@Planeforger: I sincerely hope you are right. Not saying it can't be done. Just haven't seen it yet, imo. The best open world games have so far only entertained me in straight up action or looting. I've had my eye on The Witcher 3 for a while now. Just haven't pulled the trigger.

@mastermetal777: Silent Hill 2 is great! The original is great too. If you ever decide to give RE another try, re2, code veronica, and re0 are the best in the series. The remastered 0 and 1 helps with the tank controls. Your character moves in the direction you pull the stick, instead of having you turn and move forward separately. If not, then to each his own.

Half Life 2, just turn the graphics down. KOTOR. Any of the Final Fantasy games. FFIX is good and even runs on android. Star Wars Phantom Menace. Starcraft isn't story rich but it's a great old PC game.

Gosh, I hope not. The only online gaming I ever really enjoyed was Halo 2. Even then, I mainly played it with my friends by hooking up 2 or more xboxes together and playing local multiplayer. That and Goldneye 64 are my best multiplayer moments.

I play games for the story. Lately, we've had a slew of shooters and online cash grabs. Does not grab my cash or my attention. I hope it's just a fad, but since Call of Duty Modern Warfare, this is where games are going. Why? Because people keeping buying them. Then they buy the DLC. If I was a developer, even though it'd go against my spirit and mind, I would be forced to pump out these types of games as well because that's where the market is.

Is single player dying out? The answer to that lies with the consumer. Not as an individual, but as a mass. I feel like I've been running against a massive stampede of people rushing to buy the next Call of Duty clone for years. Let's raise awareness and get these people turned around in the right direction. Back to where games ought to be! Who's with me?

@mastermetal777: Fair enough. Which Resident Evil game(s) did you try? They never scared me. Not at all. I just found the atmosphere enjoyable. I prefer the old school pre-rendered set pieces. I grew up on the early Resident Evil games though, so maybe that's why I like them now so much. Re4 is still a good game, but I don't really think of it as true Resident Evil. 5 and 6 are just garbage. Hoping they go back to the roots for 7. And I really hope they revive the Silent Hills project. Or make another Silent Hill sequel.

Fatal Frame games are creepy. Especially the second one: Crimson Butterfly. That one I couldn't play at night. Haha. I was young at the time though...I could probably handle myself now.

Looking forward to the Dragon Age games. Thanks.

@hrt_rulz01: The first Batman game wasn't a true open world game, was it? It felt like an open area that led you to different missions. Arkham City was more open world--hence why I loved Asylum and beat it in like one sitting, and Arkham City I'm only like 13% of the way through to this day. Though it was larger, I'll give it that, it just didn't pull me in. That's why I've been complaining about open worlds on all these forums today!

@sukraj: That's only two? Really, you couldn't come up with one more? I don't even like open world and I gave three!

Top open world games don't exist....but if you must have them, then here goes.

1. Borderlands

2. Crackdown

3. Assassin's Creed II

I'm so glad you started this discussion. It's something I've been preaching for years but NOBODY LISTENS! Open world games tend to sacrifice crucial elements that a game needs. They must, otherwise deadlines cannot be met. Usually, that something being sacrificed is narrative and gameplay.

I don't mean gameplay as in "how much stuff can I get, how many fetch quests can I do, how many guys can I kill!". That is not solid gameplay. Gameplay is usually a fluid mix between combat, exploration, and some kind of item-system that integrates and SUPPORTS the narrative. There's that narrative word again. The story. The heart and soul and center of any game. The ink to the pen to the pad that should be the foundation of EVERY game.

I am going to use Naughty Dog as an example of creating a successful blend of story and gameplay--and they do so using a linear approach. They focus on story and when it supports the story, their environments do open up for great exploration, larger depth, and combat. But they aren't open world typically. They are linear, epic set pieces that push the narrative. That's what makes their games great.

Open world IS meh. I'm glad somebody said it. None of my favorite games are open world. They can have open elements, but if they focus too much on open world, they are going to sacrifice the best part of gaming.

Shot to the heart. And you're to blame. Darling, open world makes for a bad game!

If you hadn't already heard, there's going to be an xbox spring sale starting Tuesday. What games are you guys hoping make the cut? (literally)

http://majornelson.com/2016/03/18/spring-sale-xbox-one-starting-at-299-and-a-week-of-game-deals/