Topic: Top Ten Open World Games

[ShyGuy]

Not in order of best to worst, order of popping into my head.

1. Godfather (Black Hand Edition) - Taking over the city piece by piece is incredibly satisfying
2. Bully - Rockstar's best sandbox game, so different and refreshing from the usual crime based sandbox game
3. Crackdown - Just simple fun, great controls and player mechanics, got tired of it by the time of the sequel retread
4. Grand Theft Auto III: Vice City - Driving around "Miami" listening to classic 80s tunes was very Zen feeling.
5. Endless Ocean - Completely different from any of the other games on this list. You felt relaxed after playing
6. Scarface: The World is Yours - Another game with the addictive empire building component, Plus Tony's one liners are entertaining
7. Red Dead Redemption - Gorgeous game, probably got the Western feel the most right of any video game.
8. SpiderMan 2 - the first action game that integrated sandbox gameplay to great success, great feeling swinging around the City
9. The Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction - Great fun destroying things in this game, The Hulk is just fun to control
10. Batman: Arkham City - Great combat mechanics, I loved running around an open Gotham city and interacting with these characters.

Honorable Mention:
No More Heroes - A parody of an open world game
Postal 2 - I really like that you could go through the game without actually going on a rampage.

[Morari]

Morrowind is better than all of those.

The Far Cry series has always offered an open world setting as well. Usually much different from your typical urban decay.

[Sarail]

I'd say Infamous fits in quite well in that list.

[ShyGuy]

Not a big Elder Scrolls fan, I like the concept, but actually playing the games doesn't thrill me.

Infamous is fun, really like climbing around the city, but it wears out its welcome by the second island in the city.

Far Cry is an interesting choice, I guess it is open world, but it also has a level structure. Judges? Is Far Cry and open world game?

[Pixelated Pixies]

Super Metroid would be my favourite. Though, I'm not sure if that even counts as open world any more. The term 'open world' seems to have been co-opted by the third and first-person variants.

[Morari]

Far Cry is an interesting choice, I guess it is open world, but it also has a level structure. Judges? Is Far Cry and open world game?

Think of the levels more as hubs. Each level is vast, open, and has multiple paths of advancement. Far Cry 2 even more so.

[tendoboy1984]

Here's my list:
Cave Story
Super Metroid
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2
GTA 4 (or any GTA game)
Saints Row The Third
Far Cry 2
Pokemon Red / Blue
Pokemon Gold / Silver


*I know Pokemon is an RPG, but the world is freely explorable once you aquire all needed items and beat all the Gym Leaders.*

[tendoboy1984]

Super Metroid would be my favourite. Though, I'm not sure if that even counts as open world any more. The term 'open world' seems to have been co-opted by the third and first-person variants.

2D games can be "open world". It all has to do with freely exploring a huge world in a somewhat non-linear fashion.

[Morari]

Minecraft.
I win.

[ShyGuy]

I don't think you can get more open world than minecraft.

[tendoboy1984]

I don't think you can get more open world than minecraft.

Skyrim and Oblivion.

I win.

[ShyGuy]

You can't forge your own world in the same way as Minecraft. Probably the closest competitor is Second Life.

[tendoboy1984]

You can't forge your own world in the same way as Minecraft. Probably the closest competitor is Second Life.

Open world means being able to go anywhere in the game world, completing objectives in a (usually) non-linear fashion. Therefore, Skyrim qualifies as an open-world game, and one of the largest to boot.

[ShyGuy]

It qualifies, but it's not as open as Minecraft.

[TJ Spyke]

But it's more fun than Minecraft (yeah, I went there).

[Oblivion]

There's honestly no competition, Minecraft is the most open of a world you can get. I get bored of it fairly quickly though. I need some sort of limitation or else I get bored.

[ShyGuy]

Your next post can't contain the letter K.

[Oblivion]

Well, that's pretty easy. My first post didn't contain one either. Hit me again!

[TJ Spyke]

My first post didn't contain one either. Hit me again!

You used the word quickly in your last post.

[Oblivion]

Well, ****.

[Spak-Spang]

I never enjoyed open world games.  I always thought open worlds hindered level design.  This is why I really enjoyed Nintendo's new direction with the Galaxy games and Super Mario Land 3D...they are good 3D worlds but are contained and have fantastic level design.

Oh and no letter ___.

[Da Jarvis]

Would Xenoblade be considered open world? If it does, then I think that is the best open world game

[Pixelated Pixies]

Would Xenoblade be considered open world? If it does, then I think that is the best open world game

Yeah. For some reason I didn't think of Xenoblade when considering my favourite open world games but it totally is one. When talking about the best open world games I feel like the world needs to be integral to the experience. In other words, GTA is not a great shooter, the action is kind of janky and the storys are usually deliberately trite or referential. As an open world though those games are incredible because they give you so much freedom and things to do. I feel Xenoblade is a great open world game because the world itself is so interesting and refreshing. Exploring atop these huge gods, finding new areas and traversing landmarks in Xenoblade were the times when I had the most fun.

[azeke]

Burnout Paradise is an open world racing game.

Upcoming NFS: Most Wanted made by the same studio is also supposed to be the same.

[ejamer]

Would Xenoblade be considered open world? If it does, then I think that is the best open world game

Yeah. For some reason I didn't think of Xenoblade when considering my favourite open world games but it totally is one. When talking about the best open world games I feel like the world needs to be integral to the experience. In other words, GTA is not a great shooter, the action is kind of janky and the storys are usually deliberately trite or referential. As an open world though those games are incredible because they give you so much freedom and things to do. I feel Xenoblade is a great open world game because the world itself is so interesting and refreshing. Exploring atop these huge gods, finding new areas and traversing landmarks in Xenoblade were the times when I had the most fun.

Xenoblade is a great game. It has a huge, almost living world for you to engage with and explore. I agree with almost everything you said...

But I can't agree that it qualifies as an open world game. The next section of the world is always intentionally shut off until you accomplish a very specific goal (or set of goals) in the current section. Sure, you have a list of subquests that can be initiated and completed in any order - but those subquests don't progress the story and sometimes can't be completed until you progress further in the main quest anyway.

Opening and exploring each new section (level?) of the in-game world is a very linear process, even if those sections are wonderfully expansive and nuanced. Isn't that the very opposite of an open-world design?