I typically don’t have the attention span to dig into open world games, and the ones that keep me interested are the action-oriented fare (Prototype, Hulk). However, there is a big aspect that appeals to a linear-gaming fan like me: the endless capabilities to @#$% around.
When you don’t feel like doing the umpteenth escort mission or street race, what are some of your favorite open-world diversions.
Dave: Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction still remains one of my favorite open-worlders and while the missions were fairly milquetoast, the kind of crap you could do on the periphery was big fun.
You could go with side missions like car stacking and soldier homerun derby, but one of the more depraved things I liked to do was grab a pedestrian, run up the tallest building in the city and gently set him down. From that point on the AI would take over and the hapless little gent would run screaming off the roof, falling to his death.
Ah, good times.
"Hulk ornery!"
Hitting the pedestrians in GTA4 was a lot of fun. It gets kinda hard to resist when you see a big group of them crowded together. It’s most fun if you can get yourself to spin out and sideswipe them all.
I finally got around to playing Oblivion and must say it feels more open than Fallout 3.
Special mention should be given to Burnout Paradise though.
In Twisted Metal 2 (OK, I admit, it’s not really an open world game), I would always destroy the bridges & famous monuments first before I would attack any of the enemy vechicles. I got great joy out of seeing the Eiffel Tower get blown to bits. Maybe it’s just the psycho terrorist that’s hidden deep inside my soul.