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Say Goodbye To Your Free Time, These Are The Open World Games Of E3 2015
Besides yarn, one of the biggest trends at E3 this year was open world gaming. Open worlds fulfill the next-gen promises of player freedom and a seamless melding of exploration, combat, and narrative. This year we have robot dragons, post-nuclear Boston, and a dictator's picturesque island paradise. Read on to learn more about the virtual worlds we're all going to be exploring in the coming months.
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Ubisoft is taking two of their
popular Tom Clancy games open world. Ghost Recon Wildlands is set in a Bolivia
torn between a corrupt government and a bloodthirsty drug cartel. Players can save the country together with drop-in, drop-out co-op. Missions can be approached from
multiple angles, ranging from loud and dumb to smooth and stealthy. Read our hands-on here.
Fallout 4
Bethesda kicked off the show this year and they did it in style by dropping the Fallout 4 bomb. We finally got to see over 30 minutes of gameplay from the long-awaited title. Fallout 4 takes place 200 years after the nuclear war, set in the wasteland of downtown Boston. While Dogmeat stole our hearts, the sprawling world set our imaginations racing with post-nuclear implications. We've assembled everything Bethesda revealed about the game here.
Just Cause 3
The third entry in this ridiculously over-the-top franchise looks to be the best one yet. Rico Rodriguez returns to his mother’s homeland of Medici when a tyrannical dictator assumes control over the peaceful inhabitants. Avalanche Studios has crafted over 400 square kilometers worth of infrastructure to utterly destroy. Thanks to the best grapple hook in video games and a wingsuit, players will have unparalleled mobility that matches the game’s frenetic action. Don’t worry. The laws of physics don’t apply in Medici. Check out our coverage hub for even more info.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Guerrilla Games, best known for the Killzone series, surprised everyone this year with a stunning look at Horzion: Zero Dawn. The game takes place sometime in the far future, when the world has been overrun by both nature and an entire ecosystem of robotic animals. Our bow-wielding hero Aloy is from one of the human tribes that dot the globe and fight to survive. Horizon’s world is draped in mystery and nuance. The trailer raises all of the right questions about this unique take on the post-apocalypse: what happened to humanity? What (or who) created the robots? The brief time we had with the game only intrigues us more.
On the next page we travel to New York, London, and Afghanistan...
The Division
The second of two open world Tom Clancy games at E3, The Division is set in post-apocalyptic New York City. Some sort of biological attack has turned the city into a warzone. This is where the eponymous Division steps in. The wintry holiday makes for an intriguing setting. The Division’s New York is a city frozen in time, struck down during what should’ve been a season of peace and happiness. There is something truly haunting about an abandoned street lined with festive wreaths. A new area in this open world called the Dark Zone was revealed at E3. Venture in to find the best loot, but watch your back – there are no rules in the Dark Zone.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
London is getting the Assassin’s Creed treatment this fall. Set in 1868 at the height of the Industrial Revolution, players can explore the many boroughs of London as the twins Jacob and Evie Frye. The city is set to be bigger than Unity’s Paris. There are new methods to traverse this dense city as well, such as the grappling hook and horse-drawn carriage. These carriages can be acquired Grand Theft Auto-style to chase down targets or just to get around the massive city.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The year is 1984. Big Boss is in Afghanistan. We got some hands-on time with the game and it looks like the “final” Metal Gear Solid game will not disappoint. The sweeping desert of Afghanistan is both gorgeous and massive. Big Boss now has the freedom to approach missions in any order and from multiple angles. There are jeeps, helicopters, mechs, and horses to commandeer. Using the Fulton Recovery System from Peace Walker, players can collect resources from all over the open world to upgrade Mother Base.
No Man’s Sky
Hello Games has been pushing the tech behind their enormous open world (open universe?) for some time now. No Man’s Sky promises a near-infinite universe full of planets to explore. Discover new alien life, collect resources, and upgrade your ship to push even farther into the cosmos. Players craving a truly vast game world should be happy with No Man’s Sky. We’ll have to wait and see if the quality matches the quantity. You can find our coverage hub here.
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