Dozens of amazing open-world games will be remembered until the end of time, but amidst all the greatness lies a small selection of titles that many people have written off for many years. When you first play a game, that initial perception is incredibly important, so if you come out the other side with a sour taste in your mouth, the impact will likely stay indefinitely, yet I would argue that a lot of these games deserve a second look.

There are many reasons why a game's image may be tainted after launch, whether it be bugs, performance, or just a general level of quality, and although that criticism is certainly fair to bring to the table, the reality can be vastly different from those bad memories. With more and more shoddy releases and a much higher bar to clear than ever before, I think it is important to take a look back and appreciate some of the more underappreciated titles in the open-world space and to give them a chance to prove themselves as genuinely fun and engaging experiences.

Mad Max

Bringing The Big Screen To Life

Details:

• Car customization directly shapes the combat
• Harsh world design reinforces the theme of survival

Mad Max was overshadowed at launch by much larger open-world releases, like The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4, but the gameplay and vehicular combat remain some of the best the genre has produced. Every upgrade changes how encounters unfold, turning your movements around the map into part of the combat system, and being able to actually experience the epic action from the Mad Max universe firsthand feels pretty damn awesome.

I think what allows the game to stand so tall today is the world design, as the wasteland feels genuinely hostile and empty in a way that promotes the themes of isolation and desperation without having to do so with exposition or direct storytelling. Rather than constantly filling the map with distractions, you are able to really take in the atmosphere and appreciate the worldbuilding for what it is, and truly feel lost in a dying world with no signs of salvation.

Biomutant

A Different Kind Of Apocalypse

Details:

• Flexible character builds
• Engaging combat and world design

Biomutant received criticism at launch, partly due to performance issues but also for repetitive dialogue and uneven pacing that made many of the story beats fall short of the finish line. With that said, the creativity is pretty difficult to ignore, from the character mutations to the weapon crafting, all the way to the martial arts skills that combine into a progression system built around experimentation and constant adaptation that can stand toe-to-toe with the best in the space.

Like many others, I put the game down at first, not really connecting with the world and writing it off as another average open-world game. But after coming back to it a few years later, I was pleasantly surprised by how fun exploring the environments was and how fun the combat was, so if it's sat gathering dust in your library, I highly recommend giving it another whirl.

Days Gone

Those Bugs Are No More

Details:

• Reactive horde mechanics
• Genuinely emotional storytelling

If there is one game that comes up more than any other on the topic of underappreciated games, then it has to be Days Gone. The launch was, for lack of a better word, terrible, being riddled with issues and bugs that basically made the game unplayable for some and a chore for others, yet as is the way with many modern games, things improved dramatically later on, but the damage was unfortunately done.

That reputation was something that pushed me away from the game for a long time, until I finally decided to enter the apocalypse myself, and I am very glad I did. The horde encounters are so intense and become the main source for a lot of the action throughout the story, and once they start scaling up, I always found myself tested, having to think about every resource and potential route of escape until finally, the light at the end of the tunnel appeared.

The Technomancer

Eurojank At Its Best

Details:

• Choice-driven faction systems
• Decent skill variety

The Technomancer is one of the best examples of a Eurojank RPG, having so much ambition and depth even in the face of some glaring polish issues. Role-playing is front and center, and there are plenty of opportunities to write your own story, from the faction questlines to the companion systems that add meaning to every action.

The setting is what drew me in the most, as you are transported to an unstable and oppressive environment that isn't afraid to show off the social and political divisions in great detail. In a lot of ways, it feels like a classic RPG wrapped in a new lick of paint that may have its shortcomings, but is still able to hold your interest for dozens of hours on end.

Prototype

Far From The Typical Hero Story

Details:

• Mutant abilities that let players dominate their enemies
• Chaos as a core mechanic

Prototype is an incredibly mechanically satisfying open-world game that doesn't care so much about realism or sanity, and instead leans heavily into the realm of the absurd. Alex Mercer is a monster in the best way possible, and you have complete control over how to move around the map and how to annihilate anything in your way, even if it means a few civilian casualties.

Time and time again, I have come back to the back, as despite its age and obvious flaws, there really is nothing else out there quite like it. The embracement of destruction is too much fun, and as silly as things can get, that sensation of being overpowered never really gets old.

Watch Dogs

Not A GTA Killer, But Close Enough

Details:

• Hacking mechanic alters how the world plays out
• Interesting mission locations and objectives

Watch Dogs launched as a serious competitor to the dominance of GTA, but for many people, that level was simply too high to even come close to. Conceptually, being able to drive around and hack traffic lights, bridges, and even people sounds pretty cool; in practice, the mechanic works surprisingly well, giving you plenty of chances to cause mayhem without ever having to leave the car.

I always found that the gameplay felt far more tactical and responsive than many similar games, and when it came to the multiplayer, both the co-op and PvP proved to be pretty fun, regardless of who was involved. The sequels expanded the formula into several new directions, but I would argue that the original still stands as the best in the series and a real landmark in the wider open-world space.

Rage 2

Pure Apocalyptic Carnage

Details:

• Relentless pacing throughout
• Enemy encounters encourage aggression

RAGE 2 was often criticized for having a fairly generic open-world structure, something that quickly tainted its reputation before it could really hit the ground running. When I returned to it, I expected a fairly lukewarm experience, but the combat and movement managed to carry the whole experience by creating constant, highly aggressive firefights built around momentum and continuous action.

The game succeeds most when it stops pretending to be a traditional open-world checklist experience and simply lets the combat systems speak for themselves. Shotguns, gravity powers, and aerial movement create encounters that feel closer to a DOOM game than a standard sandbox shooter, and as a result, you get to play through a more mechanically demanding world that has far more depth than its review scores would suggest.