Summary
Open-world games feature many gameplay loops to stand out in a market full of sandbox titles vying for the player’s attention. A great way to capture a player’s attention is by compelling players to conquer and liberate areas by clearing out enemy forces, sabotaging their equipment, or fulfilling any other objective they’re assigned.
Conquering areas is a classic hallmark of the open-world genre that many games mess around with. For the most part, these titles will keep fans engaged as they acquire powerful equipment and clear out hostile zones in style.
Games will be ranked based on how satisfying and rewarding it feels to conquer areas.
Unlike the first two games,Mafia 3involves its fair share of open-world busywork where players liberate areas and take over the districts of New Bordeaux. This can get repetitive after a point, but ties in nicely with the game’s masterful story.
The game also lets players assign these districts to one of three underlings, including the returning Vito Scaletta fromMafia 2. While these criminals threaten Lincoln that they’ll leave if not given the power they deserve, all players need to do is distribute their acquired territory equally to keep all the mafia bosses satisfied.
While players love theovertly goofy and chaotic approach of laterSaints Rowgames, long-time fans agree thatSaints Row 2is the best game of the lot. It’s a shame that this title received a poor PC port and robbed many fans of experiencing a quality title in the series that struck a balance between its serious and goofy moments.
The city of Stilwater makes a return as the 3rd Street Saints acquire territory and take out viral gang members. Conquering these regions and increasing the gang’s infamy is a crucial part of the gameplay loop and something fans will love to engage with time and time again.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasis one of the best games in the series in the eyes of many. Players love controlling CJ as he comes back to Los Santos and rejoins the Grove Street Families. After a point, players will be tasked with taking over gang territory for the GSF, which makes for some fun arcade-y gameplay asplayers take out scores of Ballas and Vagos.
While this progress is reversed after some events, players eventually come back to Los Santos and must take over as much territory as possible to make progress in the story. It may sound like a grind, butSan Andreasis such an entertaining game that fans won’t mind going through this busywork to make progress and get the revenge they’re been salivating for all along.
Given thatAssassin’s Creed Syndicateis set in Victorian London, it’s easy to see why Ubisoft found it easy to integrate elements of gang warfare in this title. As the Frye Twins, players lead the Rooks and take over gang territory in London to establish dominance.
These missions are great and culminate in fun duels where players take out tough bosses and conquer a borough for themselves. It’s a shame thatSyndicatebecame the scapegoat for the poor performance ofAssassin’s Creedgames since it’s arguably one of the better games in the series and a title that fans of the classicAssassin’s Creedtitles will have a great time with.
While everyFar Crygame features the gameplay loop of taking over outposts and diminishing the enemy’s influence,Far Cry 4genuinely feels like players are waging a one-man war against Pagan Min to bolster the resistance.
With each victory, players conquer territoriesusing their immense firepowerfor the resistance to take over. After making enough progress, players storm the halls of Pagan Min’s castle and either let him escape or take him out in a fiery explosion to mark the end ofFar Cry 4’s adventures.
Technically, Jin spends a major chunk of his time reconquering areas that the Mongols have taken over inGhost of Tsushima. He’s a one-man wrecking crew who can use both honorable and underhanded tactics to get his way.
Liberating regions might seem done to death in the current gaming landscape, butGhost of Tsushimadoes just enough to keep fans engaged for the long haul. It helps that the game world looks so beautiful that players will feel compelled to take out the invading Mongols who are threatening the beauty of this island.
WhileShadow of Mordortoyed around with the Nemesis system, it’sShadow of Warthat expanded the concept to new heights. Players were encouraged to dominate high-ranking members of the orc forces, eventuallywaging wars to conquer fortsand bringing the fight to Sauron.
This made for amazing assaults as Talion led his forces to take out waves of orcs in massive wars that were as engaging as they came. It’s a shame that WB Games felt the need to riddle this game with microtransactions, but that’s a small complaint for what is otherwise an excellent open-world game that more fans need to check out.
TheMount & Bladeseries is perfect for fans who want to play open-world games with a focus on conquering areas.Bannerlordis no exception here, with players starting as a humble adventurer who eventually amasses a massive army to wage wars for their liege or even themselves.
The emergent gameplay ofBannerlordcoupled with its large-scale wars make it a great video game for fans to sink their teeth into once they grasp the basics of this complex title. Serving under a lord is perfect for beginners to grasp the ropes before they decide to fuel greater ambitions and make the most of the title’s engaging systems.
