| Open-world video games | |
|---|---|
| Basic Information | |
Type(s) |
Terminology |
Open-world video games are a type of video game where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how or when to approach objectives.[1]
The term "free roam" is also used, as is "sandbox" and "free-roaming".[2][3] "Open world" and "free-roaming" suggest nonlinear gameplay with the absence of artificial barriers,[4] in contrast to the invisible walls and loading screens that are common in linear level designs. The term "sandbox" is often used incorrectly. Open world doesn't necessarily mean sandbox. A true "sandbox" is where the player has tools to modify the world themselves and create how they play.
The roots of open-world gaming can be traced back as early as Go (c. 300 BCE). The first open-world game was SEGA's Jet Rocket (1970), followed by Taito's Western Gun (1975) and Interceptor (1975). The first 3D open-world game was SEGA's combat flight simulator Heli-Shooter (1977). The first top-down scrolling open-world game was Namco's Rally-X (1980). The first true fully-scaled on-foot open-world games were Courageous Perseus and Hydlide (1984), which influenced The Legend of Zelda (1986), the first open-world console game and the most influential open-world game, with most modern open-world games tracing their roots to Zelda. The first polygonal 3D open-world games were Arsys Software's Wibarm (1986) and Star Cruiser (1988). The most influential 3D open-world video game was Grand Theft Auto III (2001).
Definition[ | ]
The term "open world" doesn't have a clear definition. But the most common usage of "open world" refers to a game that features free-roaming outdoor exploration across a large game world that is fully-scaled and continuous. The term "open world" is rarely used in reference to games where exploration is limited to indoor dungeons, or games with outdoor overworld maps that are not to scale.
Criteria[ | ]
The definition of an open world generally, but not always includes most of the following criteria:
- A free-roaming environment with limited restrictions on where the player can go, in contrast to more linear games with heavier restrictions on where the player can go.
- An outdoor landscape, which accounts for the majority of the game's environment, in contrast to games where most of the environment is indoors, such as a building, dungeon or cave.
- A large world, with an environment that at least has the size of a large city or island, in contrast to environments limited to a smaller locale such as a building, dungeon or small town.
- A fully-scaled world, which is graphically represented with a fairly realistic scale relative to the player character or vehicle, and with a constant, uniform, continuous scale. This is in contrast to an overworld that is represented with a highly unrealistic scale, and often with differing scales for different environments.
- On-foot traversal, where a world can be mostly traversed on foot, in contrast to worlds that are mostly traversed in vehicles.
- A real-time world, where the world is in motion regardless of what the player does, such as a world rendered in real-time, enemies moving around independently of the player, or a persistent world with day-night cycles.
- 3D graphics, with the world rendered as a real-time 3D environment (particularly a polygonal 3D environment) that the player can explore in a first/third-person perspective.
History[ | ]
- See also: List of largest game worlds
Go (c. 300 BCE) to Dungeons & Dragons (1974 CE)[ | ]
In an abstract form, the first open-world board game was the ancient Chinese-Japanese strategy game Go (c. 300 BCE), where the board represented a large overworld. While the ancient Indian-Persian game Chess (c. 400 CE) was more tactical and smaller-scale, Go was more strategic and larger-scale, with the board representing a large overworld map that pieces explored while capturing territories.
In 19th-century Prussia, Chess and Go evolved into wargaming, which had more realistic overworld maps. Chainmail (1971) gave wargaming a fantasy setting, which provided the basis for role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons (1974) and Empire of the Petal Throne (1975), retaining the overworld maps of their wargaming predecessors. In turn, the overworld maps carried over to role-playing video games in the early 1980s, though these early overworld maps were not to scale, so would not fit the modern definition of an open world as understood today, but can be considered precursors to open-world gaming.
Jet Rocket (1970) to Hydlide (1984)[ | ]
SEGA's Jet Rocket (1970), the first open-world game.
The first open-world game was Jet Rocket, a video projection arcade game released by SEGA in August 1970. It introduced free-roaming flight movement over an open-world 3D landscape, for the first time in an electronic game, with players flying around in a first-person perspective and shooting at various landmarks across the game world.[5][6] This makes it the first open-world electronic game. Jet Rocket inspired several clones,[7] including Bally's Target Zero and Williams' Flotilla, both released in December 1970.
The first 3D open-world games were Kasco's space combat sim Star V (1975)[8] and Sega's flight combat sim Heli-Shooter (1977), which allowed the player to fly a vehicle in any direction across a free-roaming, open-world landscape.[9]
Taito's Western Gun (1975), the first open-world video game.
The first open-world video game was Taito's Western Gun (1975), localized for North America as Gun Fight (1975). Western Gun had two cowboy gunslingers who could freely roam across an environment littered with cacti and mountains while attempting to shoot each other. The North American Gun Fight limited each player's movement to their own side of the screen, whereas the original Japanese Western Gun allowed players to freely roam across anywhere on the screen. Gun Fight also reduced the scale of the environment, with mountains no longer being present.
Taito's Interceptor (1975), designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, was the first free-roaming sandbox game with a scrolling open world.[10]
The first video game with an overworld was the University of Tokyo's Heiankyo Alien (1979). It was a maze chase game predating Pac-Man (1980), but with a major difference being that the maze represents an entire city, the ancient Japanese city of Heian-kyō, or what is today Kyoto. SEGA's stealth game 005 (1981) took this further, with the player walking around an overworld city and entering buildings.
Namco's Rally-X (1980), the first scrolling open-world video game.
Rally-X, released by Namco in 1980, was the first scrolling open-world video game, and the first open-world driving game, a distant ancestor to Grand Theft Auto. Rally-X featured a vehicle driving around a multi-scrolling game world, becoming the basis for Miami Vice (1986),[11] which in turn became the basis for Grand Theft Auto (1997).
While the roots of open-world strategy gaming can be traced back to the board game Go (c. 300 BCE), the first open-world strategy video game was Nobunaga's Ambition, released in 1983, featuring a large overworld map.[12] The same year, Portopia Serial Murder Case was the first open-world adventure game.[13][14][15]
A precursor to open-world gaming was the open dungeon exploration of early role-playing games. This dates back to tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons and Empire of the Petal Throne, which adapted the outdoor exploration of earlier wargames such as Chainmail, which in turn is rooted in the outdoor overworld exploration of Go. Dungeon exploration can be seen in early computer role-playing games such as Temple of Apshai (1979) as well as RPG-influenced adventure games such as Adventure (1980), and in treasure-hunting arcade games such as Tutankham (1982) and The Tower of Druaga (1984). However, these do not constitute open worlds in the modern sense, which refers to large outdoor environments, which early computer role-playing games or adventure games did not have until Ultima (1981), which in turn got its overworld concept from tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons and Empire of the Petal Throne. But in Ultima's case, the overworld was not to scale, as was the case in tabletop role-playing games, with the player character being a giant on the world map, which doesn't fit the modern definition of an open world either.
Early examples of free-roaming, non-linear, open worlds in video games, with generally gradually increasing open-endedness, include Bosconian (1981),[16] Time Pilot (1982),[17][18] Panorama Toh (1983),[19] Boomer Rang'r (1983), Mugen no Shinzou (1984), Dragon Slayer (1984),[4] Ginga Hyoryu Vifam (1984),[20] Hydlide (1984), Tritorn (1984), and Elite (1984).[1][21][22][23]
Open-world arcade flight simulators such as SEGA's Jet Rocket (1970) and its clones Flotilla and Target Zero, along with SEGA's more advanced 3D flight simulator Heli-Shooter (1977), influenced the development of free-roaming flight simulator video games such as Flight Simulator (1980), which in turn influenced open-world space simulators such as Elite (1984), and which in turn influenced Grand Theft Auto (1997).
Hydlide (1984) to Drakkhen (1989)[ | ]
Hydlide (1984), one of the first fully-scaled on-foot open-world games, along with Courageous Perseus (1984).
Released in Japan at around the same time in 1984, the action role-playing video games Hydlide and Courageous Perseus[24] were the first true open-world video games in the modern sense of the word. They were the first games to feature on-foot, outdoor exploration in a fully-scaled, continuous open world. They marked a significant departure from earlier attempts at exploration, which was either limited to open dungeon exploration but with no outdoor exploration (such as earlier role-playing games and adventure games), or outdoor exploration represented by an overworld that is not to scale. Modern open-world game design largely traces back its origins to Hydlide and Courageous Perseus, especially through their influence on The Legend of Zelda.
The Legend of Zelda (1986), the most influential open-world game.
Hydlide and Courageous Perseus, the first fully-scaled on-foot open-world games, influenced The Legend of Zelda (1986), which adapted a similar open-world design on a larger scale. The Legend of Zelda was the most influential open-world game, with most open-world games today tracing their roots to The Legend of Zelda. With non-linear gameplay, it set the foundations for later action/adventure video games games like Metroid and role-playing video games like Final Fantasy, while influencing most modern games in general.[25][26] For example, The Legend of Zelda also went on to inspire the constant-scale continuous open world designs that later appeared in Times of Lore (1988), the Ultima series from Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990) onwards[12] (which in turn inspired The Elder Scrolls series), the Grand Theft Auto series (which its creators called "The Legend of Zelda meets Goodfellas"),[27] and The Witcher series (its creators cited The Legend of Zelda as inspiration behind its world design).
There were several early games that offered players the ability to explore an open world while driving a variety of ground vehicles. TX-1 (1983),[28] Kamikaze Cabbie (1984), The Battle-Road (1984)[29] and Out Run (1986)[30] were non-linear driving games that allowed the player to drive through multiple different paths that lead to different possible routes and final destinations.[28][29][30] Kamikaze Cabbie (1984) and Turbo Esprit (1986) provided free-roaming city environments and have been cited as influences on Grand Theft Auto.[31] River City Ransom (1989) was an early sandbox brawler reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto.[32] Another early open-world game reminiscent of GTA was Takeshi no Chōsenjō (Takeshi's Challenge), a 1986 Family Computer video game only released in Japan; it was an unusual game for its time, featuring free-roaming gameplay while, much like GTA, allowing players to randomly attack any people (and having to escape police if the player murders a person) or even punch random objects (including menus). Another precursor was Speed Rumbler (1986), which featured a combination of run & gun shooter with driving mechanics, resulting in a new action game hybrid that would inspire games like Grand Theft Auto decades later.[33]
The Metroidvania school of game design introduced side-scrolling open worlds. Early examples of open-world Metroidvania game design included Brain Breaker (1984/1985), Xanadu (1985) and Metroid (1986). The Metroidvania school had a significant influence on open-world gaming (source?).
Other early examples of open-world games released during 1985-1986 include Star Luster (1985),[34][35] Baraduke (1985),[36] Brain Breaker (1985),[37] Riglas: Tamashii no Kaiki (リグラス) (1985),[38] Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1985),[12] Gutchan Bank (1985),[39] Metroid (1986), Dragon Quest (1986),[4] and The Legend of Zelda (1986).[40][4]
The first open-world 3D video games were SystemSoft's Yūgeki-ō (1985),[41] Arsys Software's Wibarm in 1986 and Star Cruiser in 1988. They were both the first to use 3D polygon graphics to render their open-world environments.
Later in 1989, Infogrames would release Drakkhen, an Action RPG with real time tactic elements as well as a day an night cycle. The game did not employ a fully 3D game engine, instead implementing a hybrid approach using vectors and bitmapped character-scaling algorithms. This possibly makes Drakkhen the first 3D open-world RPG with real time tactics.
Metal Max (1991) to Shenmue (1999)[ | ]
Since 1991, the Metal Max series of post-apocalyptic role-playing games featured truly open-ended, non-linear gameplay. They lack a predetermined story path, but the player is instead given the choice of what missions to follow in whichever order while being able to visit any place in the game world at any time.[42][43][44] The ending can be determined by the player, who can alter the ending through their actions, can complete the game at almost any time, and continue playing the game even after the ending.[44] Some of the games give the player the freedom to complete the game almost immediately after starting it, particularly Metal Saga, which could be completed with a full ending scenario just minutes into the game, making it the shortest possible RPG.[45] Since Romancing SaGa in 1992, the SaGa series has also been known for its truly open-ended, non-linear gameplay, offering many choices and allowing players to complete quests in any order, with the decision of whether or not to participate in any particular quest affecting the outcome of the storyline. The game also allowed players to choose from eight different characters, each with their own stories that start in different places and offer different outcomes.[46] Romancing SaGa thus succeeded in providing a very different experience during each run through the game, something that even later sandbox RPGs such as Fable had promised but were unable to live up to.[47]
Metal Max (1991) was an open-world RPG,[48] where the player can pursue missions in any order, visit any place in the game world,[44][49] determine the ending through their actions, complete the game at almost any time, and continue playing the game after the ending.[44] Romancing SaGa (1992) was an open-ended RPG by Square that offered many choices and allowed players to complete quests in any order, with the decision of whether or not to participate in any particular quest affecting the outcome of the storyline.[50]
Secret of Mana (1993) was a major leap forward for open-world gaming. Its open world was the largest at the time (millions of square miles), significantly larger than The Legend of Zelda games at the time, for example. Secret of Mana could've had an even larger open world if it released for the SNES CD add-on as originally planned, but had to be cut down to fit onto a SNES cartridge.
Grand Theft Auto III (2001) to Breath of the Wild (2017)[ | ]
Some critics treat the release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001 as a revolutionary event in the history of video games.[51] The game's creator Sam Houser, however, described Grand Theft Auto III as "Zelda meets Goodfellas".[52] Other critics also likened Grand Theft Auto III to The Legend of Zelda and Metroid,[4] as well as Shenmue,[53][54][55][56] and noted how GTA III had elements from earlier games. For example, open-ended missions based on operating a taxi cab in a sandbox environment were the basis for SEGA's Crazy Taxi (1999).[57]
The next major leap forward for open-world gaming is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). It introduced an innovative sandbox approach to open-world design, where the player has full freedom to interact with the open-world environment, with intuition, an advanced physics engine, and a new chemistry engine.[58]
Evolution of open-world gaming[ | ]
The following tables and diagrams show the evolution of open-world gaming.
Timeline of early milestones[ | ]
| Year | Developer | Game | Milestone | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 300 BCE | China | Go | Open-world board game, board game with overworld |
Strategy, wargame |
| c. 400 CE | Indian subcontinent | Chess | Free-roaming tactical wargame, free-roaming battlefield |
Strategy, wargame |
| 1970 | SEGA | Jet Rocket [6] | Open-world electronic game, 3D open world, first-person open world |
Flight sim, FPS |
| 1974 | Gary Gygax, Muhammad Barker |
Dungeons & Dragons, Empire of the Petal Throne |
Role-playing game with overworld | Tabletop RPG |
| 1975 | Kasco | Star V [8] | 3D open world, 3D first-person open world, 3D third-person open world |
Space combat sim |
| Taito (Tomohiro Nishikado) |
Western Gun | Open-world video game, free-roaming arcade video game |
Multi-directional shooter | |
| Interceptor | Scrolling open-world video game | Flight sim | ||
| 1976 | Don Daglow | Dungeon | Free-roaming computer game | CRPG |
| 1977 | SEGA | Heli-Shooter | 3D open world, 3D first-person open world |
Flight sim, FPS |
| William Crowther | Colossal Cave Adventure | Free-roaming computer game | Text adventure | |
| 1979 | University of Tokyo | Heiankyo Alien | Open-world computer game, video game with overworld |
Action, puzzle, maze |
| 1980 | Namco | Rally-X | Scrolling open-world video game, open-world driving game |
Maze, racing |
| Atari | Adventure | Multi-screen indoor castle exploration | Action/Adventure | |
| SubLOGIC | Flight Simulator | Free-roaming flight simulator video game | Flight sim | |
| 1981 | SEGA | 005 | Open-world action game, action game with overworld |
Action/Adventure, stealth |
| Namco | Bosconian | Open-world shooter | Shoot 'em up | |
| Origin Systems | Ultima | CRPG with overworld | CRPG | |
| 1982 | Yoshiki Okamoto | Time Pilot | Endless open world | Shoot 'em up |
| Konami | Tutankham | Scrolling dungeon exploration, action game with dungeon exploration |
Action/Adventure, Maze | |
| 1983 | Yoshio Kiya [59] | Panorama Toh [60] | Open-world action RPG, Action RPG with overworld |
Action RPG |
| Yuji Horii [61] | Portopia Serial Murder Case [62] | Open-world adventure game, Open-world immersive simulation |
Adventure game, visual novel | |
| Data East | Boomer Rang'r | Open-world action-adventure, Fully-scaled on-foot open-world |
Action-adventure | |
| 1984 | Namco | The Tower of Druaga | Action RPG with dungeon exploration | Action RPG |
| Data East | Kamikaze Cabbie | Open-world driving video game, fully-scaled open-world city |
Action/Adventure, Driving | |
| Cosmos Computer, Tokihiro Naito [63] |
Courageous Perseus,[24] Hydlide |
Fully-scaled on-foot open-world | Action RPG | |
| Hiroshi Ishikawa [64] | Brain Breaker [65] | Side-scrolling open-world | Metroidvania | |
| Bandai, David Braben |
Ginga Hyōryū Vifam,[66] Elite |
Open-world space simulator | Space simulation | |
| 1985 | SystemSoft | Yūgeki-ō [41] | 3D open world, 3D first-person open world |
Flight sim, FPS |
| Novagen Software | Mercenary | Open-world with wireframe graphics | Action/Adventure | |
| 1986 | Nintendo | The Legend of Zelda | Fully-scaled open-world Action/Adventure | Action/Adventure |
| Nintendo, Konami |
Metroid, Vampire Killer |
Side-scrolling open-world | Metroidvania | |
| Arsys Software | Wibarm | 3D open-world, third-person open-world |
Role-playing shooter, action RPG | |
| Taito, Canvas |
Takeshi's Challenge, Miami Vice |
Open-world crime game | Action/Adventure | |
| 1988 | Arsys Software | Star Cruiser | Fully 3D open-world, open-world role-playing shooter |
Role-playing shooter, FPS |
| 1989 | Infogrames | Drakkhen | Vector Based 3D Fully-Scaled open-world, open-world role-playing game |
Action RPG, Real-time Strategy |
| 1997 | DMA Design | Grand Theft Auto | Open-world crime game | Action/Adventure |
| 1999 | SEGA AM2 | Shenmue | 3D open-world adventure game | Action/Adventure |
Roots of open-world gaming[ | ]
The following diagram traces the roots and influences of various games involved in the history of open-world gaming.
Comparison of early titles[ | ]
The following table shows a list of early games that meet several or more of the criteria listed in the Definition section above.
| Games that meet 3 or less of the criteria are not open-world games | |
| Games that meet between 4 and 6 of the criteria are partially open-world games. | |
| Games that meet 7 or 8 of the criteria are fully open-world games. |
| Year | Game | Criteria met |
Electronic game? |
Free roaming? |
Outdoor landscape? |
Large world? |
Fully scaled? |
On foot? |
Real time? |
3D graphics? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 300 BCE | Go | 4 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| c. 400 CE | Chess | 3 | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| 1970 | Jet Rocket | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1971 | Chainmail | 4 | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 1974 | Dungeons & Dragons | 4 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Empire of the Petal Throne | 4 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 1975 | Star V [8] | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Western Gun | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Interceptor | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| 1976 | Dungeon | 3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| 1977 | Heli-Shooter | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Colossal Cave Adventure | 3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 1979 | Heiankyo Alien | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Temple of Apshai | 4 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 1980 | Pac-Man | 4 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rally-X | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Adventure | 5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Flight Simulator | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| 1981 | 005 | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bosconian | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
| Ultima | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 1982 | Time Pilot | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Tutankham | 5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1983 | Nobunaga's Ambition | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Panorama Toh | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Portopia Serial Murder Case | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Boomer Rang'r (Genesis) | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Ant Attack | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Mountain King | 5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| The Hobbit | 3 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 1984 | The Tower of Druaga | 5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kamikaze Cabbie | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Courageous Perseus | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Hydlide | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Ginga Hyōryū Vifam | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
| Brain Breaker | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Atic Atac | 5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Elite | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
| The Lords of Midnight | 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Sabre Wulf | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
| The Seven Cities of Gold | 4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
| Valhalla | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Zombie Zombie | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1985 | Baraduke | 5 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Romance of the Three Kingdoms | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Riglas: Tamashii no Kaiki [67][68] | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Star Luster | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
| Yūgeki-ō [41] | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Alternate Reality: The City | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Back to Skool | 4 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Mercenary | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| 1986 | The Legend of Zelda | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Dragon Quest | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Metroid | 6 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Takeshi's Challenge | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Vampire Killer | 6 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Wibarm | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Miami Vice | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| Starflight | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
| Turbo Esprit | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| 1987 | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Megami Tensei | 6 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Metal Gear | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Sid Meier's Pirates! | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 1988 | Star Cruiser | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1989 | Drakkhen | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1993 | Cosmology of Kyoto | 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 1996 | Super Mario 64 | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1997 | Grand Theft Auto | 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1998 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1999 | Shenmue | 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
See also[ | ]
References[ | ]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sefton, Jamie (July 11, 2007). The roots of open-world games. GamesRadar. Retrieved on 2008-07-25
- ↑ Logan Booker (2008-07-14). Pandemic Working On New 'Open World / Sandbox' IP. Kotaku. Retrieved on 2008-07-25
- ↑ The complete history of open-world games (part 2). Computer and Video Games (May 25, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-25
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Harris, John (September 26, 2007). Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games. Gamasutra. Retrieved on 2008-07-25
- ↑ Carl Therrien, Inspecting Video Game Historiography Through Critical Lens: Etymology of the First-Person Shooter Genre, Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research, Volume 15, issue 2, December 2015, ISSN 1604-7982
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jet Rocket at SEGARetro
- ↑ https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration24Dec1996/Next_Generation_24_Dec_1996#page/n10/mode/1up
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/kstar.htm
- ↑ http://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/shelishoot.htm
- ↑ Interceptor
- ↑ Miami Vice (1986) OCEAN, El Mundo del Spectrum
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Brooks, Evan (September 1988). "The Politics of War". Computer Gaming World (51): 12–13, 34, 48–49. "Both games come from Japan (Koei Corporation) and deal with the unification of countries during a feudal era and both games offer the sophisticated strategy player an opportunity to balance economic, diplomatic, and military decisions during a formative period of a foreign nation." Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "cgw" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "Megal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain". Official Xbox Magazine. Christmas 2015. https://archive.org/stream/Xbox_The_Official_Magazine_Xmas_2015#page/n107/mode/2up.
- ↑ Peter Tieryas (April 5, 2015), "THE MURDER MYSTERY FROM THE CREATOR OF DRAGON QUEST", Entropy, https://entropymag.org/the-murder-mystery-from-the-creator-of-dragon-quest/
- ↑ Jacobi, Scott (October 2006). "Nintendo Realm - November to December 1985". Retrogaming Times Monthly (29). Archived from the original on June 30, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070630232207/my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM29/RTM29.html. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
- ↑ Open-world video games at Allgame via the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits - NDS - Review. GameZone (April 9, 2007). Retrieved on 2011-04-08
- ↑ Konami Arcade Classics: Well, at least it's classic. IGN (January 7, 2000). Retrieved on 2011-04-08
- ↑ Dark Age of JRPGs (7): Panorama Toh ぱのらま島 - PC-88 (1983), Hardcore Gaming 101
- ↑ Gingahyōryū Vifam at MobyGames
- ↑ Barton, Matt; Bill Loguidice (April 7, 2009). The History of Elite: Space, the Endless Frontier. Gamasutra. Retrieved on 2009-12-27
- ↑ Whitehead, Dan (February 4, 2008). Born Free: the History of the Openworld Game. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2008-07-25
- ↑ The complete history of open-world games (part 1). Computer and Video Games (May 24, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-07-25
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Courageous Perseus at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Peckham, Matt (2012-11-15). ALL-TIME 100 Video Games. TIME. Retrieved on 2014-08-12
- ↑ Mc Shea, Tom (20121-21-12). The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary A Look Back. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2014-08-12
- ↑ http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/10/rockstars-sam-houser-mouths-off
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 TX-1 at Museum of the Game
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 The Battle-Road at Museum of the Game
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Brian Gazza. Outrun. Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved on 2011-03-17
- ↑ Retrorevival: Turbo Esprit, Retro Gamer issue 20, page 48. Imagine Publishing, 2006.
- ↑ Parish, Jeremy (2008-04-29). Retronauts Carjacks Grand Theft Auto. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 23 January 2012
- ↑ Speed Rumbler on Giant Bomb
- ↑ Star Luster. Virtual Console. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2011-05-08 (Translation)
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John (2015). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. 2. pp. 506 & 982. "technically impressive real-time first-person 3D space shoot-em-up (imagine Elite but without vector graphics); with intense combat and a large free-roaming map containing enemy bases and refuelling stations, players need to plan their attacks strategically."
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John (2015). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. 2. p. 498. "Baraduke has a lot of iconic sci-fi elements, including from the Alien films. It's also a rather fun and intense free-roaming 2D shmup"
- ↑ John Szczepaniak. Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier. Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved on 2011-03-16 Reprinted from "Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier", Retro Gamer (67), 2009
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. 1. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9929260-3-8. "Riglas: Tamashii no Kaiki – large free roaming RPG exclusive to Japanese computers, worth checking out"
- ↑ Gutchan Bank
- ↑ 15 Most Influential Games of All Time: The Legend of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2010-01-24
- ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Yūgeki-ō
- ↑ Metal Max. Virtual Console. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2011-05-16 (Translation)
- ↑ Metal Max 2. Virtual Console. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2011-05-16 (Translation)
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 Metal Max (Translation), Crea-Tech
- ↑ Metal Saga - Impression, RPGamer, Spring 2006
- ↑ Romancing SaGa Review, IGN
- ↑ Patrick Gann. Romancing SaGa. RPGFan. Retrieved on 2011-03-02
- ↑ http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/gba/mm2kai/reviews/mm2kaistrev1.html
- ↑ Metal Max (Translation), Virtual Console, Nintendo
- ↑ Sullivan, Meghan (11 October 2005). Romancing SaGa Review. IGN. Retrieved on 15 May 2011
- ↑ Game Informer Issue 138 p.73
- ↑ http://ign.com/articles/2001/09/10/rockstars-sam-houser-mouths-off
- ↑ Brendan Main, Lost in Yokosuka, The Escapist
- ↑ Shenmue: Creator Yu Suzuki Speaks Out, GamesTM
- ↑ Yu Suzuki, IGN
- ↑ The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki: Part 1, 1UP
- ↑ Top 25 Racing Games... Ever! Part 1. Retro Gamer (16 September 2009). Retrieved on 2011-03-17
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/17/14957460/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-switch-future-games
- ↑ Yoshio Kiya at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Panorama Toh at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Yuji Horii at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Tokihiro Naito at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Hiroshi Ishikawa at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Brain Breaker at Giant Bomb
- ↑ inga Hyōryū Vifam at Giant Bomb
- ↑ Szczepaniak, John (2014). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. 1. SMG Szczepaniak. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9929260-3-8. "Riglas: Tamashii no Kaiki – large free roaming RPG exclusive to Japanese computers, worth checking out"
- ↑ リグラス －魂の回帰－for PC-8801 (1985), YouTube