NO MAN’S SKY
It must be fairly difficult to make a map that can show 18 quintillion planets. The
developers at Hello Games didn’t just do it; they made it really beautiful, and
incredibly easy to use. Flying to the next objective is straightforward, but switch
to Free Explore mode and you can literally zoom across the entire universe,
explore the stars and find new locations to visit. Want to head towards a black
hole? Find an unexplored system? Or just challenge yourself at a dangerous
new location? Simply fly around until you find what you’re looking for, and you
can head straight to it. Different coloured stars indicate different things, and
everything is surrounded by lovely bright gas clouds. Space is pretty!
RED DEAD REDEMPTION II
One of the greatest joys in Red Dead Redemption II is simply exploring the world.
It’s made all the sweeter because it feels as if Arthur is scribbling down his
surroundings on the map screen as you go. It’s the little touches that make
this particularly special – the fonts all feel appropriate for the time, and smaller
locations (such as farms or cabins) are marked with handwritten notes and
animals are sketched, as if Arthur is adding them himself as he stumbles across
them. Lord only knows how he had time to intricately draw a mountain bear as the
giant beast charged at him. If it were me, that thing would look like Mickey Mouse
drawn by a toddler who’d only just learned how to hold a pencil.
THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT
Don’t you miss the days where there was a benefit to
buying a physical copy of a game? The Witcher 3: Wild
Hunt took us back to those heady days by including
a manual, a lore book, a soundtrack(!) and a beautiful
physical poster map of the world. Does this count as
an in-game map? Well, technically it’s not part of the
actual code of the game itself, so you could argue
that it doesn’t. But there are two important aspects
to consider. One, this is my list and I will do what I
want. And two, there’s a good chance that we’re all
living inside a giant computer simulation of our world
build by future humans or aliens, so you could argue
that, in many ways, this is an in-game map. Just... not
in The Witcher 3.FAR CRY 2
The whole point of a Far Cry game is that you’re
meant to feel like you’re a far cry from normal life. The
clue is literally in the name. So having a gorgeous,
zoomable 3D map doesn’t quite feel right when
you’re meant to have no idea of where you are,
where you’re going or why a group angry militiamen
are shooting in your direction. To help emphasise this
feeling of displacement, Far Cry 2 doesn’t give you a
map screen at all. You get a flimsy paper map, a GPS
device and prayer. What’s more, you’ll have to whip it
out as you frantically try and find your way to a safe
area while you dodge bullets – “Oh balls I’m about to
die, quick open the map!” It’s great for setting your
nerves on edge.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 107extra