Modern video games, and the developers behind those experiences, constantly strive to discover new ways of empowering players to explore and interact with game worlds the way in which they choose to.
Logitech G is also dedicated to delivering players more freedom when it comes to enjoying their games. Its G613 LIGHTSPEED wireless keyboard (Logitech G’s first wireless mechanical gaming keyboard) and G603 LIGHTSPEED wireless mouse offer players unprecedented performance and comfort without the hassle of having your controls being tethered by wires.
In the following article, we take a look at eight unforgettable gaming scenes that changed the way players have the freedom to enjoy their virtual surroundings.
Getting Out of the Sewer in Far Cry
After years of landscapes routinely as hellish as the things you met and the sounds you heard, 2004’s Far Cry played a blinder with its beauty. It then pulled a great fake-out by starting you in the traditional grimy corridors (A sewer! An air duct!), only to send you blinking into gorgeous tropical sunlight to a vast island of palm trees, white sands and clear ocean waters. The darting tropical fish, the far-off shores and the impossibly wide horizon… every detail from the smallest to the largest stops players in their tracks.
Landing on Liberty Island in Deus Ex
In a time where shooters were a funnel of endless corridors and RPGs catered mainly to wizard-loving potion drinkers, 2000’s Deus Ex wasn’t so much a breath of fresh air as a minty tornado to both eyes. Liberty was right. Venturing from the dock towards the statue in Matrix-esque world of sci-fi trenchcoats, your options are vast: you can use force, stealth, hacking, trickery, exploration and human interaction to infiltrate, and even disobey orders once you have. Having added more linear elements for 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution, 2016’s Mankind Divided dived again to the more thoughtful, open depths that so blew us away originally.
Going for a Space-Drive in Mass Effect
The only thing you could want more than a spaceship is somewhere amazing to fly it. And where could be more free than space? The original Mass Effect of 2007 gave you it – to gorgeous effect – in a galaxy full of star systems with planets that could be visited, explored and mined. While No Man’s Sky has since made it look like a suburban cul-de-sac in scale, ME backs its mega-void up with a tapestry of characters, storylines and mysteries that draw you ever-further in. The first time you fly your ship to another world – wherever you fancy – is a glory.
Doing Almost Anything In Minecraft
What, we asked, could be more free than space? The answer might just be 2009’s Minecraft, the infinitely-wide sandbox game with no overarching goals where you can go anywhere, build anything and fall hilariously into some lava. Sure, it has various modes and objectives, but it never abandons that core of extreme freedom… which means that choosing one single thing to represent it is impossible, whether it’s creating your own gigantic gothic cathedral, your own gigantic replica of Final Fantasy’s Altissia or, well, simply falling hilariously into some lava.
Taking Some Me-Time in Metal Gear Solid V
Few creators break free of convention like Hideo Kojima, the man behind Metal Gear. At once overly serious and deeply, deeply silly, the series arguably reaches its peak with MGS V: The Phantom Pain, where players roam sprawling, detailed open worlds (Afghanistan and the border between Angola and Zaire) in a way only a man equipped with a rocket-powered fist, balloons that can kidnap enemies and a ‘tactical’ cardboard box can. Ignore the helicopter, travel by horse, forget about your missions and fight a bear while dressed as a chicken.
Commuting to Work in Half-Life
It’s odd to think of commuting as a ‘freedom,’ but when it involves an elevated tram ride through Black Mesa – past pre-disaster locations you’ll rediscover – your ability to walk into the center of an FPS without firing a shot was a masterstroke. You don’t really ‘choose’ to get on the train, find your locker and report to the lab (late!), but it really feels like it. Half-Life’s knack of telling stories without a sniff of a cutscene influenced an entire generation; and with the combat and puzzle-solving freedom the sequel’s Gravity Gun brought, Half-Life’s legendary influence only increased.
Conquering Space and Time in Prince of Persia
Released in 2003 on an ancient device known as a ‘PS2,’ The Sands of Time pioneered modern gaming freedoms. Its time rewind function not only revolutionized its own platforming, but influenced a host of games that followed: everything from the puzzler Braid to Forza Motorsport 3. Yet that wasn’t all. The sort of fluid, freerunning agility every third-person actioner from Mirror’s Edge to Assassin’s Creed has since enjoyed can be traced back to the Prince’s wall-running, wall-scaling freedom. Previous heroes – most notably Lara Croft – suddenly looked rigid, awkward and needy by comparison.
To free your gaming experiences from the confines of wired controls, check out this page and learn more about the G613 wireless mechanical keyboard and G603 wireless mouse.
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