I'm Tired of Open World Games

New Vegas was only published by Bethesda. Developed by Obsidian. That’s like saying Elden Ring is a Bandai Namco game. Dope video though!

A well done open world can be mind-blowing. A bad or mediocre open world will end up feeling like a chore. And I play games after chores not to keep doing them

Open world games have been really blowing up for at least two decades. The problem isn't the genre, it's the quality of the content.

I loved how RDR2 had so many hidden stories, quests, and Easter eggs which weren’t marked on the map. It gave me a reason to explore as much of the world as I possibly could

I never really viewed Dying Light (one of my favorite games of all time) as an open world game, but rather a zombie parkour game. I felt a sense of progression, and that was my main focus throughout the game: Can I wander the night without fear? (Please don't hurt the puppy!)

Breath of the wild had me actively avoiding the main objectives specifically because I didn’t want the game to end or stop exploring. That’s insane.

Breath of the Wild really was the most focused open world game ever, just because it made the open world the gameplay itself. And it‘s ironic since none of the big developers like Ubisoft ever achieved something like this, but Nintendo, who usually dont make open worlds, just came in and said "you're all doing this wrong!"

I definitely like Bethesda's take on the open world genre. Mainly because you're not locked into a mission once you start it, like GTA or Assassin's Creed. There is no "desynchronization" when going too far from an objective. You can do any quest whenever you want, and once you start them, you don't even have to finish them. You can just leave halfway through. Also major content isn't locked behind the storyline, for the most part at least.

I love Shadow Of The Colossus. It makes this entire world, that it doesnt even want you to explore. You can gather fruit to get more health, or hunt chameleons for more stamina. To complete it, though, you only need to kill every Colossi. Like you said about Elden Ring, everything is optional. I loved SOTC.

Subnautica's open world was also pretty unique, where the only "objective" was just to go deeper.

I get so exhausted of open world games. Fetch quests, defeat x amount of enemies, clear this base, rinse and repeat. Elden Ring and The Witcher 3 were the only ones that stood out to me that I actually finished in the past 8 years.

The key is to make an open world game with a clear primary objective, mildly clear secondary objectives, and unclear tertiary objectives. Additionally, players need flexible gameplay and freedom to affect the world in positive, negative, and neutral ways.

The thing that BoTW, Elden Ring, and Xenoblade games do in which the map starts blank and thinks only fill out once the player actually explores and finds the points of interest in that location should honestly be an open world industry standard. There's not much fun to be had in exploring an already filled out and marked up map. Even if the things to find are still "checklist-y" in nature, there's a lot more joy to be found with "Easter Egg Hunting" than "Grocery Shopping" so to speak.

"if the world doesnt seem alive, the game has failed as an open world" couldnt agree more

This topic resonates with me. When I said around 6 years ago to my gamer friends that most of the open world games are boring and that not every single game needs to be open just for the sake of being open, they were having a laugh about it. Nowadays, I think most of them are coming to the same realization. Great video btw. It really blew you up ;)

Shadow of Mordor/War has so much more than just the Ubisoft open world system. You build an army of orcs by exploring the open world so that you can complete the missions, and the nemesis system is an amazing way to create side stories and explain why you respawn. They are so much more than running from mission to mission endlessly

Elden ring didn't actually invent it instead they reminded us of this old school style of an open world where the game isn't afraid to hide stuff and allow you to miss things An example of that is morrowind And by the way, we need more of these kinds of open-world games

"The open world IS the game" hits so hard right now, I've just been playing Subnautica and just going out into the open world is part of the challenge and fun. Making sure you've got the resources to get where you want to go, but also get back. Exploration is central to everything in the game.

I think the reason I am able to enjoy the Ubisoft style is I am able to enjoy the "padding". For example in Ghost of Tsushima, I always wanted to do the side activities for multiple reasons. I want to do the haiku because it is something to complete sure, but it also gives me a headband, is really pretty, and lets me see inside of Jin's head as a character. On the other hand there are things like hot springs. Sure it is something to do, but it increases your max health, and again let's you see into the character by seeing Jins reflections. It merges story, world, and gameplay, I loved it. This is almost always the opposite in Ubisoft games. Why am I doing the 32nd Paris story in Assassins Creed Unity? Well it gives a reward. What's the reward? Some money. How much? Much less than I make from the Cafe Theatre every 20 minutes. So the progression incentive is out, what about gameplay? It will be the same gameplay as the rest if the game. Character? Arno almost never talks in these missions. Story? Some are interesting, most are boring. These are side content I don't want to do. Compare it to Ghost of Tsushima directly. The side tales in that game gave a charm, crafting materials, the character talks consistently, they are short enough not to be bloated but long enough to have some impact. I adore Ghost of Tsushima because it was the Assassins Creed game I always wanted. The other game that I feel qualified to talk on is MGSV. I think it has simultaneously one of the best and one of the worst open worlds out there. The way the guards adapt to how you play is fucking awesome. Getting around the open world is horrifically bad. There is a fast travel system but it is very limited. I love MGSV but it should have been open sandbox not open world. For example here is a large area for the mission you selected with multiple paths and playstyles that lead to success. That would work out great but cut the 5 minute drive to the objective when playing in the open world. Side ops needed an increase in diversity, who needs 11 mine clearing missions?

Skyrim, BotW and Elden Ring, the 3 goats of exploration.