Hideo Kojima is considered by many to be one of the greatest video game developers of all time, and one need only look at the popularity of the Metal Gear Solid series to understand why this is the case. It catapulted the developer to superstardom, with Kojima being able to showcase the fullest extent of his strengths with these espionage thrillers.
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The last entry in the series developed by Kojima is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain — a game whose development period is infamous due to the tensions that arose between Konami and Hideo Kojima, leading to the latter leaving the studio and working under Sony instead. Regardless of the problems that this game's story might have, there's no denying the fact that The Phantom Pain is easily one of the greatest open-world titles of all time.
For people who want to recapture the magic of playing this brilliant title, here are ten open-world games in the same vein as Metal Gear Solid V.
10 Marvel's Spider-Man
People were craving for a Spider-Man title that would showcase the strengths of the web-head in the best way possible — something that has been surprisingly hard to do ever since the groundbreaking Spider-Man 2.
Thankfully, Insomniac Studios managed to accomplish just that with Marvel's Spider-Man — a title that is considered by many to be the greatest game ever made featuring the iconic wall-crawler. Movement is smooth, combat is fluid, and the story is also brilliant, making for an unforgettable and must-play experience.
9 Mass Effect: Andromeda
While the latest entry in the Mass Effect series does drop the ball when it comes to the story and character writing, it definitely excels in a number of other departments that most people don't give this game enough credit for.
The exploration and combat featured in Andromeda are definitely two of the game's biggest highlights, making it quite evident that a move to a more open-world design definitely ended up playing in the game's favor... although the other aspects of this title could've used some work.
8 Batman: Arkham City
The Arkham series is considered by many to be one of the greatest open-world franchises of all time, with Rocksteady's reputation as a studio skyrocketing post the massive success of this series.
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Most people consider Arkham City to be the best game of the lot. The title was a massive improvement over Arkham Asylum, featuring a robust open-world, smoother combat, and a host of other mechanics that alleviated one's experience with the game substantially.
7 Far Cry 5
The Far Cry series has consistently boasted great open worlds and amazing stealth-combat gameplay, and Far Cry 5 features the greatest application of both these mechanics.
Of course, it certainly helps that exploring the open world, taking down the Seed family, and unlocking a host of alternative companions in any order can prove to be quite an engaging experience as well.
6 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
The Assassin's Creed series might lead more heavily towards its RPG roots nowadays, but there's no denying the fact that there was a time when the games focused more on its exploration and stealth mechanics.
For people who want to experience the series in its heyday, there's no better game than Black Flag. Aside from the extremely boring real-world segments, there's no other reason as to why anyone shouldn't play what is easily one of the greatest games in the Assassin's Creed series.
5 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor
The announcement of a Middle-Earth title was met with a ton of hype... and a fair bit of skepticism. After all, the series wasn't really notable for featuring excellent titles, and one couldn't help but wonder what new things Shadow of Mordor would bring to the table.
The answer to this was the Nemesis system — a masterpiece of procedural generation that allowed players to experience new and unique stories in the world of Mordor. Of course, it certainly helped that Shadow of Mordor featuring great exploration and gameplay as well, which helped it stand out as one of the biggest surprises of 2014.
4 Watch Dogs 2
The first title in the Watch Dogs series was a disappointing title that ended up underwhelming audiences due to a lack of many promised features and the poor implementation of existing ones.
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Thankfully, Ubisoft learned their lesson with Watch Dogs 2 — an infinitely better experience that improved on everything its predecessor set out to do... without any false promises either!
3 The Saboteur
In the conversation of open-world titles, there's one particular game that never got the recognition it deserved — something that proved to be the final nail in the coffin for its developer.
It's a shame, since The Saboteur is easily one of the more unique and artistic games out there. Featuring a focus on stealth gameplay, The Saboteur was unfortunately swept under the rug due to a myriad of technical issues. By the time the game received any sort of praise, it was already too late — Pandemic Studios ended up shutting its doors after The Saboteur's poor sales.
2 Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn has all the hallmarks of a Hideo Kojima title. A wild yet interesting story? Check. Excellent and polished gameplay? Check. Characters that constantly give exposition but somehow don't bore the player? Check, check, and check.
The idea of roaming through a post-apocalyptic landscape that's been overrun by robot dinosaurs sounds like the most enjoyable thing in the world, and props should be given to Guerrilla Games for turning Horizon Zero Dawn into one of the highlights of 2017.
1 Death Stranding
The Decima engine used in Horizon Zero Dawn was used by Hideo Kojima for his first-ever title post his unceremonious exit from Konami. So, it was only a given that the hype for Death Stranding would've been through the roof before release.
While the game might not have been what most people expected, there's no denying the fact that Death Stranding is easily one of the most unique attempts at creating an open-world title that didn't lean heavily towards combat. The story is incredibly obtuse — just like most Kojima games — and ends up being the strongest and most memorable part of the overall experience.