Real World Landmarks in Video Games Quiz

Answer: The Oregon Trail

"The Oregon Trail" video game made its debut in 1971 as a text-based adventure game for PC. In 1985, Broderbund released the first graphical version of the game. The object of "The Oregon Trail" is to travel with your virtual family from Independence, Missouri to the Pacific Coast in Oregon using a covered wagon. Along the trail players will pass by several American landmarks such as Chimney Rock in Nebraska, Independence Rock in Wyoming and Soda Springs in Idaho. Players can rest and restock their supplies at these locations.

Answer: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

In the opening scene of "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" (PS2), we see Solid Snake walking across the George Washington Bridge which links New York and New Jersey. He jumps off the bridge and lands on a tanker traveling along the Hudson River below it.

The tanker was transporting a classified weapon known as Metal Gear RAY. The tanker ended up getting sunk after Revolver/Liquid Ocelot attacked and stole the weapon. Later in the game, another classified weapon known as Arsenal Gear was being constructed under what appeared to be an oil platform located just south of the Verrazano Bridge at the southern end of New York Harbor.

The game's final battle takes place at Federal Hall located in Manhattan.

Answer: Los Santos

The Griffith Observatory is located in the city of Los Angeles, California. In the "Grand Theft Auto" video game series, the fictional city of Los Santos is modeled after Los Angeles. Los Santos was first featured in "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (PC/PS2/XBX) released in 2004, where the observatory was known simply as the Los Santos Observatory.

The observatory was featured again in "Grand Theft Auto V" (PC/PS3/PS4/XB360/XB1) released in 2013, where it is known as the Galileo Observatory. Los Santos' landmarks in "Grand Theft Auto V" are highly detailed and are designed to strongly resemble their real world counterparts.

The landmarks in the game are so realistic it may be difficult for players to tell the difference between the fictional landmarks and the real ones.

Answer: Adventures in the Magic Kingdom

The "Adventures in the Magic Kingdom" video game was released by CAPCOM for the NES in 1990. In the game, you are a young boy who finds himself locked inside the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World. You must find several keys hidden within various attractions in the park. Each of these attractions can be found at the real theme park located near Orlando, Florida.

These attractions include the roller coasters Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of The Caribbean, the Disney racetrack and the Haunted Mansion.

Answer: Sid Meier's Civilization

The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still exists today. "Sid Meier's Civilization" is a game series that was originally released on PC in 1991. The object of the game is to create a prosperous empire starting from the stone age using one of several civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans. You are able to construct cities, research technology, build an army and collect resources in order to ensure your civilization can prosper through the modern era and beyond.

As you progress through the game, you will eventually be able to construct the Great Pyramid and other legendary landmarks in your cities no matter which faction you choose to play as.

Answer: Assassin's Creed

In the original "Assassin's Creed" (PS3/XB360), you play as Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, an ancestor of the main protagonist Desmond Miles. The historical portion of the game takes place during the Third Crusade in the year 1191. Masyaf Castle, which is located in Syria, was the home of the Assassins in the game.

In the early scenes of the game, Altair helps defend the castle from a Templar invasion. In the real world, Masyaf Castle housed the Order of Assassins who existed in real life and provided inspiration for the "Assassin's Creed" video game.

The castle is later revisited in "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" which was released for PS3 and X-Box 360 in 2011.

Answer: Daytona USA

The Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida was opened in 1959. It is home to the Daytona 500, one of the most famous races in the NASCAR circuit. The race is normally held every year around President's Day Weekend in February. In 1993, Sega released the video game "Daytona USA" based on the famous race and racetrack.

It is a multi-cabinet, multi-player racing game that can still be seen in video arcades today. Each cabinet features a steering wheel, gas and brake pedals and a gear shifter.

The game was later ported to home consoles such as Sega Saturn, PlayStation Network and X-Box Live.

Answer: Call of Duty

The original "Call of Duty" was released for PC in 2003. The game is set during World War II and you play the game from the perspective of several soldiers from different nations. You start out as an American soldier invading the shores of Normandy during D-Day. Later in the game you play as British and Russian soldiers. One of the missions in the British campaign has the player infiltrating the Eder Dam in Germany in order to sabotage it.

The real Eder Dam was heavily damaged by a British air squadron in 1943.

The dam was repaired following the war.

Answer: Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

"Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness" was released for PS2 and PC in 2003. In this installment of the "Tomb Raider" franchise, Lara Croft is on the hunt for four items known as the Obscura Paintings. One of these paintings was discovered to have been hidden underneath the Louvre Museum in Paris. "Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness" introduced a second playable character named Kurtis Trent who shows up at various points in the game.

The Louvre Museum opened in 1793 and is the home to the famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

Answer: Mario is Missing!

"Mario is Missing!" is an educational video game that was originally released for the Super Nintendo (SNES) in 1993. The game is designed to teach children about geography. In the game, Bowser Koopa kidnaps Mario, leaving Luigi and Yoshi to try and rescue him.

In order to free Mario, Luigi and Yoshi have to travel to fifteen different cities, where the Koopas have stolen parts of famous landmarks across the world. Players have to determine which city they're in by talking to several NPC's in each one and retrieve three stolen items from the Koopas. You must then defeat one Koopa Kid for every five stages you complete.

The character sprites for "Mario is Missing!" were taken from "Super Mario World" released for the SNES in 1990.