creating that sense of reality while others fail, even though they try very hard (Dragon Age, I'm looking at you!).

If you liked the show, you'll love the books. As always, the books are infinitely better (not to say the show is bad, because I really enjoy it too, but there is a lot of stuff cut out and changed). The difference between a Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings (and pretty much every other fantasy story out there) is that it isn't about "good vs. evil". The characters aren't black and white, there is no true protagonist or antagonist - everyone has their own reasons for doing what they're doing. It leaves it up to the reader to decide who's right. Of course it's not a series for everyone, but if you'd like a change of pace from the normal fantasy elements, definitely give it a go.

 

[ShadowMage]

One fantasy world that I really have a soft spot in my heart for is Hyrule. I grew up playing the Zelda games. It's such a magical place for me, and holds such fond memories. Especially the landscapes and the grandeur created in Ocarina of Time opened up new worlds of amazement for me. Hyrule wins for me... I just feel like I will never leave that place

I think I love you now. I still think LoZ is my favorite game ever.

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

I think I love you now. I still think LoZ is my favorite game ever.

I have to totally agree with that. Nothing like the LoZ games for me. I'm still a little sad that I haven't played Skyward Sword yet. I still get chills when I think about walking into the Deku Tree.

Speaking of Dragon Age guys, I have recently been *ahem* persuaded to give it a try. SO I may be finding out what that world is like very soon.

 

[Emilia]

my personal favorites elder scrolls aside would be spira from final fantasy x and i am a huge fan of harry potter xD

 

[Lady Redpool the Unlifer]

I'm also a fan of Ansalon, it's a highly immersive setting! It's been a long time since I read the Dragonlance novels, but they ranked among my favorite fantasy literature when I was younger.

So glad someone finally knows what I'm talking about, and might I just say that I aupplaud(sorry about spelling) your diverse appreciation of different fantasy realms.

 

[Su8tle]

If your after a dark, brutal and mature universe that spans a millions worlds pick up a 40k book from the black library. You won't regret it.

Good entry books:
Horus Rising
Eisenhorn Omnibus
Space Wolf Omnibus 1

 

[Monolith]

If you liked the show, you'll love the books. As always, the books are infinitely better (not to say the show is bad, because I really enjoy it too, but there is a lot of stuff cut out and changed). The difference between a Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings (and pretty much every other fantasy story out there) is that it isn't about "good vs. evil". The characters aren't black and white, there is no true protagonist or antagonist - everyone has their own reasons for doing what they're doing. It leaves it up to the reader to decide who's right. Of course it's not a series for everyone, but if you'd like a change of pace from the normal fantasy elements, definitely give it a go.

Good sales pitch there.. I think I'll get me a copy of the first book and see how it compares to the first season of the show. I'm sure the books are superior - as you said, they leave too much out when translating them on screen.

Speaking of Dragon Age guys, I have recently been *ahem* persuaded to give it a try. SO I may be finding out what that world is like very soon.

Don't expect too much from the game world and you won't be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's not disappointing in the sense that it's too generic; it does have some original ideas. There's just something else that's 'wrong' about it.. hard to explain, really. It feels like a jigsaw puzzle with one too many pieces missing. That, and the world is pretty bland to look at, sometimes downright ugly. That being said, the first DA game was at least great from a gameplay and storyline perspective (also one of the more challenging games of its type), so give it a try! The origins aspect is also a nice touch.. you can pretty much create any kind of character you wish with almost the same amount of freedom that Skyrim offers in that department (including customization of looks), and you will get a vastly different start to the game depending on what you chose. For example, I played as a dwarf thief who started out in the slums of a great dwarven city. I could've chosen to be a dwarven noble instead, or a human fighter, or a mage, and each choice would've given me a unique starting location, different early quests and background story. It adds huge replay value to the world, which is also open-ended so you're never forced to proceed down a narrow one-way corridor.

So glad someone finally knows what I'm talking about, and might I just say that I aupplaud(sorry about spelling) your diverse appreciation of different fantasy realms.

Why thank you, good sir! I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of fine fantasy, and the Dragonlance novels and Ansalon certainly deliver the goods.

If your after a dark, brutal and mature universe that spans a millions worlds pick up a 40k book from the black library. You won't regret it.

Good entry books:
Horus Rising
Eisenhorn Omnibus
Space Wolf Omnibus 1

Cool, thanks for the tip! Will definitely have to look into them.

 

[Emilia]

star wars and pandora from avatar

 

[Hargood]

This actually brings up a question I always had about my love for the TES series. I am an old School Fan. When I first Played Arena, I remember thinking "THIS Is directions I really want Roleplaying Games to go". (Don't try to figure out my real age. I'll just tell you. When I first played Arena I was "-3") With that, I wonder if I like the Franchise because of my old feeliings about it, or because they are the same. I get this question from reading diffrent "RAWR Skyrim is Retarded. MW3 should have won GOTY" comments all of the Enter-Netz.

I start to realize that the Main character of these types of Games is something that TES got right as it started. The Main Character that needs to be fully developed is, infact, the world itself. So many game companies want to have a Hit where people are so into their world, but don't care to flesh it out outside of it's game play. They say "Well we'll just pay someone to write a book or something.. and someone else to make a comic. That should be good enough" but If they are developing a world around Central Characters instead of creating central characters inside a well developed world.. they ..are just doing it wrong.

I could bet that almost ALL of you that enjoy the lore of these game, in one form or another have once created a literary world either on paper, in drawings and paintings, or even just in your daydreams that left room for them to be very vast if you took the time to flesh more of them out. You are just like some other "Greats!" that had the some tendencies: George R. R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Julian Lefay: The Original Creator of the Elder Scrolls Universe.

(If I ever become a writer, my Publishing name is going to be Har R. R. Good )

If you liked the show, you'll love the books. As always, the books are infinitely better (not to say the show is bad, because I really enjoy it too, but there is a lot of stuff cut out and changed). The difference between a Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings (and pretty much every other fantasy story out there) is that it isn't about "good vs. evil". The characters aren't black and white, there is no true protagonist or antagonist - everyone has their own reasons for doing what they're doing. It leaves it up to the reader to decide who's right. Of course it's not a series for everyone, but if you'd like a change of pace from the normal fantasy elements, definitely give it a go.

Game of Thrones is an Awesome Franchise. I even like that you have Renly in your signature. That character with many many others, infact, makes me "awe'd" at how they have been developed. I never like homosexuals in modern literature. Not because I'm a big-0 homophobe, but because every time it's done it just a big fist pump for Gay Rights instead of being a good character. Renly is homosexual and it is a big part of his story but not so much that he's Not just "Gay and in your face!". His situations are just there like any of the characters and motivate his small part of the story. That inturn motivates the whole story just like every other single characters story does. Thats How you write imo. My only problem is that [SPOILER! (ill try my best to not ...um... give anything away..but, well ya know) Martin tends to "kill off" a few too many characters for me at times. I understand the whole "life Sucks" factor he puts into his books, but some... um..certain families kind of have their stuggle and story to be pointless if they are all killed off.

...and That's all I have to say about that... Westeros is like a box of Chocolates.... ok Ill stop now

 

[Train]

I think I love you now. I still think LoZ is my favorite game ever.

I used to like LoZ, I even liked Ocarina of Time, it was really good, but my favorite is still A Link to the Past...just saying that makes me feel old... However, I really think the series jumped off a cliff with Majora's Mask, and ever since then it's been spiraling downward, or at least it has to me. I tried a couple others, but it didn't have the same feel at all. I do like how they never added voices and kept it all in text, that allows for much more story, but something about it isn't there anymore; it could just be me though, and my taste has changed, who knows.

I did get to see some of Skyward Sword, but it feels like they've moved further away from cool stuff and were caught up in trying to make harder puzzles. LoZ is a puzzle game, don't get me wrong, I like that aspect, however, even Ocarina seemed to focus on the story as much as the quests. For example, it ends the way it begins, that was planned from the very beginning, they spent all their time unfolding a marvelous tale that twisted and connected back and forth, even keeping the theme of the light and dark world by way of past and future. As soon as that iconic piece was removed and the "dark world" was done away with entirely, I looked at the series and said "this isn't LoZ anymore, this is some mutation of it". Instead of trying to build off that theme and go into more detail about the two worlds, they just dropped it. Then when they got rid of Ganon completely it put the final nail in the coffin...that was the only thing Twilight Princess had going for it, you were still fighting Ganon at the end (from what I recall), other than that it felt like it was on rails and didn't resemble LoZ at all. Ganon is the bad guy, and you have to go back and forth from the light world to the dark world, that's LoZ to me.

There's lots of different things I have similar complaints with, but so far TES hasn't done that to me, they stick to their guns and use the previous lore to build with. Of course, you have to realize, I was playing LoZ when I 4-5 years old, in fact, my brother had to enable immortality with the game shark or whatever it was just so that I could play, then when I was good enough to play without that, I went through A Link to the Past like 100 times and eventually was able to beat the whole game in an hour or something crazy.

Okay, now I've identified myself, old school gamer in da' house, yes, I came from the repetitive days of gaming. Also another reason I like consoles, I grew up with them, and have never been able to play a game on computer, just something not quite right about it...

 

[samgurl775]

Game of Thrones is an Awesome Franchise. I even like that you have Renly in your signature. That character with many many others, infact, makes me "awe'd" at how they have been developed. I never like homosexuals in modern literature. Not because I'm a big-0 homophobe, but because every time it's done it just a big fist pump for Gay Rights instead of being a good character. Renly is homosexual and it is a big part of his story but not so much that he's Not just "Gay and in your face!". His situations are just there like any of the characters and motivate his small part of the story. That inturn motivates the whole story just like every other single characters story does. Thats How you write imo. My only problem is that [SPOILER! (ill try my best to not ...um... give anything away..but, well ya know) Martin tends to "kill off" a few too many characters for me at times. I understand the whole "life Sucks" factor he puts into his books, but some... um..certain families kind of have their stuggle and story to be pointless if they are all killed off.

...and That's all I have to say about that... Westeros is like a box of Chocolates.... ok Ill stop now

I'll be honest, Renly being gay completely flew over my head in the books lol. After I watched the show, I had to go back and read all of Renly's scenes and sure enough, there were subtle hints throughout. But like you said, I like how his homosexuality wasn't flaunted and it didn't affect how he made decisions (like marrying Margaery). I truly believe Renly would have made the best king too. It's a shame his character in the show is the opposite of how he was in the books - I loved book Renly because he was witty, sarcastic, and charming. Show Renly is too serious for my liking, but I'll always support him

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

^I agree that Majora's Mask was a mistake. Some people like it, and I ask them why. The game was kind of a flop for me. But the rest of them pleased me quite a bit, and believe me, I have been a Zelda lover since I was able to hold the controller. You mention going back and forth between the Light world and the Dark world, which was basically the most important aspect of Twilight Princess. TP is actually one of my favorite games in the franchise. It took me a while, but I fell in love with that iteration of Hyrule and also the "Twilight" World. It was so cool! The world in TP was sooo beautiful. And considering it was on the Wii... That's sorta saying something

 

[Train]

You mention going back and forth between the Light world and the Dark world, which was basically the most important aspect of Twilight Princess. TP is actually one of my favorite games in the franchise. It took me a while, but I fell in love with that iteration of Hyrule and also the "Twilight" World. It was so cool! The world in TP was sooo beautiful. And considering it was on the Wii... That's sorta saying something

I think it was for Game Cube though, maybe they released it for Wii, but I'm not sure. Did you go back and forth? I don't remember that...of course, it seems like it's been so long since I played it, and durring that point in my life I was having trouble getting into games at all, so when I was playing I wasn't really sucked in to it, my mind was more worried about some heavy s**t going on in the real world, lol. I remember portals were opening up, but I don't remember going into another dimension or anything like that...then again something was happening because you'd turn into a wolf at certain points, or maybe that was at will, and to be honest it got a little confusing...but then my head wasn't in the game at all. I'd re-visit it, but one day I was walking along and got captured by some imperials, then these blasted dragons showed up and people started talking about me being some kind of dovahkiin and how I have to save the world and all that...this is real! Bwahaha!

Didn't realize that, my bad, so they did have both things going for it...hmmm...still felt like it was on rails though, not too much, but kinda' like Majora's Mask in that sense. Thing I hated about MM was that the moon constantly reset everything and all of the sudden you've lost it all, or at least most of it, really limited the amount of time you felt comfortable with exploring...among other things, but that was the worst, hated that feeling.

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

I think it was for Game Cube though, maybe they released it for Wii, but I'm not sure. Did you go back and forth? I don't remember that...of course, it seems like it's been so long since I played it, and durring that point in my life I was having trouble getting into games at all, so when I was playing I wasn't really sucked in to it, my mind was more worried about some heavy s**t going on in the real world, lol. I remember portals were opening up, but I don't remember going into another dimension or anything like that...then again something was happening because you'd turn into a wolf at certain points, or maybe that was at will, and to be honest it got a little confusing...but then my head wasn't in the game at all. I'd re-visit it, but one day I was walking along and got captured by some imperials, then these blasted dragons showed up and people started talking about me being some kind of dovahkiin and how I have to save the world and all that...this is real! Bwahaha!

Didn't realize that, my bad, so they did have both things going for it...hmmm...still felt like it was on rails though, not too much, but kinda' like Majora's Mask in that sense. Thing I hated about MM was that the moon constantly reset everything and all of the sudden you've lost it all, or at least most of it, really limited the amount of time you felt comfortable with exploring...among other things, but that was the worst, hated that feeling.

Yeah I guess it was on gamecube, but they did also release it for the Wii. Mostly because it was released pretty early on in the Wii's life I think. And yes it was back and forth, you would turn into the wolf or "Shadow Beast" in the "dark world" known as the Twilight Realm, which was a mirror image of Hyrule. It was a pretty cool mechanic.

If you ever find yourself, say, being shot in the knee with an arrow or something that ends your adventures in Skyrim, I would recommend giving it another go. It's pretty cool once you get into the story!

 

[Train]

If you ever find yourself, say, being shot in the knee with an arrow or something that ends your adventures in Skyrim, I would recommend giving it another go. It's pretty cool once you get into the story!

Haha, will do, but I thought arrows to the knee just turned you into a guard; seriously, I see no excape from this Skyrim place, I think we're all stuck...

I'll give it another go though, a good LoZ is a terrible thing to waste. Now that I'm recalling some of it, I do remember a couple moments that were awesome, but I rushed the game...I feel down right ashamed now

 

[The_Deadliest_Troll]

Haha, will do, but I thought arrows to the knee just turned you into a guard; seriously, I see no excape from this Skyrim place, I think we're all stuck...

I'll give it another go though, a good LoZ is a terrible thing to waste. Now that I'm recalling some of it, I do remember a couple moments that were awesome, but I rushed the game...I feel down right ashamed now

Don't feel ashamed. I rushed it the first time I played through too, and I didn't like it. But after the second time I played it, I loved it.

I do have to try Skyward Sword. Some people have been saying it's the best LoZ since Ocarina of Time.

 

[Train]

I do have to try Skyward Sword. Some people have been saying it's the best LoZ since Ocarina of Time.

What I've seen of it is cool, but it's like it's been fused with Mario Galaxy...plus I'll never get used to the Wii remote. Old school gamer, remember, I've been holding a classic controller for far too long to pick up a dildo and wave it at the screen . I haven't even tried the 360 Kinect yet, though I'd probably be better off with that than the Wii remote. I have respect for what they're trying to do, and at some level it brings more attraction to gaming from people that would normally swear it off because of it's bad rep, but it's not for me, the day that regular controllers are done away with is the day I stop playing new games...I just hope that day won't come in my lifetime.

It's a cool concept, and is very futuristic in its own right, just leave me out of it , thankyouverymuch...

 

[Hargood]

I'll be honest, Renly being gay completely flew over my head in the books lol. After I watched the show, I had to go back and read all of Renly's scenes and sure enough, there were subtle hints throughout. But like you said, I like how his homosexuality wasn't flaunted and it didn't affect how he made decisions (like marrying Margaery). I truly believe Renly would have made the best king too. It's a shame his character in the show is the opposite of how he was in the books - I loved book Renly because he was witty, sarcastic, and charming. Show Renly is too serious for my liking, but I'll always support him

I don't think we've seen enough of him in the HBO show yet though. Season two looks alittle more "delving" on the character

 

[RedVideo]

As a kid I loved R.E. Howard's Conan and his adventures in Hyboria. In some ways Skyrim is a little closer to Hyboria in the sense that there were ancient ruins filled with draugers all over the place, and regular run-ins with necromancers and black magic.
The sort of adventuring you do in Skyrim is closer to Conan than LOTR. Of course, Conan didn't run into elves, dwarves or good old fashioned dragons.