Modern open-world games are often criticized forhow sparsely populated their maps are, with it sometimes feeling as though developers are prioritizing quantity over quality in order to satisfy the bigger is better crowd. Other studios take a very different approach though, instead cramming in so much side content into their games that players can barely move an inch without running into another map marker.
One way that they accomplish this is by hiding collectibles throughout their worlds, forcing completionists to scour every digital nook and cranny in order to reach 100% completion. However, unlike some of thenineties platformers that helped popularize the idea of collectathons, the size of their worlds can make this an incredibly grueling task which can sometimes sully what would otherwise have been an incredible gaming experience.
In terms of both its story and presentation,Batman Arkham Cityis one of the bestBatmangames ever made. Its rendition of Gotham is simply stunning, and the sense of adventure that it’s able to evoke in its players puts a lot of modern open-world games to shame. Sadly, however, like the rest of the games in the series, it goes a little overboard when it comes to collectibles.
There are 400 different collectibles for players to track down, with an additional 40 introduced inthe game’s Catwoman DLC. It’s not just the sheer volume of collectibles that can be overwhelming though, but also the number of different types, with Riddles, Riddler Trophies, Tyger Cameras, Demon Seals, Harley Heads, Joker Balloons, Joker Teeth, and Penguin Statues bringing the number of collectible sets up to eight.
It isn’t so much the number ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2collectiblesthat some players may find frustrating, but rather how many different types of collectibles the game has and the fact that they’re introduced in phases. Between Marko’s Memories, Prowler Stashes, and Spider-Bots, players will constantly be getting notifications as they swing their way around the city, and that’s before the game’s 42 Spider-Bots are taken into account.
Thankfully,fully completingMarvel’s Spider-Man 2is still relatively straightforward, with most players able to pull it off in around 25 hours or less. That wouldn’t be the case though if the game made players collect all 240 Tech Crates for 100% completion, nor does it excuse players having to keep track of 20 or so different map icons throughout the course of their playthrough.
The first3DGrand Theft Autogamehas 100 Hidden Packages scattered around the map. Finding them all will reward players with a variety of weapons and vehicles at their safehouses, as well as a cool million dollars in cash.Vice Citybrought more of the same, with another 100 Hidden Packages for players to track down. Then cameSan Andreas, which has 100 Gang Tags, 50 Oysters, 50 Horseshoes, and 50 Snapshots.
When combined with all of the other side content that the developers were able to pack, this huge increase in the number of collectibles madeachieving 100% completion inGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasa real chore for players. To be fair, it was the races, stadium events, vehicle missions, driving schools, and export missions that prolonged most players' playthroughs, but the additional collectibles certainly didn’t help.
Those hoping to fully completeHorizon Forbidden Westwill need to jump through a fair few hoops. In addition to completing all of the game’s side quests, Hunting Grounds, and Salvage Contracts, they’ll also need to track down a bunch of collectibles, including Black Boxes, Survey Drone Modules,Signal Lenses, Vista Points, and Ornaments, to name but a few.
Thankfully, most of these collectible sets do help to flesh out the game’s lore, while others provide players with unique activities that go beyond just “go here and push a button.” Still, there are far too many of them, and the fact thatthe Burning Shores expansion introduces three new collectible setscertainly doesn’t help. The only saving grace is that players won’t need to find every Datapoint to unlock the Platinum Trophy, as there are hundreds of those to find.
Much like its predecessor,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcrams in a ridiculous amount of side quests, encouraging players to explore every last inch of Hyrule and the skies and depths between which it’s sandwiched. The game actually has fewer collectible sets than a lot ofother open-world gamesthese days, but there’s one set in particular that some may feel takes things a step too far.
As was the case inBreath of the Wild,there are 1,000 Korok Seeds for players to find inTears of the Kingdom, which is enough to drive most players to madness. Thankfully, Nintendo games don’t have Trophies or Achievements, which arguably lessens the pressure placed on players to fully complete their games. Players will need to find Korok Seeds to carry more equipment though, with all 1,000 seeds needed to unlock every available inventory slot.
