My problem with Open World/Sandbox games.

Within each generation of consoles there has always been that recurring trend. We gamers are constantly being told by developers that their game will have us immersed. As technology improved, one of the biggest ways that this was displayed was by giving us an open world/sandbox game; and with good reason.

Open World games gave players a nonlinear way of approaching missions. They gave players a sense of freedom and diversity. In this current generation however, I am starting to get a little burned out from these games due to a number of problems that kinda haven't been solved yet. RPG games are excluded in this discussion due to the level of complexity and interaction.

Problem #1: Repetitiveness

At some point during the game you just get tired of seeing the same things within the environment or when you just feel like you are doing that same thing over and over again. That's because you ARE doing the same thing over and over again! That deja vu factor becomes REALLY annoying after a while.

Notable examples include Assassins Creed, Red Faction Guerilla

Problem #2: The world and environments are boring

I understand the desire for us gamers to have our breath taken away by certain structures in video games. That shock and awe when we are brought into these creative worlds. However, if we have a beautiful world being brought upon us then there needs to be something to do right?

My most recent example of this is L.A. Noire. Don't get me wrong this game did some groundbreaking things in technology with the facial expressions. I never really seen any game like L.A. Noire mainly because of the genre. Unfortunately, the recreation of 1947 Los Angeles isn't too exciting. Yes there are landmarks and film reels to see and cars to collect. However, the world just gets boring after a while. After the first 2 hours I just decided to let my partner drive to the next area for the rest of the game.

Problem #3 Balance

All open world games have some kind of theme to go along with it. It may be a game mechanic or setting that defines that theme. Sometimes developers focus too much on one area to the point where they ignore other important aspects of the game. After a while, these problems can stand out just as much the main thing the developers were focusing on to make the game addicting.

Notable Example: I have to say Prototype. The ONLY thing fun about this game were the powers you were given and the way I could move around the city. Running up buildings and gliding never gets old. But, that's where my fun stops. The visuals and graphics aren't really appealing and the scenery in general is dull and never changes. I also felt like the challenges were a chore so I would never do them. Some of the missions were pretty cool but given Prototypes concept; I think it wouldve been a better game if it were linear.

Problem #4 Tedious sidequest or collectibles

This is mainly for trophy and achievement whores. I don't really qualify in that department but there are some games where things seemed fun to the point where I would try to finish a certain number of sidequest/challenges or even complete them all. But sometimes it feels like it just drags on to the point where you just give up and don't even bother for a while with those sidequest/challenges. You simply burn out.

Notable Examples: Assassins Creed series, Infamous 1 sidemissions, Any game that throws in racing missions as a challenge or side mission.

Now here are some games in this current gen that I think addresses the problems above quite well.

Infamous 2: This game improves on all aspects of the first one by giving us more powers, giving us more variety in missions, and constantly rewarding the players with new powers as they progress through the game.

Red Dead Redemption: Not only the world of Red Dead Redemption was huge; There was also alot to do in the midst of this old western story. There were bounties, poker, and other activities that made sense within the theme of this game and supported the main story to a certain extent.

Just Cause 2: This is personally my favorite sandbox game. This game is HUGE and delivers us an island with scenery such as snow capped mountains, a desert, a dense populated financial city, district, beaches, and a floating gentlemans club. It also helps that there are alot of weapons and vehicles to keep the players perception fresh and interested throughout the entire game.

Now I simply think developers can solve this problem. It could be budgeting issues or even laziness. But I do know for a fact that these problems can and will be solved eventually. What do you guys think?