Nothing makes a game experience your own quite like being able to make your own character. With the right tweaks, you can create a copy of yourself, a celebrity look-alike, or a totally original character that you can take through an entire game with you. Here are five of the best games for customizing the world to your liking.
5. The Sims 4
This game is about as close as you can get to being a god without actually… well, being a god. Every aspect of this world is at your fingertips. You can customize a character from the ground up, choosing everything from their fashion sense to their personality. Then, you can customize their lives, too. What job they get, the house they live in, the car they drive, the friends they make – it’s all entirely up to you. You can live the life you’ve always dreamed of or fill a house with celebrity look-alikes and run your own version of “Big Brother.” The possibilities are endless.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Character creation? In Metal Gear? For players who are used to infiltrating enemy bases and saving the world as Snake, the character creation aspect of the most recent Metal Gear title comes as a surprise. One of the first things you’ll do in the game is to create your own character. Using the Fox Engine’s gorgeous graphics and surprisingly detailed customization tools, you’ll get to build the perfect soldier for use in the campaign… and then you won’t see them again for quite a while, as you return to the role of Big Boss. So where does your custom character go as you’re playing the campaign? What’s the point of making them if you’re just going to play as Big Boss? Unfortunately, we can’t tell you without spoiling the game in a big way, but rest assured, the pay-off for all that waiting is huge. In addition to creating a character, plenty of other aspects of the game are customizable, such as your base, your vehicles, your companions, and most importantly, your dog.
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
You too can experience the joys of taking an arrow to the knee when you create a character in Skyrim. You’ll start by picking from a wide variety of races, such as a Nord, Khajit, or Argonian, each with their own unique traits. Then, you can tweak your characters facial features, hair, and eyes until you have the perfect adventurer. Explore the world to discover unique weapons, armor, and houses that you can use to further customize your character. For those inclined to go beyond the base version of the game, a huge variety of mods can make the game even more customizable.
2. Fallout 4
If you’ve ever wondered if you could survive the post-apocalypse, this is the game for you. Like previous Fallout games, Fallout 4 allows you to customize every aspect of your character’s appearance. The character creation tools in this entry are the most in-depth of any in the series, including everything from scars and blemishes to makeup and tattoos. That’s not even the best part, though: the game recognizes the name that you choose for your character. One of your companions, Codsworth, will refer to your character by their given name, with hundreds and hundreds of options programmed into the game for him to draw from. The names Codsworth knows range from the typical, like Tony, Joe, or Nicole, to the ridiculous, like Superman or Furiosa.
What to play while waiting for Fallout 76
1. Mass Effect 2
In Mass Effect 2, you don’t just play as Commander Shepard, you are Commander Shepard. You start your journey by customizing your Shepard’s face and gender, and can even choose a character backstory from a list of several options. It isn’t just window dressing, either: other characters in-game will know and refer to the backstory you choose, which can make for some interesting interactions. Shepard’s combat class is also yours to play with, with options ranging from the classic Soldier to the biotic Vanguard to the stealthy Infiltrator. From that point on, this game is yours to play as you choose. Every interaction and every choice is yours to make, and those choices will shape the game and have lasting consequences down the road. Your character and choices will even carry over into Mass Effect 3, making each experience totally unique. Build your team, romance an alien, and save the galaxy your way.
Adding your own flair to the way you play is one of the best parts of gaming. Whether you’re slaying dragons or building an army, these five games are perfect for making you feel like you’re part of the action.
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