Padre Playz: Top 3 Single Player Story Games

The single player experience is a little bit of a lost art form. Over the years we moved more towards the multiplayer experience. With the advancement of technology came high speed internet which made gaming online with others a better experience (no more LAN parties in your grandmother's basement). With such a focus put on the multiplayer experience sometimes single player modes are almost like an after thought. First person shooters used to be engaging, with amazing storyline, twisting plot points, and filled with interesting characters. Black Ops was a great example where BO I and II where amazing stories, BO III lost me in the first level. Now to be fair if your making a new COD every year your probably not always going to have a hit on your hands. The shift to multiplayer is most likely heavily fueled by the opportunity to monetize and maximize profits. Sure you could sell DLCs for a story, but there is bigger bucks to be made in battle passes, skin's, etc. Etc.

This is not to say there have been no single player story driven games that have not been stellar. This opinion piece is going to go over my favourite three from recent years and why I recommend a play through. Now I am a gamer in his 30s. I have kids and a full time career. I am a fellow with a small window to game and an even smaller attention span. However, I have played and beaten the main stories of these three titles which must give some weight into how fun they are.

Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is definitely a title I slept on (no pun intended). I remember it coming out, but I never played it and it quickly left my mind. Couple years back it was $3 on Steam with all its DLC so I said to myself why not. Sleeping Dogs is a 2012 title by Square Enix that originally released on Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows (later ported to Xbox One and Mac OS). It was originally supposed to come out as the third installment of the True Crimes series, but the project was cancelled. Square Enix bought the game and the rights and released it as an individual title. The game takes place in a beautiful open world recreation of Hong Kong as you step into the shoes of Wei Shen an undercover cop infiltrating the Triads. I cannot believe I original missed playing this game because it is definitely my cup of tea. I am a huge fan of martial arts movies especially those Hong Kong films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. This game is heavily influenced by those films which is evident by one of the unlockable costumes being Bruce Lee's famous yellow and black jumper from 1978's Game of Death. The game mechanics are third person and are a mix of gun fighting and martial arts. There is a main story line where you hook up with an old friend who is a soldier in the Sun on Yee Triads. You gain the trust of the organization as you move up the ranks and make an impression on the bosses. There are also many police side missions you can do where you make drug busts and also random fight clubs you can enter. I love how you train at local dojos to learn new moves and you have to practice those moves on all the students at the dojo. The story is an amazing tale of that police officer that gets too deep and I highly recommend any fan of martial arts and crime thrillers to get their hands on a copy of Sleeping Dogs.

Red Dead Redemption 2

I knew nothing about the series when I pressed start on this game. I am always a little hesitant playing a game in the middle of the franchise, especially one with an in-depth story. I am glad I took the risk and jumped into RDR2. The game is just a masterpiece, from the story, to the graphics, to all little game mechanics, it is ..dare I say it.. the perfect game. RDR2 is the third installment in Rockstar Games Western genre series, and a prequal to 2010 Red Dead Redemption. The year is 1899, and you play as Arthur

The games beloved central figure Arthur Morgan

Morgan one of the grizzly outlaws in the Van der Linde Gang. As the Wild West disappears into civilization your group are some of the last clinging to the old ways of the gunslingers. When the game starts off you are running from the law due to some unpleasantness that happens in Blackwater. Many of the first games characters make a return such as the leader Dutch, Javier Escuela, Bill Masterson, and the prequals hero John Marston. The game is full of enough gun fighting, bar fights, bank robberies, and train hijackings to keep the most experienced cowpoke on their toes. This game provides hours and hours of entertainment. Outside the main story I have spent hours in this game literally just hunting and fishing and exploring the landscape. The forests, the mountains, the desserts are all beautifully animated and teaming with wild life. The game is also very dynamic. You can be minding your own business riding down a dirt path and a group of banditos attack you and try to rob you. You could be trotting along and a man needs medical assistance as he is bitten by a snake and your his only chance to survive. Arthur is also such a great character. You can tell even though he is a criminal, he is a criminal with scruples and tries to do the right thing when he can. If you are not absolutely in love with Mr. Arthur Morgan after playing this game then you have no soul. I highly recommend RDR2 to anyone and their mother. Even if you haven't played the first one, please do not let that stop you.

The Witcher 3

Geralt the Monster Slayer

Another one I was hesitant about playing having never played any of the previous games or read the books. I mean I did watch Season 1 of the Netflix adaptation so that made me feel a bit more comfortable to dive in Geralt's world. The Witcher 3 is an action RPG with a very rich story with tons of colourful characters. Geralt is this mutated human who's career is monster hunting and monster hunting accessories. I have to admit for the first hour I was super confused about what was going on, and who was who, and what was what. After that little bit of feeling unconformable I got right into the story. My adopted daughter Ciri has gone missing and I am searching the vast continent taking on monster bounties and helping towns folk on my way. The game play is fun, but challenging and the different gear and weapons you can loot and craft are incredible. Interacting with the NPCs is also a great way to learn the story and get more into the lore of The Witcher. The game world and graphics are gorgeous and CD Projekt Red recently released a free next-gen upgrade which you can take advantage if your rig can handle it. I spent approximately 50 hours on The Witcher 3 and even though I finished the story I barely scratched the surface for the game and the DLC that I got included. Overall, this is definitely a single player game if you havent tried to get your hands on.

Honourable mention...

Grand Theft Auto IV

Nico next to a BMW (Vehicle Mod)

I really wanted a quick minute to talk about how great of a game GTA IV is. GTA IV is my favourite game in the entire series. Now don't get me wrong the original three are legendary. I played hours and hours of Vice City as a kid, just driving around a faux Miami Beach enjoying the scenery, oh and blowing up cop cars. Also every 15 year old boys favourite movie is Scarface so Vice City was pretty much just living out the life of Antonia Montana. Back to GTA IV. The reason I like GTA IV so much is because it is the most serious GTAs out of the series (more or less). You are back in Liberty City (basically NYC) as Eastern European immigrant Nico Bellic. You have come to America to start a new life, but also get revenge on a man who double crossed you in the war and caused the death of your entire squad. Do not worry though you are not entirely alone in a new country, you have your hilarious cousin Roman who thinks you are the greatest thing since sliced bread. You are a little disappointed to find out though that he is not the big shot American cousin you thought he was and you have to help out at the cab stand he works at. Even though you are trying to live a straight life you get caught up in both the Russian and Irish Mobs while also moonlighting for the Italian Mafia. Uncle Sam also gets into the mix with the promises of finding the man Nico is looking for. The game is extremely entertaining and I would recommend if you are looking for a grittier more serious GTA experience.

Well I hope you enjoyed this opinion piece and if you get the opportunity to try one of these classics leave a comment below or on Twitter.

Stay safe out there gamers.

Sleeping Dogs is the intellectual property of Square Enix. Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA IV are the intellectual properties of Rockstar Games. The Witcher 3 is the intellectual property of CD Projekt Red.

Reference List: Wikipedia.org was referenced to reconfirm some information in the article.

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