I want to grapple, glide, wall run, etc around a big open world. What are some games you think are fun for that?
I picked up Sunset Overdrive on a sale, and the rail grinding is fine I guess, but it’s just not clicking with me.
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Riders Republic is so much fun. It has a relatively low skill floor but also a really high skill ceiling. Go watch some stunt clips to see just what you can pull off.
The different sports are a lot of fun and honestly what other game lets you transition from Skateboard to BMX to Jetpack in a span of a few seconds.
Only downside is that the more fun sports are locked behind a DLC purchase but it goes on sale quite frequently.
Dying Light 2 has the best traversal I’ve seen in an open world, it had a very solid base coming from the original but it expanded it with new moves and tools.
Dying Light had a mediocre story and repetitive gameplay, but the parkour mechanic was what made it interesting in the long run. Jumping around and climbing stuff was so satisfying.
As for side scrollers, Ori might not be the most difficult platformer I’ve ever played, but it certainly was the most fun, thanks in no short part to the fluid and dynamic movement of the main character. The camera is also very wide, to allow you to see the road ahead clearly, which is not something that all platformers do right, surprisingly enough.
Not all open world, but:
- Dying Light 1 has a really fun parkour movement system (haven’t played Dying Light 2)
- Ghostrunner, also kind of parkour-based, really gets you into a flow state once you get the hang of the movement
- Vanquish is always pretty satisfying IMO, both movement and combat
- Jet Set Radio or its spiritual successor, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (different dev, same idea) are really fun, especially with friends
- The remake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is pretty damn good
Unfortunately Jet Set is not sold on steam anymore
Ah, damn. I did buy it many years ago, but it’s unfortunate that new users can’t access it.
BRC is an incredible replacement though. It’s not quite the same as OG Jet Set Radio, and I think that’s okay, but it is very clearly walking around with JSR’s bones inside. Besides which it has probably my favorite video game soundtrack from the past decade.
I haven’t played the PC version, but I expect it’s the same as the console version: Prototype (from Activision in 2009; there’s another game listed with the same title). The story is utter garbage, but everything about the moment to moment gameplay is great, and it definitely checks the boxes you’re looking for. I never played the sequel, because it re-used the same map, and that’s a lot like playing a Mario game with all of the same levels as the one before it, but this first game rules.
If you have access to something that can play Xbox 360 games, I’d also highly recommend the first Crackdown.
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that one, but I never got around to trying it. Sort of a grimdark/knockoff Venom version of Infamous, yeah?
I believe it has a direct lineage from a game based on The Hulk called Ultimate Destruction, and you can feel that. You’re super jumping, gliding, and sort of like Venom, consuming people to pose as them. There are missions with a stealth element, but other times you’re throwing tanks at helicopters. Holding the run button will have you effortlessly doing cartwheels off the tops of cars and wall running straight up skyscrapers.
Oh damn, it’s descended from Hulk UD? I loved that game, definitely one that was on my mind for this type of game. I’ll certainly be checking this one out then.
if you haven’t, please play just cause 3. it is genuinely one of the greatest games ever made and the entire premise is: ok here’s your grappling hook, parachute, wingsuit, bombs, and guns, now go blow up every thing and/or person with red on it. there is a story (and it’s decent) but who cares, you upgrade your shit by doing cool stunts and the main mode of progression is a how-much-shit-have-you-blown-up-in-this-area meter.
I’d also say 2 is worth it. Not as good as 3 but still a load of fun… Ah man, I might have to reinstall, I almost forgot about it until you said this!
2 is absolutely worth it, but man 3 is probably one of my favorite games ever.
It’s also a beautiful game. I would spend hours just zipping around and taking in the scenery. Thanks for the reminder that I need to replay JC3
true, and it looks that good without trying to shove raytracing and stuff like that down your throat so it runs smoothly on real computers and not just Nvidia’s latest cash grab.
you upgrade your shit by doing cool stunts and the main mode of progression is a how-much-shit-have-you-blown-up-in-this-area meter.
JC3 is fun to just spend hours dicking around in, or seriously investing it with the gameplay. It’s honestly amazing how good of a game they made around the concept of “blow up some shit, and then blow up some more shit”
100% agree. JC3 is a gem of a game
the story is much better in jc2 but it’s so hard to go back to with how well executed the movement was in 3. it’s a shame they skimped on the writing.
like, the final boss in 2 is a fist fight on a flying cluster of ICBMs. the final boss in 3 is… a helicopter.
yeah the story isn’t amazing but everything else is the best ever made
I can’t even play JC4 because JC3 was just so good. Why the hell did they change the formula in 4? The missions are boring as hell in 4. They kept the “fight these guys,” “open these doors,” “release these prisoner” missions, but I have yet to be tasked with destroying, well, anything. 😮💨
The only thing in 4 I liked more than 3 was that the rocket things you can stick on stuff can be used multiple times and don’t automatically explode, so you can use them to fly a car without fear of blowing up.
I would recommend Mad Max on Steam. It is a great open world game with much freedom of movement. Obviously, you will do more driving than walking, but the driving feels very satisfying.
The combat is mostly in Batman-style group brawls, where you have to dodge/block when a prompt appears over an enemy’s head.
Not sure if it counts as open world, but a souls-like platformer with some great movement is Blue Fire
maybe not quite what you’re looking for but the shadow of mordor series has a liiiitle bit of that. obviously not as city-focused as arkham or spider-man.
Your character becomes a double jumping revenge ghost sprinting through the environment pretty early in the second one.
Good suggestion.
Not quite open world but I really like the movement in Crab Champions
Mirror’s Edge
I haven’t played it in 15 years or so, but I think it wasn’t open-world?
Mirrors edge catalyst then.
That’s true, I missed that
Prototype 1 & 2, you’ll love the glide movement
The first ones that come to mind are : Prototype Infamous Hulk
If you like the flow but it can work without gliding/grapple games with parkour can be up your alley like mirrors edge (catalyst is open world) or dead something (rising, island?)
I recently loved Tinykin for the same movement is fun reason, not really open world but 6-7 big worlds. Ni gliding but lots of movement flow. Another not open world (and not third person) is Titanfall 2, loads of wallrun/jump.
This one is slightly less on target, but I’m really intrigued by a free demo I found this week called Exo Rally Championship. It’s a rally car game, but set in exotic little exoplanetary environments. The movement looks really interesting especially because you’re not just in a low-grav setting, you also have 360⁰ jets you can use to assist in steering or course-correction midair.
