Sandbox Games
 

Lately I've been very into "sandbox" style open-world gameplay, but it's difficult to find games that really do it well. What are some of your favorite sandbox games? Are there any hidden gems out there that haven't been in the mainstream?

Here are a few I've played recently, in no particular order:

• GTA IV. 10/10. Great story, great game. I'll probably get the DLC soon and continue with this one.
  
• Prototype. 8/10. I read mediocre reviews, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Not necessarily a masterpiece, but it just feels great to jump around Manhattan at 100mph.
  
• Just Cause. 4/10. I guess there were a lot of things to do in this game, but it didn't do a very good job of holding my interest. Plus, the controls felt a little clunky to me.
  
• Crackdown. 8/10. Similar to Prototype, hours of fun using superpowers to parkour around the city. I like the idea of a GTA-style game, but in a less realistic environment. Points for killing things, upgradeable powers, that's my kind of game.

Anyone else? I'm hoping I can add a few more games like these to my collection for the summer. I'm already planning to buy Red Faction: Guerrilla after I finish Prototype, but I haven't played it yet so I can't give a real review.

Oblivion and Fallout 3 obviously. Fallout 3 has amazing atmosphere...worth the purchase price for sure.

I don't know about hidden, but if you have a PS3, you should definitely try Infamous. It looks and plays great, fun to run around and cause havoc, and has IMO 10x the polish of Prototype. Other than that, GTA San Adreas so far is the ultimate sandbox game, with the multitude of vehicles and tricks you can accomplish.

Just some off the top of my head.

On the PC....

The Sims (1,2 and 3)
X3
Freelancer (and Elite if you really want to go old school)
Far Cry 2
Most RPGs released in the last 5 years (since Oblivion hit it big it's almost a requirement now that an RPG be open ended)
Space Rangers 2 (an overlooked gem from a few years ago.)

On the Xbox 360...

Fable II (a bit of a mixed bag in the 'Sandbox' dept. Though you can play any way you like good or evil the actual world is very linear with not much exploration to be had)

Red Faction Guerilla.

Yes. Picked this game up yesterday and haven't put down the controller yet. There's just something about hacking away at the foundation of a smokestack with a sledgehammer to watch it crash down over your enemies...

Highly recommended :thumbsup:

oops, hadn't read your OP right. :)

I played a bit of Saint's Row 2 on PC after hearing Yahtzee (from zero punctuation) saying it was more fun than GTA4. I disagree. Everything feels bland, the driving has a pivot-on-a-stick feel (people complained about too much realism in GTA4's driving, but this is way too little). The city is nothing like Liberty City. And the characters are all ridiculous.

ARMA 2 - Sandbox war game. Try the demo. Haven't been able to play it yet so I can't speak for lag problems the previous installments had. However, the game world is practically endless. Any type of gameplay can be scripted for. You sort of have to make your own fun, either by scripting intense missions or getting in to fun situations with friends.

I loved both Oblivion and Fallout 3. Although to be honest, I never finished Oblivion. I got sidetracked and never picked the game up...maybe I should look into picking up a copy for the pc this time. I think Bethesda does the best RPG's, although I would have preferred a more "open" ending like Morrowind but outside of that, two great games.

Right now though I'm playing an MMO that calls itself a "sandbox" game, EVE Online.

The Best Sand Box games Which Comes in My Mind at thic Moment is Saints Row 2, GTA 4, there was another but I can't seem to remember it..

Its not out yet but mortal online is a mmorpg thats claiming to be a sandbox game totally open world no levels hardcore pvp. Might be interesting might be awful but i love the idea of a sandbox style mmorpg.

I second that. We had a friend's PS3 for about a month and we played all the above games (except Red Faction Guerilla), the first time for me. Infamous was much so much fun for this gaming newbie, GTA3 and 4 were both fun. I kept wishing the Infamous guy had the GTA skills. :lol: Who'd have thought violence would be so fun and cathartic.