Memorable video game open-worlds
Linear gaming experiences certainly have their merits, but a certain magical quality exists in a game that allows its players to roam freely within its world. Whether they're vivid historical recreations, striking fantastical landscapes, or visually marvelous metropolises, open worlds have a history of enticing players and convincing them to invest exorbitant amounts of time doing nothing more than exploring and inhabiting the in-game landscape. Here are nine video games whose engaging open worlds left particularly memorable impressions upon their players.
The Italian Cities - Assassin's Creed II
After the relative drabness of the first Assassin's Creed's middle-eastern setting, Assassin's Creed II expanded the series' color palette by uprooting it to the Italian Renaissance. The game allowed its players to run around stunning recreations of Florence, Venice, and more in the shoes of dashing assassin Ezio Auditore. Few feelings in video gaming can compare to the one players yield from diving off a church precipice into the Venice waterways before hitching a ride on a passing gondola. It's a serenely beautiful setting that provides enjoyment from the simple act of inhabiting its play-space.
Pandora's East Coast - Borderlands
Though the sequel left the original Borderlands in the dust mechanically, the series' debut title still boasts the more memorable open world. Borderlands' ravaged post-apocalyptic setting is split into a myriad of clearly-defined, highly unique zones, from the Arid Badlands to Skag Gully and the climactic Eridian Promontory. Running and gunning through Pandora with friends is a ludicrously enjoyable experience, made all the better by the ingenuity of Borderlands' world.
Steelport - Saints Row: The Third
Taken purely on its own merits, Saints Row: The Third's Steelport City setting is a tad dry, failing to feel like a living, breathing place. What makes Steelport so memorable is the fact that it functions as a huge sandbox wherein the player is free to wreak ridiculous havoc. Whether firing mind-controlling octopuses at unsuspecting citizens or flying transformable jets precariously close to skyscrapers, the world of Steelport provides hours upon hours of enjoyment to players thanks to its sheer size and wealth of enjoyable diversions.
Skyrim - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
I know, it sounds cliched, but to this day, Skyrim offers what is arguably the most iconic open-world in modern gaming. Most players fondly remember their first steps into Bethesda's fictional landscape, and the feelings of wonder and limitless possibility that swept over them. Despite the flack that Skyrim now gets for its lack of depth, few video-gamers can truthfully deny spending dozens of hours in the sprawling fantasy-land, hunting dragons, exploring caves, uncovering secrets and simply wandering in total immersion.
Sinnoh - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Versions
Many of the Pokemon games' regions could be characterized as having memorable open-worlds, but when choosing how to best represent the series on this list, I settled on the Sinnoh region for its mountainous landscape and relieving shortage of obnoxious water-covered areas. Much like in other Pokemon iterations, Sinnoh functions mostly as a playground in which players are free to hunt for and capture the titular monsters, but it manages to stand as an enjoyable, explorable setting with plenty of secret locations begging to be uncovered.
Hong Kong - Sleeping Dogs
Unlike most locations on this list, Sleeping Dogs' world is based on a contemporary, real-life place. Developer United Front Games did a remarkable job of bringing Hong Kong to life. Strolling through its busy markets, serene parks, and admiring its stunning architecture are activities that are just as fun as speeding along the highway at a breakneck pace and swerving to avoid oncoming traffic. The beautiful Eastern setting is a breath of fresh air in a genre -- and an industry -- that's typically fixated on western culture.
Panau - Just Cause 2
Avalanche Studios' open-world sandbox adventure boasts one of the largest, most diverse open worlds in the history of the gaming medium. Panau is gigantic, measuring in at four hundred square miles of accessible space. Various biomes are represented, from jungles to deserts to snowy mountaintops and more. Though the game came up lacking in the area of mission design, Just Cause 2 was made a hugely enjoyable experience by the sheer strength of its setting. In Just Cause 2, getting from point A to point B is almost always a visually stunning, highly memorable, riotously good time.
Seattle - Infamous: Second Son
For Second Son, developer Sucker Punch tried its hand at creating a real-life city for the first time, and the risk paid in dividends. Though Second Son's recreation of modern Seattle isn't terribly faithful from an architectural or layout-centric perspective, it manages to capture the feel of the city nearly perfectly. Second Son's Seattle sports the bright neon signs, modern sensibilities and serene Pacific Northwest surroundings of its real-life counterpart, and the game's relative lack of deep side-activities is offset by the level of enjoyment to be had simply stomping around the beautiful city-scape.
The Persian City-State - Prince of Persia
Ubisoft's 2008 Prince of Persia reboot unfortunately lacked the sales punch to secure a sequel, which is a true shame, as the title was one of the most unique, refreshing, and overlooked triple-A releases of the eighth console generation. Its gorgeous, unnamed setting was refreshingly bright and colorful and was open for players to explore to their hearts' content. Though it wasn't populated with the same breadth of content that can be found in most other settings on this list, the game's fluid traversal mechanics and stunning art direction ensure that it's an absolute joy to explore. ~
Have any personal favorite open-world settings? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.