When it comes to open-world games, there's nothing better than the original Legend of Zelda on the NES. Sometimes, old-school is all you need to create the single greatest open-world experience of all time. It was revolutionary for its time, being the first home console release to use an internal battery for saving your game. Saving was sort of played fast and loose, but it conditioned generations of gamers to have a never say die attitude that has stayed with them ever since. The open world of Hyrule was yours to explore, allowing you to visit each dungeon in a non-linear fashion. Progress through the original Legend of Zelda is interesting as it lacks the modern-day bells and whistles like a radar or way-points. Instead, it asks you to rely on raw skill and essentially find the dungeons yourself. Some are hidden in clever locations, others in plain sight. Venturing out to explore is dangerous but rewarding, and you often feel a nice sense of accomplished toughness as you find yourself succeeding where the game tried to stop you. It's the most pure form of game-to-developer give-and-take there is, as the open world is harsh but fair, and a wonderful place to discover. The Legend of Zelda has been imitated but never duplicated, and is the greatest open-world game of all time. But there's sure to be some fantastic open-world experiences that didn't make the cut, so sound off in the comments and let us know what open-world game is your favourite.
