Sci-Fi games with better world-building than movies

Producing a good sci-fi movie is no easy feat. With a film's limited runtime, you have to decide what to keep and what to leave out in order to tell a good, self-contained story that doesn't just rely on two more movies. In a series, this is a bit easier to do, as you have multiple episodes that can run for over an hour while presenting bits and pieces of side arcs and character development at a convenient pace.

That said, no medium does this better than video games. Well, arguably, sci-fi books are out there, but the audiovisual and interactive layer added to games sets them apart, and many times, even above movies. At best, they're interactive stories where players get to decide the outcome, and there are hundreds of hours of lore to be discovered only through exploration and NPC dialogue. Here are sci-fi games that give the world-building in the movies a run for their money.

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Patrolling the Mojave Wasteland almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter

The apocalypse has always fascinated humanity, and some franchises have depicted a possible, post-war future as well. result. A whimsical, atompunk aesthetic is its trademark, from Nuka Girl's retro posters to music you might hear on the radio as Courier, Lone Wanderer, or Soul Survivor. It's both dark and humorous, with incredibly tragic stories and locations, all relying on Bethesda's signature environmental storytelling. Everyone is familiar with the later horror stories of characters like Cait and Fawkes or the horrific, morally questionable actions of Caesar's army and the Gunners.

The wasteland is full of these warring factions, each grotesque, cruel, or believing themselves to be the good guys, fighting for survival and power over the remnants of civilization. And then there's the wilderness: ghouls (some wild, some not), deathclaws, redscorpions, radroaches, and more. It's such a complete, immersive experience that it's amazing to see translated into Amazon's series format. result. Even so, there are many details and many things to show, how rich and lore the world is result Yes, how about the fate of certain vaults since super mutants were created.

Dead Space series

The Scary and Beautiful World of Isaac Clarke

Survival horror games are all about atmosphere, and if there's one game that really captures that, it's this one. dead spaceand its two sequels (and remakes). It would be very difficult to translate the terror of playing through a game like Dead Space on the big screen, given how it plays with darkness and how complex its textures and aesthetics are. This sci-fi survival horror with its excellent starting point is to respond to a distress signal (AlienAnyone?), all witnessed on the shoulders of Isaac Clarke.

The first two games take place in more confined locations, while the third expands the planet's scope. Either way, a sense of claustrophobia is maintained throughout as you take on the extreme nightmare Necromorphs and uncover the secrets behind them — we'll keep things spoiler-free. In classic survival horror style, the story is told through cryptic and dark audiologues, and a heavy dose of blood-stained environmental storytelling.

The Mass Effect Trilogy

A truly cinematic sci-fi universe

If there's one video game franchise that sounds like a straight-up movie, this is it Mass Effect. It's a relatively simple plot, but the way it's delivered, and the depth of friends and crew members you meet as the heroic (or anti-hero, depending on whether you go for Renegade or Paragon) Commander Shepard, bring a whole world to life that's hard to find in today's games.

The most impressive aspect is this fact Mass Effect Not an open world game, yet it still manages to impress you with every location you visit during your quest. The Citadel, even in a first game that is definitely showing its age, feels real and alive with its futuristic visuals. The different species and their unique lore, and how you can influence them during your playthrough (like Xenophage), are all testament to a masterclass in world building. It's a sci-fi world full of tropes we're all familiar with, but they're so well and brilliantly delivered that it's hard not to fall in love. Mass Effect the universe.

The BioShock series

From the bottom of the ocean to the top of the clouds

First bioshock A favorite among many for its incredible underwater setting: Rapture, a city ruled by Andrew Ryan's ambitious, capitalist vision, brought to heel by greed and the struggle for power. We get to enjoy Rapture in two separate games, and there are some highlights though Bioshock 2The first is where we really get to visit the most iconic, well-designed places of the city under the waves: Fort Frolic, with its crazy leader and strange moving statues comes to mind, as well as Arcadia, the city's source of oxygen. At each stage bioshock Not just there to entertain; It provides a purposeful, while scholarly interpretation, to explain how the city functioned. In the medical pavilion, for example, we learn about how and why splicers do what they do through audio logs.

Then there is BioShock InfiniteWhich leads us upwards: Columbia, City in the Clouds, Comstock's vision. The dystopian levels of patriotic religion and politics on display create an insidious setting with a deceptively attractive and grand presence. Huge statues, colonial architecture, and obviously some inspiration from the steampunk settings that keep the whole city afloat. One of the best details is the abundance of Sky-Line trains that can be traveled using Sky-Hooks. And then there are the automated patriots who patrol the streets, paying homage to American history. Every little detail really counts here, with a very different aesthetic from the Rapture that went for a 1940s style.

System shock series

You are now in the world of SHODAN

It would not be appropriate to talk about it bioshock without bringing System shock series, a franchise that got a remake a long time ago, and which I hope will make a modern comeback at some point. System shock is an immersive sim, but it's also a survival horror game. Its story is almost exclusively experienced and told through audiolog and environment.

It's not a “big” world by any means, as you're often confined to a space station or spaceship in later sequels, but as everything is undeniably themed around SHODAN's absolute desire for craftsmanship and control, from evil automatons to mutated creatures, perfection is perfection. The original first game's sound design, wacky gadgets, and iconic music all served to create a game world that probably only works as well as this interactive, immersive sim experience.

The STALKER series

A dark nuclear wasteland that doesn't care if you live or die

Taking a few steps into the darkness and gloom resultThe STALKER The franchise has excelled over the years at bringing a very real place in the world to life in a virtual format: the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. If you've ever seen footage or photos of the area in real life, you have an idea of ​​what it looks like, from abandoned buildings to overgrown, irradiated forests. The STALKER The games translate this brilliantly into the game format by adding more eccentric elements of world building, such as mutated creatures, anomalies, and of course, warring factions and rival stickers.

There is no handholding in these games. Their ferocity is felt in how other characters react to you, either by opening fire on the scene and sniping you from hundreds of meters away, or welcoming you as a friend. The world is hostile and unwelcoming, and with no skill trees, the only progression is a lesson you have to learn by directly interacting with the world, exploring, and discovering more. It also happens like this STALKER Games build their lore: ambient storytelling, sparse dialogue, and a living and breathing space around you, never mind whether you survive or not. Although the newest game has some glee in it, it's one of the most atmospheric experiences thanks to its next-level sound design that's enough to encourage gameplay without any UI.

Horizon series

A beautiful clash of tribes and high tech

Take another at the end of the world, The horizon The games deserve their place here simply for creating a setting that is both incredibly unique but also surprisingly deep. It's best not to rush into these games, as the lore of the world is filled with many side quests and great environmental storytelling. Yes, many juicy bits are hidden behind the data points, similarly Cyberpunk 2077Where some of the most fascinating lore details are inside the data shards, so put on your reading glasses if you want all the details.

Both games show a world completely devastated by technological advancements, leading to the pharaoh plague and the near-total destruction of the Earth. Without spoiling too much, that's what you see zero morning What remains is a kind of high-tech reality that reverts to tribal society result Games. The characters, Aloy's quips and comments, and the vibrant locations where tribal aesthetics collide with the dead, hypermodern tech-world, weave into a brilliantly cohesive package.

Cyberpunk 2077

Mike Pondsmith's hyper capitalist dystopia comes to life

Neonlit, violent and scary world Cyberpunk 2077 It's one that begs to be put on the big screen. In fact, its success was already confirmed with the Edgerunners series on Netflix, and with a season 2 on the way, fans of Mike Pondsmith's world will once again get to dive into it. The game itself, though, does it best, taking from the original TTRPG and offering a much fuller, immersive experience. Night City is both beautiful and hideous, filled with chrome-up residents in flashy costumes driving futuristic cars, casual violence, night lights, and advertisements for everything from drugs to braindance to fake meat.

It's loud, it's offensive, and it's a suffocating, thrilling, and seedy view of a hypercapitalist hellscape where hope has died. The environmental storytelling is powerful here, and the characters Mercenary V meets serve to impart knowledge about the world. For example, through Judy, we learn about Laguna Bend, and Panam gives us a glimpse into the lives of the Aldecaldos, who live on the quiet outskirts of a vibrant city. In all honesty, this is one of my favorite settings in gaming, and the fact that many of the characters refer to the city as its own entity that “conquers” or consumes you. Cyberpunk 2077 Proves the world its true, invincible ultimate master.