The open-world style has taken the gaming industry and community by storm since its popularization back in the early 2000s by titles such as Grand Theft Auto III and Spider-Man 2. Some of the most revered games in recent memory fall into this category, names like Red Dead Redemption and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are just a few that come to mind when thinking of the wild success of sandbox gameplay. The variety of games that have succeeded using this formula is also a noteworthy mention, as it seems to matter little what the underlying theme or setting a game presents; open-world simply just works. Who can resist the mysteries games like these possess just waiting to be solved, locations waiting to be discovered, and all sorts of people and creatures waiting to be met/slain. These games present longevity and value like no other genre can, and in the coming months there is quite a choice gamers must make between three of the most anticipated open-world games of the year. Which one of these potential game of the year candidates is right for you?
The first game will drop on October 18th, and is the sequel to one of the most successful games of 2009. Batman: Arkham City will expand upon the concept of its predecessor and take the gameplay out of the asylum and into the city. Rocksteady Studios will no doubt take the smooth and elegant flow of hand to hand combat and the satisfying stealth play of Arkham Asylum and bring it onto a much larger scale to create a product that will surpass all expectations. The setting is a modern metropolis with shades of noir and gothic architecture; Gotham City will be an exceptionally large setting for exploration. The detailed stage design of Arkham Asylum was one of its most impressive features, that dedication put toward an entire city will undoubtedly be all the more stunning. Navigation will be one of the most exciting features considering all the gadgets and vehicles at Batman’s disposal to traverse the city by rooftop, streets, sky, or water. We know that the city will be divided into multiple sections, each one being under the thumb of a particular villain. With individual storylines concerning each crime lord, a central main story, and several side missions unrelated to the bigger picture, Arkham City has lasting value written all over it. Fans of the first game or of Batman in general will want to get their hands on Batman: Arkham City.
Next in line is the tremendously anticipated Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Set to release on November 11th, Skyrim brings the long running Elder Scrolls series into the northern most territory of Tamriel and home of the Nords. Oblivion offered endless amounts of gameplay with the most detailed and quest-filled world map ever seen in gaming. I have personally put in over 400 hours of gameplay between 7 different characters. Bethesda promises that Skyrim will have even more to do, and be even more beautiful with upgraded graphics and detail to the towns, dungeons, caves, and terrain. The ambiance for Skyrim stands out from the other games on this list as the only medieval style game. Swords, magic, and dragons reign supreme here and will undoubtedly offer the most engrossing and satisfying D&D style RPG we have seen to date. We have also been promised a much more challenging experience, especially when considering that at any point in time during our exploration we can be accosted by a flying dragon who just simply feels like burning a human to a crisp. Dragons do play a much more pivotal role in Skyrim, and are just one of many new focuses we can expect to experience. Elder Scrolls fans and anyone with the time on their hands to dedicate to an endless experience with something new to see and do every hour of their gameplay must not miss picking up this game.
The final heavy hitting open-world style game is definitely the underdog of the group, but has a strong dedicated following thanks to its two previous installments. Saints Row: The Third drops on November 15th, and should not be underestimated despite being of a less popular lineage. Saints Row has always been about the guns and gangsters. Offering an alternate choice to the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto series, Volition’s creation takes many pages out of Rockstar’s book when it comes to their primary bread winner but always succeeds in putting their own twist on it. The third installment will have the same heavy focus on gang warfare and offer even more ways to customize your own personal gang from colors to clothing. Taking place in a present day modern city setting, Saints Row will cater more to those gamers who prefer their games a tad more realistic. Luckily for those who need something a little more over the top, Volition has made much more outrageous occurrences possible; such as casually flying around in military aircrafts and unleashing missiles on the most innocent of bystanders for no good reason or using rigged octopi as ammunition which can either control minds or explode. Personal character customization also appears to be exceptionally more thorough than in the past. Nobody is really expecting it to do so, but Saints Row: The Third has the tools to possibly steal the show away from the two heavy favorites.
Personally, I can’t wait to dedicate a good amount of time into all three of these games. Well, I do admit that Skyrim is not only my favorite of the group, but easily my most anticipated game of the entire year. Either way, the open-world genre of gaming has a massive assault planned for the fourth quarter of 2011, and what a way to end the year it will be. These games couldn’t be more different from one another, so there is definitely a choice in there for every breed of gamer to enjoy.
Post contributed by Matt J. Randisi. Questions for the author? Send an email to Mjrandisi@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SaveUsMatt.