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For someone who has never been into "open world" games, whats a good way to start?

pramod

Banned
First of all I just want to mention that i played a lot of Oblivion and World of Warcraft. Never got into Skyrim. So im not sure where that puts me in the totem pole of "open world gaming experience".

I have never played a GTA game.
Nor Zelda botw.
Nor RDR2, Horizon, Elden Ring, Fallout, etc.

So whats a good way to start? I mean i dont want to jump into something super hardcore right away, but neither do i want to waste my time with "fake" open world experiences. I want the real thing.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
BotW.

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Depends what you're looking for

If you want to be driving and shooting rocket launchers, then Skyrim, the witcher3 and BoTw isn't the place to start

Futuristic option with a story is Cyberpunk, sandbox is No Man's Sky, Farcry blood dragon for fun 80's throwbacks

Modernish setting options Farcry 3 remaster (best boss of series) or Ubi Wildlands for jungle setting, watchdogs 2 or GTA5 for a city setting, Saints Row 3 (4 onwards are just glorified dlc's) for sandbox crazyness

Fantasy option Witcher3, BoTw, Skyrim, Elden Ring, Dragons Dogma. Honestly, imo, W3 and DD are the best here

Historic option RdR2, Assassins creed (find historic setting you're interested in and youll forgive a lot of AC problems, other games will drag), Fallout 4
 
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Jaybe

Member
You already played Oblivion so that’s decent.

What really clicked for me back in the day was Fallout 3. But now for you, I’d recommend Fallout 4 just being more modern and improved gameplay. I love the Fallout world. Bethesda’s world’s are great for exploration and I like that Fallout is streamlined vs Elder Scrolls.

The Witcher 3 is arguably the best overall open-world game from last gen as a story and character goes. and really a must do. RDR2 is phenomenal as well, but man sometimes I think about it as more interactive entertainment than a game with the simple gameplay and many cutscenes. I personally don’t get the love for BotW.
 

Rykan

Member
First of all I just want to mention that i played a lot of Oblivion and World of Warcraft. Never got into Skyrim. So im not sure where that puts me in the totem pole of "open world gaming experience".

I have never played a GTA game.
Nor Zelda botw.
Nor RDR2, Horizon, Elden Ring, Fallout, etc.

So whats a good way to start? I mean i dont want to jump into something super hardcore right away, but neither do i want to waste my time with "fake" open world experiences. I want the real thing.
I would say that BOTW is by far your best option right now. It's very accessible and it doesn't bombard you with icons. It's also probably the best one out there.

As someone who has tried to get into Open World Games (like seriously, I've tried. I've played every single major OW release) but just can't get into them: BOTW is the only one I actively like and I strongly recommend it.
 

Meicyn

Gold Member
If you want a cinematic experience with incredible performances and incredible characters in a fully realized world, Red Dead 2. If you want a theme park like World of Warcraft, any Ubisoft open world title will do. If you want a playground, Breath of the Wild.
 

bbeach123

Member
Witcher 3 open world part is super boring , exploration doesnt feel reward , especially mid late game exploration .

The best open world is botw , though the mid late game I was super bored as well . But the first 40 hours maybe the best sense of exploration I ever had in any game .

Skyrim was ok , everything above average ,but wide as an ocean deep as a puddle .

AC Odyssey is a notable mention . Many dont like this game but its my favorite game . If you like greek ofc , it give me a same feeling as the TV show "The Adventures of Sinbad" in the 90s . You sail your boat to the new islands , meet new people , discover this place secret, fix their shit , save the people , gtfo into the sunset . The game have many short story combine into a big game .

Fallout 4 was ok , gameplay exploration wise , though I fcking hate the railroad and the minutemen story so I dont enjoy it that much . Imaging Peta in post apocalyptic world dude .
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Skyrim is a great game.

But in modern day, I'd say only play it if you got a next gen system or a decent PC to run it well. Console gamers had no choice back then when it could only run at up to 30 fps with slow ass loading screens. So anyone still stuck in that situation, it's pretty tough to slog through that now.

But playing Skyrim at 4k/60 with all kinds of sweet visual and community content mods on SSD is sweet. Like a different game vs. playing on Xbox One or 360.

Great quality of life mods are unlimited sprint and a mod where you get a ring off a shopkeeper and you can carry like 10,000 lbs of gear (I forget what it was).
 
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Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I have never played a GTA game.
Nor Zelda botw.
Nor RDR2, Horizon, Elden Ring, Fallout, etc.
you answered your question right there. Play GTAV (best gameplay in the series), BotW to explore the landscape, RDR2 for the impressive Wild West brought to life, Horizon or AC Origins/Valhalla are beautiful games, Elden Ring is amazing for fans of the genre, and Fallout 3/4 is when the series peaked in FPS (New Vegas too).

I mean that’s a perfect start, especially if you play the modern entries. If you went back to PS3/360 era you wouldn’t have all the bells and whistles. Fallout 3 is kinda dated, but you also are kinda use to it by now by having at least played Skyrim? The Witcher 3 is an excellent choice especially the GOTY edition.

I’d say it’s more about picking the genre of open world. Do you want first person or third person?
 
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Exentryk

Member
If you didn't like Witcher 3, then you probably don't care for narrative driven open world games.

For gameplay first and minimal story, try BotW, Elden Ring and Dragon's Dogma.
 

Esca

Member
If you have a ps4/5 spiderman and ghost of tsushima are some that haven't been mentioned yet. Assassin creed black flag, no man's sky, and forza horizon are a few others. Depends really on what genre you're looking for in an open world game.
 
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MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Play Watch Dogs 2.

Easily the best urban environment ever created for a video game. Hugely overlooked game, mostly because devastating marketing for the first one.
 

Fredrik

Member
If you like RPGs, go with Skyrim, add some mods. There is a reason why it’s the most sold single player RPG ever. Don’t get stuck with the idea that you have to finish it, it’ll just get you exhausted since it’s so big and full of content. I’ve never finished it, still my #3 best game of all time, played it several hundred hours. If you can, try the VR version on PC, it’s a game changer like nothing else, add HIGGS mod. Enjoy!

You’ve probably seen the scores and hype, definitely consider Elden Ring if you want a more challenging experience, lower your ambitions and just try to enjoy the journey, it’ll make things less frustrating, I’m still not close to finish it and it’s still my clear GOTY and up on my all time top 5.

If you don’t like RPGs you can also go with Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s amazing, take your time and enjoy the world, linear story but the world is alive like nothing else.

Zelda BOTW, no explantion needed, just play it. My #2 best game of all time.

Don’t know if you’ve tried Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, it absolutely has the Ubi open world bloat but the locations and beautiful scenery and the clear water is nice when most other games are going for a dark grim world, feels like being on a nice sunny vacation.

If you haven’t tried Minecraft then give it a go, different type of game but if you’re a creative soul or have kids you might end up loving it, digital LEGO with survival gameplay.
 

Filben

Member
Skyrim and TW3 are probably the most accessible open world games without shifting too far from genre conventions.

They're both fantasy setting, have lots of loot, exploration and quests. Skyrim tends more to the simulation side because you can play it how you want and can interact with so many things.

The Witcher 3 is the pinnacle in a cinematic open world game with amazingly written quests, two add-ons that could act as own games, with many memorable characters, moments and moment-to-moment gameplay.

Then there's Ubisofts collectathons which offers massive and believable worlds but with less substance and very repetitive mission structures and massive padding.

Of course there's also BotW, which is more like a sandbox that lacks in the storytelling department tremendously, doesn't have a variety of loot and rewards you mostly with temporarily useable items. It's completely different from Ubisoft games and the first I mentioned. Quest structure is very simple, there aren't that many to begin with, and it mostly lives from its moment-to-moment gameplay scenarios that feels very simulation-like due to Zelda's systemic systems. If you're looking for a sandbox, go for it. If you look for a sharp narrative with cinema feel, it's not yours.

Then there's RDR2 and GTA5. Both are massive epics, especially RDR2. That story is massive and focuses heavily on characters instead of plot but is so well-done in that regard it's hard to top. The gameplay itself can be cumbersome, but there's a lot to do and to be sidetracked that's almost overwhelming. The attention to detail is unrivaled. GTA5 offers better gameplay, leans to a more whacky gameplay and cast of characters and is generally less serious than RDR (although the latter still has some Rockstar silliness going on!).

Then there's Elden Ring which focuses heavily on combat and exploration and less on story and isn't a very cinematic experience. It feels rewarding and offers an amazing world that isn't bursting with point of interests like Ubisoft games but is more unique and rewarding.
 
Most open-world games are good including ubisoft games, gaf just hates on them. The problem is, you will get fatigued really fast playing them all one by one. Just mix them with linear stuff.
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Most open-world games are good including ubisoft games, gaf just hates on them. The problem is, you will get fatigued really fast playing them all one by one. Just mix them with linear stuff.

Yes. Hating Ubisoft games is a pretty much a meme. Most of their open worlds are amazing. I implore people to play Watch Dogs 2. Their version of San Francisco is more impressive than Los Santos in GTA V.
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
I wouldn’t say BOTW because I’d recommend something more narrative driven.

Skyrim is a classic if you want to give that a retry.

If you aren’t bothered about modern games, Fallout New Vegas is fantastic.

The Witcher 3 is one fantastic game, beautiful and vast.

Elden Ring if you can deal with ‘hard’ (but fair) games.
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
If you can wade through the sluggish first couple of hours (and generally deal with the sometimes frustrating mission fail triggers) of RDR2 you'll end up with pretty much everything you can ask for from an open world game. Then Elden Ring.
 
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