[MuppetFace]

Ah, yeah, I can understand that. I'm most fond of open-ended games that are able to strike a delicate balance in my view between offering linearity in the form of a main storyline to follow and nonlinearity like freedom to complete main objectives in different sequences and tons of optional side quests (so long as they don't devolve into fetch questions or escort missions). For me the first Mass Effect and Dragon Age games hit this balance perfectly. The main plot was very interesting to me, while there was tons to do and tangents to explore. You could plow through the game or spend a long, long time just exploring. The Elder Scrolls are a bit too far into the open-ended camp to maintain my interest as strongly. I really enjoy those games, but they tend to lack a captivating main story line, so I tend to lose interest for a while only to return later and do a bit more, lose interest, come back, lose interest, etc. etc.

 

[kiteki]

Quote:

I guess what I mean to say, is I like games where it doesn't feel so 'game-y'? And more of an experience. Like Uncharted 2. I'm not talking about cutscenes, but how it didn't feel like a game where you knew what to expect next. That linearity, and set path made the experience that much more memorable, because they could focus entirely on what was happening in front of you, instead of just creating a world and letting go do whatever you want. Certain games (for example: Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed, etc) feel like once you've played the first 30 minutes, you knew what to expect the rest of the game. I blame it on how open world it is. Again, that's not a problem with the game. I can see the appeal. I'm just saying, it's not for me.

In short, I'm not a fan of sandbox-gameplay... if you can understand what I'm saying.

The opposite of sandbox-gameplay is... for example:

Call of Duty
Gears of War
Uncharted
Mass Effect 2
God of War
Devil May Cry
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

And I agree about current gen JRPGS. They made them TOO linear for the types of games they are. FFXIII shouldn't even be a Final Fantasy to me. The last great FF was IX, IMHO. X I could work with. X-2 was... well it was X-2 I still don't know what to make of it. After that, well... just horrendous.

I do miss JRPGs and their cliches. Lol. Young hero from a backwater town saves the world. YAY! lol.
 

That's interesting, I've never thought about it that way, so is Shadow of the Colossus open-world or linear?
 
I like open-world games like GTA or SimCity.
 
 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

That's interesting, I've never thought about it that way, so is Shadow of the Colossus open-world or linear?
 
I like open-world games like GTA or SimCity.
 
 

Skyrim

 

[chicolom]

Fallout 3 was too open for me, and too much RPG.  I don't like having to meticulously manage my inventory because I picked up hundreds of items that burden my weight.  Mass effect 1 also suffered from that a bit.  Bioware clearly took those complaints to heart, as they streamlined it bigtime in the sequel.
 
Mass effect also has a nice story, and the universe is ridiculously fleshed out.  The RPG elements are streamlined enough that I enjoy them without them becoming a burden. 
 
I like Red Dead and GTA because of Rockstar's entertaining writing and cut-scene execution 

.  Also the engine is just much more fun IMO then Bethesdas.  I like to be able to play around with funny physics in sandbox games, falling down hills and getting hit by vehicles and stuff.  In the Bethesda engine you just glide over the land perfectly smooth.
 

 

[kiteki]

 
This is extremely interesting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_genres
 
 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That's interesting, I've never thought about it that way, so is Shadow of the Colossus open-world or linear?
 
I like open-world games like GTA or SimCity.
 
 

SoTC, while having a big world, was pretty linear in it's approach. There wasn't much to do in that but go straight for the Colossi. The game is a masterpiece, yet I felt that they should've had more things to fight. But it was more art than pure game for me. One of the greatest experiences of all time. That's what I mean by experience. The game was pretty limited in what you could do, but you wanted to keep playing to see what happened next. A ton of attention and detail was focused on the colossi and ambience of the world themselves, not so much the actual gameplay.

 

[kiteki]

 
Are there any other games like SoTC?
 

 

[MuppetFace]

The creative mind behind SotC also made a game called ICO, and has a game coming out called The Last Guardian at some point.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I enjoyed Ico, but couldn't finish the game. It's a game you pretty much have to focus on completely. If you play it, stop, then return to it at a later date, you CAN get lost, and not fid out where you have to go, due to the amount of backtracking you have to do, and no real confirmation on where you're supposed to be going. It was a pain trying to find out where to go next, so I quit. Ah well.

Castlevania Lords of Shadows isn't an incredibly game, and it has an epic feel like SoTC. Some of the bosses are as memorable.

 

[Mysterious]

All this open-world game talk reminds me, i still need to finish Red Dead Redemption

 

[MuppetFace]

What made SotC brilliant for me was a combination of several factors. First and foremost, the double duty of the bosses serving as the actual platform game-stages, which I've never seen pulled off in such a way prior or since. That's genius game design. Secondly the story was very minimalist like Ico's, but was more emotional for me. The effort that the main character was expending to save his loved one was truly apparent and touching. You felt so alone in that game, and the only other remotely self-aware creatures were the bosses you had to kill, a seemingly ambiguous task that blurred morality. Were you really doing the right thing? Do these majestic creatures not have just as much right to be there?
 
The game forces you to confront these questions as you play. For this reason, Shadow of the Colossus remains one of my all-time favorite games. Its gameplay, narrative prowess, environments, staging, and philosophical implications are second to none in my opinion.

 

[MuppetFace]

I should also add questions of morality are always something I enjoy in videogames, whether subtle as in SotC or more overt as in Mass Effect. I don't like games that shove a particular answer in your face---ie. "this is wrong" or "this is right." I like games that ask questions and leave you to answer. That's another form of open ended gameplay.

 

[ibage]

Quote:

I should also add questions of morality are always something I enjoy in videogames, whether subtle as in SotC or more overt as in Mass Effect. I don't like games that shove a particular answer in your face---ie. "this is wrong" or "this is right." I like games that ask questions and leave you to answer. That's another form of open ended gameplay.

That what I loved about Dragon Age (The first one. The second was bad). That game was nothing but grey. Everything you did have consequences. 
 
On the same thought, I'm almost done with ME3 and while it didn't have too much conversation control, the choices you make are very heavy. It's better than I thought it would be. There's been nothing but dread the entire game and those choices intensify it. 

 

[NamelessPFG]

I should probably put this in the "latest significant purchases" thread instead, but it's more at home here anyway.
 

 
I've had it for a day and am enjoying it quite a bit; it's about time I replaced my original model DS. However, I'll still have to wait until March 23 for Kid Icarus: Uprising's release; that'll probably be the first 3DS-native game I buy for it, eShop stuff aside.
 
Also, since this is Head-Fi, I should mention that the headphone jack output is much cleaner than on the original DS, thankfully. No hissing or buzzing as far as I can tell. Doesn't mean than it's an audiophile-grade device (can't even play FLAC or other lossless formats, for beginners), but it's a start.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

That what I loved about Dragon Age (The first one. The second was bad). That game was nothing but grey. Everything you did have consequences. 
 
On the same thought, I'm almost done with ME3 and while it didn't have too much conversation control, the choices you make are very heavy. It's better than I thought it would be. There's been nothing but dread the entire game and those choices intensify it. 

Yeah, like many DA fans, the second game was disappointing. I grew to like it on its own terms though, as soon as I mentally disassociated it with the former. I think if BioWare called it something other than "II," like referred to it as a spinoff instead, then it would have been better accepted.
 
Still, I don't think I've ever encountered a BioWare game that unpolished. After replaying the same recycled dungeons by mid-game I really had enough. Not to mention the frustrating relationship glitches.