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What are the best third person exploration based open world games for Xbox One?

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Sep 26, 2021

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9 Games Considered

Best third person exploration based open world games for Xbox One	Price	Genre	Steam Rating
-- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	-	Action RPG	Overwhelmingly Positive
-- Batman: Arkham Knight	-	-	Overwhelmingly Positive
-- Grand Theft Auto V	$59.99	Action-Adventure	-
-- Night in the Woods	$19.99	Adventure, Narrative	Very Positive
-- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain	-	Action	-

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Gigantic openworld

Deviating from the previous two games Wild Hunt now has open world environments that are so large and detailed it can be intimidating. In comparison to other open-world games such as Skyrim the open World in The Witcher 3 is 3.5 time larger, in comparison the GTA5 The Witcher 3 is 1.5 times larger. See More

Top Con

Story feels like a chore

Most quests feel like a chore in that it is basically fetch quests in exchange for information to advance the story. While this is often a mechanic found in games to keep the gameplay long it does get tiresome. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Action RPG

Top Pro

Immersive story

The dialogue of the game is very intriguing as well as voiced superbly making for a very immersive experience as far as story is concerned. It is through the care the developers took to implement such realistic writing and voice work that makes the game so intriguing and an experience to play. See More

Top Con

Poor performance

With a frame rate capped at 30fps that often dips below as well as glitches in the "loading areas", Witcher does not perform as expected for a next gen release that is priced at full retail of $60. See More

Top Pro

Fun Combat

Combat in this game is both fun, and a bit challenging. There's a lot of ways to mix things like potions, various powers, and bombs to change up your strategy. See More

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Batman: Arkham Knight

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Excellent free-flow combat system

Batman: Arkham Knight still uses the combat system pioneered in the very first Arkham game, but with various improvements. It is intuitive, highly responsive and supplemented with power-ups, combos and ability to use gadgets to add variety and depth. See More

Top Con

Detective Mode investigation segments and the like are still boring and not good

Sometimes to push the plot forward the game will force you to do some "investigating," which basically comes down to a stupidly easy 'Where's Waldo?' minigame. It's not bad, but it doesn't really add much to the experience and feels kinda like a waste of time. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Incredible sound design

From gigantic booms and explosions to the quiet, more nuanced details of rain or the wind flying past you, this game sounds amazing. See More

Top Con

Lackluster, short DLC story missions

Don't buy the season pass unless you can find it on sale. It's not bad, but not worth an extra $20, and certainly not the $40 it cost before price drop. (FYI, you get a complete experience without the DLC - it truly is extra content, not main game content cut out and repackaged.) See More

Top Pro

A pretty great story

Takes inspiration from so many areas of past Batman lore and creates a more interesting interpretation of a classic story. There's some pacing issues occasionally and it goes on a little too long at points, but is more than redeemed by a compelling overall plot, excellent voice acting, and interesting characters. See More

Top Con

You need to collect every single Riddler trophy/challenge to get the "true" ending

Some people don't mind the Riddler missions, but it can definitely become annoying for others. See More

Top Pro

Large city to explore

A large city comprised of three separate islands makes up the area playable in game. Which is huge, making for much to explore for the player. See More

Top Con

Out of character for Batman to be killing enemies with guns on the Batmobile

Batman has never been a character that kills people, especially with guns. Seeing that the game has core gameplay elements where Batman is mowing down badguys with the guns on his Batmobile, it is really out of place and breaks immersion for those that are familiar with Batman lore. See More

Top Pro

Ability to drive around the Batmobile

Arkham Knight has the open world aspect of the previouc game but has now introduced the batmobile for use on the street with a full weapon loadout. Being able to drive around thee streets of Gotham as well as use the vehicle to take down bad guys makes for an exciting experience not seen in the series before. See More

Grand Theft Auto V

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Massive world

It's very easy to get lost in GTA V's world both figuratively and literally. It's partly because of the sheer size of 35 square miles, allowing you to spend hours just walking, driving, or even flying around the map. It's also because of the many beautiful sights you get to see, causing you to often stop and take it all in. So it doesn't matter if you're walking along a beach packed with people, biking around a dimly lit city, cruising down a highway next to the ocean, or just hiking on the forested mountains, GTA V's world feels like a real place you can explore endlessly. See More

Top Con

First person view makes driving difficult

Not being able to easily see what one is doing when reversing makes driving somewhat difficult. See More

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure

Top Pro

Great story wrapped in a biting and relevant social commentary

GTA V's story portrays the many reasons why criminals still exist in modern society, focusing on serious topics like corruption, greed, hypocrisy, and even the abuse of power. However, it's not all serious since it has its fair share of wacky moments, satirizing many aspects of modern society. This includes social media, consumerism, and even our growing inability to focus on important issues. All of this creates an engaging and thought-provoking story. See More

Top Con

PS4 and PC look better

With slowdown that makes the game dip below 30fps as well as less graphical elements than PS4 and PC the Xbox One version of GTA V is the least appealing option when it comes to the next gen version. See More

Top Pro

First person mode

Players can now play the entirety of the game in first person, making for the first time the game plays like this and gives a very different feel over the third person view everyone is accustom to. See More

Top Pro

More songs over last gen version

An extra 150 songs have been added to the Xbox One version over the 360. See More

Top Pro

Many improvements over PS3 and Xbox 360 version

Including that the game runs at a higher resolution there are also new textures, a better draw distance as well as better water and weather physics. See More

Top Pro

Full game in 1080p

The game runs at a native resolution of 1080p and 30fps. This is a higher resolution over the last gen console versions. See More

Night in the Woods

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The simplistic gameplay is surprisingly fun

Running around the side-scrolling town as Mae day in and day out is more enjoyable than it sounds at first. It's mundane, but there's a lot of meaning to find around the town if you're willing to look for it. You go wherever you want, finding out stories about the townspeople and the town itself, or hanging out with friends for scripted story moments. Poking around all over town to find out the history is pretty cool, like the underground diner that Mae used to steal from back in the day, or the old shopping mall that barely gets any customers anymore. When you're not talking to people or going somewhere, you can play around with the rhythm mini-game as you practice with Mae's bass either in her room or in her old band with her group of friends. You can fall into a nice habit of checking in with the NPCs and locations you care about most, almost like in real life where you prioritize the people and places you spend the most time around. See More

Top Con

Some pacing issues with the story

The story slogs through the premise of Mae's anxieties and disillusionment for a long time until it suddenly switches somewhere in the middle. There are a few hints here and there about how and why the plot becomes a murder mystery, but these things seem inconsequential and not as important as Mae's personal issues. It ends up feeling strange to change things up partway through to something unrelated to the original premise. While the murder mystery isn't necessarily bad, it would have been nice to see a more focused insight and resolution to Mae's young adult troubles. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

Top Pro

Great coming-of-age story

The coming-of-age story in Night in the Woods is unconventional for a video game, making it more unique and intriguing. After dropping out of college, the main character, Mae, struggles with her own disillusionment in life and refusal to grow up, all the while her old friends find success and move on without her. You join in on that struggle as you live as Mae: aimlessly going around town talking to everyone and listening to their worries, browsing your laptop when you're supposed to be doing other important things, and even pressing a button to wake up in bed every morning as a reminder of how mundane life can be. You see all the ways she doesn't necessarily want to grow up, wishing she could stay a kid forever, but then she talks to an old acquaintance who thinks she's washed up now, making her feel anxious about her failings as a young adult. This type of story is familiar for anyone who has also had a hard time with similar problems, and eye-opening for anyone who hasn't. See More

Top Con

The main character is insufferable at first

It's hard to like Mae from the start for a few reasons. She's extremely self-centered, she likes to steal for the thrills, and she has no interest whatsoever in fixing her shortcomings. Her life seems to be one awkward moment after another where you can't help but cringe in embarrassment, like in one early scene where she gets drunk at a party and blabs away about her personal problems after spending hours telling herself she wouldn't. As you get to know her, Mae might grow on you, but if you're the type to lose your patience with people who are immature, then you probably won't like her all that much. See More

Top Pro

Tragic, realistic setting and NPCs

Night in the Woods is set in Possum Springs, once a booming mine town but now a forgotten speck on the map, rife with poverty and decay. Its history is based on several real Adirondack towns, and its portrayal of rural decline is painfully accurate. The townspeople you talk to lament about having to close down their businesses, or wonder out loud how they'll make ends meet. Everyone's economic hardships feel real and relevant to anyone who's gone through the same thing or knows someone else who has. See More

Top Pro

Well-written side characters

Every character feels like they have a history and realistic personal motivations, even when they're left unexplained. Mae's friends are all different yet interesting in their own ways, like Gregg who's always happy to see her and helps Mae feel like someone truly cares, and Bea with her biting sarcasm and apathy that seem to cover up her more complex issues. The residents of the town also talk about things in ways that are true-to-life, like how they gossip about their neighbors as you listen in, or just flat-out tell you sometimes to leave them alone. Every character in the game feels like a real person, whether they're central to the story or just one of the NPCs you see sitting on their porch all the time. See More

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

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Multiple ways to approach a mission

Metal Gear Solid V gives players multiple choices on how to approach a mission or clear an outpost. For example, the player can choose to use stealth and cunning in order to complete their mission and kill only when it's absolutely necessary, or they can get in guns blazing and kill every single enemy soldier sometimes even sniping each one of them from afar or calling the helicopter for air support. This gives a special flavor to the gameplay and doesn't let it get stale for a long time since it leaves the choice on how to play to the player, without penalizing them for not completing a mission by using stealth (as other previous MGS used to do). See More

Top Con

Micro transactions

Something often found in free to play games is microtransactions, sadly they are included in the multiplayer aspect of The Phantom Pain going so high as $79.99 for a bundle of in game currency that can be used for advantage in the online part of the game. Considering that MS V already is a full priced title at $59.99, to see Konami milking their fans for never ending microtransactions is pretty disheartening, especially when considering they can be used to get a leg up over others in the multiplayer by easily creating more resources over other non paying players. See More

Specs

Co-Op:Single Player

Top Pro

Allows players to create their private military company

Throughout the story of the game, the player will be trying to rebuild their private military which was lost in the epilogue of the previous title in the MGS series. Other than building their "Mother Base" which is an ever-evolving giant structure which serves as a base of operations for the player and other NPCs which help the player, players can also recruit enemy soldiers to increase the size of their mercenary company. These soldiers can help based on their area of expertise to either work on developing new projects or be dispatched around the world to complete missions and earn in-game money. See More

Top Con

High learning curve

There is so much detail to grasp in the game that it can be overwhelming, especially at first. It will take a good bit of time to become accustomed to everything the game has to offer and how to control and interact with it. See More

Top Pro

Large assortment of tools and options

As one plays through the game they can develop more weapons and tools with the enemies they capture. While not every one has to be used, the sheer fact that their is so much choice makes for a lot of fun experimenting. See More

Top Con

Sub 1080p

Top Pro

Reflex system

Once spotted by an enemy time will slow down for a short period of time allowing the player to react more accurately in a tense situation. See More

Top Pro

Ever evolving Mother Base

One of the goals of the game is to capture as many enemies alive as possible. With those captured troops users can start building more of their base out, making for an even bigger and better experience as the game progresses. See More

Top Pro

Extremely intelligent AI

As the player levels up gear so will the AI, who are programmed to constantly keep the player on their toes. Being that the whole game is designed to allow the player tackle any level in a multitude of ways, seeing the AI always react differently makes for an original experience every time something is tackled. See More

Top Pro

Plays at a mostly solid 60fps

Mad Max

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Runs at 1080p

Mad Max runs at 1080p and is capped at 30fps. This allows for no frame drops while playing due to the frames being low already. See More

Top Con

Capped at 30fps

For a next gen title it is sad to see the game capped at 30fps. This is done in order to allow higher res textures to run in game with more effects, as that also has a high overhead but sadly is at the cost of a better framerate. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Fun sandbox

The game is based around being an open world sandbox where the player is free to do anything they like. See More

Top Con

No sense of urgency

While all of the gameplay takes place in a wasteland, there is no real sense of immediacy as the player is not ever going to starve or run out of water. This can pull the player out of the game due to not being very realistic and is pretty much geared towards keeping the game easy for casual players. Surviving in a wasteland should be tough, sadly it is not that difficult to do here. See More

Top Pro

Vehicle combat is the best part of the game

While there are fighting sections of the game where Max is on foot, the most exciting and fun to play sections are where Max is driving. Having a grappling hook to hook onto enemies while driving is a very fun thing to do as well as using it to pull down buildings and structures and this is just one of the elements of driving that makes all the driving parts stand out. See More

Top Con

Simplistic combat

Just as in other WB games the combat is simple and easy where in the player hits buttons timed with what button ques are flashing above an enemies head. Realistically one could just bash two buttons and make it through the games fights pretty easily. See More

Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Rewarding exploration

Each level is large, so there is quite a lot to see and do in each one. You'll be rewarded for exploring as there are many hidden items, weapons, and beautiful views to be found. This gives you an incentive to fully explore each location. See More

Top Con

Difficulty spikes late game

During the latter half of the game the gunfights will suddenly become a lot harder. While they're not impossible to beat, the sudden difficulty spike will take time to get used to. This may cause some frustration and worsen your overall experience. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Replayability through unlockables

Once a level is competed, you can to complete unfinished or new objectives. These will unlock new outfits or other items. This gives you plenty of goals to strive for outside the main story. Trying to complete all the optional objectives can be quite addictive. See More

Top Con

Stealth seems pointless

While there are stealth takedowns and you can be stealthy in many areas, there is no real incentive to be stealthy. You can easily take out most enemies in an open confrontation and you won't ever feel like you're truly in danger. See More

Top Pro

A variety of weapons to keep the gameplay fun

There are over 20 weapons to choose from, including handguns, shotguns, assault rifles, and bows. You can also craft special ammo or explosives such as nail bombs. This keeps the gunfights interesting since you can switch to a new weapon whenever it gets dull. See More

Top Con

Focuses on action too much

Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn't have many puzzles or slow-paced sections, so you never really feel like a treasure hunter looking for artifacts. There are just way too many gunfights and high intensity moments one after another. It would have been nice to see more puzzles to balance out the action. See More

Top Pro

Challenging but fair optional puzzles

In Rise of the Tomb Raider there are 9 optional tombs that serve as large scale environmental puzzles. They all rely on you reading the environment carefully. For example, one of them is a wooden ship frozen vertically on the wall of an ice cavern. The puzzle is reaching the treasure at the top of the ship. It might seem really hard at first, but if you carefully look at the environment you'll find a path. Solving one of these puzzles is really fun, especially because you get an upgrade from them. See More

Top Con

Overused and overly familiar plot

The gist of the plot is that Lara is searching for the key to eternal life. This plot has been used in other franchises such as Indiana Jones and Uncharted. It seems kinda lazy, especially because both of these franchises are also about treasure hunters. You won't be able to shake the feeling that you already know the story, which somewhat ruins the enjoyment. See More

Top Pro

Jaw dropping graphics

Rise of the Tomb Raider has phenomenal graphics and a very great attention to detail. Simple things like the snow moving as you step into it or how Lara's hair moves in the wind. This gives it a feeling a of polish most games don't have. The character models and animations are also phenomenal. Each of their movements and facial expressions look real, creating a movie like experience. See More

Top Con

Very linear

Most of the time you'll be forced to move along a single path. There are occasional quick-time events and simple puzzles, but every situation only has a single solution. This makes it feel more like an interactive movie than a game since you're never really given any freedom of choice. See More

Assassin's Creed Origins

Top Pro

Interesting stories make questing fun

Like in most RPGs, the quests in AC Origins can feel a little grindy, but this time you might not even notice it until you're deep into the game. Each quest is layered and wrapped in a different story, which adds to the overall lore of the game and hides the fact that it's still your basic "go kill the bad guy" or "get me this amount of that thing". A quite straightforward-looking quest might turn out to be anything but. See More

Top Con

Unreliable features may get in the way of combat

The fast-paced battles can be even harder due to some features not working reliably. For example, you can lock on a specific target in a group, and that works well for sneaky bow attacks, but in close combat there's an issue with switching between the targets. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Action-adventure RPG, Stealth

Controller Support:Partial

Top Pro

A vibrant and enticing world

AC Origins story unfolds in a pretty rare setting of Ancient Egypt under the rule of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The world feels alive and atmospheric with its diverse scenery and it just begs to be explored. You can run through bustling monumental cities, traverse the vast sandy deserts on the back of a camel or a horse, get some rest in a lush green palm tree-lined oasis, float down the Nile in a little dinghy - all this moving around rewards you with breathtaking and sometimes unexpected views, be it a golden pyramid or a rampaging horde of hippos. The map is massive, but it doesn't feel overwhelming because the movement is fast-paced, so much so that you can easily choose to avoid fast-travel. The setting, especially in the cities with their marble palaces, hieroglyph-covered obelisks, and sandstone monuments, lends itself well to the usual for Assassin's Creed climbing and free running. See More

Top Pro

Choose from a variety of stealth tricks

While sneaking around in AC Origins is mostly simple crouching in the bushes and hiding behind the trees or buildings, the stealthy killing and distraction part is really varied and fun. For instance, you can get the Predator Bow that lets you remotely steer your arrows after firing them, even get them to turn around a corner. The natural day/night cycle encourages you to use the darkness to hide your approach and take on the guards when there are likely less of them awake. You can also use sleep and poison darts, or open the enclosures of the animals so that they create distractions and even attack your enemies. You can even take control of your pet eagle and scout an area beforehand, allowing you to mark enemies. When control returns to your character, you'll be able to see the marks even through walls. See More

Top Pro

Challenging combat mechanics

The combat mechanics in this game require much more thinking-through than in the previous AC games. There's almost no chance to easily defeat multiple enemies at once, you need to block, parry, and know when to change your weapon. You have the ability to either deal a huge one-hit blow or supercharge your weapon by maxing out an adrenaline bar. See More

Fe

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Enemy encounters can be tense

There's no combat in Fe, resulting in some pretty tense situations with the monsters. If you are spotted by the Silent Ones, rather scary robotic creatures, they can kill you on sight. Hiding in a bush or climbing a tree in a panic to escape can deliver some pretty exciting and tense moments. No matter how careful you are in the open world, some objectives will require sneaking past or evading them to grab key items. These situations can deliver some of the most exciting moments in the game. See More

Top Con

Platforming is a bit unpolished at times

The platforming can feel a bit clunky or rough at times. For example, when climbing trees you have to jump to the top branch by branch. Hitting the jump button one time too many will result in falling and having to re-climb the tree from the base. It's just little unpolished details like this that can sometimes make the platforming feel a bit clumsy. See More

Specs

Genre:Adventure, Action, Platforming

Top Pro

Uses music as an interesting platforming mechanic

Songs are used to interact with the world and navigate the platforming aspects in interesting ways. Using various melodies, you'll be able to perform such actions as calling birds to help you cross large gaps, spring boarding off plants for super high jumps, and even summoning a stag to attack enemies. If you're ever lost, there is a melody you can use to call down a bird who will point you in the direction you need to be going. Using musical melodies to navigate the platforming is integrated incredibly well. See More

Top Con

Story can seem nonsensical

There is no dialogue in the game, so the story can be hard to follow at times. During cutscenes, sometimes you'll have no clue what's really going on due to their surreal and strange nature. A lot of the story is left up your own interpretation, which can be disappointing for those who prefer a solid, coherent narrative. See More

Top Pro

Exciting ability progression

Abilities are learned gradually as the game progresses by collecting gems and also learning the musical language of the forest life from plants and animals. As you gain more abilities or learn how to interact with more creatures, you can then go back to old areas and find new paths that were previously inaccessible. For example, birds that may not have paid much attention to you before may now gladly carry you over large gaps once you speak their language. Plants can springboard you high into the air once you can communicate with them. This ability progression is an exciting way to keep things fresh, and makes visiting old areas rewarding with new secrets to be found. See More

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