For the love of the journey and the destination.
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00:00As gamers, we all know that sometimes a title can really get its hooks in you. You might not
00:04have thought about it going into a game, but we've all had those moments of total clarity
00:08where we realise, yeah, I think I'm going to 100% this. Whether that comes midway or after
00:14you've completed the story and aren't ready to put it down, the optional content around games is
00:18truly what keeps us invested for longer periods of time. Some people totally complete titles for
00:23the rewards and some people do it for the love of it, and there's certainly no right or wrong reason.
00:28I'm Sy for WhatCulture and these are 10 of the best video games to 100%.
00:3310. Horizon Zero Dawn
00:35Horizon Zero Dawn is an awesome marriage of an incredible story, exciting gameplay,
00:40and most importantly, perhaps of all, a gorgeous open world. Whilst many games' idea of realism
00:45is dark, gritty and gloomy, what makes the Horizon series stand out from its contemporaries
00:49is just how flipping pretty it is. Once it gets a hold of you, you may not want to leave.
00:54There's a certain school of thought that says that the journey itself can be the reward,
00:58as opposed to the destination, and if any game applies to that ideal, it's Horizon.
01:02Even when the story finishes and you're dropped back in front of the game's major city,
01:06many players find the allure of Horizon's beautiful post-civilisation world a hard one to depart from.
01:11Outside of the main story, there are plenty of things to do, including completing hunting trials,
01:16cleansing corrupted zones and a buffet of side quests. Horizon Zero Dawn does have some
01:20collectibles to account for, but it's not an overabundance and it's just another excuse to
01:24throw Aloy on the back of a robotic horse and delve deeper into the world's jungles,
01:29deserts and mountains. With gameplay as engaging as this, and a map that few open world games can
01:34compare themselves to, Horizon deserves this tip of the cap.
01:37Number 9, Brothers, A Tale of Two Sons
01:40Starbreeze's 2013 adventure Brothers, A Tale of Two Sons has that indie title charm in spades.
01:46It's got a great visual design, it feels like no other game, with each character controlled
01:50by a different thumbstick, and it moves at its own very chilled pace. No doubt the shortest game
01:55on this list, what makes this entry even more special is that you don't even have to finish
01:59the game to get all of its achievements slash trophies. Unlike many modern titles, Brothers
02:04trophy list isn't about demonstrating your gameplay skills and instead is a small checklist
02:08of unique events. Ranging from covering a sheep in soot to turn it black, to returning stranded
02:13turtles to their mother, Brothers asks the player to really explore the world and take
02:17notice of their surroundings. Instead of demanding increasingly more difficult playthroughs or time
02:21intensive riddles like other indie games, Brothers leans into what makes it special by providing a
02:26checklist quite unlike any other game. Can't imagine there's too many video games that reward
02:30you for skimming stones on the ocean. Brothers, A Tale of Two Sons is a reminder that a great 100%
02:35completion doesn't always have to be about massive time investment. Sometimes thinking
02:39outside of the box is more rewarding than a massive scavenger hunt.
02:42Number 8, Resident Evil 4
02:44Despite being a horror series, Resident Evil has always kept its focus on fun gameplay in mind and
02:50even the original PlayStation games had plenty of unlockables to keep players coming back for more.
02:54New costumes and weapons are an established and expected part of every Resi game and perhaps few
02:59more memorably so than Resident Evil 4. What makes getting to full completion with RE4 so
03:04rewarding is how much of a breeze it is to play. The game's award-winning combat system is satisfying
03:09in itself and even though the campaign isn't exactly punchy, there's enough variation to
03:13see you through to the end where the unlockables will start rolling out.
03:16Beating the game once will give you a few costumes, weapons and some new modes. Working your
03:21way through these will net you the infinite ammo Tommy gun and the ability to dress the vulnerable
03:25Ashley Graham in a literal suit of armour so she can't be harmed. With these two things alone,
03:30it's worth trudging back into rural Europe and causing some mayhem. But if you really want to
03:34get it all, completing a clean run of the game's professional mode will also net you the PLR421,
03:40a widespread laser blaster that kills basically every enemy and boss in one hit.
03:45Hasta la vista, Los Ganados.
03:487. God of War
03:50The 2018 reboot of God of War propelled the series to new heights. Whilst the original
03:54games have their value, this new iteration not only shakes up a tired formula but blows the
03:59doors off of the franchise. It exposes Kratos and the player to a huge world of possibilities.
04:04The story and gameplay is deeper than ever before and the variety of locations players
04:08are able to visit is wonderful. Truly, God of War deserves to be one of Sony's biggest
04:12first-party IPs. What makes God of War's completion checklist so good is variety.
04:17It truly does feel as though it has it all. Collectibles, errands, challenges and perhaps
04:22most exciting of all, the 8 hidden boss fights with the Valkyries. God of War's combat system
04:27is addictive and rewarding so being asked to spend more time with it isn't exactly a chore,
04:31even if these boss fights might test your mettle to its fullest extent. And let's face it,
04:36nail-bitingly hard boss fights are in God of War's DNA. Don't expect anything more than a
04:41quick thank you from Sindri for dusting off that 100% but saving the realm and having an
04:45awesome time doing it is enough to make this journey worthwhile.
04:496. Super Mario Galaxy
04:51Taking Mario out into the stars seemed like not only a strange but also a bold choice.
04:55The plumber had mastered the 3D platforming genre before but how would that translate to
04:59topsy-turvy and often zero gravity? Brilliantly, as it turns out, Super Mario Galaxy somehow rides
05:05a perfect line between a really relaxing game to play and also having plenty of unique challenges
05:10to it. With that Nintendo stamp of quality, it's very easy to want to pick up all 120
05:14power stars and bask in your rewards. That being said, 3D Mario has a weird
05:19history with completion. Doing all there is to do in Super Mario 64 gets you 100 pointless one-ups
05:24to spend on a game you've just finished. Even worse was the game's sequel, Super Mario Sunshine,
05:28where 100% completion earns you merely a postcard. Super Mario Galaxy finally figured out the kinds
05:33of rewards their players were hoping for and when you're done, you can give Mario a break and play
05:37through the whole game again as Luigi. Mario diehards are sure to appreciate how this seems
05:42to pay homage to Super Mario Bros 2 as, just like that game, Luigi can jump higher than his brother
05:47but is easy to lose control of, making a second run of the game just different enough to be a
05:51genuine consideration for any player. 5. Hades
05:56Supergiant's 2018 dungeon crawler Hades won several end-of-year awards for its aesthetic
06:01prowess and just how good an overall package it is. Set in the underworld of Greek legends,
06:05it's a fresh take on the genre and is oozing with personality. The idea of totally completing
06:10a roguelike, with all of its randomly generated dungeon goodness, can be a daunting task.
06:14Thankfully, due to Hades' addictive gameplay, you'll find yourself filling up that 100% completion
06:19goal without even really thinking about it. The just-one-more-run-before-bedtime mentality is
06:24strong in this one and it's all too easy to spend entire nights just trying to get that little bit
06:29further. What keeps players so invested in Hades is the variety of combat styles and the fact that
06:34the game isn't shy to reward or offer progress to the player. The more times you fail, the stronger
06:38you become and new conversations with the game's wonderful cast open up along the way. Over the
06:43many times you gear up for your next great underworld escape attempt, it's impossible
06:47not to grow closer to those around you. As such, the game becomes not just about your own survival,
06:51but about fulfilling the requests and stories of Hades' incredibly well-written and well-performed
06:56cast of characters. 4. Assassin's Creed 2
07:00When you think of 100% completion, you no doubt think of open worlds, and when you think of open
07:04worlds, you no doubt think of the Assassin's Creed franchise. There are a few reasons why
07:09Assassin's Creed 2 specifically stands out from the pack. First of all, it's not one of the latter
07:13games. That's not a criticism of the quality of newer AC titles, but games like Valhalla and Odyssey
07:19are such massive time sinks if you want to call yourself a completionist. The average completion
07:23run of AC2 will set you back 35 hours, compared to 2020's Valhalla which is an estimate of 135
07:30hours. Unlike other games in the series, Assassin's Creed 2 is just not as grindy.
07:34Moreover, some of the collectibles in AC2 actually have story-relevant impacts. After
07:38literally being silenced by Greef, finding all of the feathers across the game's multiple cities
07:43and delivering them to Ezio's mother Maria will gain you an exclusive cutscene where she finally
07:47speaks again. You also get a swish new cape, but story ramifications for collectibles is something
07:52that is all too rare when many games just dump hundreds into their worlds to bulk up the playtime.
07:57Assassin's Creed 2 is one of the most popular entries in the series and it's hard not to see
08:01why as it improved upon the original in every single way, 100% completion included.
08:063. Grand Theft Auto V
08:09As a series, Grand Theft Auto really laid the foundations for many open world games to come.
08:13Every entry in the franchise since GTA 3 has had plenty to find, see and do tucked away in
08:18its cities and countryside, but it doesn't come much bigger than the second best-selling game of
08:23all time, Grand Theft Auto V. Due to the sheer scope of the game, getting to that magical three-digit
08:28number in GTA V is no easy feat and this one should only be attempted by those with the
08:33commitment to do so. Side missions, stunt jumps, knife fights, hobbies and dozens of collectibles,
08:38Grand Theft Auto V is a huge game in every respect. A game of this magnitude doesn't need
08:43to offer much for its full completion because players that make it this far should only do
08:47so if they're still enjoying the game. No point subjecting yourself to such a massive task if
08:51you're not having fun. That being said, there are a few goodies including a 100% completion shirt
08:56and one more strangers and freaks mission. Harkening back to the San Andreas myth of a
09:01Sasquatch in the Los Santos mountainside, players can finally find the truth of the
09:05matter in this cherry on top of GTA V's massive to-do list.
09:092. Red Dead Redemption
09:11The worst examples of 100% completion are when the goal seems impossibly far away and even hours of
09:17work feels as though it hasn't made a difference. Red Dead Redemption 2, as incredible as it is,
09:22is such a huge game that trying to hit that finishing line is a truly daunting task.
09:26Not that Red Dead 2 didn't keep players captivated but its hyper-realism made for
09:30a much slower paced affair. Thankfully, the same can't be said about its predecessor.
09:34Whilst there's plenty to do in Red Dead 1 to keep you going, it's a far snappier game by
09:39comparison. Better yet, compared to many other open world games, it isn't filled with a needless
09:43number of collectibles. Mostly the game's checklist is interesting side missions and
09:47minigames and even the buried treasure isn't all that time consuming compared to other games of its
09:51ilk. You could absolutely complete Red Dead Redemption just for the pure joy of it, and many
09:56people have. However, there is a reward for 100%ing the game and the Bureau uniform finally
10:01lets you off the leash in true rockstar game style. You've done everything else there is to do,
10:05so now that you're above the law, go out into the west and do whatever you damn well please.
10:10You earned it.
10:111. Spider-Man
10:13The idea of a modern open world city combined with the Spider-Man franchise was something that
10:18seemed like a no-brainer, so in retrospect, there was almost no way Insomniac Games' 2018 title
10:24could really have failed. Even taking out the main story of Spider-Man, you could enjoy it on
10:28its optional content alone. Heck, plenty of us would still buy it just for how wonderful its web
10:32swinging system is. With a smorgasbord of different Spidey costumes to don, you can spend entire
10:37evenings just exploring and navigating the city. Thankfully then, when you drop to the streets
10:42below or find yourself running across the rooftops, there are plenty of things to do,
10:45stopping random acts of crime, completing Taskmaster's challenges, and clearing out
10:49Kingpin's hideout. It turns out that a lot of players found their way to this 100% mark,
10:54as the platinum trophy for finishing everything in the game is sitting at a strong 10%. It might
10:59not sound like much, but 1 in 10 players who booted up Spider-Man have experienced everything
11:04the game has to offer. Not a lot of open world games can claim this high of a number.
11:08And that's the list. Let us know what you thought of this video down in the comments below. Which of
11:13these games have you 100%ed and which other games did you truly enjoy getting that completionist
11:19feeling? Make sure you like this video, share it with your friends and hit that subscribe button.
11:23I've been Sy for What Culture and have a good week.