8 Great Open-World Games Everyone Should Play

[ffronw]

8 Great Open-World Games Everyone Should Play

If you love roaming around open-world video games, you need to make sure you have checked out these eight great examples of the genre.

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[Squilookle]

Pretty standard list which hits all the main notes, but I've always been more interested in the open world games that tried doing something different, and leave a much bigger lasting impression on the gamer because of it. Games like

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Bully Scholarship Edition
Mount and Blade Warband
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
The Saboteur
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
Minecraft
The Legend of Zelda OOT/WW/BotW
Driver San Francisco

Some were hugely critical successes, some weren't. But they all took a long look at the trends other open world games copy pasted from each other, and chose a different path. And so playing them subverts your expectations and often presents you with a real jewel of gaming you can't find elsewhere. Mercenaries, Mafia and Bully in particular are pretty much perfect games I would say, and the storytelling in The Saboteur, Operation Flashpoint and Zelda tops pretty much anything outside The Witcher and the latest GTAs.

All just opinion, of course.

 

[Tanis]

That list is so predictable it hurts.

GTA5 was a weak game, IMO, Vice City (or Liberty City Stories) had more 'style' to it.

Morrowind had a better 'world' and Oblivion had better quests.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

This. Also, Red Faction: Guerilla because dat destruction engine...

 

[Saelune]

Pretty standard list which hits all the main notes, but I've always been more interested in the open world games that tried doing something different, and leave a much bigger lasting impression on the gamer because of it. Games like

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Bully Scholarship Edition
Mount and Blade Warband
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
The Saboteur
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
Minecraft
The Legend of Zelda OOT/WW/BotW
Driver San Francisco

Some were hugely critical successes, some weren't. But they all took a long look at the trends other open world games copy pasted from each other, and chose a different path. And so playing them subverts your expectations and often presents you with a real jewel of gaming you can't find elsewhere. Mercenaries, Mafia and Bully in particular are pretty much perfect games I would say, and the storytelling in The Saboteur, Operation Flashpoint and Zelda tops pretty much anything outside The Witcher and the latest GTAs.

All just opinion, of course.

Mercenaries 2 is better I think. 1 had alot of cool ideas that 2 sadly got rid of, but 2 was way more a "Playground of Destruction", especially with co-op. And that it clearly wanted you to live and kick ass. (At full health you can fall from ANY height and survive...with 1hp, but still)

And Mount & Blade is great, but not really for being "open world". I think to truly qualify for "open world" the world needs to be worth exploring and playing in. M&B just uses a really advanced map really. Its better for the combat side of things.

That list is so predictable it hurts.

GTA5 was a weak game, IMO, Vice City (or Liberty City Stories) had more 'style' to it.

Morrowind had a better 'world' and Oblivion had better quests.

As I mentioned to Squil, I find that an "open world" worth its label needs to have actual content to that world, and GTAV had it more than most other GTAs. If any other deserves it more than V, it would be San Andreas. Vice City had a more interesting setting and plot, but other than IV, the others did open world better I think.

But agree about Morrowind. I still find stuff in that game I have never seen before. (And I dont use mods)

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I never liked SR4. The character creator and costume options was just a stripped down variant of SR3, which itself was a stripped down SR2. Your NPC gang/followers had way better costumes, better super powers (they can throw fireballs, and we get some cruddy ice attack?), we have Super Speed and Super Jumping, but no actual flying. Said super powers also make driving or buying guns irrelevant. The story was also lame; Fighting an alien overlord in a virtual environment. That sounds like a sidequest from Fallout, rather than the main story for a Triple A game. It was just crap overall. I can't see Agents of Mayhem being any better.

 

[404notfound]

While Red Dead Redemption is, probably deservedly, on this list; did anyone else play/does anyone else remember this gem? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_(video_game)] I remember loving this game when I was younger, would probably replay it if I still had it.

 

[Squilookle]

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction

This. Also, Red Faction: Guerilla because dat destruction engine...

Actually that reminds me- Far Cry 2 easily qualifies in my list too. Thanks for that.

Mercenaries 2 is better I think.

Good god- you can't be serious!? Mercs 2 is a mess! I'll grant you better graphics, swimming, co-op and the grapple, but every single other aspect of the game just fell apart next to its older brother. Mercs 1 oozed with atmosphere- and felt like an open warzone. Mercs 2 was like a cartoon holiday special, with poorly optimised gameplay to boot. I still can't understand why guns got -less- accurate when you crouched, for example...

 

[Saelune]

Mercenaries 2 is better I think.

Good god- you can't be serious!? Mercs 2 is a mess! I'll grant you better graphics, swimming, co-op and the grapple, but every single other aspect of the game just fell apart next to its older brother. Mercs 1 oozed with atmosphere- and felt like an open warzone. Mercs 2 was like a cartoon holiday special, with poorly optimised gameplay to boot. I still can't understand why guns got -less- accurate when you crouched, for example...

Here is why Mercs 2 is better:

 

[Squilookle]

Mercenaries 2 is better I think.

Good god- you can't be serious!? Mercs 2 is a mess! I'll grant you better graphics, swimming, co-op and the grapple, but every single other aspect of the game just fell apart next to its older brother. Mercs 1 oozed with atmosphere- and felt like an open warzone. Mercs 2 was like a cartoon holiday special, with poorly optimised gameplay to boot. I still can't understand why guns got -less- accurate when you crouched, for example...

Here is why Mercs 2 is better:

I get where you're coming from, but they're both fun, and Mercs 1 isn't about the winning either. It's essentially the difference between a precision engineered water-slide, and a backyard slippery dip over rocky ground with bits of groundsheet missing. Oh and the hose is set permanently to 'fan' mode.

 

[Saelune]

Mercenaries 2 is better I think.

Good god- you can't be serious!? Mercs 2 is a mess! I'll grant you better graphics, swimming, co-op and the grapple, but every single other aspect of the game just fell apart next to its older brother. Mercs 1 oozed with atmosphere- and felt like an open warzone. Mercs 2 was like a cartoon holiday special, with poorly optimised gameplay to boot. I still can't understand why guns got -less- accurate when you crouched, for example...

Here is why Mercs 2 is better:

-video-

I get where you're coming from, but they're both fun, and Mercs 1 isn't about the winning either. It's essentially the difference between a precision engineered water-slide, and a backyard slippery dip over rocky ground with bits of groundsheet missing. Oh and the hose is set permanently to 'fan' mode.

Co-op and the grappling hook make 2 way more fun for me. 1 had alot of good ideas that 2 should have kept, but 2 really was a game to just dick around in for alot of explosive fun.

I liked jumping out of helicopters to grapple onto different helicopters without hitting the ground.

 

[Squilookle]

Mercenaries 2 is better I think.

Good god- you can't be serious!? Mercs 2 is a mess! I'll grant you better graphics, swimming, co-op and the grapple, but every single other aspect of the game just fell apart next to its older brother. Mercs 1 oozed with atmosphere- and felt like an open warzone. Mercs 2 was like a cartoon holiday special, with poorly optimised gameplay to boot. I still can't understand why guns got -less- accurate when you crouched, for example...

Here is why Mercs 2 is better:

-video-

I get where you're coming from, but they're both fun, and Mercs 1 isn't about the winning either. It's essentially the difference between a precision engineered water-slide, and a backyard slippery dip over rocky ground with bits of groundsheet missing. Oh and the hose is set permanently to 'fan' mode.

Co-op and the grappling hook make 2 way more fun for me. 1 had alot of good ideas that 2 should have kept, but 2 really was a game to just dick around in for alot of explosive fun.

I liked jumping out of helicopters to grapple onto different helicopters without hitting the ground.

That's fair enough. I certainly liked Just Cause 2 more than JC1 for that same reason.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

The Saboteur

This game doesn't get enough love! I thought the art style was great, with the black and white world vs the colour showing which areas of Paris you have unlocked. Yes, it was odd playing as an Irish racing car driver whom happens to also be part of the French resistance, but overlooking that then it was a pretty fun game.

 

[Leg End]

Mercenaries 2 is better I think. 1 had alot of cool ideas that 2 sadly got rid of, but 2 was way more a "Playground of Destruction", especially with co-op. And that it clearly wanted you to live and kick ass. (At full health you can fall from ANY height and survive...with 1hp, but still)

I didn't think I'd see anyone else who actually liked it.

That's fair enough. I certainly liked Just Cause 2 more than JC1 for that same reason.

Funny you bring up JC2 because it's really what Mercs 2 was supposed to be.

Damn, I still have the .mp3 download of Oh No You Didn't that was on the website back in the day. Shit takes me back.

 

[Saelune]

Mercenaries 2 is better I think. 1 had alot of cool ideas that 2 sadly got rid of, but 2 was way more a "Playground of Destruction", especially with co-op. And that it clearly wanted you to live and kick ass. (At full health you can fall from ANY height and survive...with 1hp, but still)

I didn't think I'd see anyone else who actually liked it.

That's fair enough. I certainly liked Just Cause 2 more than JC1 for that same reason.

Funny you bring up JC2 because it's really what Mercs 2 was supposed to be.

Damn, I still have the .mp3 download of Oh No You Didn't that was on the website back in the day. Shit takes me back.

Much of the fun my brother and I had in Mercs 2 is the kind we had in GTA Online. Except in Mercs 2 we dropped bombs, and GTA we dropped busses...

 

[Squilookle]

The Saboteur

This game doesn't get enough love! I thought the art style was great, with the black and white world vs the colour showing which areas of Paris you have unlocked. Yes, it was odd playing as an Irish racing car driver whom happens to also be part of the French resistance, but overlooking that then it was a pretty fun game.

And yet, truth is often stranger than fiction!

That's fair enough. I certainly liked Just Cause 2 more than JC1 for that same reason.

Funny you bring up JC2 because it's really what Mercs 2 was supposed to be.

And how! Considering how much better Mercs 1 was to Just Cause 1, I think the massive reversal of quality in the two series' sequels took everyone completely by surprise.