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[MasterDerico]

Hmmm... Not sure about this. I absolutely love Yakuza (second favorite game series after Resident Evil), but it's not really open "world," it's more like an open... sandbox. And a very small one at that. The level of interactivity with NPCs and objects/buildings is practically non existent. You only get 3 discrete times during the day -- morning, evening, and night. No weather changes (I think in some of the games it does rain).

That is to say, I love Yakuza and all the side activities to do (SEGA arcade, bowling, karaoke, eating, etc etc...) And of course the playable characters and secondary characters are better than the GTA crew...

I said the map isn't big, but that don't deny it's a open world game...Sandbox ? Well, Yes ? A small open world ? That's what i said lol.

 

[anothertech]

This is why gta6 is really just gonna be
gta5 II online

 

[RyRy93]

I don't think any other developers could recreate GTA V as a complete package but a lack of interiors, narrative choices and goofy character controls let it down compared to other great open-world games

 

[UnNamed]

Didn't play RDD2, but for me GTA3 is the best.
Other games have better things here and there but overall they lack of something.

GTA V is well balanced in terms of civilian, city build and activities.

You can easily recognize blocks, districts and have a good orientation without using the map just observing details on the streets, like you would do in real life. 90% of open world games are reused assets over and over and you don't have any idea where you are, except for some structures. Even in TW3 you can get lost and be disoriented sometimes.

Tons of activities and minigames, you can endless play GTA without playing the main GTA.

 

[sertopico]

I totally disagree with the OP. GTA V has been in my opinion the weakest chapter in the whole series. It's the only one I have never finished cause it was plain boring, not to mention the online segment which took a deep dive. GTA IV online was much more fun.

And no, the city does not feel alive at all. Just drive around in the city center and you're gonna see a couple of pedestrians and so little traffic you might think LS has been evacuated. Watch Dogs 2 is FAR superior. Game was bad but Ubisoft managed to make the city feel much more alive.

 

[Patrick S.]

GTA V? Isn't that the game where you get arrested or murdered if you use your phone on the sidewalk, because proximity to NPCs is considered aggression?

No, that's real life.

 

[Ezquimacore]

Saints Row the third is more entertaining than gta v

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[GymWolf]

I think rdr2 does almost everything better while having a far better narrative if we remain in the rockstar way of doing open worlds.

 

[Patrick S.]

-So many interactive events and things to do in the world: From Golf, Homicide, Racing, Flying, Shooting, PIcking up hookers, strip club, Gambling the list goes on and on and on

Let's try and see what exactly all these activities that "go on and on" really are. I don't think there's a lot more than what you listed....

I can think of:

Hunting
Riding a Rollercoaster
Police missions

And that's really all I can think of right now...

Speaking of hookers, am I crazy or did they remove the ability to switch to first person view when you're in a car getting it on with a hooker?

 

[anthraticus]

Saints Row 2 is the best GTA game since the PS2 era games.. The plot and dialogue is like one of those gangsta rap movies that went straight to video back in the 90s. Lots of opportunities to create chaos and be a menace to society while drinking your juice in the hood, while recent GTAs have you playing darts and tennis. Even newer Saints Rows started going into the more silly superhero territory after 2. Very good city layout too.

 

[NeoGiffer]

Playing through this again on my ps5(been 6 years since I played it on my ps4) and every open world game just doesn't live up to the Massive scale of GTA5

-Hundreds of different vehicles and machinery to use: Hunderds of cars, Fire Trucks, Jumbo Jets, Construction equipment, Boats, bicycles, etc. etc.
-So many interactive events and things to do in the world: From Golf, Homicide, Racing, Flying, Shooting, PIcking up hookers, strip club, Gambling the list goes on and on and on
-Locations within the world feel dramatically different: From the ghetto's, to the rich area's, to the beach side, to the woods, to the boonies, waterways, etc
-The city feels alive. Npcs walking around living out their lives, having converstations, doing chores, etc. Reactions sometimes are spot on as well.
-A very smartly done and interesting storyline: Lots of twist and turns and a very good story that keeps most interested
-An online opponent still attracting others almost a decade later. Still ranks in the top 10 at times even to this day. GTA online is a monster!

I remember when rockstar caught a ton of shit for spending $250 million dollars making this game. The billions they have made later still proves this is the best open world game created. In fact, no open world game can hold it's Jock strap as far as diversity and the scale of GTA 5. If one were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one game, it would be hard to argue GTA 5 is a bad choice.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

Open world needs to be believable and that means npcs and how they react to the world around them including the player.

For this reason Watch Dogs 2 IMO is one of the most believable. You can literally start a riot by calling in to law enforcement and there are tons of videos on YouTube to showcase their behaviour to various situations.

I've played the game and even came across a boyfriend/girlfriend argument on the roadside where she's bashing in his cars windows for whatever reason. It's these things that make an open world game amazing.

In saying all that the pinnacle of open world games right now is Red Dead 2.

 

[BigLee74]

Playing through this again right now at 60fps. So much better as a result. I must admit to being impressed at how well the map holds up considering it is a 9 year old game. The attention to detail and variety are all there.

It might not be the best now, but it’s certainly up there with them.

 

[Player Respawn]

It's not my favorite (RDR2 or BOTW take that spot) but it's the most impressive by far. How it seamlessly combines all its systems and complexities, is still head and shoulders above all other modern open worlds to this day.

 

[Tomi]

Rdr 2 is miles ahead of gta V

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

-The city feels alive. Npcs walking around living out their lives, having converstations, doing chores, etc. Reactions sometimes are spot on as well.

Rockstar ass kisser detected.

This argument can be used for any current open world game.

Game was brilliant back in 2013. Now It's outdated.

Character models are outdated as fuck and when you finished the main story there's not much to do. Game should have a lot more side missions and interiors.

Before someone comes arround the corner that there haven't been released better open world games. There isn't much competetion. Only Watch Dogs(Watch Dogs 3 was horrible) and Saints Row. Volition on the other side
has no the budget/manpower for better graphics.

The open world genre(with Car driving) is generally in a bad state.

 

[Guilty_AI]

The biggest problem with GTAV's open world (or RDR2 for that matter) is the level of player agency. While you can 'start' interactions in a bunch of different ways with the world, as soon as you do the game either goes on full railroad mode where things HAVE to happen according to the script or it all falls apart.
Their worlds feels lived in and are pretty to look at, but they're terrible to interact with. As someone here already mentioned, Watch_dogs 2 does a much better job in that department.

 

[Scotty W]

I agree. Trevor is one of the greatest protagonists, and the story is one of the best ever.

 

[ClosBSAS]

lol most overrated pos game ive ever played. my god, the characters are so bad. open worl dis fine but far from the best.

 

[YCoCg]

I don't think GTAV would get as much hate today if Rockstar followed through on the Single Player DLC they announced which was supposed to be multiple ones coming out in 2014 and 2015. Instead of just cancelling that and going fuck you and putting all their eggs into GTA Online.

 

[waquzy]

I agree. Trevor is one of the greatest protagonists, and the story is one of the best ever.

Agreed about Trevor, but the story is average at best.

 

[ParaSeoul]

 

[nani17]

Rdr2 is the greatest open world ever made

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Rdr2 is the greatest open world ever made

Red Dead 2 has some flaws, but it really is one of the greatest games I've ever played. And that includes its great open world:

Go fishing ("you, sir, are a fish!" Goddamn, Arthur Morgan is really awesome)
Go hunting for any wildlife - deer, bears (!), etc
Go have a drink at a saloon
Play five finger fillet, dominoes, and other such mini games,
Cards, of course - poker, blackjack, etc
Bounty hunter missions
Camp and craft/cook/etc
Day/night and weather cycles
Locational variety (snowy mountains/swamps/Western towns/a big city/etc)
Honor system that actually matters in how NPCs respond to you, how stores sell to you, etc
Interact with any NPC in any way you want to. Want to be nice and say hello? Sure. Want to beat them up or even shoot them for no good reason? You can do that too
You can go to the barber and tailor
Etc etc etc...

 

[NeverYouMind]

I have to disagree. For all of the world that Grand Theft Auto V has there is little interaction with it and the interactions that do exist are underwhelming. I for example do not understand why they have an unarmed fighting system when it is this embarassing. Why they have so many cars and car customization options when the driving is so mediocre in comparison to even their PS2 releases.

I think Bully did the best job of making its world interactive in Rockstar's catalogue. It may not be as pretty but at least it is not a cardboard set with actors going about their routines.

P.S. I can understand the love for Red Dead Redemption 2 but I like my westerns free form and short. I would still rather replay Gun all over again than go through a set of story missions in this series. However, playing through Undead Nightmare is a treat.

 

[The artful mincer]

King of shit controls and repetitive linear mission design. Or Maybe RDR2 is the king of that

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Yup, I bought it again for my series S, and it’s so much better playing at 60fps!

I’ve got to say though, I’ve still got no idea what I’m doing in GTAO, like I don’t get how to “get into it” if you know what I mean. I’m just driving around with the odd phone call telling me to go to a multiplayer match that no-one ever joins.

Any tips on how to get my GTAO profile going? Am I missing something that I should be doing to get to the the good stuff?

 

[fart town usa]

First thought that came to mind is that GTA IV has infinitely better AI.

Manipulating the AI in that game is entertaining as hell and the way the AI responds/reacts is still impressive in 2022. Vanilla GTA V was a huge step back and wasn't impressive at launch, not sure if it was improved upon in later releases.

 

[Petopia]

Playing through this again on my ps5(been 6 years since I played it on my ps4) and every open world game just doesn't live up to the Massive scale of GTA5

-Hundreds of different vehicles and machinery to use: Hunderds of cars, Fire Trucks, Jumbo Jets, Construction equipment, Boats, bicycles, etc. etc.
-So many interactive events and things to do in the world: From Golf, Homicide, Racing, Flying, Shooting, PIcking up hookers, strip club, Gambling the list goes on and on and on
-Locations within the world feel dramatically different: From the ghetto's, to the rich area's, to the beach side, to the woods, to the boonies, waterways, etc
-The city feels alive. Npcs walking around living out their lives, having converstations, doing chores, etc. Reactions sometimes are spot on as well.
-A very smartly done and interesting storyline: Lots of twist and turns and a very good story that keeps most interested
-An online opponent still attracting others almost a decade later. Still ranks in the top 10 at times even to this day. GTA online is a monster!

I remember when rockstar caught a ton of shit for spending $250 million dollars making this game. The billions they have made later still proves this is the best open world game created. In fact, no open world game can hold it's Jock strap as far as diversity and the scale of GTA 5. If one were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one game, it would be hard to argue GTA 5 is a bad choice.

wish there was more things todo in the game instead or relying to hop with a friend just to play a mode.

 

[Deerock71]

Not in a shared world where the Yakuza games exist.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

I'm playing through it right now on ps5, and it's still a blast even though I played through it on ps4 and ps3. It's an incredible game though there are certainly parts that are outdated, as to be expected with a nearly decade old game. If anything playing through the ps5 version now just makes me think what an achievement this was on ps3/360.

 

[brian0057]

San Andreas > Vice City > The rest of the series > V.

 

[Bankai]

I'm playing through GTA5 again on PS5 and I think the world is awesome as well!

Sure, some things aren't that impressive nowadays; like all the buildings and shops you just cannot enter. And the use of really static, flat textures on interiors of buildings.

But the overall feel of the town is so alive and kicking; so many great vehicles and interactions with NPC's, the amount of chaos you can create - just so much fun!

 

[Bragr]

Im struggling with online though, it should be amazing but the way they built it seems anti-fun. I worked my way up to afford Maze Bank and a warehouse, and was enjoying buying cargo etc, until little shits in flying cars repeatedly ran me down. Cant enter passice, cant do the best stuff in a private lobby, seems like an aggravtion simulator!

Same here, the online has never appealed to me, all the wacky cheese players make it feel like a different thing entirely.

 

[Laptop1991]

Speaking as a singleplayer gamer, the trouble was it lacked content and became boring with too much desert with nothing to do in the end, what was there was good, but no where near enough,

i personally don't agree with the op, infact for me San Andreas had a better open world, and Oblivion/Skyrim/Fallout's and the Witcher 3 are far better open worlds and still at the top imo. also AC Odyssey.

 

[TMLT]

As big as the world is its like 75% fields and mountains. It can be quite beautiful and atmospheric though for sure.

I replayed through 4 and 5 back to back a few months ago and it totally changed my long held opinion. Back in the day I considered 5 to be the better game due to it reintroducing a lot of the craziness and OTT fun of earlier games. But on this playthrough I felt like, while 5 makes the better first impression with its instant gratification approach (big houses, fancy cars and clothes, crazy missions) as the game goes on I got burnt out with all the "lets hijack a plane in mid air for shits and giggles" "lets steal a submarine haha" shit and the cracks (particularly narratively) started to show. 4 could be tedious, slow and frustrating at times but it has superior writing, feels much more thematically focused and just does a far better job at making you feel like you're a criminal immersed in the underworld, by the time the credits rolled I felt like 5 was comparatively mindless and hollow.

 

[phil_t98]

outside of the main missions the game is bland, huge open world but not much to
do in it

 

[lefty1117]

I really love Night City and the detail and atmosphere they created for it, but going back to GTAV recently with the xsex release ... Rockstar are the kings of immersive world building. They just are. GTA Online is fantastic. Would prefer a little more non-griefable PVE mind you, I think they really damaged the game with the flying missile bikes, the Oppressors. But it's a wonderful achievement overall

 

[balls of snow]

I love how the second activity you listed is homicide.

I'd say it's the best facsimile of a real city ever created in a game for all of the reasons you listed. Unfortunately like all of Rockstar's worlds, while it appears vivid and alive on its surface there's little actual depth to it. Same with RDR2 - miraculously large with so much attention devoted to even minor details, but one essentially ends up merely looking at things for the most part. Maybe I'm explaining this poorly.

What open world game is not what you describe though.

 

[BadBurger]

What open world game is not what you describe though.

I guess you have a point in a way, but games like Elden Ring have open worlds with layers - things hidden to find and interact with in meaningful ways, even a subterranean portion. Breath of the Wild also has a more interactive world, and to a lesser extent Spider-Man. But I see you mean.

 

[Aenima]

A real masterpiece, and 100% still holds up today. I think both RDR2 and Elden Ring have surpassed it now for me personally though.

What I love about GTA5 is how interesting the world is, especially to me who has never been to USA yet grew up on 90's hip hop, I used to imagine what its like there as a kid and its fun to drive around listening to West Coast Classics, has a real vibe to it.

Im struggling with online though, it should be amazing but the way they built it seems anti-fun. I worked my way up to afford Maze Bank and a warehouse, and was enjoying buying cargo etc, until little shits in flying cars repeatedly ran me down. Cant enter passice, cant do the best stuff in a private lobby, seems like an aggravtion simulator!

Yes, GTA online playerbase is full or tryhards ruinning other ppl fun. Thers a trick using the PS5 network setting you can do to stay in a public server solo, so u can do the sales that require to be in public sever in peace. It also work on xbox but is done in a diferent way. Just google it.

While using this setting u will also not be able to co-op so make sure to change it back if u wanna do co-op stuff.

Rockstar is also to blame cuz they make this content to be pvp oriented and the game would be much more enjoyable if it wasent. Probably why alot ppl left the game.

 

[Freeman76]

Yes, GTA online playerbase is full or tryhards ruinning other ppl fun. Thers a trick using the PS5 network setting you can do to stay in a public server solo, so u can do the sales that require to be in public sever in peace. It also work on xbox but is done in a diferent way. Just google it.

While using this setting u will also not be able to co-op so make sure to change it back if u wanna do co-op stuff.

Rockstar is also to blame cuz they make this content to be pvp oriented and the game would be much more enjoyable if it wasent. Probably why alot ppl left the game.

It feels like everything is geared towards making you want more shark cards

 

[SSfox]

For modern Urban world, yes, but overall no there are better games, and overall RDR2 is the best open world game.

 

[Aure]

Not for me.
GTA IV EFLC and RDR2 are their best open world games.

 

[Midnight Bliss]

dafuq are you even supposed to do in this game? it’s depressing like los angeles and you can’t interact with items. rockstar thinks open world just means more space and more cutscenes. Seriously just get control of a character punch an npc and turn the game off

 

[Mozzarella]

Not in a shared world where the Yakuza games exist.

Yakuza? is there anything in the world of Yakuza outside of the generic minigames and beating the same 4 gangsters over and over?
I found it to be dull, even traversing around the hub area felt very limited since your only routes are going from the right side or going from the left side and doing a circle to the right side, there's no climb or jump or any use of vehicles to go around, its just walking, and having bland level design layout didnt help either.

 

[Aenima]

It feels like everything is geared towards making you want more shark cards

Yup. During the business sales they want u in public servers to decrease the chances of u making money. Not only u have to deal with NPCs that will try to kill u, you also have to deal with other players trying to kill u as well.

The players behaviors are the total opposite in a game like FF14 where everyone is helping eachother, in GTAO everyone acts like a dick to eachother and that is also reflected in co-op missions where u notice the players without they rocket launcher vehicles, they just dont know how to play.
Doing heists with ramdom ppl in GTAO now is almost impossible and frustating.

Luckly thers a thing called Cayo Perico. All the content can be done in private servers and the Heist can be done solo. The cherry on top is that the Cayo Perico heist is actually the best and fastest way to make money in GTAO.

Just save and buy the big submarine to be able to start the heist and enjoy getting ritch. The heist is also pretty fun to do as you will travel to an island in south america.

If you buy an agency you will also start a chain quest involving Dr Dre that can also be done solo and pays u 1 million at the end. Can be repeated too.

Purchasing a Tunning shop will also unlock a series of mini heists, and other sorces of income and can also be done solo in private servers.

For me, i will just keep doing the network trick to stay solo in public servers to be able to enjoy the game content without tryhards.

Hopefully GTA6 online will have servers that are not focused in being a dick to eachother,

 

[Freeman76]

Yup. During the business sales they want u in public servers to decrease the chances of u making money. Not only u have to deal with NPCs that will try to kill u, you also have to deal with other players trying to kill u as well.

The players behaviors are the total opposite in a game like FF14 where everyone is helping eachother, in GTAO everyone acts like a dick to eachother and that is also reflected in co-op missions where u notice the players without they rocket launcher vehicles, they just dont know how to play.
Doing heists with ramdom ppl in GTAO now is almost impossible and frustating.

Luckly thers a thing called Cayo Perico. All the content can be done in private servers and the Heist can be done solo. The cherry on top is that the Cayo Perico heist is actually the best and fastest way to make money in GTAO.

Just save and buy the big submarine to be able to start the heist and enjoy getting ritch. The heist is also pretty fun to do as you will travel to an island in south america.

If you buy an agency you will also start a chain quest involving Dr Dre that can also be done solo and pays u 1 million at the end. Can be repeated too.

Purchasing a Tunning shop will also unlock a series of mini heists, and other sorces of income and can also be done solo in private servers.

For me, i will just keep doing the network trick to stay solo in public servers to be able to enjoy the game content without tryhards.

Hopefully GTA6 online will have servers that are not focused in being a dick to eachother,

Thanks for the tips they may just save me from giving up entirely mate

 

[DZ_b_EZ]