Best RPG Overworld Screen

[Rydon]

I wanted to ask the community which RPG(s) they thought had the best overworld screen. I find, and I am sure others do as well, that RPGs are usually based around a few screens, battle screen, status screen, and overworld or map screen. Now this has evolved over the years with 3d coming in, etc. but you can still find these basics within a large amount of RPGs today, and I am curious to see if people have favorites or even thought about this.

I remember being younger and stepping out into the overworld the first time in FF VII (Yes, that was the game that started me on RPGs). I remember my impression at that time too, as I thought the game would be solely within Midgar (Remember first RPG I ever played here). When you are finally allowed the freedom to roam around and explore the overworld, I was completely blown away and realized that I would be playing this game for a long time.

So obviously I am still biased toward FF VII overworld map but I also just finished FF I on NES recently and I really like that overworld as well, with its layout being somewhat linear but still allowing you to explore. What are some of you all's favorites? Also, I added a poll to see if people had a preference on generation for overworld maps, as they have since kinda been removed on some RPGs with the recent generations of consoles.

[ElkinFencer10]

I'm really partial to Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Warrior in 3rd gen.

[isiolia]

While I'd say the 16-bit are probably the quintessential ones, I'd point more at the more modern incarnations as "better". I wouldn't say that games no longer have it, more that they tend to use something more akin to what Zelda has had - the overworld is more developed, and more of the game takes place there as a result, but it still serves the general purpose of connecting towns and dungeons and so on. I think it's a lot more fun to explore a world in that level of detail than getting random encounters on a map screen, but that's me.

[MrPopo]

I'm going to say Might and Magic 1, because the entire overworld is implemented as a giant dungeon just like the towns and caverns, but with walls that indicate if you're walking through forests or deserts or oceans. When you finish mapping out everything it looks REALLY nice.

http://www.oldgames.sk/docs/Might-and-Magic/1/

Here's a good example where everything is colored in based on what you're seeing as you walk around in first person perspective. It corresponds pretty well with the "real" map of the game.

http://www.digitpress.com/library/maps/ ... _magic.jpg