Getting through games used to exclusively be based on going through linear levels, either going through them eternally (or until the player reached a kill screen) or until they reached the game’s ending. But there were a few games, even in the medium’s earliest days, that dropped the player in a wide-open world and let them figure out how to progress.
Elitesaw players fly through the cosmos to catch bounties and make trades.MetroidandCastlevaniaexperimented with searching around one giant level for powerups to access new sections.Grand Theft Auto 3gave players a whole city to ride around and cause chaos in. But Sega has also made its mark in the genre with its great open-world games.
Games both developed and published by Sega will be considered here.
7Jet Rocket
For one, Sega arguably created the open-world genre in the first place. Their 1970 electronic arcade gameJet Rocketused video projections to make it feel like the player was really flying a plane. Their mission was to fly around in search of fuel dumps, missile sites, fortresses, etc., and blow them up with rockets.
Since the player roamed around at their leisure instead of going from Level 1 to Level 2, etc., the game has been cited as the first in the open-world genre. It’s also the first flight sim, as it tried to replicate real aerial attack missions, and the earliest first-person shooter since all the action took place from the first-person view. The game would go on to inspireElite, alongside clones likeFlotillaandTarget Zero.
6005
Hub Worlds
005is already credited asthe first stealth gameby some, like the Guinness Book of Records. But it also made contributions to the open-world genre, like being the first game to use hub worlds. Instead of sneaking from warehouse to warehouse via levels, the player sneaks around buildings and picks a warehouse to sneak around in and find secret documents.
Once they’ve found all the secret documents, they then have to reach a waiting helicopter without being spotted to beat the game. Aside from having the thrills a stealth game allows, it gave players the chance to complete the game in any order they liked. They could go to the simple warehouses first or get the ice rinks out of the way first to give themselves a break later. The choice was theirs.
After005, Sega generally stuck to linear progression.Outrunlets players choose which tracks to take toward one of 5 goals, though it wasn’t exactly an open-world racer. Likewise, their main mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, was able to explore levels in multiple directions inSonic 3D Blast, and race around hub worlds inSonic Jam,Sonic Adventure 1, andSonic Unleashed.
However, it wasn’t untilSonic Frontiersthat the Blue Blur really got to race around an open-world setting. Like mostSonicgames sinceSA1, it proved to be a polarizing entry, with many not being too keen on Sonic’s new combat mechanics, the Boost-style Cyberspace levels, or the difficulty of the DLC. Yet others found it to be a fun time and one that could only get better if developed further for future games.
Speaking of polarizing games, the shine has been off theShenmueseries for a while now. On the one hand, they are showing their age with their clunky controls and story progression (keep an eye on the time or miss a key mission). It didn’t help that players had to wait 20 years forShenmue 3, which played more like a game from 2003 than 2019.
But on the other hand, the original games were revolutionary for their time. They were essentiallyYakuzabefore theYakuzagames, from the quick time events and dramatic storyline to the little things like collecting figurines and playing arcade games. Out of the 3 games,Shenmue 2is generally seen as the best one, where lead character Ryo tracks his father’s killer down toHong Kong and Guilin.
The originalYakuza/Like a DragonandShenmueshare more DNA than fans of either series are willing to admit. Even so, they are more different from each other than theJudgmentseries are fromY/LAD. It’s pretty much from design, as Yagami is still roaming aroundY/LAD’s Kamurochō district. Plus, withYakuza: Like a DragonandInfinite Wealthbecoming RPGs,Judgmentgives the city brawler fans something to stick with.
But which is better:Judgmentor its sequel,Lost Judgment? The former has a stronger story, but the latterlets people skateboardacross Kamurochō and Isezaki Ijinchō. On top of that, they can race bikes, take part in Battlebots-style tournaments, find hidden objects with a pet dog, and juggle opponents with its newly refined switchable fighting styles. It’s got a lot to do, to say the least.
Still, this list wouldn’t be complete without aYakuzagame. More refined thanShenmue, and with more games thanJudgment, players are spoiled for choice. Still,some games are better than others.Y3is dry compared toY4, which isn’t as big asY5, which is more bloated thanY6.Yakuza Kiwami 2improved onY6’s gameplay, but not necessarily on the originalY2in story and atmosphere.
Luckily, there’s an easy way for players to see if the series is right for them.Yakuza 0is the chronological starting point for hero Kazuma Kiryu, offering one of the best stories in the series with a stunning recreation of 1980s Japan. If players love the story, the substories, switchable styles, minigames, and explorable locations here, they’ll at least have fun with the other games in the series too.
IfShenmue’s stock has fallen over the years,Jet Set Radio’s is still stable. Inspired by the anti-establishment views inFight Cluband the hip-hop charm ofParappa the Rapper(seriously), players picked a skater and roamed around cities to tag as many key spots with graffiti as possible. If they ran out of paint or ran low on health, they had to find spray cans to replenish one or the other to keep tagging.
The first game was acult favorite for the Dreamcast, albeit bettered by its Xbox-exclusive sequelJet Set Radio Future. The goal was the same, only it got rid of the time limits, letting players spray targets whenever they liked. The stages also joined together into one big open world, with collectibles hidden all around to encourage exploration. With its long-awaited sequel now on the way, only time will tell if it can top its predecessor.
