[General Discussion] Sandbox Games - Too Much Freedom?

Well really my first encounter with open-ended Gameplay was "Shenmue". Technically it was in the same approach becuase if you didn't want to do the current goal ahead you could go off get a drink, Play some Arcade games, Go talk to people browse around areas. The game felt very interactive but also felt very confined.

Titles like the GTA series in my opinion simply refined this idea and made it better by adding the overall 'Its your world' state of thinking (more so in GTA 3). You could destroy things, Go anywere, And control anything. But GTA 3 still felt very confined, Then the arrival of GTA SA basically refined this whole concept by adding tons more to do. And personally even though Shenmue added that style of gameplay GTA really is the series that refined it. Currently GTA is probably the best example of "Sand-Box" games.

Spider Man 2, Felt to linear in my opinion to be a Sand Box game, After you do a few side missions and save a few people it feels old and stale, Although you can still fight bad guys which proves to be fun. I loved the whole idea of going around a big City, I just wish there was more to do in such a big city. Sadly Ultimate Spiderman never built on that...

Animal Crossing is another example of Sand Box gameplay, While geared and approached to most as a kiddy title I loved the concept of this game, Basically this is the 'core' of Sand Box games, Simply becuase there isn't two games your playing. What I mean is it doesn't have you in an actual story line but more so you just do whatever you want and participate in current events .

Jam it back in, in the dark.