• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

What games will benefit if they go open world?

Plum said:
Hear me out here...

...Pikmin

I'm no game designer but an open world that's simultaneously a tiny one sounds incredibly intriguing to me. Though perhaps the "traditional" style of open world shouldn't really apply, a more Metroidvania-type of world would work better.
Click to expand...

I'd be down. I'd play that all day.
 
Plum said:
Hear me out here...

...Pikmin

I'm no game designer but an open world that's simultaneously a tiny one sounds incredibly intriguing to me. Though perhaps the "traditional" style of open world shouldn't really apply, a more Metroidvania-type of world would work better.
Click to expand...

I was about to come in here and say Pikmin myself.

Pikmin 3 already made major strides towards putting the focus on a Metroid-like lock-and-key overworld, with plenty of optional objectives to discover through exploration, and an interesting boss system that let you chip away at boss fights over several days if necessary.

But imagine if, instead of the existing Pikmin precedent of discovering new self-contained zones of the world map via conditions in the main quest, you had all of these zones connected on the ground in a seamless world, and you had to take your forces out to claim additional landing sites for future deployments in succeeding days, creeping over a contiguous map over the course of the game. I've long felt that one direction Pikmin has yet to explore is a more thorough high-level layer of macro-management, a sort of base-building/settlement element that extends your presence and economy in the direction you desire.
 
Pokemon could be really interesting as an open world game, and it would be very doable. Each area could have Pokemon of a certain range of levels, so some areas would be more difficult than others. It'd be up to the player to either challenge themselves and go in with an underleveled team, or to stick to areas they can handle and make gradual progress. The gyms could be done in any order, but every time you beat one, the other gyms become more difficult just by level scaling. The story would have to be re-worked so you discover Team Rocket's grand schemes piece-by-piece, or something like that. The story is simple enough, it shouldn't be hard. And I think becoming an open world game would help Pokemon feel more like your own, personal adventure.
 
Spman2099 said:
How do they do that without undermining the best part of those games? Seems pretty much impossible...

I think Metroid and Mega Man Legends are good answers.
Click to expand...

Doesn't have to literally be Dark Souls or Bloodborne, a soulslike that isn't restricted by linear progression. I think the idea has potential if it's truly open.
 
I feel like the question right now is what games would benefit from reverting from open world. Open world is pretty much the default right now aaaaaaand I think it's getting a little bland.
 
Metroid sounds fine on paper. But it would be hard to pull of. The sense of isolation in those games in no small part comes from narrow labyrinth like hallways.

I would say the 3D platformers would greatly benefit from open world design. Jack and Daxter did this very well. Imagine Banjo games with all levels combined into one single cohesive world.
 
Theorry said:
Tomb Raider.
Click to expand...

I agree. The latest one was semi-open but ultimately very linear without any huge changes in difficulty overall. Horizon plays almost the same and shows that this would work with occasional spelunking to ruins and caves.

At the same time we don't need games that are massive open worlds. Those usually end up with lots of empty space or quests that are just there in place of proper content. Smaller scale where the player has more options to choose how to approach are fine too.
 
None, open world tends to be more empty, less enemy density and poorer combat.

Only exception I have seen is horizon.
 
Boem said:
Monkey Island.

d96257995660f14e57257a24cf7ed7a0.jpg


Don't tell me it wouldn't make sense for the gameplay, I need it.
Click to expand...

I never knew I wanted this till now. I doubt we'll ever see another Monkey Island game :( Such a shame.
 
Honestly feel like a lot of the games in the OP suffered from it. FFXV and MGS5 specifically, the open world in both in many ways contribute to the plethora of issues I have with it. FFXV just doesn't make use of the land mass in any smart way aside from some omega dull sidequests, when you get to any story levels the game just makes it linear again which kinda defeats the purpose. MGS5 has a bunch of nothing in between bases and even if you have some freedom of approach with that, there's so much dull moving around and due to the scale they had to keep reusing the same areas.

The first NieR was the same as Automata also.

Zelda did an AMAZING job with it but in general I feel like it hasn't been handled all that well. Can't really think of a game where I wish it was more open either. It's all based on the design that goes along with it which theoretically can work with any game.
 
MediEvil, it could very easily serve as Sony's answer to Breath of the Wild and stand out with some dark gallows humour. Not to mention it already has plenty of unique weaponry and geography to fall somewhere between Zelda and Dark souls. Oh and go with a claymation like art style.

Now would be the time!
(Although I am clearly biased...)
 
I'd like to see an open world Splatoon, where the "world" is a single city.

Outside of matches you could roam and paint the city with your colors, hang around with other players in places like the original plaza, find secret stuff stashed somewhere, get hired to do something (paint houses? lol)

Basically it would be a practice environment where you can gain extra items / accessories, meet people.
 
Muchi Muchi Pink said:
No, it kills pretty much any mechanics in the game like Monsters transition to other areas, traps and such.
Click to expand...

Eh I understand, but I've been playing since MH1 on ps2 and I want to see what changes capcom would do with this. It doesn't have to be a mainline game, maybe make the next Frontier title openworld. If they can have ideas for MH Stories, they can have ideas for this.
 
Most definitely Metroid. Give me an open world Zebes(or other planet) to explore. Metroid has always been about exploration and discovery, so why not?
 
Nothing benefits from going open world. Some games survive the transition and still manage to be good, but none are better for it. It's just a cheaper, lazier way of making games.
 
All games, if Zelda can do it any game can.
The world needs to be crafted nicely and with purpose not just open world for the sake of it
 
dancrane212 said:
Halo.

ACF275.jpg


The best thing about Halo is its sandbox so I would love to see the series let you run loose with it in an open world.
Click to expand...
I think Halo should still have a level structure but it would be cool if those levels were more open and non-linear by design. Kind of like Doom 2016 but maybe with more to it.
 
hemo memo said:
I know you're joking but like going to the club or doing social daily activities after traning or matches, looking for new deals etc.
Click to expand...

Yes...maybe not an open world but building it into a Persona-style system with lots of relationship management, training, negotiations with sponsors, community/charity work...basically expanding on the Legend thing from the last game...

Anyway yes, carry on.
 
I hate the open world trend so much. I absolutely love the metal gear series but mgs V is completely unplayable for me. The only game that benefited for my tastes is breath of the wild and every now and then while playing I get annoyed that Iam clueless on where to go or do.
 
Halo open world would actually be fucking awesome. Have the game take place on a single Halo ring that you have the freedom to fully explore, with Warthogs and other vehicles to help you get around faster. Yeah, I'd play the shit out of that.
 
As much as I love open world games myself and personally don't mind when more games go open world, this is going to go well.. there's a large amount of pushback on open world games (it seems we get a thread every month at least on why open world sucks and how they should stop making open world games).

But, that being said...

The Last of Us (I know I really just poked the hornet's nest there). I'd love the have to stealth around/avoid zombies/humans in a more open world aspect.
Wolfenstein (mainly cause I'd love another open world shooter other than Borderlands and I loved the shooting in Wolfenstein and the cover mechanic which would not require that the game mark things as being able to be cover).
Edit: I can't believe I forgot Monster Hunter and Monster Hunter like games. There's a lot I like about the games but I hate the going back into the same rooms for fights and I'd love an open world concept for it instead. one of the reasons I was excited for Horizon is it looked to have monster hunter like gameplay but in a more open world/RPG like game.


And for me, that's all I can think of. But I don't play many linear games as they aren't my thing so don't have many I could think of that I'd love to see open world.
 
None, open world is and has been terrible in most games except Infamous 1/2 and even that would have been more fun without open world I feel.

Open world sucks for most games and I hope it dies in it's current mold of simple big world with objectives splattered all over it.

Open connected worlds like Borderlands etc (Good, cool, fine)
Sandbox with well created areas and levels to play in with depth such as inside buildings, crafted areas with intent on progression in movement and areas to see.. , atmosphere (batman) fine, just work on making those areas with a little more depth and fun gameplay mechanics.

Sandbox - BURN IT

MGSV - isn't MGS
Far Cry - makes me cry (blood dragon is good)
Infamous SS- Second tier garbage
Zelda BOTW - Not my Zelda.
Ghost Recon - I'd rather play the old games just as they are.
Dragon Age I - Lord, pay me to play those huge maps..... it is the opposite of fun. Feel like I am doing intern work.


Some are decent and interesting

The Crew- has enough size/variety to keep me interested a bit but after a while I get tired of looking for my races honestly. If I could just select all of my races in a menu?
Far Cry Blood Dragon - Crafted main missions inside the open world is decent enough and makes the game worth while (also, the open world area isn't that large to do everything)
 
Absolutely fucking none. Open World has become such a burden in my opinion. FFXV and, particularly, MGSV really did not benefit from that transition.
 
dancrane212 said:
Halo.

ACF275.jpg


The best thing about Halo is its sandbox so I would love to see the series let you run loose with it in an open world.
Click to expand...
This if it was a few levels being open sandbox. For example a giant offensive or battle with multiple ways of attacking or assaulting a base. An interesting concept would be a game where you play as insurrectionists on a planet trying to overthrow the UNSC.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Just Cause Developer Avalanche Studios Working On New Open-World Game
11
131
DCDW replied
What non-open world action-adventure franchises have enough potential to have an open-world game?
44
972
lh032 replied
Leaked gameplay videos from cancelled open world metro 4 build
Rumor 
21
416
HAYA8U5A replied
Video Games are of benefit to the brain - backed by Science
8
270
dDoc replied
Rockstar excels at open-world games because it looks at would-be “creative constraints” and just says, "Go nuts,” says former GTA 5 audio dev
Opinion Trailer Game Dev 
26
265
Guardian Monkey replied
Top Bottom