Summary
The PS4 era is when open-world games truly came into their own.The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,Ghost of Tsushima, andHorizon Zero Dawnwere all well-regarded as some of the finest open-world games on the system. This was the era when a lot of franchises were experimenting with the concept too likeMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.
It did not feature a true seamless world to explore, but it did offer players multiple, huge environments from deserts to jungles. What about the early open-world games on PS4? Does anyone remember these? Maybe the better question is are these games worth remembering?
Assassin’s Creed Unitywas a big deal leading up to the release of the Xbox One and PS4. It was the first new game in the series dedicated to these consoles with a giant open world to explore in France. Plus it was the first entry in the series toinclude co-op into the main campaignwhereas the previous multiplayer options were in separate modes.
It talked a big game but it ultimately fell flat on its face when it was released. Nothing seemed to work right. The multiplayer connections were scarce. The map was too cluttered with icons. The biggest problem was the glitches which led to hilarious memes and videos. That’s probably the only legacy this game still has.
Disney Infinity 2.0was a big update over the first game which had singular playsets for players to dive into. While this sequel had separate playsets as well, most of the main game revolved around exploring the city as one of dozens of Marvel heroes like Captain America or Hulk. Granted, the city wasn’t as big as other Marvel games likeMarvel’s Spider-Man 2but there was enough to do to keep players busy.
For a game aimed at kids, the skill trees for each character were quite extensive too from stat boosts to new powers. The only downside to the experience was the high point of entry thanks to the price of the game and figures. This is probably why the’toys to life' genrewent away as a whole.
There are a lot ofDragon Questgamesthat probably aren’t in the popular zeitgeist on a constant level. Aside from the main games, the spinoffs have never been that big outside of Japan.Dragon Quest Builderswas seemingly an attempt to usurpMinecraft.
The world wasdesigned likeMinecraftwherein players could mine for bricks and then use those collected materials to build and craft things from houses to swords. It was the most creative entry in the series to that point with many biomes to explore as the story progressed. EvenMinecraft’spopularity couldn’t boost this game into global success though.
Remember when Ubisoft made aFar Cryspinoffin the B.C. era wherein cavemen hunted wooly mammoths? That’s exactly whatFar Cry Primalwas about. It featured a true, massive open world wherein players could get lost in its history. There were no dinosaurs as this was a different age, but presumably, that might have sold better as a concept.
There’s a reason why companies keep making movies and games about dinosaurs and not about sabertooth tigers and wooly mammoths. That might be one reason why this came out and fell on deaf ears. It might have also been fatigue like too much of a good thing following bothFar Cry 3andFar Cry 4within a small window of time.
Avalanche Studios seemingly took a break fromJust Causefor a while to work on this original take on the Mad Max character. Players were given an open world to explore in the wastes of the U.S. They could go on foot although that would be silly since raving bands of killers were constantly driving around. That’s why keeping your car filled up and in good repair was so important.
It was as much a third-person action game as it was a car combat gamelikeTwisted Metal. For a licensed game, it was not bad and it reviewed okay. Plus it had the benefit of releasing in the same year asMad Max: Fury Roadwhich could have given it a bump. That was a double-edged sword though as the comparison between the two probably favoredFury Roadmore thanks to its color, story, and creativity.
Another Ubisoft title, they knew how to make competent open-world games with some hits likeAssassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagalongside some duds. However, as was said withFar Cry Primal, maybe Ubisoft oversaturated the market.Zombi, at least, was a bit different from others. It began as aWii U exclusive,ZombiU, before getting a port to the new consoles shortly after.
This is when it was retitled toZombi. Players woke up as a random citizen in London during a zombie outbreak. If they died, players would resume progress as a new character and they could retrieve the old gear on a corpse run. It had a similar difficulty level to a Soulslike although it wasn’t as punishing. While it may have passed the time on Wii U at launch,Zombiwasn’t as big on PS4 or Xbox One.
