Suggestions, please? I'm about to get a PS3 slim and I love sandbox games

[Tuvok Obama]

Of course, GTA IV is already at the top of my list. Mercenaries 2 is also on the list.

Any other suggestions for sandbox games on the PS3?

[Bjorn Against]

1. Definitely check out Infamous and Fallout 3

Infamous is a very dark open world superhero game in which you can make moral choices which will turn you into either a hero or a villain, and Fallout 3 is one of the best open world RPGs out there. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which is from the same team that made Fallout 3 is also very good if you prefer fantasy. Another fun open world game is Prototype which looks a lot like Infamous, but it actually plays quite differently. The graphics are not nearly as good as the graphics in Infamous, but the gameplay is a blast.

GTA IV is great, but from everything I have heard you should pass on Mercenaries 2. Not only does it have a storyline filled with right-wing propaganda but most the reviews said it was filled with glitches and mediocre gameplay. I think any of the other games mentioned in this post would be a much better choice than Mercenaries 2, but the must own titles are probably GTA IV, Fallout 3 and Infamous. If you are going to get Fallout 3 I would wait a few weeks however as the Game of the Year edition is about to be released which includes dozens of hours of additional content.

[Tuvok Obama]

2. Thanks -- I was unfamiliar with all three of those

I'll definitely put them on the list.

Regarding Mercenaries 2, I was under the impression that the problems were due to the PS2 version being a substandard port of the PS3 version. After playing the first Mercenaries to death (I consider it my favorite game to date), I was hyped for Mercenaries 2 -- then had to put up with frequent freeze-ups and a story that lasted all of four hours.

A little research showed that the PS2 version was inferior, so I've been looking forward to trying M2 on PS3. But I'll read up on the M2-for-PS3 reviews now.

I didn't notice any politics in M2, but the premise was morally weak. In M1, as you may know, the merc is called in because the North Korean coup leader is selling nukes to terrorists. But in M2, the whole premise is revenge (assassination) for having not been paid for a previous job.

Anyway, I'd hoped the PS3 version of M2 would be better than its PS2 port. Thanks for the heads-up on that.

[Bjorn Against]

4. If you are looking for the intense action of Mercenaries then you should consider Prototype

If you really want to play Mercenaries you can probably find it real cheap because it is a game that had a lot of hype but then was not very well received so a lot of people bought it and then traded it in. I am sure there are a ton of used copies out there so if you look around you could probably find a good deal on it, just don't expect it to be the best PS3 has to offer.

If the reason you are interested in Mercenaries is for the intense action however then you may want to consider Prototype instead. Prototype is probably the most intense open world game I have ever played, it is a very fun although some people will be turned off by the extreme violence and gore. It is not the best sandbox game but it is probably the most fun sandbox game. I think the general consensus is that Fallout 3 is the best open world game on the consoles right now, and if you like Fallout 3 you will like Oblivion as well. Because Oblivion has been out a couple of years you can now find it very cheap. There is both the original version and a Game of the Year version which includes the expansion pack, I know for sure you can find the original version for $30 new but you could probably find the Game of the Year edition cheap as well. For that $30 you get what may be the largest game world ever created, virtually the entire world opens up to you after the first hour of gameplay and you can spend literally hundreds of hours exploring that world. Fallout and Oblivion may not be the most action packed games on the consoles but they are some of the most addictive and if you want to play a different type of sandbox game I would definitely check them out.

[Amos Moses]

5. Another recommendation for Fallout 3 and Oblivion.

Lots of good content in both of those, even if you don't get any of the expansions. GTA, and games like it, are great but they don't have near the depth of a good RPG.

If you get Oblivion, make sure to read some of the character creation and leveling tutorials at www.gamefaqs.com

[Ohio Joe]

3. Saints Row 2

I've only played this game for a little bit at a friends house but plan on getting it when I have some extra cash. Certainly a GTA clone but it was really done right, all the play mechanics worked really well and it looked as good as it played.

[Occulus]

6. Prototype and Burnout: Paradise.

You really, really should check these out. First, Prototype = win. I include this one because it's set in New York and you're given nearly complete freedom most of the time (the city is quite the sight from the top of the spire on the roof of the Chrysler Building). I wrote about this one a while back, so I'll just give you the link and have done with it. Be warned: Prototype is possibly the bloodiest game I've ever seen.

If you have a PC that can handle Oblivion and/or Fallout 3, get them for the PC- not not not a console- because you will be able to install mods. The console versions of those games can't use PC mods (there are literally thousands available online) and don't ship with the developer tools like the PC versions do. These can and do alter the game, sometimes subtly, and sometimes drastically. Sometimes, the mods do things to the interface that should have been done by Bethesda; I suspect the developer includes all the tools in part so the gaming community can fix what is 'wrong' with the game when it's released.

Mods are the single greatest advantage PC gamers have over console gamers, because they offer infinite replayability for their parent games. I'm sorry if that sounds pompous, but it's actually true.

Burnout Paradise is a less-violent option that's also full of win. No, really- it's a racing game on crack, and it has everything you expect from a Burnout game. Paradise City is just huge, there are lots and lots and lots of places to drive, challenges you can activate at will, and two types of online modes.

There's a 'passive' mode where your times along stretches of road are compared against times of other drivers all over the world, and an 'active' online mode pitting you against other drivers in real time. Some tasks even require you to cooperate with those other drivers, so a microphone headset gives you an advantage (but isn't required for play). The online capability isn't just a bonus; your record times- places where you beat the latest "fastest driver" along a particular stretch of road- persist online until someone else beats it.

Finally, there's "Party Mode" (I've used this often when people happen to be here at my place, and everyone likes it and has fun), where you and up to seven of your friends pass around a single controller in a multiround competition to (for example) get the fastest time breaking three billboards, score the longest jump while spinning off a ramp onto a road along a cliff without crashing, or even the greatest distance on the road without crashing... while driving in reverse.

You have a good list going on this thread, and it's totally up to you. I can say from experience that you'll want one you can come back to again and again and enjoy the experience every time. Finally, take a look at YouTube clips for everything you consider. YouTube is a godsend for deciding which game to get.

[Bjorn Against]

7. I just rented Red Faction: Guerrila and am now considering a purchase

I just rented this not realizing how good it was. It is basically Grand Theft Auto set on Mars except you are able to blow up anything. Every building in the game is fully destructible, and it seems there is a LOT to do in the world. It is nothing like the PS2 Red Faction games but if you like sandbox games it is definitely worth checking out.

[ZombieHorde]

8. Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

are all very open and have massive maps.

Infamous is smaller and has less character development than the other three, but is still super fun. You can climb everything except fences (no idea why) and sheer surfaces. You can easily climb up sky scrappers and jump off without taking any damage.

I think Fallout 3 is your best bet. First person/third person shooter with lots of character options. You can play a psycho who dismembers people and eats their flesh, a con artist and talk your way into and out of situations, a computer hacker/engineer, an explosives expert who makes land mines and grenades, these are some of the characters I have made in this game.