10 Live Service Games That DON'T SUCK
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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we are looking at 10 of the best live service games around.
00:09With so much negative connotation surrounding the format, deservedly so, it can be easy
00:14to forget that some of those games are actually quite good.
00:22But before we dive into it, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe
00:27and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:31Helldivers 2
00:40Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 is one of the latest games to successfully take on the Games as
00:45a Service model.
00:46Players fight to protect Super Earth against a universe full of deadly bots and giant bugs.
00:51The game excels in being overwhelming.
00:54A positive as the PvE battles build great camaraderie between you and your teammates.
00:59It's a satisfying gameplay hook to be sure, but what impresses us most is how Arrowhead
01:04uses the live service format.
01:06Players gain or lose ground in real time.
01:09The Game Master, an Arrowhead employee known only as Joel, reacts to the progress of player
01:14forces with strategic enemy spawns and attacks.
01:17Additionally, the satirical tone running through the game has been enhanced by Arrowhead's
01:21own responses to its player base's reactions to new additions.
01:30Genshin Impact
01:31MiHoYo's free-to-play action RPG is a combination of fantastic influences, from the Breath of
01:42the Wild-inspired world to its anime visuals.
01:45Set in a huge fantasy world with seven kingdoms, all of which worship a different elemental
01:49deity, there's a lot to dig into, both in terms of gameplay and lore.
01:54Although not all of the kingdoms are in the game at the time of writing, each one has
01:58brought a wealth of content for fans to enjoy.
02:01There's even co-op multiplayer, so you don't have to venture into it all with only your
02:05scripted companions to keep you company.
02:07Genshin Impact's fanbase has grown impressively large since launching in 2020, prompting the
02:12developer to follow a similar format with 2023's Honkai Star Rail.
02:22Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
02:32While it may not have been released as such, Ubisoft's decision to turn Tom Clancy's Rainbow
02:36Six Siege into a live-service title was a great idea.
02:40The game reviewed well at launch, but it didn't sell well.
02:43Instead of writing it off as another loss, Ubisoft buckled down, releasing a treasure
02:48trove of updates and free DLC for all players.
02:51Over the years, the game's player base grew exponentially thanks to a constant stream
02:55of new playable characters, maps, weapons, and fixes for balancing gameplay.
03:01This also turned Siege into an esports juggernaut, and a very positive far cry from what it started
03:07out as.
03:08It's slowed down in recent years, but it's a comeback still deserving of praise.
03:18Sea of Thieves
03:25One of the best things about the live-service model is that it can take a game that was
03:29mediocre at launch and turn it into something far greater.
03:32That's what happened with Rare's Sea of Thieves, which was criticized for repetitive
03:36gameplay and missions, of which there weren't even enough of.
03:40If you've played the game in the last five years, you know that to be untrue.
03:44These days, it's a fantastic pirate adventure simulator with an astonishingly large fan
03:49base.
03:50Rare applied the game's as-a-service model beautifully, and earned a ton of goodwill
03:54back through multiple improvements to gameplay and free expansions, including crossovers
03:59with Pirates of the Caribbean and Monkey Island.
04:10Valorant
04:16Riot Games already knew how to keep a rabid fanbase thriving through its MOBA, League
04:20of Legends.
04:21Unsurprisingly, the studio produced an addictive FPS in 2020's Valorant, and have supported
04:26it strongly ever since.
04:28Like a lovechild between Overwatch and Counter-Strike, it pits groups of heroes with varying weaponry
04:33and abilities against each other in tactical firefights.
04:37Riot picked the best elements of its influences, making for an exceptionally fun shooter.
04:42Its roster has nearly doubled in size since release, with new heroes as well as tweaks
04:47to gameplay keeping Valorant at the forefront of competitive, team-based experiences.
04:52Naturally, it's also become a huge esports game.
05:01No Man's Sky
05:07In a similar vein to Sea of Thieves, Hello Games' No Man's Sky in no way resembles
05:12the disappointing experience it was at launch.
05:14But with so much hype behind it, and the fact that it comes from a much smaller developer,
05:19its comeback is a bit more impressive.
05:21Despite the backlash from missing promised features, Hello Games retained a passionate
05:26fanbase through commitment to improve.
05:28And improve it did.
05:30Years of free updates and expansions, as well as patches and gameplay improvements have
05:35turned No Man's Sky into a spacefaring adventure worthy of any player's time.
05:40After all, there's a whole universe to discover.
05:48Fortnite
05:55Maybe this is the point where some of you click off the video.
05:58Anything this popular is bound to draw hatred from somewhere, and calling Fortnite popular
06:02is a major understatement.
06:04But the fact remains that, as a live-service experience, Epic delivers.
06:09As soon as it pivoted towards the Battle Royale mode, Fortnite skyrocketed into the stratosphere
06:14and has yet to come down.
06:16The huge playerbase has led to multiple crossovers, events, new modes, and even concerts over
06:21the years.
06:22While players still need to spend money on skins and such, you can experience the majority
06:27of its live-service features for absolutely no cost.
06:29Plus, it's the only game where I, as Omni-Man, can team up with Goku and a Ninja Turtle to
06:34take down Midoriya, Daredevil, and a Stormtrooper.
06:37And that's pretty cool.
06:42Final Fantasy XIV
06:59Sea of Thieves and No Man's Sky are excellent comeback stories.
07:03But the original version of Final Fantasy XIV was actually shut down due to how negatively
07:08it was received.
07:09Thankfully, the series has a huge fanbase that was willing to give it another chance.
07:13The second version of this MMORPG installment was an extreme improvement on what came before
07:19in every conceivable category.
07:21The story was far more engaging, its user interface wasn't a convoluted mess, and
07:26the gameplay system far less a grindy chore.
07:29And talk about a wealth of content.
07:31Square Enix has kept a tight lock on its release schedule of updates, patches, and expansions
07:36that have all only made XIV better.
07:46Destiny 2
07:55Like Rainbow Six Siege, Destiny 2 adapted the live service model later in its life.
08:00And it was also better for it.
08:02The blend of FPS gameplay with a dash of RPG and MMO elements, courtesy of original
08:07Halo Titans Bungie, has always had a passionate following.
08:10However, it went free to play in 2019, including its first two expansions, and expanded the
08:16playerbase even further.
08:18Since then, players and their guardians have enjoyed frequent updates, including fantastic
08:23new modes, as well as paid expansions.
08:26While not everything has been a home run, it has all at least been a testament to Bungie's
08:30desire to give us an ever-evolving world to defend.
08:36Apex Legends
08:45With its expertise in first-person gunplay, Respawn built off of its Titanfall universe
08:50with a Battle Royale spin-off.
08:51While it wasn't what was expected, Apex Legends is now a prime example of live service
08:56done right.
08:57The developer took what it did with Titanfall and injected a bit of hero shooter DNA into
09:02it, within the structure popularized by PUBG.
09:05And honestly, it was a pretty alluring concoction.
09:08Since then, we've gotten a ton of unique new characters, which you can play to unlock
09:12for free or buy, plus new maps and modes.
09:15While with every seasonal-based game, there have been ups and downs, Apex Legends remains
09:20a worthy endeavor in an increasingly crowded market.