Alex Spencer

Is there any big open world game that maintains interest in its systems (e.g. combat, traversal, stealth, whatever) for as long as it maintains interest in its world?

I feel like this is the biggest flaw in the current slate of colossal AAA games. 60 hours in there's still so much I want to see in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, for example, but I no longer have any interest in its fighting or sneaking or climbing and haven't for ages

What's supposed to be the core, fun thing becomes just busywork you do to keep exploring

Last time I remember being done with a world but still wanting to play around in it because the action was so fun was Sunset Overdrive with its brilliant traversal stuff - but that's a case where, really, it was as much to do with the world being too slight

The Middle-Earth: Shadow Of ____ series is an unusual case in that I think I never stop being fascinated by the Nemesis System, but both games totally run out of steam with it about two-thirds through

I think for me I'd really like to see these big open world games just totally change at certain milestones. New abilities just totally overriding old ones. After 20 hours of climbing, just give me the power to fly or something.

I get what you're saying, but I got sick of the ways you interact with that world within about 10 hours and put the game down. But it does seem to tick this box for most people, definitely stands out from other AAA games