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Certinfy

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
3,476
I had the same fears but after playing it I'm fine with it. If you choose you can more or less make it a linear experience, just ignore everything else.
 

Mr.Deadshot

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,285
Yeah those sections are pretty bad and the overall pacing is off. Will probably end up being my least favorite Gears game but not for this reason alone. Currently in Act 3 so things might change. The whole game should have been like act 1. That was GREAT.
 

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,308
I had similar concerns while playing Act 2 and particularly Act 3. Far too much skiffing back and forth in boring, featureless plains. It felt like artificial padding and as if The Coalition were checking the 'open world' box in the misguided belief that this is how Gears needs to stay relevant in 2019. Thankfully Act 1 and 4 were classic Gears, but at less than half the campaign it points to a worrying direction for the future of the franchise.

I feel like this is an exaggeration. Gears 5 is very much a linear game with the option of experiencing some side missions if you choose to stray from the beaten path. It's not an open world at all.

The skiff essentially replaces the "slow walk" exposition & dialing dumps from previous games.
 

nekkid

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,823
See, you made an excellent point on me being wrong and maybe I'll check that shit out in the future since I'm way too invested in the MP right now, but we'll just agree to disagree on controlling the glider. I hated it instantly and kept smashing myself on the walls left and right, so maybe that will be the "hard" part of getting through with that. :)

How is that even possible?? lol
 

leng jai

Member
Nov 2, 2017
15,114
The beat thing about the "open world" sections were that the skiff was actually fun and relaxing to drive actually.
 

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,308
I took very wide turns and got distracted by the Del and Kait chatter. Here's hoping I'm never a game reviewer.

Well that's not a problem with the controls then, just a bit of difficulty multitasking. But yeah reviewer doesn't seem like the best career choice lol
 

SuzanoSho

Member
Dec 25, 2017
1,466
I'll probably never understand complaints like this, and much less completely uninstalling a game over it...

But I suppose a REASON to include stuff like this in a game is to lend a hand to the world-building element some games tend to have. Sure, the game could have been just linear levels completely through, but there are those of us out here that tend to enjoy the sense of scale and depth to the game's universe that open areas provide, I think. I mean, Destiny, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Spider-Man, Control, etc., could have also just have been a bunch of missions you select from a menu, but I probably would have liked those games a LOT less if they were...
 

headspawn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,605
Gears 5 is not the open world game to be worried about, lmao; I know it's bigger than Zelda OOT, but the open snow area kinda reminds me of that game in scope.. like it's got a bit of size to it when you get to each place, but you aren't on your skiff for more than a minute when traveling anywhere, there is no massive amount of stupid shit collectothon stuff going on etc etc..
 
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Alxjn

Member
Nov 17, 2017
111
The open levels are not that big, the glider controls really well, and the side areas all have unique combat encounters that are fun to play.
 

Nacery

Member
Jul 11, 2018
1,473
I think Digital Foundry made a great comparison to Halo 1 Warthog sections and more than a true open world it is more akin to a lot more complex Silence of the Cartographer like level.
 

shaneo632

Weekend Planner
Member
Oct 29, 2017
28,963
Wrexham, Wales
I've always been a "cut through the middle" player so I find this mindset hard to relate to. The open world parts in Gears 5 are very basic and shallow so there's not a lot to miss to be honest.
 
Oct 31, 2017
2,304
I recently beat God of War. The lake is a really cool idea progression-wise, but fucking around with that little boat all the time made it so tedious, and made the open world aspect of the game really annoying. I kinda hope this trend of putting open world elements in originally linear games dies off...
The boat stuff, especially your first time through, bloats the total playtime and part of me wonders if that wasn't intentional. To be clear, I think GoW PS4 is one of gaming's best titles. That said, having all these little side areas, often ones where you can progress after a small fight then find out you don't have the necessary item/ability to finish it and must yet again trudge back to your boat, start back up the mp3 clip of your previous conversation with Atreus, and wander back around the lake started to feel really tedious to me. I'm actually curious how much of my playtime was spent around that lake not doing much at all...
 

Jiraiya

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,270
Don't you run into the same problems in mp when it comes to not getting every collectible/upgrade?
 
Feb 10, 2018
17,534
You're not going to like uncharted 4 and ll then.
I wouldn't be surprised if TLOU2 has sections which can be deemed "open world".
 

DrScissorsMD

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Jan 19, 2019
564
Yeah I dunno, I reckon the glider was easy as to control, and the maps while they had large open areas weren't that hard to "100%".
 

Raide

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
16,596
It's open world lite. The skiff is fun to bounce around the world but it's not like an Assassins Creed game where there are 100's of waypoints and random doodads to dig up, just to fill some xp bars up or to fill out achievements.

In reality, the Gears 5 open world stuff is just a test to push out of the usual gray and drab Gears world filled with waist high gray blocks, and introduce something a little more relaxed and interesting to look at. 10+ hours of the same old Gears is why the series has been declining, hence the newer elements like faster paced combat and open world elements have been introduced.
 

Mr.Vic20

Member
Oct 31, 2017
583
There is a map. You can just go from location to location. They are even labeled. It takes all of 10 seconds to plot your course and once selected you just follow the marker on your HUD. Please don't drive in the real world, its just best for everyone!
 

Decarb

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,632
Feel free to joke away at my expense, but to the ones still reading this, is there any game that you lost interest almost immediately after it went open world? I know I hated The Evil Within 2 because of it and I have no intention to ever finish it because of this.
Burnout Paradise, no other game that jumped to open world comes even close to killing my interest like BP did.
 

melodiousmowl

Member
Jan 14, 2018
3,774
CT
gears, god of war.... these aren't "open world" any more than say ocarina of time.

i think a good moniker might be "wide linear", contained and focused exploration areas connecting linear areas.

finding collectables in these is no worse than scouring every corner in the main maps, imo.
 

Cthulhu_Steev

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,379
I had the same fears but after playing it I'm fine with it. If you choose you can more or less make it a linear experience, just ignore everything else.

So what's the point of having them? The open area on Lost Legacy is the one reason stopping me having a second run-through. If it's linear anyway, just make it linear like a normal level.

Caveat: I haven't reached an open level yet, so I might even enjoy it.
 

DrDeckard

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,109
UK
So what's the point of having them? The open area on Lost Legacy is the one reason stopping me having a second run-through. If it's linear anyway, just make it linear like a normal level.

Caveat: I haven't reached an open level yet, so I might even enjoy it.

I felt like it adds a good bit of extra stuff to the game, you get to catch dialogue and stumble across some stuff that nods to previous events in gears. it's basically world building/seasoning. It allows for some cool combat scenarios and power ups for exploring.

Jack's a beast in Gears!
 

Remo Williams

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 13, 2018
4,769
Feel free to joke away at my expense, but to the ones still reading this, is there any game that you lost interest almost immediately after it went open world?

No, I love open-world games. If anything, Gears 5 is too conservative in its more open acts, but it's the first time for The Coalition and the franchise.

I enjoyed the previous linear campaigns as well, but this new approach has some advantages (and some disadvantages). Pacing is obviously altered, and whether it's for better or for worse will depend on your tastes and sensibilities. What the more open sections give you - and that's true for open-world designs in general - is the sense that you're in control of where you want to go, and what you want to do. You don't have to do everything if you don't feel like it, and even if you do, you get to pick the order. That's also a matter of taste, and some people will prefer more hand-holding, which is fine.

Then there's the joy of exploration and finding things that perhaps not everyone has discovered. It's an investment and reward thing.

Finally, this design allows for encounters in different locations without the need to artificially stitch them together in a sequence that would make some sense.
 
Mar 29, 2018
7,078
Even if there's "nothing for me to fear (lol)" or that I can go from point a-to-b, I just can't help but thinking I'm playing this shit wrong or YOU MUST GO 100% ON THIS YOU IDIOT, but it's more of a problem I have with myself rather than the game being bad.

I just know that I sold God of War PS4 as soon as I finished the damn thing, because I know I missed a lot of stuff on the map and never wanted to go through the "oh shit I'm sure I missed important upgrades and collectibles" ever again.
It's ironic because the point of open worlds is player volition - play how you want, what you want, where you want, at the pace you want - but that it often leads to choice paralysis /content completion FOMO.
 

thepenguin55

Member
Oct 28, 2017
11,793
I haven't played Gears 5 yet but I know that you're not alone in your distaste for the structure of the campaign. I've definitely seen people who love open world games say that they dislike the open world hubs in this game. Also, noted Gears fan Jeff Gerstmann over at Giant Bomb I believe said something along the lines of him being close to dropping the campaign because he found the hubs to be so off-putting and momentum killing. Definitely the most positive things I've heard about them is that they're nice looking and for many they didn't get in the way of their enjoyment of the game.

It almost seems like that the game would've benefited from being structured like MGSV: you can explore the world if you want or just pick a mission from a drop down list and go.
 

ShinUltramanJ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,949
I don't mind open world games at all provided the gameplay loop is fun.

I don't understand this fear of missing out? If you're enjoying the game, why wouldn't you want to take your time, explore, and get sucked into the world?
 

m23

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,416
There are 2 open hub areas in the game, each with maybe 6-7 side missions max. These are completely optional as well, the only thing you might miss are special unlocks for Jack. This is definitely not worth skipping the entire campaign over.

Too bad Gears 5 also some overly long and uninteresting cutscenes. And loading times. And forced slow walking sections. Pacing is off just to reach that 10+ hours mark for the campaign.

I thought the cutscenes were absolutely great in Gears 5, and I think many people would agree. Also, there have been slow walking sections in every Gears game, it's nothing new. It's hilarious you think they did this stuff just to make a 10+ hours campaign.
 

johancruijff

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,232
Italy
Too bad Gears 5 also some overly long and uninteresting cutscenes. And loading times. And forced slow walking sections. Pacing is off just to reach that 10+ hours mark for the campaign.
and adding cutscenes and loading times for trasversal helps how?
"pacing" is another meme concept in games, more agency > less agency is always a positive thing
 

Kill3r7

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,373
Gears 5 is still a linear game. You can ignore the open world and just head to your next destination.
 

Splader

Member
Feb 12, 2018
5,063
Complete opposite feeling here. The amount of things you have the option to finish are short and are very clearly laid out. You can see pretty muhc every point of interest from far away as well.

For those of you who have yet to play it, I wouldn't judge it. The slowdown to the pace helps the overall pacing of the game, imo, and the dialogue between the characters helps develop them very nicely. Not to mention the skiff itself is great fun to drive, especially on ice.
 

mjc

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
5,879
Spider-Man's open world was nice to swing through, but it was bogged down with some of the most dated mission mechanics you would have seen in the genre 10 years ago.
 

justiceiro

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
6,664
Most bizarre thread of the year, to me.

Maybe if was microtransactions. Maybe if was a pay to win feature. But one section ruined everything? Yo, chill.
 

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Most bizarre thread of the year, to me.

Maybe if was microtransactions. Maybe if was a pay to win feature. But one section ruined everything? Yo, chill.
The perception of a game's features is ultimately what matters most. It may functionally be a very similar experience to past Gears games, but it coming across as now being "open world" will make agoraphobic (agamaphobic?) players react this way.
 

Lua

Member
Aug 9, 2018
1,948
it's not fear of open world, its a complete lack of interest. I can not believe something this boring is the trend for this generations. Its so fucking boring,i dont understand what people see on it.
 

Deleted member 54292

User requested account closure
Banned
Feb 27, 2019
2,636
I guess I just like the downtime of the open spaces in Act 2 and 3. There was something nice about the slow downed pace of Skiffing around and discovering points of interest.
 

ODD

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,222
I read the thread and thought: "man, that's dumb!". But then I remembered that I dropped Final Fantasy XIII as soon as I got onto the 3rd DVD (Xbox 360), when you finally get into an open area. So I understand you, OP.
We're both dumb :P
 

Detail

Member
Dec 30, 2018
2,946
I honestly really feel what you're saying OP, open world is really overwhelming to me as well.

I don't know if it's simply because I am burnt out on open world in general or if it's just my obsessive need to see everything, I never had this problem with GTA V so I am going to assume it's just me being burnt out.