What were/are some of your favorite maps to explore? Not just to looking at maps, which also can be fun, but I mean when playing the game itself, which games have been the most fun to explore?
I suppose I should also add "and why," though sometimes it's hard to really know "why."
Zelda games have always been my favorites. Link to the Past ranks highly, and I remember pouring over that map for hours. But I think I might have had more fun with exploring Link's Awakening. The map int he library showed you only enough to tease you that certain things were out there, like a rafting area and a village of animals, but didn't actually show anything to you. Plus I think the way everything was locked into a single screen really helped; you often could see the area beyond where you could access, so you knew stuff was there, but you couldn't actually access it yet.
