Open World Games

Volition has made a name for itself developing some of the most memorable and unconventional open-world games of the last decade. Over that time, the developer's Saints Row series turned from a simple satire into a franchise that surpassed its inspiration in creativity, originality, and humor. Agents of Mayhem may be a departure from the long-running crime series, but Volition's latest creation has personality and excitement in spades.

Last year, we got our first glimpse at Volition's first new IP since Saints Row dominated the previous generation of consoles. Agents of Mayhem billed itself as an action-packed adventure that poked fun at the concept of international security agencies like SHIELD or GI Joe and their rival groups, Hydra or Cobra. With that classic Volition sense of wicked humor, open-world adventure and ludicrous weaponry, Agents of Mayhem captured our attention early on. One year later, with Agents of Mayhem mere months away from release, Volition's concept has gotten that much tighter and stronger. And so has our desire to play the full game.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands is exactly what Ubisoft’s storied shooter franchise needed to be reinvigorated.

With Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games crafted a beautiful open world filled with life, both mechanical and human, and crammed full of things to do.

Dead Rising 4 sees the franchise's original hero forced back into action in a sequel that's bigger than any entry in the series before, yet feels more empty and bereft of excitement than its predecessors.

Some specters from the previous game still exist, particularly in combat and a bit in driving, but Watch Dogs 2 improves on the original game in every way that counts.

Controversy has never stopped Rockstar from climbing right back into bed with the taboo, which is incidentally what many people will most remember about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004 today.

It was on this day in 2001 that Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive released Grand Theft Auto III. More than just a good game, it effectively set the stage for all 3D open-world games going forward.

Mafia III's biggest strength is the ambitious narrative developer Hangar 13 has chosen to explore. At a time in our own lives that eerily echoes the world of Lincoln Clay's New Bordeaux, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn from this story. It's smart and engaging, and challenges players to think about their perception of the world when tasked with walking in the shoes of someone the world is clearly against. At least, that's true for the most part. Once you start bringing murders and delving deeper into the actual gameplay of Mafia III, you'll find there's a disconnect between the game and the story it's trying to tell. You'll also find it's frustratingly repetitive and riddled with glitches.

It was today in 2006 that the first Saints Row hit shelves, making a serious attempt at capturing Grand Theft Auto’s fire with its own brand of open-world, urban sandbox.