Free Roam/Open World/Sandbox Favorites?

[Spider-Aziz]

The title should be self explanatory, and I gathered all three titles in the title for the open world to be easy for search
Can't find a thread like this although I'm sure I saw one before

What are your favorite open world games? State some if you can't think of them all

I like open world games for the challenges spread and doing various stuff all over the landscape, some of my favorites:

• Just Cause 2
• inFAMOUS (did not play 2, can't comment on that one)
• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed 2
• GTA Vice City (mainly for the trolley)

 

[Oscorp]

Arkham City
Arkham Asylum
Just Cause 2

 

[James]

My favorite type of game! Though having said that, it's obvious there are huge variations in the 'type' of open-world games. Anyway, onward and in no particular order:

Fallout 3
Fallout New Vegas
Saints Row 1 & 2
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 2
Grand Theft Auto 3
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto IV (including the add-on episodes)

And it's not out yet, but I'll add Grand Theft Auto V to the list anyway.

 

[Quasimod0]

My favorite type of game also! Ones i played in the past and loved
GTAIV
Bully
Fallout 3
Oblivion and Skyrim
Mercenaries 1 and 2
Arkham city
Assassins creed 3

And I'm currently playing and loving
Far cry 3
Just cause 2

 

[Storm22]

Red Dead Redemption
Batman Arkham City
Infamous 2
Assassins Creed 2-3
GTA IV
Crackdown

 

[Rocanrol]

Skyrim
Batman AC
GTA vice city

 

[Soapy]

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Crackdown
Burnout Paradise
Red Dead Redemption
Saints Row: The Third
Dark Souls
Dragon's Dogma

 

[Quasimod0]

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Crackdown
Burnout Paradise
Red Dead Redemption
Saints Row: The Third
Dark Souls
Dragon's Dogma

Forgot crackdown, burnout paradise, and red dead.
Man i have alot of open world games.

 

[Iceman]

Skyrim
Assassin's Creeds
Arkham City

But I have so many on my shelves waiting to play as these games take ages and deserve a lot of dedicated time. Skyrim is a fair way in front in this category for me as the merits of the others are not as much the open world & freedom itself but gameplay and narrative. I think ES VI will be my favourite open world game by a long way when it eventually comes out.

Burnout Paradise

The racing game? How does the open world work on this game?

 

[Soapy]

The racing game? How does the open world work on this game?

Great. There's an event tied to every street corner and intersection. The game has a very relaxed, free-flowing feel to it because once you're in the game, you're in it. No menus or cutscenes or anything like that. You don't even have to slow down to start a mission, just hit a button as you whiz past it and you're off to the races (no pun intended).

There are also a ton of collectibles in the form of billboards and gates you can smash through that lead to shortcuts and hidden areas.

It's honestly one of my favorite games this gen, and I typically don't even like racing games. I'm really hoping EA lets them make a sequel next generation.

 

[Iceman]

Great. There's an event tied to every street corner and intersection. The game has a very relaxed, free-flowing feel to it because once you're in the game, you're in it. No menus or cutscenes or anything like that. You don't even have to slow down to start a mission, just hit a button as you whiz past it and you're off to the races (no pun intended).

There are also a ton of collectibles in the form of billboards and gates you can smash through that lead to shortcuts and hidden areas.

It's honestly one of my favorite games this gen, and I typically don't even like racing games. I'm really hoping EA lets them make a sequel next generation.

I had no idea. I've played Revenge which I got nowhere near finishing (quite hard!). Maybe I'll look this up then as it's got to be quite cheap by now.

 

[Electro UK]

I struggle with open world games a lot of the time because I usually lose focus and don't find the minute-to-minute gameplay engaging, but I do have a few favorites.

Red Dead Redemption - The exception to the rule for me and Rockstar. I've tried for the life of me to get into GTA but I just can't do it. However, the Western setting, mature story and improved gunplay make Red Dead Redemption a favorite.

Infamous 1 + 2 - From a game design view point Infamous is admittedly a flawed game. But it's controls boast a tightness that most other open-world TPS's lack. The player-controlled free-running gives battles an acrobatic nature (and towers above Assassin's Creed's lame 'hold to win' setup).

Ultimate Spider-Man - I've always been a big advocate of USM. People claim Spider-Man 2 is the better game but I think the improvements made to the combat, web-slinging, visuals and story make this a clear winner. It's the best Spidey game by a mile and I wish we'd see an HD version at some point.

 

[Electro UK]

Great. There's an event tied to every street corner and intersection. The game has a very relaxed, free-flowing feel to it because once you're in the game, you're in it. No menus or cutscenes or anything like that. You don't even have to slow down to start a mission, just hit a button as you whiz past it and you're off to the races (no pun intended).

There are also a ton of collectibles in the form of billboards and gates you can smash through that lead to shortcuts and hidden areas.

It's honestly one of my favorite games this gen, and I typically don't even like racing games. I'm really hoping EA lets them make a sequel next generation.

Did you play Most Wanted? It's more Burnout Paradise 2 than anything else.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Saints Row: The Third

Considered playing this game enough times, might do it one of these days

 

[TX85]

Assassin's Creed games
Batman Arkham City
Fall Out 3
Far Cry 3
GTA III
GTA Vice City
GTA San Amdreas
GTA IV
Just Cause 2
Infamous 1&2
Red Dead Redemption
Saints Row The Third

 

[Soapy]

Did you play Most Wanted? It's more Burnout Paradise 2 than anything else.

I've heard that, but the Need for Speed series kind of lost me after Underground. It's like EA said, "Man, that Fast and Furious movie sure was cool! What if we put a bunch of dumb street racing stories told through really ****** FMV in Need for Speed from now on? That's what the kids want right?

 

[Trimmings]

My favorite would have to be Arkham City. Going around and collecting the interview tapes and finding out what was going on behind the scenes before the story started.

There's one thing I'll never stop crying for until we get it, though. A DINOSAUR open world game. Reading the Jurassic Park books just make want it so bad!

 

[Spider-Aziz]

There's one thing I'll never stop crying for until we get it, though. A DINOSAUR open world game. Reading the Jurassic Park books just make want it so bad!

That is going to be awesome
Wonder if they will allow skinning some kinds of them

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Definitely love the Assassin's Creeds and Arkham series, as well as Metroid Prime, really all Metroids, and Zelda's for that matter are sandbox games, the original sandbox games. Just think they're really well done and playing in those worlds is just great.

I was a fan of the GTA series, but I'm not so sure anymore, I don't have much desire to go back and play them. I'm not really even looking forward to 5 and doubt I'll buy it.

I'm not sure if these count, but the Bioshock and Borderlands franchises, I know they're kind of level based, Bioshock a little more so. However, I'll spent several hours searching every nook and cranny of a level.

 

[Trimmings]

That is going to be awesome
Wonder if they will allow skinning some kinds of them

Right? Dinosaurs have got to be the last unexplored area for video games. I know the Turok games exist, but I'm talking about something on the level of Skyrim and whatnot.

Skinning them could be cool. You'd probably need a machete for the T-Rex

 

[James]

I forgot Crackdown too! That is a definite favorite.

 

[Iceman]

My favorite would have to be Arkham City. Going around and collecting the interview tapes and finding out what was going on behind the scenes before the story started.

There's one thing I'll never stop crying for until we get it, though. A DINOSAUR open world game. Reading the Jurassic Park books just make want it so bad!

The next Elder Scrolls game needs to have dinosaurs! And they should fight each other in the background as you go about doing missions. Really give Elder Scrolls every possible variety of fantasy based enemy, monster, race & normal wildlife and you're onto a winner.

 

[Jick]

Batman Arkham City
Spider-Man 2
Hulk Ultimate Destruction
Infamous 1/2
GTA San Andreas

I like more linear games than sandbox, though. I quickly grow tired of free-roam.

 

[jonathancrane]

Skyrim, Fallout 3, San Andreas & Arkham City (even though it is on the border of free roam, due to the sharp boundaries in the game.)

 

[Spider-Vader]

Red Dead Redemption
Spider-Man 2
Skyrim
Assassin's Creed series
Batman: Arkham City
Far Cry 3