There's no type of game more immersive than an open-world sandbox, and Ubisoft Star Wars game will be open world. Fans of the franchise have wanted nothing more than to freely roam around a galaxy far, far away, but it has been a long time coming.
LucasArts could have pulled it off in the 2000s when it was developing Star Wars games and when open-world games were more inventive than ever. Outside of the gold standard that is the Grand Theft Auto series, Redditors have debated what is the best open-world game of the PlayStation 2 generation. Between adaptations of gangster movies, racing games riding high on the success of street racing, and underrated westerns, the PS2 era is a treasure trove of exciting sandboxes.
Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006)
most underrated PS2 games ever. Reddit Abbas8811 its, "Played this for hours and hours it was my first game that I did 100% on."
The 2006 release was clearly influenced by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a game set in a fictionalized version of 1980s Miami that allows players to do virtually anything they want, especially if they have the cheat codes. However, despite Rockstar being the gold standard of sandbox gaming, The World Is Yours is even more detailed, and players can even drive around the sun-soaked city with a tiger in the back of their vehicle. And if that isn't sandbox gaming at its peak then what it?
The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003)
So many video games are based on the famous yellow American family, and there are loads of Simpsons games that fans didn't know existed. But there's one that's by far and away the best and most famous, and that's The Simpsons: Hit & Run. However, Simpsons game but the best free-roaming game on the PlayStation 2.
As most games in the franchise tended to parody other popular games, such as The Simpsons Wrestling parodying WWE games at the time and The Simpsons: Road Rage lifting Crazy Taxi's gameplay, Hit & Run parodied GTA. The game features an open-world Springfield, and though it's simply two or three different roads that make up a kind of circuit, it's still so much fun.
Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction (2005)
The subtitle of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is as literal as it can possibly be, as the game is a huge sandbox where players have all sorts of artillery at their disposal, as well as huge military vehicles like tanks. And almost everything found in the sprawling dystopian fictional city can be destroyed, including whole buildings, which players can blow to smithereens.
ZerberDerber notes, "The first Mercenaries is incredible." A second game in the series, Mercenaries 2: World In Flames, followed in 2008, but it had a much worse reception and didn't come with half of the capabilities or excitement of the original.
The Godfather (2006)
2006 was a huge year for The Godfather, based on the gangster classic of the same name. A deleted might have been the game's biggest fan, as they played it on every platform it was ported onto.
The Redditor claims, "Played it on PSP, Xbox 360, and PS2, it's one of my favorite games." The game follows a non-movie character but features a similar story, as the player seeks revenge on his father's killer. And at the same time, players rise through the gangster ranks by collecting vig and protecting local stores in an open-world New York.
Bully (2006)
Bully was developed by Rockstar, and it almost feels like a PG-13 version of GTA, as the game follows Jimmy, who is sent to a boarding school in the spooky town of Bullworth. The town is available for players to fully explore, and it's full of rich detail. SlimDekiYamakun puts it better than anyone, "Definitely one of the best at creating the illusion that the player is in a living, breathing town."
Even though it isn't quite as well known as Rockstar's other games like the GTA series or updates and rumors about Bully 2 over the years, but, unfortunately, it seems like a sequel will never happen.
Gun (2005)
Just like the genre of movies, western video games aren't all that popular, but every now and then, an amazing and ambitious western comes along that gamers can't ignore. And five years before Red Dead Redemption, Gun was the first western game to implement free-roaming.
A deleted simply calls the 2005 release, "Phenomenal," and they're not wrong, as the graphics looked great for their time, it featured an engaging story, and the role-playing aspects of the game were so advanced. While Rockstar is hugely influential in the world of gaming, there's no denying that the developer was definitely inspired by Gun.
Shadow Of The Colossus (2005)
Shadow of the Colossus, calling it the best open-world game on the PS2. Unlike other open-world video games that give players unlimited freedom, thousands of weapons, and are limited when it comes to storytelling, the 2005 game is exactly the opposite. Shadow of the Colossus is all about peaceful exploration, taking in the beautiful landscapes, and trying to unravel its quiet mysteries.
Shadow of the Colossus is so beloved that not only was it remastered for the PlayStation 3, but it was completely remade for the PS4, and it's one of the densest, most vast, and most beautiful looking games on each generation. And it's only a matter of time until it's given the same treatment for the PlayStation 5.
Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (2005)
Interestingly, though tie-in video games were extremely popular in the 2000s, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction actually has nothing to do with either Ang Lee's Spider-Man 2 game, as it sees players controlling the superhero in an open world.
ZerberDerber sings the game's praises, explaining, "Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is still the best superhero game I've ever played." The 2005 game doesn't get the credit it deserves, and while the Hulk movies and series are generally so melodramatic, Ultimate Destruction is much more lighthearted, as the playable character can even use cars as rollerskates.
Driver: Parallel Lines (2006)
Driver: Parallel Lines is one of the most immersive driving games on the PS2, and it takes place in a condensed version of New York, which contains all of the five boroughs. Automatic_bazooti claims the game is one of the best free-roaming releases, positing, "Parallel Lines was a massive improvement to Driv3r."
Parallel Lines was somewhat of a return to form for the Driver series, as Driv3r was criticized for its terrible on-foot missions. As a result, the 2006 game is purely focused on driving, and the open world is the best in the series, or at least it was until Driver: San Francisco was released five years later, which is considered one of the most underrated PS3 games.
Need For Speed Underground 2 (2003)
Need For Speed Underground 2 the best free-roaming PS2 game, and at the very least, it's one of the most iconic. Underground 2 is a massive improvement on its predecessor, as not only are there much denser customization options and more vehicles to choose from, but it has a fully open-world compared to the closed circuits in Underground.
The game also encourages free-roaming and exploration, as the different garages and customization stores aren't pinpointed on the map until they're first discovered. It's one of the most satisfying moments in any free-roaming video game when players randomly find a garage in the dead of night. And the "Riders on the Storm" remix featuring Snoop Dogg, which plays every time the game is booted up, is engrained in every 2000s kid's memory.
