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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 52m

VGOTY is old enough now that I don't really have the text committed to memory anymore so sometimes I'll re-read something in it and be surprised and impressed

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 6h

“woke has to come back”

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

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pcmag.com @pcmag.com · 3d

But recently, I've found myself drawn to a different kind of open-world experience.

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

But recently, I’ve found myself drawn to a different kind of open-world experience. I've been playing some of my favorite interpretations of the genre to date—games that feel refreshingly offbeat compared with their louder, more chaotic peers. And they’ve led me to a surprising realization: The open-world games I love most aren’t the ones packed with nonstop action, but the ones that embrace minimalism, quiet moments, and so-called "boring" design.

bit.ly

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · Oct 17

VIDEO GAME OF THE YEAR, my book, is one of the best video game history books around
linktr.ee/jordanwminor

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Aidan Moher @aidanmoher.com · 1d

Did you know I’ve got a starter pack of awesome people who make awesome video game books and magazines?

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 1d

my parents also loved One Battle After Another lmao

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 2d

I think another important complication here is games criticism overlapping with games history. VGOTY is full of games I openly talk about disliking! But they absolutely belong on a list like that and I felt it was my responsibly to at least understand and explain why.

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 2d

I think another important complication here is games criticism overlapping with games history. VGOTY is full of games I openly talk about disliking! But they absolutely belong on a list like that and I felt it was my responsibly to at least understand and explain why.

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Chris Franklin @errant-signal.com · 2d

Re: Critical discourse du jour: I'm torn, because on one hand I think having strong personal taste (and being able to defend it eloquently) is core to being a critic, but on the other I think you need to be able to approach games on their own terms is also supremely important for critics.

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Socu, He/Him @socuthedog.bsky.social · 2d

This reminds me when Bethesda was making Fallout 3 and a few months before release, they realized that the world was too small and it needed more empty spaces for your character to just be and walk around, so the made the map bigger to provide that feeling of boredom and loneliness

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 2d

From the weekend, my column on why open worlds must be bold enough to be boring

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 2d

From the weekend, my column on why open worlds must be bold enough to be boring

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

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Reposted by Jordan Minor

Goldy @theonlytruegoldy.bsky.social · 3d

My favorite game with this vibe is Go Vacation on the Switch.

You can walk up to a pizza truck and order a slice of pizza.

Your reward for doing this is a cutscene of your character sitting and eating a piece of pizza.

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Nathan Savant @baldsavant.bsky.social · 3d

It's so weird when people complain about the open world of Mario Kart being boring.... that's kinda the point!

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

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Reposted by Jordan Minor

Megan Fox @glassbottommeg.bsky.social · 3d

I like this take. Because yeah, this is also why Death Stranding worked (and why adding more "content" to it would make it worse- the idea that was a void that needed filling was a tremendous misunderstanding)

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

bsky.app/profile/jord...

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

5

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 3d

From wandering in Baby Steps to cruising in Mario Kart World, I am now fully convinced that the best open worlds aren't afraid to be a little boring. Check out my latest column for PCMag www.pcmag.com/opinions/for...

Forget GTA VI—The Best Open-World Games Are Boring on Purpose

Boring isn't a bug—it's the secret weapon behind the best open-world experiences. Who needs explosions and side quests when leisurely walking or driving feels this good?

www.pcmag.com

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Reposted by Jordan Minor

Nick Capozzoli @nickcapozzoli.bsky.social · 4d

I feel similarly, especially now that I've gotten to the Manbreaker. It's a perfectly positioned challenge: I want to beat it because it feels right for Nate's story, but it's also not standing b/w me and any more content, so I can fire the game up every once in a while & take a couple swings at it.

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 5d

My big Baby Steps essay is coming very soon but a huge reason why I love it is because I have less than zero interest in actually ever beating it

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 5d

My big Baby Steps essay is coming very soon but a huge reason why I love it is because I have less than zero interest in actually ever beating it

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 5d

Anyone who read the Uncharted 2 chapter in VGOTY will know my exact thoughts on this lmao

IGN @ign.com · 6d

"I’m a huge fan of PlayStation’s first-party offerings... But where in the past this brand of glossy storytelling felt like new ground being trodden, I can’t help but feel that recently it's become the well-worn road." bit.ly/46WOLA6

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 6d

And if you’re hoping to hear me say more about these games, perhaps an entire book’s worth of analysis, you’re in luck! Just wait a little while longer… bsky.app/profile/jord...

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · Dec 12

I can’t wait to share my deep dive into the incredible SUPER MARIO GALAXY for @bossfightbooks.com
Stay tuned!

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 6d

Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 are out now on Nintendo Switch 1+2, check out my preview if you missed it www.pcmag.com/news/i-playe...

I Played the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Remaster, and It's Still Out of This World

The stellar sequel to Mario’s intergalactic adventure is back on the Switch 2, now dazzling in crisp 4K and introducing a helpful new assist mode that increases your health. I can't wait for its Octob...

www.pcmag.com

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Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 10d

anyone else ever see Night Catches Us?

Jordan Minor @jordanwminor.bsky.social · 10d

Sean Penn is such a world class freak in One Battle After Another

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