I want to grapple, glide, wall run, etc around a big open world. What are some games you think are fun for that?
I picked up Sunset Overdrive on a sale, and the rail grinding is fine I guess, but it’s just not clicking with me.
Mirror’s Edge
I haven’t played it in 15 years or so, but I think it wasn’t open-world?
Mirrors edge catalyst then.
That’s true, I missed that
maybe not quite what you’re looking for but the shadow of mordor series has a liiiitle bit of that. obviously not as city-focused as arkham or spider-man.
Your character becomes a double jumping revenge ghost sprinting through the environment pretty early in the second one.
Good suggestion.
Just Cause series is great for that, JC3 being an absolute joy of free movement. I used to spend hours just gliding with grappling hook and fly suit.
I saw that one thrown around when I was searching before. I wouldn’t really be playing it for the story, but as long as the story’s there, should I be familiar with the first two?
anything that matters in that game is introduced or explained in it.
Honestly, there’s nothing you can really miss IMO, the game presents everyone and everything in a nice and smooth way and you won’t ever be lost.
Prototype was my jam back in the day, since I had Xbox and not a PS3 and couldn’t play Infamous.
Having played Infamous finally on PS5… Prototype is actually better anyway and it’s insane how it was overshadowed by Infamous to begin with.
Ahh good old times, jumping from building to building like hulk. It had good story too which I didn’t appreciate the first time I played cause I was young and couldn’t understand it fully.
Tchia - it is a relaxing game, but I enjoyed it when I needed a break from intense games or intense life.
You can sail a boat, swim, glide, slide down hills, flip through the air AND transform into object and animals. When you are an object you can hop and throw yourself. When you are an animal you can do whatever they do, fly swim, run, see in the dark, poop on people, break coconuts, and more.
if you haven’t, please play just cause 3. it is genuinely one of the greatest games ever made and the entire premise is: ok here’s your grappling hook, parachute, wingsuit, bombs, and guns, now go blow up every thing and/or person with red on it. there is a story (and it’s decent) but who cares, you upgrade your shit by doing cool stunts and the main mode of progression is a how-much-shit-have-you-blown-up-in-this-area meter.
you upgrade your shit by doing cool stunts and the main mode of progression is a how-much-shit-have-you-blown-up-in-this-area meter.
I’d also say 2 is worth it. Not as good as 3 but still a load of fun… Ah man, I might have to reinstall, I almost forgot about it until you said this!
2 is absolutely worth it, but man 3 is probably one of my favorite games ever.
JC3 is fun to just spend hours dicking around in, or seriously investing it with the gameplay. It’s honestly amazing how good of a game they made around the concept of “blow up some shit, and then blow up some more shit”
I can’t even play JC4 because JC3 was just so good. Why the hell did they change the formula in 4? The missions are boring as hell in 4. They kept the “fight these guys,” “open these doors,” “release these prisoner” missions, but I have yet to be tasked with destroying, well, anything. 😮💨
The only thing in 4 I liked more than 3 was that the rocket things you can stick on stuff can be used multiple times and don’t automatically explode, so you can use them to fly a car without fear of blowing up.
100% agree. JC3 is a gem of a game
It’s also a beautiful game. I would spend hours just zipping around and taking in the scenery. Thanks for the reminder that I need to replay JC3
true, and it looks that good without trying to shove raytracing and stuff like that down your throat so it runs smoothly on real computers and not just Nvidia’s latest cash grab.
the story is much better in jc2 but it’s so hard to go back to with how well executed the movement was in 3. it’s a shame they skimped on the writing.
like, the final boss in 2 is a fist fight on a flying cluster of ICBMs. the final boss in 3 is… a helicopter.
yeah the story isn’t amazing but everything else is the best ever made
The first ones that come to mind are : Prototype Infamous Hulk
If you like the flow but it can work without gliding/grapple games with parkour can be up your alley like mirrors edge (catalyst is open world) or dead something (rising, island?)
I recently loved Tinykin for the same movement is fun reason, not really open world but 6-7 big worlds. Ni gliding but lots of movement flow. Another not open world (and not third person) is Titanfall 2, loads of wallrun/jump.
Not sure if it counts as open world, but a souls-like platformer with some great movement is Blue Fire
Prototype 1 & 2, you’ll love the glide movement
Why not go to the original? Mirror’s Edge (2008) has still probably the best first person movement of any game. Unlike it’s sequel, It’s not an open world, but many cited it as a plus, since the levels still feel free but very well designed asking you to sprint through - and nearly the whole game you just run and climb with very few interruptions.
Was also coming in to recommend mirrors edge, what a great game.
Dying Light, the zombie parkour game was also good and had great movement mechanics.
I recently learned that Mirror’s Edge was written by Rhianna Pratchett, daughter of Terry Prachett.
I’ve played the first Mirrors Edge to like 75% maybe three times over the years since it released. I just started downloading the second today. Do you think it is ill advised to skip the last quarter of the first? It has been a while since I played it and I feel like I would burn out again.
Great game. I think it’s me.
I absolutely LOVED Mirror’s Edge. That feeling of hitting flow in game and out of game as you just move smoothly from point to point was just amazing. I played originally on
PS2PS3 and almost got the plat trophy. I loved trying not only to find the fastest path but the smoothest, the weirdest, the pacifist, etc. It was great.Then I tried 2 for like 5 seconds before I dropped it. It immediately felt like a betrayal of the first game. I hated the UI. I hated the color grade. I hated the style. I hated what seemed like a turn toward the violent.
Mirrors edge wasn’t on ps2… Was that a typo intending to be ps3 instead?
Yep
Okay this is a little off script since it’s not an open world game, but if you’re only looking for satisfying movement you should take a look at Neon White. Just be warned that the writing is… on the cringier side. But that doesn’t really matter in the end.
Steep (snowboarding, skiing, paragliding, wingsuiting) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (fast travel is an option, but come on, enjoy that ride!) are the two that I really enjoy.
Loved Steep and have tons of hours on it. However, my issue with it is that it is a purchase for a single playthrough: there’s no way to start over. I didn’t play in years, mostly forgot how to play and would like to have a few tutorials, rediscover the open world again, etc.
Great choice with Steep. Very underrated still
Echo Point Nova. Super fast and fun. Hoverboard, Wallrides, grapple, etc are all here.
Ooh, I wasn’t thinking of first-person games, but that does look pretty gnarly.
The game makes you feel like a badass.
I came here to recommend this, too. This game lets you really hit a nice vibe with the movement. Has co-op, too!
I haven’t played the PC version, but I expect it’s the same as the console version: Prototype (from Activision in 2009; there’s another game listed with the same title). The story is utter garbage, but everything about the moment to moment gameplay is great, and it definitely checks the boxes you’re looking for. I never played the sequel, because it re-used the same map, and that’s a lot like playing a Mario game with all of the same levels as the one before it, but this first game rules.
If you have access to something that can play Xbox 360 games, I’d also highly recommend the first Crackdown.
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that one, but I never got around to trying it. Sort of a grimdark/knockoff Venom version of Infamous, yeah?
I believe it has a direct lineage from a game based on The Hulk called Ultimate Destruction, and you can feel that. You’re super jumping, gliding, and sort of like Venom, consuming people to pose as them. There are missions with a stealth element, but other times you’re throwing tanks at helicopters. Holding the run button will have you effortlessly doing cartwheels off the tops of cars and wall running straight up skyscrapers.
Oh damn, it’s descended from Hulk UD? I loved that game, definitely one that was on my mind for this type of game. I’ll certainly be checking this one out then.
Not all open world, but:
- Dying Light 1 has a really fun parkour movement system (haven’t played Dying Light 2)
- Ghostrunner, also kind of parkour-based, really gets you into a flow state once you get the hang of the movement
- Vanquish is always pretty satisfying IMO, both movement and combat
- Jet Set Radio or its spiritual successor, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (different dev, same idea) are really fun, especially with friends
- The remake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is pretty damn good
Unfortunately Jet Set is not sold on steam anymore
Ah, damn. I did buy it many years ago, but it’s unfortunate that new users can’t access it.
BRC is an incredible replacement though. It’s not quite the same as OG Jet Set Radio, and I think that’s okay, but it is very clearly walking around with JSR’s bones inside. Besides which it has probably my favorite video game soundtrack from the past decade.
