Virtual Cities

1) "This, a most unexpected town of surprises, is filled with glorious anachronisms and rather odd activities and characters. In the Cartographer's Hut, one can find the monocled Wally B. Feed, a hero of the anti-Largo movement and a connoisseur of all things Big Whoop. Woody the Woodsmith's Woodtick Woodshop, on the other hand, may seem unremarkable even if it is the place to discover that a woodchuck could chuck no amount of wood since a woodchuck can't chuck wood. Alternatively, visitors can drop down the hatch to the Bloody Lip Bar and Grill for a selection of grogs and gazpacho soups, or walk the main boardwalk to the Swamp Rot Inn, its pet alligator, and that single room available for rent. At the far end of the plank-walk, on a picturesque set of rocks, Mad Marty's stranded laundry ship provides clean clothes to all, and constant amusement to the three exceptionally famous Men of Low Moral Fiber frequenting it." [Woodtick, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge]

2) "Nameless, for no name was ever needed, and vast beyond measure, the sprawl of the mythic City is a metropolis of countless people, rich banks, arcane powers, groundbreaking technologies, and ancient roots. Here, forgotten magic coexists with electricity and steampowered machines. The hot fires and cold steel of the Metal Age have erected defiant towers atop sacred catacombs and forgotten settlements. The Baron's infamous City Watch patrol worn stone roads under the glow of electric lamps and floating orbs-to occasionally prevent crime, but mainly to police the poor. The rich, powerful, and corrupt city-state of the City is deeply divided by class and beautifully bisected by the Great River running through it from north to south." [The City, Thief: The Dark Project]

3) "Welcome, delicious friend! Welcome to Fallen London, and the Neath. Welcome to the greatest port of the Unterzee. Please enjoy the smog, smoke, gaslight, and delightful gloom. We find ourselves one mile beneath earth's surface in the marvelous, dark, and expensive metropolis housing the Echo Bazaar. Here death is but a mild irritation, corpses love their tea, rats craft wonderfully intricate weapons, and devils are keen on discussing philosophy. Softhearted widows eagerly succor lost souls, ambitious barristers make their rounds, poets and models glower at one another, honey-addled artisans struggle to focus, and feral cats hunt snakes beneath the bell of the House of Chimes.

This leaning clock tower half-sunken in the Stolen River, rumored to be a perversely exclusive club, was once referred to as Big Ben. But, just as Baker Street became Moloch Street, Piccadilly is now called Lusitania Row-its name was changed over thirty years ago, back in 1861 when London was stolen by bats and dragged deep into the earth. The monarch, Her Enduring Majesty the Traitor Empress, is said to have sold the city to the Bazaar in exchange for her husband's life, and the metropolis now rests on the shores of the ancient black ocean. Hell is close, immortality is cheap, and the screaming has subsided in the former imperial capital and latest home of the Echo Bazaar. Londoners can, after all, get used to anything, and despite what anarchists claim, London was never better off. It's so peaceful, so beautiful here." [London, Fallen London]

4) "From bayou residences and shotgun houses to bungalows and remote swamp houses, New Orleans' districts are rich in architectural delights. Creole cottages, double-gallery houses, townhouses with large courtyards and intricately wrought-iron balconies line the streets of the emblematic French Quarter and house the Museum of Death, the Napoleon House, and mystery novelist Gabriel Knight." [New Orleans, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers]

5) "Half a century has passed since the battle of T'leth and the second alien war, but the deep scars on Earth's biosphere have yet to heal. Severe atmospheric and climatic changes forced millions to leave for off-world colonies, and led to the construction of self-contained, self-sustainable megacities to house the remaining population. Commissioned in 2080, MegaPrimus was the very first settlement constructed under the Megapolis Plan. Built over the ruins of Toronto, Canada, this beacon of hope has already become an important historical achievement. Under the constant threat of invasion, and surrounded by a toxic, hazardous atmosphere, the meticulously planned vast city has been thriving. Featuring the most advanced technology throughout the Sol System, it blends the finest human and Sectoid achievements to provide comfort and safety to a population growing healthy, genetically engineered babies in procreation parks and educated, disciplined citizens in psionic schools." [Mega-Primus, X-COM: Apocalypse]