My Top Fictional Video Game Destinations

Escapism is one of the best parts of a video game, and it is made even more satisfying when the world you are exploring in is beautiful. Video games often get a lot of criticism for their violence, but people also need to take a step back and realise just what a positive impact visiting beautiful fictional landscapes can have on people, too. 

While my list could go on forever, I have decided to compile a list of just some of my favourite fictional video game destinations that I wouldn't mind visiting. Take a look below!

Whiterun

There's a lot of places in Skyrim that would be amazing to visit, but Whiterun has some truly stunning views. Whiterun is a major city in Skyrim, a major commercial hub that has plenty of foot traffic. 

Animal Crossing 

The Animal Crossing series is always been one of my go-to's when I just want to relax, or cheer myself up. Everything in the world is pleasant, pretty, and oh-so-cute! If I was able to, I could imagine myself spending my future retirement in a place like that.

Isle Delfino

A holiday destination for Peach and Mario in Super Mario Sunshine, Isle Delfino is such a sunny, pleasant looking place that I wouldn't mind spending a holiday on, either! Featuring a theme park, a sandy beach, a peaceful bay, a bustling plaza, fishing port, volcano, and a small village, there's plenty to do here.

Koholint Island

Like a lot of places on this list, it is best to imagine that you are visiting them after the bad guys have been taken care of (or, before they have arrived to cause mischief). The fictional dream land of Koholint Island in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening would be a beautiful place to visit! Framed by a massive egg atop Mount Tamaranch, it is made up of a quaint villages, swamp and pond areas, a beautiful beach, and prairies, and caves. I cannot wait to see how this all looks in the Switch remake!

Hyrule

Serving as the setting for many Zelda games, Hyrule is a beautiful land filled with deep forests, tall mountains, deserts, vast lakes, cities, villages, and temples. The landscape changes considering on where about's you are playing in the Zelda timeline, but the beauty remains consistent! 

Albion

The land of Albion changes a fair bit throughout the Fable series, but one thing remains among each map - it is a pretty stunning place. From the cobbled streets of Bowerstone, to the gorgeous countryside of Oakfield, it would be wonderful to visit here.

Toussaint

Ah, Toussaint is definitely easy on the eye, and is perhaps the most picture-perfect place on this list, in my opinion. Included as a destination on The Witcher 3's 'Blood and Wine' DLC, Toussaint is famous for it's wines, so what better way to enjoy this beautiful landscape than to sit back and take it all in with a glass at hand? 

Columbia 

The first of two Bioshock destinations to feature on my list, Columbia is a stunning city in the sky that would be delightful to visit if the whole place didn't go to pot! The steampunk architecture, combined with the bright and breezy feel is rather pleasing. 

Rapture

Taking away the splicers, and transporting it back to its heyday would make Rapture a pretty wonderful place to visit. The combination of glaring neon lights, a city infrastructure, and the natural beauty of the deep sea would be jaw-dropping to witness. Imagine staring out of the wide windows of one of the buildings you are in to see a massive blue whale swim past, for example?

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a cute, quaint looking place that would be perfect to visit if you are looking to de-stress, escape a hectic lifestyle, and take some downtime. 

What would your dream destinations be? Let me know on Twitter!

My Dad's Favourite Games

It is my Dad's birthday today, so I decided to have a little chat with him about his favourite games he used to love playing when I was growing up. 

I am currently temporarily living with my parents again before a move with my boyfriend in the new year. During this time, I have my PS4 set up, and Dad has been trying out the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and will be revisiting Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee soon.

Join me as my Dad shares his favourite games, with a comment from myself after. 

Tomb Raider 

Dad: "We all used to sit together to watch me play it. I remember how 'real' everything felt back then-the crunching snow (first time I really felt how far games had come), the locations, gameplay, etc. It got me into the Tomb Raider series."

Kayleigh: I became a huge Tomb Raider fan since I first sat there with the family and watched my Dad play through the old ones. Lara Croft is awesome. Cheers Dad!

Game Boy 25th Anniversary: My Favourite Games

Happy 25th anniversary 

to the Nintendo Game Boy! 

25 years ago today, Nintendo's successful handheld console the 'Game Boy' was released in Europe. The first in the Game Boy line, it was created by Gunpei Yokoi and the staff behind the Game & Watch series. Although redesigned versions were released in 1996 (Game Boy Pocket) and 1998 (Game Boy Light), there is something so memorable about the original. 

Originally bundled with puzzle game Tetris upon release (smart move, Nintendo), the Game Boy went on to become one of the highest selling handheld consoles of all time, selling an impressive 118.69 million units worldwide along with its successor, the Game Boy Colour. 

For me, the Game Boy holds a lot of special memories. It was the first time I had been introduced to gaming after my parents picked one up on release. It can also be credited to getting me into the Legend of Zelda series after first watching my dad play through Link's Awakening (I completed it later on by myself when I was a little older).

Join me as I share a few of my favourite games that were released on the Game Boy. 

The Legend of Zelda: Kay's Awakening

It was my birthday on the 29th April, and one of my closest friends made me the funniest (and coolest!) of cards. 

He knows I love The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, so he mocked up this for me, complete with my birth year. 

So thanks Brad! I love it. 

Gaming Memories

I guess I'm feeling a little nostalgic lately, so I decided to compile a few old gaming memories running through my head from when I was growing up. How many of these do you relate to?

Watching Dad Game

Watching my dad play through a game was a family event. Me, my brother and mum would routinely sit in the living room and watch him try a level or two, offering suggestions on what to try next.

A few of the games my Dad played back when I was a kid ended up being games or series that resonated with me, and I enjoyed myself at a later date.

To name just a few:
Tomb Raider-Lara became one of my favourite characters since watching my Dad play through each game in the series. I absolutely love the reboot too!

Resident Evil-Such a great zombie horror series. It was funny watching dad jump in Resident Evil 2 in the Nemesis sections!

Links Awakening-My introduction to the Zelda series! This remains my favourite Zelda game, to this day. I credit my Dad for that one. 

Super Mario World-I admit it, I've always been a bit rubbish at Mario, even though I enjoy playing them. My dad was much better!

Taking it in Turns to Complete A Game With My Brother

Me and my brother often played through games together when we were growing up. We would take it in turns to complete each level, handing the controller over when one of us died, and vice-versa. A few games that stand out for this are as follows...

Donkey Kong Country & Donkey Kong 2-I remember us especially liking the underwater levels and the minecart races!

Super Mario World-As I said previously, I'm not amazing at Mario. But we persevered anyway!

Crash Bandicoot-I especially remember us finding the Warthog ride level hilarious. I still remember the music!

Smash Bros. Melee-We got pretty much every trophy/statue in the game. Absolutely fantastic game.

There were plenty more than this, but these are the ones that I remember the most.

Trying Out Cheat Codes

Remember those cheat books that came with Playstation Magazine, Nintendo Magazine and Games Master? I relished those! I remember trying out the Aladdin cheat codes to gain instant access to my favourite levels. As a Disney kid and a huge Aladdin fan, I loved going back through the familiar landscapes.

Talking of freebies in games magazines, this leads me to my next point...

Working Through the Demos on Demo Discs

Every time a games magazine gave away a demo disc, me and my brother would work through every available demo, good or bad. I remember this is where we first discovered Parappa the Rapper, Ridge Racer and old fighting games, like Rival Schools. 

Some demo discs were also a bit of a novelty. For instance, one time, a fighting demo disc came in a fake blood bag/drip. These demo discs were also the first time I discovered indie games, as often, especially on the Playstation demo discs, small indie titles were included. 

Sinking Hours into The Sims

I've loved The Sims since my Mum surprised me coming out of school one day with a copy of SimCity 3000 and The Sims 1. I have a lot of fond memories of spending hours designing houses and families, and of course, resorting to the typical Sims torture.

Creating 'Masterpieces' on Mario Paint

Mario Paint was one of the first games we got on the SNes. I remember finding the fly swatting game a little freaky when I was much younger (I think it was the fly swatter screaming in pain, and the creepy boss bug's face), but I also have good memories of trying to beat it.

However, what I remember most fondly is the music maker and art creator. I created so many musical pieces that probably sounded brilliant as a kid, but is probably complete nonsense now! 

I know we have Mario Maker coming, but if Mario Paint ever made it to the WiiU, I'd definitely be taking that up again.

So there you have it! Here's just a few of my old gaming memories (I have plenty more!). What are your best memories of gaming as a kid? Leave some comments, or Tweet me! 

Music Monday: Tal Tal Heights

Today's Music Monday feature is one of my personal favourite Zelda tracks, Tal Tal Heights (from Link's Awakening). 


Instead of choosing the original theme, I decided on a cover version I discovered some time ago on YouTube which is brilliant! Check it out below.

A Collection of Posts

Hello all,


Once again, I've been busy writing elsewhere on the web as well as my personal gaming blog, which you are currently reading from right now.

Retro Kingdom
First of all, I've recently started writing for Retro Kingdom, a collaborative retro blog by myself and Lewis Terry from App Kingdom.


Here are my most recent posts:
Donkey Kong Country
Dragon Warrior Monsters
Mario Paint
Aladdin

MCM Buzz
I'm pleased to announce that I've bagged myself a press pass to cover the London MCM Expo in October for MCM Buzz! I shall be doing a few interviews, writing up coverage for all the events, browsing the stalls, etc. 


Do not be shy! If you see me, by all means come and say hello. I shall be handing out some 8-Bit Girl flyers (I hope) during the convention as well!


Here are latest articles:
Dragon Quest X Goes Online for the Wii and Wii U
Red Dead Redemption "Myths and Mavericks" DLC Revealed
An Interview with Christaan Gough (The Sci-Fi Guys)

Gamers Daily News
I was appointed as a guest contributor for Gamers Daily News this month. This means that I shall be posting up any of my game musings whenever I feel I have something worthy enough to share.


My first (and hopefully not my last!) article for the site:
My Favourite Game: Link's Awakening


I know many of my readers like to read my other posts around the internet, and so I shall be doing regular update posts like this from now on to let you all know what else I have been writing.


I hope you continue to enjoy my writing on and off of 8-Bit Girl, and please do not hesitate to get in touch via my email address!


Kayleigh Powis