What kind of game could benefit from a larger open world?

[Joker99352]

A lot of current-gen games have really big maps. Games like GTA IV and V, Just Cause 2, Skyrim (and Oblivion, for that matter). But what kinds of games could really benefit from a map booster, so to speak?

Personally, I was always kind of disappointed that there wasn't just a little more to Fallout 3 and New Vegas. I think a bigger map would make the wasteland really seem vast and would make the sense of wonder so much greater. I love sandbox games where you could wander off in any direction and just see where the road (or lack thereof) takes you. That sense of adventure is one of the greatest feelings in gaming, if you ask me.

 

[lindbergh]

All games that are not sports games could benefit from a larger open world I think. Oh wait, sports games could also be made into some sort of RPG so they could also benefit from an large open world. But of course, the games that would benefit would be sandbox games, RPGs and action adventure games. I'd love to see the sandbox game Steambot Chronicles on the PS4. I wonder what it would look like...

 

[sidd230]

Multiplayer shooters.

Just imagine ARMA level maps on consoles. Oh wait, I don't need a ****ty version of ARMA.

 

[DrRipley]

It might just be the next step in gaming, from looking at some of the launch titles. I personally would love to see how they would go about making an open world fighting game, but I guess that would prove to be one of the more challenging genre. Otherwise, I agree with sidd230, FPS games will probably benefit the most, as I imagine it would feel like Counter Strike on steroids.

 

[themarting]

I would love to finally see the last piece of Shenmue be developed. It was one of the first truly open world games and the amount of freedom you had was unparalleled at the time.

Shenmue with todays technology, with maps as large and detailed as todays maps would be CRAAAAZZZYYY!

 

[Joker99352]

I like racing games with open worlds, as long as they're done right. The first one that comes to mind is Need for Speed: Most Wanted (the original; I haven't played the newer one), which was a lot of fun to play. It's nice to have the option to roam around for no real reason. Plus, with the expanded capabilities of the new consoles, there would be a lot more potential for destruction. I don't know what it is about breaking and/or blowing stuff up, but it's always a lot of fun--especially in a big, open world.

 

[aperture7]

I would love to see some superhero games in the open-world mindset of GTA. Huge, huge maps and various people and missions to run into.

 

[Gamer_Fries]

I can honestly say I am kind of getting tired of huge open maps seeing as almost every major game recently has been progressing to the point of getting their own, even MGS is getting one. I mean I enjoy a nice open map that allows me to mess around and have fun but you can not say it does not mess with the story to some degree. I would really love to see another surge of more linear but good story driven games.

 

[dragoonblade]

I'm actually interested in more detailed open worlds. I mean when we say open world, we mean a lot of space and buildings but not that much detail. You can't go inside them, there are clones of character models, or not a lot of people and objects around. So I would love to see more variation in NPCs, more vehicles roaming, far more intelligent AIs, and buildings that we can enter on a whim.

 

[SpaceTiger]

I would like to see vast open worlds with--as dragoonblade said--more NPCs, vehicles roaming, AI, etc. The buildings was something I noticed from the Elder Scrolls series that was nice. You could all the buildings unless it was locked and couldn't be picked. Outside of that, I don't really see the purpose for being able to enter very building. It would lift restrictions, but it's like what are you going to do? Just run around? Get escorted out by security?

I'd like for open worlds to change regularly to the point where it would be worth returning to a setting later as opposed to not really bothering with the location unless you had a mission in the area. The day night system from Dragon Quest and Breath of Fire were the first step, the changing seasons from Shenmue was next. Put those together and actually make it feel like time is passing overall, not just days passing because you went to sleep.

I would say Elder Scrolls is a good example as the years and seasons do pass, but since the games are based in different regions with particular temperatures, you don't really notice it. Have where a character would need to actually dress/change armor for the season or region and their combat proficiency, health, etc. are hindered by not doing so (like in Monster Hunter)--but also where you could adapt to a climate by spending time there (getting Heat/Cold Resist attributes in RPGs and fantasy exploration type games).

Everything should come together from a larger would to how that would affects the character and pull the character in. That was what worked for Fallout 3/NV, Morrowind, Skyrim, and Oblivion--while the world could always be bigger, you played your character going through this world, not...a pre-written character with a static, predetermined outcome.

The openness of the world played into that.

 

[Stuck_X_Button]

That's one of the things I like about western RPGs: the open world allowed for you to develop your character's personal story as you saw fit. Also, you weren't play Shin in a linear JRPG where grinding and buying weapons was the main thing. Open world really lets you explore as you wished.

Someone on the board also made a really good difference between open world and sandbox that really made sense.

 

[CpmPanda]

I would love to see an Open-World Crash Bandicoot. So badly! Or even Ace Combat where you can fly as high as you can realistically go into the sky and you can travel from one country to another. Or something.

 

[Stuck_X_Button]

An open world Crash would be cool. Crash returning period would be cool, actually. Those jorts cost money and Crash can't be paying for them by sitting around and doing nothing, you know?

 

[desarijulian]

I think we get to caught up in open world though. While it's cool, if there's nothing to see then it's just something that been padded on to add time to the game and justify how much it costs. I'd just want to see them but more effort in to the worlds details, and people. Now if they do it GTA or Witcher 2 style, I'd be impressed.

 

[Joker99352]

I would love to see some superhero games in the open-world mindset of GTA. Huge, huge maps and various people and missions to run into.

The Superman Returns game was surprisingly good (though very repetitive) and was a lot like that. A lot of random encounters, but they were mostly the same thing and it got repetitive pretty quickly. There were some random villains thrown in there, too, if I remember correctly. That was on the original Xbox, also; they could totally improve upon that formula for PS4/Xbox One in the future.

 

[Murphy_Jay]

They could make Pokemon games bigger, but thats only on Nintendo.

 

[Legendoflore]

I like the idea of the open world, but I don't just want barreness as an excuse to say that the game is open-world and have a large map. When I think open-world I think of a game that is alive, NPCs having real conversations and not just waiting for you before they speak, going about and doing their business. Animals populating RPG worlds and doing their thing like in the Witcher 2, the ability to access any point in the world by any means of travel that you choose. I don't need to go into every single building but I'd like to go into many of them. Traffic moving around in a realistic fashion, and NPC's reacting to your actions, seeing how your choices affect the enviroment. Weather being a thing. That's just my broad ideas though.

 

[Joker99352]

I'd rather have a large world with a lot of things to see than a bunch of people carrying on routines. One of the things they boasted about Skyrim (or was it Oblivion? Maybe both?) was that NPCs would have daily routines that they'd carry out, which is sort of interesting but really inconsequential to the game. I don't want to have to run around to find someone when I need to get things done if they're going to be wandering off somewhere.

 

[onison]

I would like to see uncharted go in this direction. I know it is a big game with vast environments but still had the linear gameplay. Would like it even more if I could go any where our maybe visit places in the order i see fit.

 

[dieselfit]

It would be awesome to see Charter go in this direction, I agree! Most shooter games can really benefit from this. I think nearly all games could benefit from open world especially since it's more realistic and fun. It kills more time and it gives you more things to do. I'd love to see more and more games with open world honestly.