Are some games too big for their own good?

It's been a while so I might be mis-remembering, but Sleeping Dogs was just the right size I think. Great example of how to do open world, though I guess their relatively low budget compared to other open world games probably contributed.

Need to go back to that game at some point.

Banjo Tooie is a game that has a world that is needlessly big. The success of the first one for me was because of how dense and contained the worlds were. But the sequel was just too ambitious, the worlds were so large but in reality they were desolate and boring.

Don't get me wrong I do love a big open world but a lot of them are way too big a recent example would be Ghost Recon Wildlands, a fun game but way too big and empty just for the sake of it.

The Yakuza games has a incredibly small map by today standards but they've got more going on in them and feel more alive than most games and that thats why bigger doesn't always mean better.

I think in some games they can be too big, but it's also about how things are joined together. For example both Minecraft and No Man's Sky have huge open worlds that are randomly generated, but somehow Minecraft just seems to fit together better for me and be less boring.

When I play No Man's Sky I just feel like, ok now I'm looking for some gold on a green world, ok now I'm looking for element X on a red world etc.

imbusydoctorwho wrote:Don't get me wrong I do love a big open world but a lot of them are way too big a recent example would be Ghost Recon Wildlands, a fun game but way too big and empty just for the sake of it.

See now I quite like the size of the Wildlands map, it makes it seem a bit more realistic in that this small squad of guys have to hump it for literal kilometres to get to their next objective, skirting around enemy camps or patrols along the way. Also means you end up favouring helicopter transport, which is always awesome :datass:

Plus the environments are really varied and genuinely stunning. Last night I was running around a snow-covered mountain and then after a short helicopter ride I'm in a sweaty jungle. Love it.

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Botw

Jezo wrote:Botw

I wouldn't say it is that big, you can move between places pretty quickly even on foot and because you can fast travel to shrines and towers it means going back a small way is easy.

Skyim I would say is too big, it takes too long to get places for the first time just because they could.

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Errkal wrote:
Jezo wrote:Botw

I wouldn't say it is that big, you can move between places pretty quickly even on foot and because you can fast travel to shrines and towers it means going back a small way is easy.

Skyim I would say is too big, it takes too long to get places for the first time just because they could.

The question is are games too big for their own good, not are some games bigger than others.

Jezo wrote:
Errkal wrote:
Jezo wrote:Botw

I wouldn't say it is that big, you can move between places pretty quickly even on foot and because you can fast travel to shrines and towers it means going back a small way is easy.

Skyim I would say is too big, it takes too long to get places for the first time just because they could.

The question is are games too big for their own good, not are some games bigger than others.

That's what I was answering botw I wouldn't say is too big for it down good for the reasons I mention. Skyrim I think is because there is too much empty stuff between places.

mrbrightside wrote:Banjo Tooie is a game that has a world that is needlessly big. The success of the first one for me was because of how dense and contained the worlds were. But the sequel was just too ambitious, the worlds were so large but in reality they were desolate and boring.

I used to get lost when exploring those levels, they really were far too big for a game of that type.

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Errkal wrote:
Jezo wrote:
Errkal wrote:
Jezo wrote:Botw

I wouldn't say it is that big, you can move between places pretty quickly even on foot and because you can fast travel to shrines and towers it means going back a small way is easy.

Skyim I would say is too big, it takes too long to get places for the first time just because they could.

The question is are games too big for their own good, not are some games bigger than others.

That's what I was answering botw I wouldn't say is too big for it down good for the reasons I mention. Skyrim I think is because there is too much empty stuff between places.

Still too much emptiness imo. 900 korok seeds was dumb as well. Too big for no reason.

BOTW is big enough to get lost, which is exactly how big it should be. There are some areas that lack density, like the North and East of Death Mountain, but I think the empty parts are easily avoided.

100% agree on Banjo-Tooie, I think that's the best example in this thread. Was really a much inferior game just because of it's expanded scope.

BOTW does have some areas of the map that offer less points of interest than others - I was moving through some of the Akkala region last night and was struck by how dull some of that space is, but for the most part they do a good job of keeping a source of fun nearby most of the time!

The korok seed hunt is a but rubbish though. It would have been nice if there were a greater variety of puzzle types for it - if I have to fill another bloody gap in a circle of stones again i'm going to lose it! I've started dropping the stone back on the head of the korok that emerges now as punishment for making me do the same bloody thing over and over again! :evil:

Those emerald hunting knuckles levels in Sonic Adventure 2 were too big, they were also incredibly confusing.

Never completed it, but I hear Okami is too big. I have had this on the PS3, Wii, PS3 and now the PS4 and have still not completed the bloody game! No doubt I will get the Switch version in the summer. :fp:

Vermilion wrote:Those emerald hunting knuckles levels in Sonic Adventure 2 were too big, they were also incredibly confusing.

Pretty sure I 'A' ranked all of those back in the day. :shifty:

Not the most fun part of the game for sure, I think they improved them after the original DC release?

gamerforever wrote:Never completed it, but I hear Okami is too big. I have had this on the PS3, Wii, PS3 and now the PS4 and have still not completed the bloody game! No doubt I will get the Switch version in the summer.

Okami is massive, but for me it earned that massiveness through the story and characters.

Going back to racing games, Forza Horizon games are big but The Crew is bigger, however I preferred the former because it uses the space a lot better, providing a tighter experience with just the right balance of checklist busywork vs. driving for fun/racing.

Bluesky

I don't see the problem with korok seeds in BotW. There's a ridiculous amount of them but that's kind of the point. It means that all that empty space isn't so empty - there's always some neat korok puzzle nearby to distract you if you feel like it. It's not like the game really encourages you to collect them all anyway because with less than half of them you can fully expand your inventory.

As to the prize for collecting them all being 'underwhelming', well they were never going to lock away anything too exciting behind something that'd require so much effort. You also have to be a bit crazy to seriously attempt to get them all.

I am not sure that I think any game is too big for its own good. If it is a good game, then I will have fun exploring the world. If it is a crap game, then the size of it isn’t going to make it any better or worse.

GTA:V for instance seemed huge at the start, but by the time I had aeroplanes at my disposal, I was wishing it was bigger.

The main thing in a big open world game is keeping enough there to enhance the game, rather than just making it large for the sake of it. The world can be empty though if it makes sense, a desert area should be large and mostly empty!

NickSCFC

The missions near the end of Horizon Zero Dawn where you have to travel the whole distance of the map several times and fast travel is disabled :fp:

Are some games too big for their own good?

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