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Best Open Worlds of 2018 (Besides RDR2)

Best Open Worlds of 2018 (Besides RDR2)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is out,  and you have likely heard a lot or played a lot of the game. Maybe, somehow, it isn’t your style. Maybe you like open world games, but aren’t a fan of the Western aesthetic. Maybe you don’t like things made by Rockstar. Maybe you’re protesting their working conditions.

Whatever the case, you do not have to abstain from quality open-world games. There have been plenty of great ones released in 2018! Here are the top five.

Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves

At launch, Sea of Thieves was sort of dead in the water, due to a lack of content. That was disappointing, because the premise of sailing the open seas and taking on different roles on a ship alongside friends had a lot of promise.

Eventually, the game received extra content that revitalized it in a way that isn’t entirely unlike No Man’s Sky . There’s a silly charm to this game that is in step with other titles from Rare, and the way the game operates encourages teamwork in a way we rarely see. Ship-to-ship combat is also something that needs to be experienced.

Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter , as a franchise, was on the radar of a lot of fans outside of Japan. But, for whatever reason, it was never really properly supported here. There was an entry for the Nintendo Wii and a handful of portable games, but some thought those were never really the ideal platforms. Then we got Monster Hunter: World for current generation platforms, and boy was it worth the wait.

The game pits players and their friends up against gigantic beasts in a variety of maps. A constant stream of new quests and online events keep the game alive, and an extraordinary amount of items to craft for the unique playstyles means there’s always a new thing to master.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Infamous was one of the first extraordinary superhero games, and it didn’t even use an existing property to create that feel. It had a verticality to it that was well-suited for Spider-Man, so when early footage of Marvel’s Spider-Man game looked similar, well, it was easy to get excited.

The game is undeniably open-world, which has been the case for a lot of games within the franchise. What makes it work so well is its focus on the details of story, character, and, most importantly, web-slinging. Traversing the city is a real treat.

Forza Horizon 4

Forza Horizon 4

Racing games aren’t usually the first thing that come to mind when you think of the open-world genre, but games like Burnout Paradise and Forza Horizon 4 mean that racing games are a force to be reckoned with within the genre.

Forza Horizon 4 just feels right. By this, I mean that there’s a sense of speed that is easy to appreciate. Beyond that, the different cars feel unique. Tearing through an open field in a tricked-out 2014 Ford Fiesta with anime decals on the side is way more fun than it should be. And, since you can drive all over the place completing different objectives at your leisure in this game, there is always an excuse to do that. Or scale a mountain. Also, you can race trains and hydroplanes.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

The Assassin’s Creed franchise is full of ups and downs, and it’s hard to believe just how many games have come out in the last ten years. Every time one is announced, I carefully appraise whether or not I should play the game or just read up on the story at a wiki or something. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is one of the ones worth purchasing.

Honestly, I might say that it’s the best in the franchise. The open-world provides so much to do and it’s one of the more impressive games I’ve seen, in terms of graphics. Normally, I don’t put too much thought into graphics, but in this case, it helps give you a sense of presence in the game’s world.

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