Sunday, 4 May 2014

Open World Games



            Open world games have been a mainstay ever since their introduction into the gaming industry as a way of creating a game. Games like Grand Theft Auto (GTA) have set the standard since the beginning of these sort of games and have continued to maintain these standards with the recently released GTA V, a true masterpiece of open world games, tying in aspects such as free roam, third-person shooters, story quests and also side quests in a large and vibrant world which is as realistic as they can make it to allow the player to immerse themselves into this experience.
 
I thought the V looked like a cash note




            Of course, besides GTA, there are many other open world games that have different settings and differing gameplay because of these settings. A good example of a game different in setting is L.A Noire, being set in the post-World War II era, and having a more detective stylized gameplay with focus on investigations, mouth-to-word motion, and scripted shootouts. Interrogations as part of the story and the case are also carried out by the player, giving a different sense of immersion to the player as compared to GTA V.
 
Look familiar donnit?
            However, I am not saying games of this ilk are limited to third-person shooters and over the top graphics and a huge world for the player to experience. No, just look at games such as Borderlands 2, with its First-Person Shooter concept of Vault Hunters (the game’s equivalent of protagonists) being stranded in a snowstorm at the start after a train crash. They receive objectives to complete and as they do these objectives, the game starts to branch out in terms of its story. Players can choose to do optional quests and of course, the main story quests. These games play out in exactly the same way as GTA or L.A Noire, despite being in first-person.

"Don't go... over the border" EHHHHH
            Another game similar to Borderlands 2 in terms of its first-person shooter aspect is Far Cry 3, having the player explore the wilderness and the jungles of an island they have crash-landed in. The player starts out with the goal of wanting to survive and eventually escape the island and the story progresses from there. Its spinoff: Blood Dragon, takes Far Cry 3 and recreates a game with a sci-fi theme and story.

Do u know the definition of insanity?

            Vroom vroom! Not expecting to hear the sounds of cars in open world games? Well, think again. Burnout Paradise is an excellent example of an open world racing game. Players can connect to each other in this game and do extreme stunts and even races around the map to see who is truly the best and skilled racer, whilst having some fun as you take out your friend by knocking them into that road barrier because you spilled coffee on his face… or somewhere along those lines. In any case, Burnout Paradise is a good example of how open world games are not just limited to shooters, but can be easily applied to racing games. *cough* The Crew *cough*

"sick.... burn" YEAHHHHH

            “Running from guards? Sit on a bench and they will never find you.” Sound familiar? Well, Assassin’s Creed fans will definitely have thought of this awesome game as soon as you have read that well-excerpted line. This game has set the standard in terms of adventure games, with huge sprawling maps in every installment, guaranteed to let the player explore to their hearts content as they completely stray away from the story in search of all Animus fragments (game’s equivalent of collectibles). With each city within the map being brought to life in their own unique way, especially in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, the game will have you hooked in its unique idea of an open-world game: by mixing that idea with a stealth element, creating the franchise known and loved today.
 
Disclaimer: The flag behind him IS INDEED black.
            The Saints Row franchise is another franchise that utilizes the open-world game concept. Up to its fourth title, Saints Row IV (original!), this game franchise is known to be a “funner version of GTA”, although I am in no right to agree or disagree with that point, but it must have been something to do with the fact that the game has a Dubstep Gun and a Black Hole gun… but mayyyyyyybeeeee that’s just me.

Sir u got a hole in your oval office.
            Sleeping Dogs is another game that, to me, is a pretty underrated game. It also uses the concept of open-world, but the game is set in Hong Kong, involving the clashes between police and triads, as well as triads and triads. The player plays as the protagonist, Wei Shen, who is an undercover cop planted inside a triad known as the Sun On Yee. As the story progresses and the plot thickens, the line drawn clearly between police values and triad values start to intertwine and is why the story, to me, is something extremely well made, with the settings and locations of each mission being so fitting. I definitely felt that not enough people are playing this game, but that may be because of the game’s name… I honestly thought that would be ACTUAL sleeping dogs… just me?

NO SLEEPING DOGS ANYWHERE
            Since the open-world game concept has been introduced, it is obvious many studios and companies have created games off this concept which have been extremely good, while some have become true masterpieces as we look back. With many open world games set to come out this coming year, such as Destiny, Watch Dogs (not a sequel surprisingly) and The Crew, it is definitely a year for me to lose money in. But whether or not these games are any good, this reviewer shall soon see.
 
Disclaimer: No similarity with picture above
            Thank you all for the love and for reading! This is a new concept I just thought of today and I’d thought to roll out with my idea. Hope you all have enjoyed it and if you have any comments to leave about whether this new idea is good or bad, please do! I’ll take every comment into consideration as I will continually improve on every review/blog post I do and have a nice day!

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