For the love of the journey and the destination.
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00:00 As gamers, we all know that sometimes a title can really get its hooks in you. You might not
00:04 have thought about it going into a game, but we've all had those moments of total clarity
00:08 where we realise, yeah, I think I'm going to 100% this. Whether that comes midway or after
00:14 you've completed the story and aren't ready to put it down, the optional content around games is
00:18 truly what keeps us invested for longer periods of time. Some people totally complete titles for
00:23 the rewards and some people do it for the love of it, and there's certainly no right or wrong reason.
00:28 I'm Sci4What Culture and these are 10 of the best video games to 100%.
00:32 10. Horizon Zero Dawn
00:35 Horizon Zero Dawn is an awesome marriage of an incredible story, exciting gameplay and,
00:40 most importantly, perhaps of all, a gorgeous open world. Whilst many games' idea of realism is dark,
00:45 gritty and gloomy, what makes the Horizon series stand out from its contemporaries
00:49 is just how flipping pretty it is. Once it gets a hold of you, you may not want to leave.
00:54 There's a certain school of thought that says that the journey itself can be the reward as
00:58 opposed to the destination, and if any game applies to that ideal, it's Horizon. Even
01:02 when the story finishes and you're dropped back in front of the game's major city,
01:06 many players find the allure of Horizon's beautiful post-civilisation world a hard one to depart from.
01:11 Outside of the main story, there are plenty of things to do, including completing hunting trials,
01:16 cleansing corrupted zones and a buffet of side quests. Horizon Zero Dawn does have some
01:20 collectibles to account for, but it's not an overabundance and it's just another excuse to
01:24 throw Aloy on the back of a robotic horse and delve deeper into the world's jungles, deserts
01:29 and mountains. With gameplay as engaging as this and a map that few open world games can compare
01:34 themselves to, Horizon deserves this tip of the cap.
01:37 9. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons
01:40 Starbreeze's 2013 adventure Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons has that indie title charm in spades.
01:46 It's got a great visual design, it feels like no other game with each character controlled by a
01:51 different thumbstick, and it moves at its own very chilled pace. No doubt the shortest game on this
01:56 list, what makes this entry even more special is that you don't even have to finish the game to
01:59 get all of its achievements/trophies. Unlike many modern titles, Brothers' trophy list isn't about
02:04 demonstrating your gameplay skills and instead is a small checklist of unique events. Ranging
02:09 from covering a sheep in soot to turn it black, to returning stranded turtles to their mother,
02:14 Brothers asks the player to really explore the world and take notice of their surroundings.
02:18 Instead of demanding increasingly more difficult playthroughs or time intensive riddles like other
02:23 indie games, Brothers leans into what makes it special by providing a checklist quite unlike any
02:27 other game. Can't imagine there's too many video games that reward you for skimming stones on the
02:31 ocean. Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons is a reminder that a great 100% completion doesn't always have
02:36 to be about massive time investment. Sometimes thinking outside of the box is more rewarding
02:41 than a massive scavenger hunt.
02:42 Number 8 - Resident Evil 4
02:44 Despite being a horror series, Resident Evil has always kept its focus on fun gameplay in mind
02:49 and even the original play session games had plenty of unlockables to keep players coming back
02:53 for more. New costumes and weapons are an established and expected part of every Resi
02:58 game and perhaps few more memorably so than Resident Evil 4. What makes getting to full
03:03 completion with RE4 so rewarding is how much of a breeze it is to play. The game's award winning
03:07 combat system is satisfying in itself and even though the campaign isn't exactly punchy,
03:12 there's enough variation to see you through to the end where the unlockables will start rolling out.
03:16 Beating the game once will give you a few costumes, weapons and some new modes. Working your
03:21 way through these will net you the infinite ammo Tommy gun and the ability to dress the
03:25 vulnerable Ashley Graham in a literal suit of armour so she can't be harmed. With these two
03:29 things alone it's worth trudging back into rural Europe and causing some mayhem. But if you really
03:34 want to get it all, completing a clean run of the game's professional mode will also net you the
03:39 PLR-421, a widespread laser blaster that kills basically every enemy and boss in one hit.
03:45 Hasta la vista, Los Ganados.
03:48 Number 7 - God of War
03:50 The 2018 reboot of God of War propelled the series to new heights. Whilst the original
03:54 games have their value, this new iteration not only shakes up a tired formula but blows the
03:59 doors off of the franchise. It exposes Kratos and the player to a huge world of possibilities.
04:04 The story and gameplay is deeper than ever before and the variety of locations players
04:08 are able to visit is wonderful. Truly, God of War deserves to be one of Sony's biggest
04:12 first-party IPs. What makes God of War's completion checklist so good is variety.
04:17 It truly does feel as though it has it all. Collectibles, errands, challenges and perhaps
04:22 most exciting of all, the 8 hidden boss fights with the Valkyries. God of War's combat system
04:27 is addictive and rewarding so being asked to spend more time with it isn't exactly a chore,
04:31 even if these boss fights might test your mettle to its fullest extent. And let's face it,
04:36 nail-bitingly hard boss fights are in God of War's DNA. Don't expect anything more than a
04:41 quick thank you from Sindri for dusting off that 100% but saving the realm and having an
04:45 awesome time doing it is enough to make this journey worthwhile.
04:49 Number 6 - Super Mario Galaxy
04:51 Taking Mario out into the stars seemed like not only a strange but also a bold choice.
04:55 The plumber had mastered the 3D platforming genre before but how would that translate to
04:59 topsy-turvy and often zero gravity? Brilliantly, as it turns out, Super Mario Galaxy somehow rides
05:05 a perfect line between a really relaxing game to play and also having plenty of unique challenges
05:10 to it. With that Nintendo stamp of quality, it's very easy to want to pick up all 120
05:14 power stars and bask in your rewards. That being said, 3D Mario has a weird
05:19 history with completion. Doing all there is to do in Super Mario 64 gets you 100 pointless one-ups
05:24 to spend on a game you've just finished. Even worse was the game's sequel, Super Mario Sunshine,
05:28 where 100% completion earns you merely a postcard. Super Mario Galaxy finally figured out the kinds
05:33 of rewards their players were hoping for and when you're done, you can give Mario a break and play
05:37 through the whole game again as Luigi. Mario diehards are sure to appreciate how this seems
05:42 to pay homage to Super Mario Bros 2 as, just like that game, Luigi can jump higher than his brother
05:47 but is easy to lose control of, making a second run of the game just different enough to be a
05:51 genuine consideration for any player. Number 5 - Hades
05:56 Supergiant's 2018 dungeon crawler Hades won several end-of-year awards for its aesthetic
06:01 prowess and just how good an overall package it is. Set in the underworld of Greek legends,
06:05 it's a fresh take on the genre and is oozing with personality. The idea of totally completing
06:10 a roguelike with all of its randomly generated dungeon goodness can be a daunting task. Thankfully,
06:15 due to Hades' addictive gameplay, you'll find yourself filling up that 100% completion goal
06:19 without even really thinking about it. The 'just one more run before bedtime' mentality is strong
06:25 in this one and it's all too easy to spend entire nights just trying to get that little bit further.
06:29 What keeps players so invested in Hades is the variety of combat styles and the fact that the
06:34 game isn't shy to reward or offer progress to the player. The more times you fail, the stronger
06:38 you become and new conversations with the game's wonderful cast open up along the way. Over the
06:43 many times you gear up for your next great underworld escape attempt, it's impossible not to
06:47 grow closer to those around you. As such, the game becomes not just about your own survival but about
06:52 fulfilling the requests and stories of Hades' incredibly well-written and well-performed cast
06:56 of characters. Number 4 - Assassin's Creed 2
07:00 When you think of 100% completion, you no doubt think of open worlds. And when you think of open
07:04 worlds, you no doubt think of the Assassin's Creed franchise. There are a few reasons why
07:09 Assassin's Creed 2 specifically stands out from the pack. First of all, it's not one of the latter
07:13 games. That's not a criticism of the quality of newer AC titles, but games like Valhalla and
07:18 Odyssey are such massive time sinks if you want to call yourself a completionist. The average
07:22 completion run of AC2 will set you back 35 hours compared to 2020's Valhalla which is an estimate
07:28 of 135 hours. Unlike other games in the series, Assassin's Creed 2 is just not as grindy.
07:34 Moreover, some of the collectibles in AC2 actually have story-relevant impacts. After
07:38 literally being silenced by Greath, finding all of the feathers across the game's multiple cities
07:43 and delivering them to Ezio's mother Maria will gain you an exclusive cutscene where she finally
07:47 speaks again. You also get a swish new cape, but story ramifications for collectibles is something
07:52 that is all too rare when many games just dump hundreds into their worlds to bulk up the playtime.
07:57 Assassin's Creed 2 is one of the most popular entries in the series and it's hard not to see
08:01 why as it improved upon the original in every single way, 100% completion included.
08:06 Number 3 - Grand Theft Auto V
08:09 As a series, Grand Theft Auto really laid the foundations for many open world games to come.
08:13 Every entry in the franchise since GTA 3 has had plenty to find, see and do tucked away in
08:18 its cities and countryside, but it doesn't come much bigger than the second best-selling game of
08:23 all time, Grand Theft Auto V. Due to the sheer scope of the game, getting to that magical three
08:28 digit number in GTA V is no easy feat and this one should only be attempted by those with the
08:33 commitment to do so. Side missions, stunt jumps, knife fights, hobbies and dozens of collectibles,
08:38 Grand Theft Auto V is a huge game in every respect. A game of this magnitude doesn't
08:43 need to offer much for its full completion because players that make it this far should
08:46 only do so if they're still enjoying the game. No point subjecting yourself to such a massive task
08:51 if you're not having fun. That being said, there are a few goodies including a 100% completion
08:56 shirt and one more strangers and freaks mission. Harkening back to the San Andreas myth of a
09:01 Sasquatch and the Los Santos mountainside, players can finally find the truth of the matter in this
09:05 cherry on top of GTA V's massive to-do list. Number 2 - Red Dead Redemption
09:11 The worst examples of 100% completion are when the goal seems impossibly far away and even
09:16 hours of work feels as though it hasn't made a difference. Red Dead Redemption 2,
09:20 as incredible as it is, is such a huge game that trying to hit that finishing line is a truly
09:25 daunting task. Not that Red Dead 2 didn't keep players captivated but its hyper-realism made
09:30 for a much slower paced affair. Thankfully, the same can't be said about its predecessor.
09:34 Whilst there's plenty to do in Red Dead 1 to keep you going, it's a far snappier game by
09:39 comparison. Better yet, compared to many other open world games, it isn't filled with a needless
09:43 number of collectibles. Mostly the game's checklist is interesting side missions and
09:47 mini-games and even the buried treasure isn't all that time consuming compared to other games
09:51 of its ilk. You could absolutely complete Red Dead Redemption just for the pure joy of it,
09:55 and many people have. However, there is a reward for 100%ing the game and the Bureau uniform finally
10:01 lets you off the leash in true Rockstar Games style. You've done everything else there is to
10:05 do so now that you're above the law, go out into the west and do whatever you damn well please.
10:10 You earned it. Number 1 - Spider-Man
10:13 The idea of a modern open world city combined with the Spider-Man franchise was something that
10:18 seemed like a no-brainer, so in retrospect, there was almost no way Insomniac Games' 2018 title
10:24 could really have failed. Even taking out the main story of Spider-Man, you could enjoy it on
10:28 its optional content alone. Heck, plenty of us would still buy it just for how wonderful its
10:32 web-swinging system is. With a smorgasbord of different Spidey costumes to don, you can spend
10:37 entire evenings just exploring and navigating the city. Thankfully then, when you drop to the
10:41 streets below or find yourself running across the rooftops, there are plenty of things to do.
10:45 Stopping random acts of crime, completing Taskmaster's challenges, and clearing out
10:49 Kingpin's hideouts. It turns out that a lot of players found their way to this 100% mark,
10:54 as the platinum trophy for finishing everything in the game is sitting at a strong 10%.
10:58 It might not sound like much, but 1 in 10 players who booted up Spider-Man have experienced
11:03 everything the game has to offer. Not a lot of open-world games can claim this high of a number.
11:08 And that's the list! Let us know what you thought of this video down in the comments below. Which of
11:13 these games have you 100%ed, and which other games did you truly enjoy getting that completionist
11:19 feeling? Make sure you like this video, share it with your friends, and hit that subscribe button.
11:23 I've been Sy for WhatCulture, and have a good week.