Poll: Do you prefer sandbox or linear games?

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Simple question, simple answer. Do you prefer games that allow you to explore to your whim, Elder Scrolls or GTA/Saints Row style, or do you enjoy level based linear games that force you to adhere to their progression lines?

Myself I enjoy a good sandbox game because it allows me to deviate from the path at any given point. I do however enjoy certain types of linear games such as the older Final Fantasies because they push you to do the storyline up to a certain degree before turning you loose on the world. I guess games like the FF series are a mix so they don't really count...

Also if you would, elaborate on why you like one over the other...

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I do enjoy linear games because they often feel tighter and more focused on one single objective. They also tend to have some great set pieces and I think they could tell more focused stories if they tried.

Still, I will never shun an open world. I like open world-ness a whole lot as well. Oblivion, Just Cause 2, Jak 2/3, RAGE, I enjoyed all of those a whole lot and they have open worlds.

basically this.

imo, i generally like more linear games because of the strong story/set pieces, but thats not to say i don't enjoy open world games, i just think they "dry out" faster because they are bigger, but generally have more boring stuff to do.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I like both. I like following a tight story and sometimes I like just messing around with civilians. The problem comes when a game tries to do both at the same time, that doesn't work.

One example is FF13. For the most part it's extremely linear and it helps set the mood (you're on a timer and don't really have time to view the sights). Then you get to the big open world bit, and all that focus about doing your job and being on a timer just evaporates. Now you can take as much time as you want and get on with the story when you feel like it. In fact, it's basically necessary to do side missions there and then since the difficulty curves just jumps up at that point. And then it's back to timer and focus.

 

[plugav]

As an RPG fan, I like linear games that nevertheless allow and reward exploration. Examples? Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Planescape: Torment, Deus Ex.

 

[Thomas Rembrandt]

I like HUB based games like Vampire Bloodlines or Deus Ex, which are somewhat in the middle between sandbox vs linear gameplay. Gothic 1 and 2 are more sandboxy but tell a linear story divided by chapters, which I think is probably the best way to make a fairly open (role playing)game.

Oblivion would be completely sandbox - and I hated it. No focus, no consequences, no challenges (because everything was levelled), not even real exploration due to boring, randomly designed dungeons(meaning, in most cases there was nothing unique or interesting in it).

 

[Zhukov]

Open world sandboxes make for poor storytelling and tend to result in crappy pacing and a general lack of focus. There's more freedom, sure, but I always seem to end up being more free to explore lacklustre environments, encounter generic enemies and meet paper-thin characters.

I prefer a nicely paced story with a tighter focus, even if it does put a bit of a leash on the player's sense of agency.

My ideal combination is when you have linear level progression, but each level allows for a degree of openness and exploration. The Deus Ex games are a good example of this, as is The Witcher 2.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Also if you would, elaborate on why you like one over the other...

Both.

If a game has a good story, I generally prefer the game tell me that story in a linear fashion. Xenogears, my favorite game of all time, was 100% linear (late game sidequesting not withstanding) and it does a wonderful job of telling a story. See also Catherine.

If a game is more about assing about - like Saint's Row 2, Just Cause 2, or Bethesda RPGs, and have a less interesting (or more silly) story - then the freedom to wander about exploring or screwing around is a great relaxation.

It really depends on my mood at the time.

 

[Koroviev]

I prefer a structured experience with room for exploration (ex: an FPS with non-regenerating health the forces you to explore the map to survive). I don't really have the discipline to actually accomplish much of anything in a sandbox.

 

[AlternatePFG]

I personally prefer the styles of games like Metroid or Castlevania. It's linear at the start, but as you get new powers and such, you can backtrack to open up access to side areas you weren't able to get to before.

 

[Amberella]

I like both. It just depends on the game or the mood I'm in I suppose. xD Linear games are restricted to particular environments, meaning less freedom, but a greater focus on those enviroments, resulting in a greater amount of detail in these areas. :3 Sandbox games, on the other hand, take place in an open environment, meaning that there is less detail in the environments and less to do in a smaller area. For example, a single room in a linear game may have several things to do, exploration, detailed walls and decorations, etc. However, a sandbox game, when put into a single room, which most sandbox games will do at some point, usually have just a single point to them. Get through the room. That's it.

I think I much prefer sandbox games though. I just love my freedom, though again, it depends on my mood. Lol.

 

[Freaky Lou]

I really love open-world games, and most of my favourites are ones like Oblivon and Bully where you can roam and mess around to your heart's content. I get a little bored when I'm just given an objective and allowed to do nothing but complete it.

And as Bully proves, you can have solid storytelling and strong characterization while still allowing for no end of sandbox mayhem.

 

[DustyDrB]

If I have to choose, I'll choose linear. Games like Mass Effect 2 are linear, even though you can flip flop the order of some things. But that means it's better structured, which means better storytelling and a more focused design.

 

[the spud]

I like both, but my favorites are hybrids like Deus Ex 1 where you do generally straightforward objectives but you have several different paths and options to get to that objective.

 

[Gmans uncle]

I'm gonna say both too. While I like how linear games give me a sense of accomplishment because I can physically see that I'm making headway, but I also like the freedom that sandboxes provide.

 

[Michael Hirst]

As an RPG fan, I like linear games that nevertheless allow and reward exploration. Examples? Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Planescape: Torment, Deus Ex.

Ninja'd These are the exact examples I give for how much freedom I find optimal in my games. Of coruse there are exceptions, I love Just Cause 2 for being a huge playground of chaos and I find Demons Souls level design though linear to offer obvious progression to the player.

 

[Davidm4]

I prefer short, sweet, focused games that have well designed challanges in them. If exploration is allowed, then it should be rewarded. Longer games need to have more variation in gameplay to stop them from becoming repetitive.

 

[SidingWithTheEnemy]

Both.

[...]

It really depends on my mood at the time.

Exactly this.

I tend to prefer Sandbox games because the linear stories are usually f*cked up or simply easier to become obnoxiously bad but if the story is told well (like in Bard's Tale) it's really grabbing my interest.

 

[Racecarlock]

I like both.

One one hand, we have the GTA series, which lets me blow shit up and scare people and run over people and drive fast. We have the saints row series, which in the third, will let me kill things tron style and in pro wrestling rings and blow shit up with tanks. Also there's red dead redemption, which really is the ultimate cowboy fantasy simulator, except when marston tries to be a regular farmer guy, which is about as exciting as staring at a wall.

On the other hand, Star Wars Trilogy Arcade!

Star wars episode IV was the second movie I ever saw, so the first time I played this I was amazed at how much I felt like I was in, well, all three of those climactic star wars battles that span 3 movies. The last time I played was in summer. This is a game that lets you blow up tie fighters, death stars, and even has realistic and yet linear lightsaber fights. I love the feeling you get from the game. You feel like you did something, and the actual battles are really intense too. You have to have really good reactions to play this. But I have no problem saying that so far, this is the best game I've ever played. No other game can generate the feeling of being in one of the movies quite like this one.

 

[gideonkain]

RAGE is a linear game not a open world game, there is a misconception that if a game allows you to drive a car it's open world

Try walking away from Dan Hagar 20 seconds into the game,
Try to advance the story line without walking back and forth collecting dune buggy parts.
Go exploring and see how many secret locations you discover, there aren't any.