Open-World games more alive than Elder Scrolls games

Open world games have seen a big boom in the last two decades. At first it was all about how big the world could be and all the places you could go were previously locked behind an invisible barrier. It was revolutionary for exploration because we finally got games where we could decide how to go about interacting with the world and its story. Players were no longer trapped to just follow a linear quest line; if there was a mountain you wanted to climb, then you could.

The Elder Scrolls games were some of the biggest titles to popularize the format, and while their influence cannot be denied as they are absolutely stellar games, a lot of the focus has been on the amount of content in these worlds rather than how vivid and immersive the worlds are. With regard to Skyrim came out about fifteen years ago, it's safe to expect that Bethesda is likely to innovate a lot The Elder Scrolls 6 and deliver something stunning considering the rather stiff competition from other open world games. However, for now, here are a few games that can come out on top The Elder Scrolls series with how incredibly vivid their worlds feel.

This does not mean that these games are better than all of them The Elder Scrolls titles necessarily, but they excel at creating worlds that feel dynamic. We'll use Skyrim as the main benchmark because it's the newest and arguably the most technologically advanced title in the series.

Honorable mention: Cyberpunk 2077

Honorable mention goes to Cyberpunk 2077. There's no doubt that this game has come a long way since its release and is easily one of the best and most atmospheric open world RPGs ever made. That said, a lot of Night City feels a bit like a backdrop at times, and there are large areas that could use a little more love to really make the city feel cramped and alive.

It's nice to see NPCs with unique looks and walking styles, but so many of them can't be interacted with in any meaningful way, nor do they change much as the story progresses, so it loses a bit in that regard. He excels at telling excellent, deep stories and creating beautiful environments.

Gothic 2

You can't be everyone's best friend and the world will let you know it

In the majority The Elder Scrolls games, you can join factions in a fairly unlimited way. There are a few choices you have to make, of course, like either choosing the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks, or just choosing one of the three great houses you can see in Morrowind. Besides, it's a free world Gothic 2where simply wearing the wrong type of armor can turn some characters into enemies and your credibility and character standing actually matter.

Characters will react to you based on how they perceive you and the type of clothing you're wearing. Although it does happen a bit Skyrimwhen guards comment on what type of armor you're wearing or what weapon you're carrying, it's dialed up to 200% Gothic 2 and has more tangible gameplay implications. It really shows that a lot of thought went into the game.

The world and combat are also quite challenging and you need to be prepared and approach it with a strategic mind to memorize attack patterns before you encounter a challenge, even something as small as a wolf. It's a far cry from comparably relaxed combat The Elder Scrolls games, though melee on high difficulty Skyrim it's definitely not easy either.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl

Learn the zone or he will torture you

Skill progression v The Elder Scrolls the games end up making a lot of them look like cakewalks unless you play on very hard difficulty and with mods. Leveling up gives you points that will charge you up significantly, which is completely lacking in it STALKER 2.

The developers are very committed to making rough zone survival rewarding and immersive in the sense that you as a player have to learn how to become a better survivor on your own rather than relying on buffs granted through XP. There's an ever-present, eerie atmosphere as you fight for resources against the very world itself, which is built to be hostile and look down on you. Not only that, the NPCs and creatures, despite all the chatter the franchise is known for, also feel very dynamic. You can join two factions fighting each other or see mutated creatures roaming the wilds and hunting.

One important gameplay feature that further enhances how alive the world feels is the reputation system. As long as you're in the group's favor, you can find cover with them, but if not, they'll turn hostile once they spot you. On the contrary, in Skyrimyou can join the Imperial Legion and still go to Windhelm pretty freely. You don't really take on the other side of the war until you start progressing through the quest

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Decisions have tangible consequences that are reflected in the world

One of the main criticisms The Elder Scrolls game is that your decisions rarely have much impact on the world and its characters. Fallout 3 and 4 did a little better, but outside of Bethesda games, The Witcher 3 he probably did it best.

Your choices during quests as Geralt will later come back to haunt you for better or for worse, to the point where you may regret or second guess. It's a world where finding the right path isn't always obvious, and choosing one path will almost always hurt someone else or even decide the outcome of wars and other major conflicts between factions. These choices carry over from region to region, and you'll see how they affect the characters, monsters, and villages around you. Sometimes it seems almost impossible to predict what matters.

For example, one interaction with Ciri that leads to a snow globe is more important to her ideal ending than one might imagine. It's a do-or-die type of choice that you simply don't find in a game like this Skyrimand it can lose you permanently or have characters' fates sealed long before you knew what was even going on. This also extends to the characters you end up falling in love with, with somewhat funny consequences if you end up trying to get both Yennefer and Triss at the same time.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Henry Better Be On His Best Behavior

It's a shame Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 didn't fare better at The Game Awards, as much of the game could almost be considered a medieval simulation. Henry's life is dictated by many things: cleanliness, clothing… even his ability to read or his scholarship skills. If you're a smelly, poorly dressed, drunk gentleman behaving rudely in the middle of the village, you better believe people will notice and comment on it, unlike The Elder Scrolls titles where you basically never have to bathe. At most NPCs can comment on it, but you can't joke and lose reputation.

But here, forget about trying to convince someone if you are dirty. Your bad behavior and reactions, especially when you stand up to people calling you a stinking pig, will also affect your overall reputation, so it's actually in your best interest to behave yourself if you don't want to piss off half the people in the world. It's a nice change to not have anyone come out to meet you because you're a powerful chosen one because you're not. You are only a small part of the world, its inhabitants and everyone in it Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 it will definitely remind you. Oh, if only you could tell the Whiterun guards to leave after they ask if you've lost your sweet roll!

Red Dead Redemption 2

The world lives on, with or without Arthur

It's for good reason that they praise so much Red Dead Redemption 2 for its immersion. Like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2it has the magical power to make you feel like a drop in the bucket in the world instead of interacting with it as your playground like a god. NPCs have real lives and real reactions when you approach them. They will remember your actions and your gang will even comment if you just shaved. Shopkeepers get mad at you for circling the counter.

There are so many other insanely small but amazing details in the game that you might miss if you blink. In restaurants, food will not just disappear or remain on the plate, but will be gradually consumed by the NPCs who eat there. If you push him for a while, your horse will tire. Dead bodies will decompose over time instead of just disappearing into the ether. Even animals in the wild follow their routines, cats hunt rats and eagles swoop down to catch snakes.

The world is not just a backdrop where the characters go through animations and movements, but is actually fully alive and Arthur's behavior has consequences, thus the Honor system. This isn't just flavor either, as both low and high honor have their own unique endings. Overall, it's a game that very few open-world titles will likely ever be able to surpass in terms of immersion and technology, but one can only hope that The Elder Scrolls 6 he takes a page out of his book.