2018 has been a good year for so far for open world games – the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 alone would make it a great year for the genre. Yet, things are seemingly only going to get better if you are a fan of these types of games, with some great titles set to be released later this year and throughout the next. Here in our video game blog we take at look at some of the best upcoming open world games set to be released in the near future.
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Ghost of Tsushima
If Ghost of Tsushima fulfils the hype of its epic flute-laden E3 2018 trailer, it looks set to be one of the most beautiful games of recent history. I have been longing for a game like this ever since Tenchu first graced our consoles in 1998. Many games have come and tried to fill the void, but often unsuccessfully.
Ghost of Tsushima is an action-adventure open world game by Sucker Punch Productions. It is set in 1274 on the large island of Tsushima, which can be freely explored. The game’s protagonist is Jin Sakai, the last samurai during the first Mongol invasion of Japan, and the gameplay follows Jin in his quest to learn the way of the Ghost and gain independence for Japan by defeating the Mongol soldiers.
Even from what little we know of the game so far, it looks certain to be stunningly aesthetic. The light effects and the natural feel to the feudal era Japanese island shown in the gameplay demo are astounding, and if the gameplay can live up to the tone set in E3 there is nor reason why this can’t be one of the games of the decade.
Bafflingly, some of the early critics of the game point to the use of American voice actors for native Japanese characters. Whilst I understand that this can break immersion for some, this is a Japanese game and I am certain that it will be possible to change the language of the dialogue in the settings. Crisis averted.
This game truly has the potential to be one of the best upcoming open world games of its generation and we are very excited for its release. To find out more, watch the video below.
Days Gone
Days Gone is a survival horror game set in a post-apocalyptic open world developed by SIE Bend Studio and set to be released on April 26, 2019, for the PlayStation 4.
Early signs look promising and, in an era where post-apocalyptic zombie survival games seem to be overdone, this game seems to have got the genre down to a tee. In this game, players take on the role of Deacon, a bounty hunter who has adapted to life on the road adeptly and prefers to live on the go, rather than in stationery settlements.
The developers released a clip of the game in May earlier this year and the graphics and gameplay look slick, smooth and captivating. In all honesty, the revealed dialogue seems a little cringe-worthy and that could in part have something to do with the admission that there is only one writer working on the game currently. Still, this doesn’t take away from how great the game looks, and it looks like players have license to affect how the game plays out through the decisions they make. For example, in one of the early scenes Deacon has a choice to choose between killing one of the early game characters, Leon, or leaving him to the rabid undead.
An impressive part of the game is the interaction that the player must have with their open world surroundings. Deacon must craft and utilize items found across the land in order to survive through the world’s omnipresent foes and dynamic weather systems.
Days Gone is a game that has the potential to revitalize the survival horror genre and put it on the map in the context of open world games. This game is one to keep a close eye on for the future. For more information, watch the video below.
Cyberpunk 2077
Game developer CD Projekt Red have set the bar high in the standard of open world gaming with the release of their 2015 title, Witcher 3, and we have every reason to be excited about their upcoming open world role-playing game, Cyberpunk 2077.
The game will be set in the open world of Night City, California, and is adapted from Cyberpunk 2020, a tabletop game released in 1988. Unlike Witcher 3, the game will be played from a first-person perspective and will follow the story of a fully customizable and upgradable mercenary named V, who can interact with NPCs to take on quests throughout the six districts of Night City. Interactions will take place using a branched dialogue and some NPCs will be non-English-Speaking – for those who don’t understand the target language, a translation micro-chip can be purchased.
The game looks beautiful, not just graphically, but the futuristic world is heavily detailed and looks bustling with life. The characters that frequent the world seem to live their own lives independently and uniquely, which could add to a layer of immersion and make the world feel incredibly realistic.
There aren’t many negatives to the game that we can confidently assert thus far, but one feature that I would like to see added to the game is the ability to play in third-person perspective. Although it seems a lot of the cut scenes have been designed specifically for first-person action, when playing a game like this with fully customizable characters I think it is preferable to see the character you are playing, otherwise it effectively renders the customization pointless.
Despite this, Cyberpunk 2077 looks set to be one of the best upcoming open world games of its time and is a title that will take the world by storm if the previous CD Projekt Red projects are anything to go by. To watch some of the gameplay for this game, check out the demo video below.
Death Stranding
Death Stranding is an upcoming action open world game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 4. It has a star-studded cast with the likes of Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro on board for the project. It is the first developed game by Hideo Kojima since his 2015 departure from Konami.
Not too much is known about the game yet, but we do know that one of the key themes will be the concept of interconnecting life and death. The game’s protagonist, Sam, returns to the living world after dying and interacts with his surroundings in peculiar ways. As to be expected from a Kojima game, aspects of the story look set to be abstract, profound, and thoroughly captivating.
Visually, the game is stunning. It has been revealed that the developers are aiming for photo-realistic graphics and will be utilizing the same Decima game engine used in the aesthetically impressive Horizon Zero Dawn. If the trailer is anything to go by, the soundtrack to Death Stranding will also be masterful, and this is no surprise considering it is the same composer – Ludvig Forsell – who worked on Metal Gear Solid V with Kojima.
Death Stranding will almost certainly be a masterpiece. The surreal story will probably breed confusion, and with the right direction and gameplay dynamics that confusion can hopefully bring intrigue and beauty. One thing is for sure, we will await the arrival of this game with extreme anticipation. To find out more about Death Stranding watch the video below.
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If you liked this article, you might like our article about the greatest free open world games.
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