Take-Two is one of the the world’s most famed video game publishers and has been a mainstay in the industry for decades now. Everything ranging from grand-strategy to FPSs to westerns are on the table for Take-Two. Let’s take a look at seven of the best Take-Two games that are easily accessible and are worth playing right now.
The BioShock Collection
Best Take-Two Games
Published by Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games, The BioShock Collection is the best way to go to Rapture, Columbia and back again from the comfort of your living room.
It recently received a remaster and packed with all of the additional DLC from the games’ original releases, the collection includes BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite.
In the first title, players find themselves stumbling upon the underwater city of Rapture, and in their attempts to survive and escape, run into the deranged inhabitants that live there. Rapture is one of the most atmospheric settings we’ve had the terrifying pleasure of experiencing. We recommend playing it in the dark.
BioShock 2 sees the player returning to Rapture, but will this time assume the role of a Big Daddy as they fight back against the free-thinking Sofia Lamb and her followers as they take control of the city.
BioShock Infinite sees a change of setting as players take to the skies and the floating city of Columbia. This time they play as Booker DeWitt and are tasked with “bring us the girl and wipe away the debt” by the ever-characteristic and mysterious Lutece twins. Despite being set high in the sky, Infinite still manages to retain an eerie atmosphere, albeit not quite on the same level as Rapture.
The BioShock Collection is a fantastic trilogy of first-person shooting goodness. The games look great, play better than ever, and the addition DLC provides a good chunk of additional playtime to the standard experience. If you’ve yet to play these games, they should go right to the top of your list.
Plus, BioShock 4 is officially in development. In case you needed another reason to get up-to-speed.
Grand Theft Auto V
The Best Take-Two Games
One of Take-Two’s crown jewel subsidiaries are the incredibly talented folk over at Rockstar Games. The developer is behind the critically-acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, and the very latest entry is the biggest and best to-date.
Set in the sprawling open-world city of Los Santos, players are free to do whatever they wish. Race cars, play golf, go pull off some bank heists with the boys, pet Franklin’s dog Chop to let him know he’s a good boi. I mean, that last reason is reason enough for the plethora of top marks the title received on release.
All of this can be done in single-player, but the game also packs in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto Online, which allows players to meet up, fly planes and do all that crazy stuff all over again… but together!
The online heists and fairly recent addition of The Diamond Casino and Resort means there’s plenty to get on with. And when you get tired of completing objectives, you can just RPG your mate. Winner winner!
Red Dead Redemption 2
If you prefer your open-world adventures with a spaghetti-western spice, then Red Dead Redemption 2‘s probably more suited to you over GTA V. Telling the story of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and member of the notorious Van der Linde gang, Red Dead Redemption 2 takes players on an adventure across the Western, Midwestern and Southern United States during the decline of the Wild West.
Outlaws are no longer all-powerful and law enforcement is taking its toll on the Van der Linde gang. Navigating this world teeming with secrets and spoils to stumble upon is enthralling all on its own. But its when you add the eclectic cast of inhabitants, the spectacular narrative and sheer volume of content to play through that really cements Red Dead Redemption 2 as one of the finest open-world games of all time.
Much-like its modern-day Rockstar counterpart, Red Dead Redemption 2 also features Red Dead Online. It’s very much the same as GTA Online, allowing players to embark on missions together, gun down other players, and carve out their own piece of the decaying Wild West while it lasts.
Civilization VI
The Best Take-Two Games
For those of you that’d rather leave the dirty work to the AI and let your tactical prowess do the talking, then Civilization VI is an fantastic 4X turn-based strategy game that’ll eat up all of your free time with ease.
The latest entry in the series introduces new ways for players to interact with their world, advance your empire’s culture and span across the map, and cement yourself as one of the finest leaders in history.
For those new to the series, an incredibly handy tutorial as well as the “New to Civ 6” tips option helps you get up-to-speed and on your way to international dominance without slowing your progress to a crawl.
Yes, the AI can be a little varied in terms of how (un)intelligently it’ll respond to your actions, but you can always just cast them aside and get a group of friends together so you can promptly betray them and conquer their land as your own.
Maybe they’ll think again about having their troops sniff around your border next time.
LA Noire: Complete Edition
LA Noire might be a little older than a lot of the titles on this list, but its charm comes from a variety of unique traits that make it a game you have to play at least once.
The story follows Detective Cole Phelps’ rise through the ranks of the LA Police Department, bouncing from division to division along the way. This means you’ll get a taste of solving crimes in Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson, with your performance rated after resolving each case.
One of the most charming aspects of LA Noire was its bold attempt at more realistic facial expressions. The dream was you’d be able to see the guilty look on someone’s face, or the unsettling glances of some deep in denial. It’s a little janky-looking by today’s standards, but there are moments where it subtly succeeds and adds a bit more significance to the Good Cop and Bad Cop dialog choices you’ll have to make.
Don’t go in expecting anything quite on the same level as GTA V or Red Dead Redemption 2, but if you’re looking for an open world game with a unique flair, LA Noire’s certainly a solid pick.
XCOM 2
The Best Take-Two Games
If Civilization VI’s empirical tactics goodness is a little too broad for your liking, then XCOM 2‘s here to offer more turn-based tactical goodness but in a more bite-sized and focused format.
This time around you’ll be leading your team of troops through various combat scenarios. You’ll recruit resistance fighters, get too attached and then save-scum when they die.
You’ll level up their skill trees, have regrets and save-scum again. You’ll fail a mission because of one terribly-thought out move and watch your team go to the slaughter house. You have to deal with this. You’re a monster.
There’s a huge amount of depth in XCOM 2 and its War of the Chosen expansion only continues to add more premium strategy goodness into an already beefy package.
Borderlands 3
Everyone loves a looter shooter! Borderlands 3 is here to scratch that itch for when it comes about in all its cel-shaded, toilet-humored entirety.
With over 22 hours of main story content and upwards of 60, plus an additional three expansions, the world of Borderlands has never felt so grand or felt so good to play.
Borderlands 3 introduces four new customizable Vault Hunters, with their own unique skill trees and abilities offering a different way to blast your way through Psychos and Skags.
What should be noted is if you’ve never really been a fan of the Borderlands series, this latest entry isn’t going to do anything to change that. It’s more of the same, but bigger and better and completely playable in online co-op.
Get a group together and you’ll sink hours at a time on Pandora and beyond.
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