The origins of open world games go back almost as far as the genre itself. However, the genre wouldn’t have its watershed moment until the release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001. Players love the freedom that comes with exploring a full world, whether that means stealing cars, scaling mountains, fighting dragons, or cooking meals with whatever ingredients you’ve scrounged up from the forest.
In no particular order, here are a few of my fave open world games!
From Altered Beast, to Golden Axe, to Comix Zone, Sega was once deeply invested in the beat-em-up genre. Of all their efforts, none were more highly regarded than the Streets of Rage series. Its success in the nineties carried across three entries on the Genesis.
While the genre has long since fallen out of favour due to its simplicity among many other factors, Streets of Rage isn’t exactly down for the count. We just got the critically-acclaimed Streets of Rage 4, which seems like a great modern take on the genre. Does the 90s fan-fave still hold up?
Powered by gorgeous visuals in-game and within cutscenes, Indivisible makes one heck of a first impression. And yet, I was almost completely repulsed by it for reasons beyond its control.
Having just purchased a Humble Bundle, my friend JJ found himself with an extra copy of SteamWorld Dig on the Nintendo 3DS. He was gracious enough to offer me the code. Then I forgot a out it for awhile.
Eventually, I found myself sitting on a train to Montreal with nothing to do. Firing up SteamWorld Dig for the first time, time melted away as I tore through their brilliant take on the Metroidvania genre. As the train pulled into Montreal, I was actually mad that I didn’t have a few extra minutes to wrap things up.
Thus began my love affair with Image & Form, the brilliant minds behind the SteamWorld series.
Over on Twitch, I recently wrapped up a playthrough of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. It’s a game that I’ve always held in high regard, but going through it now as an adult decades later further solidified its standing in my mind as an all-time great. What makes this one so special?
The night before every stream, I do a technical check. Firing up all of my equipment, I ensure that everything is functioning as intended and that the audio mix between my mic and the game. After configuring everything for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, I revisited an old fave: Super Punch-Out!!.
At the time of its release, I adored this game. Beat it many times over back in the day, and couldn’t put it down on this day until I sent the final boss down to the canvas. Much of my muscle memory was still intact, as I finished the campaign with a record of 16-2.
In large part, Super Punch-Out!! is still a great game and worthy of your time. Personally, I think it’s better than Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! – its predecessor that has reached mythical status in the gaming community. Even so, it quickly got lost in the shuffle at the time of its release and it’s nonexistent in the greater conversation of gaming. What happened? Continue reading
Widely considered to be one of the best and most influential games of all-time, Metal Gear Solid is a game I’ve been actively dodging for most of my life. Part of that stems from an anti-Sony bias that formed in the 90s that I’ve since shedded. Part of it came from being a stealth game. I hate stealth games with a passion (with one beautiful exception). Even when I bought a copy of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for under $10, I ended up selling it later on without ever playing it.
At long last, during a random PlayStation Classic stream, I did the thing. By the end of it, I wasn’t quite sure of what to do with this newfound knowledge.
Hell bent on wrapping up the final two worlds of Yoshi’s Island in one sitting, this stream went into overtime as I struggled to push through the game’s surprisingly challenging final levels. As we march Baby Mario towards Baby Luigi, I vent about Bunny Day in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Also, what the heck is a cuddler!?
Click through for the full stream, highlights, and shoutouts!
In hindsight, it seems so obvious to push the pot. But in the moment, I oddly struggled trying to figure out how to take down this potted plant boss in Yoshi’s Island! Throughout the stream, I share an update regarding my dying Nintendo Switch, and things get really nostalgic in this edition of show and tell! Apologies for the abrupt ending due to technical difficulties!
Click through for the full stream and shoutouts!
In hindsight, it seems so obvious to push the pot. But in the moment, I oddly struggled trying to figure out how to take down this potted plant boss in Yoshi’s Island! Throughout the stream, I share an update regarding my dying Nintendo Switch, and things get really nostalgic in this edition of show and tell! Apologies for the abrupt ending due to technical difficulties!
Click through for the full stream, highlights, and shoutouts!
