One that almost slipped under the radar.....is Splinter Cell which is out in August i believe? so thats a few weeks before GTA5 which is good timing i suppose.
I bought GTA4 and Tomb Raider a month or so ago to plug the gap until September. Tomb Raider is quite good but I'm finding myself getting a bit bored of it now and I'm only about 4 hours in. Maybe I'll go back to it, not decided yet. I had GTA4 years ago but never got round to finishing it, so bought it on the cheap so I can see it through to the end. I'm on the final mission now, will probably finish it tonight.
Might give Red Dead Redemption another play through as well, damn I love that game. Far better than GTA4.
Try The Saboteur its an awesome title that sadly hardly anyone played. Once you get past the initial race part the game opens up into an awesome sandbox game with a brilliant atmosphere.
I am currently playing Assassins Creed 3 and really enjoying it, its worth a look IMHO.
Other sandbox games to think about
Red Dead Redemption
Godfather 2
Mafia 2
Saints Row 2
Just Cause 2
inFamous
Sleeping Dogs
Mercenaries 2
I'm in a similar situation. I downloaded Saints Row 3 for free with PS+ but don't like it. Played RDR to death a few times, so thinking of getting The Lost & the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony double pack
thinking of getting The Lost & the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony double pack
They are better than GTA4, although still have the same feel so its a case of if you like GTA4 get them they are awesome, if you're one of the people who disliked GTA4 don't bother with them.
It is pretty damn cool, but it isn't without it's flaws. Essentially the story is only 7 missions long but there are 3 factions you do side missons for to unlock the story missions. My issue was that I did 2 factions, and completed every base I came across 100% and finished the story before even touching the 3rd faction. Likewise the game seems to want you to complete everything 100% (and theres lots to do) yet it impossible to get to 100% due to bugs.
That said it will keep you entertained for a good 24-48 hours, and the grapple hook mechanics are insanley fun.
My other suggestions would be Borderlands/Borderlands 2. Both time sinks of games, and if you have a PC, League of Legends. League of Legends is free, and you will amass hours on it fast. It is a RTS game though, so not in the same vein as the others.
Sleeping Dogs is an EASY choice, very similar, but still pretty good in its own right.
Mafia 1 or 2 - 1 is great, but it does look old and I know that can put people off. Number 2 is a bit of a let down, but for a GTA fix it does the job nicely.
Saints Row 3 - I played it and enjoyed it, its like GTA with all the serious stuff taken out and more put on fun and huge battles. The story is pretty funny, and its a real riot to play.
Just Cause 2 - Often overlooked but it is CRAZY fun. The storyline is actually pretty boring, but it has a HUGE island to pretty much do as you like on. Lots of vertical freedom as well, in fact it can make other "free roaming" games seem cramped. Very fun game to play, and the action plays out well.
Those come to mind as easy choices, if you like GTA (any of them) you can be sure you will like these.
Be warned Scarface only works on XP and doesn't support any other Microsoft operating system.
It can if you disable all cores minus 1 in advanced options, and sound problems can solved by alt tabbing in out. Considering it works in windows 7 and I'm sure it would work in 8 too.
Comments
Only played a bit of it, maybe 5-6 hours. Was okay from what I remember.
Saints Row?
RDR?
Godfather?
Be warned Scarface only works on XP and doesn't support any other Microsoft operating system.
Might give Red Dead Redemption another play through as well, damn I love that game. Far better than GTA4.
I am currently playing Assassins Creed 3 and really enjoying it, its worth a look IMHO.
Other sandbox games to think about
Red Dead Redemption
Godfather 2
Mafia 2
Saints Row 2
Just Cause 2
inFamous
Sleeping Dogs
Mercenaries 2
They are better than GTA4, although still have the same feel so its a case of if you like GTA4 get them they are awesome, if you're one of the people who disliked GTA4 don't bother with them.
Buy it... buy it now!
Ballad of Gay Tony expansion for GTA 4 is well worth a look if you haven't already.
I'll second this.
It is pretty damn cool, but it isn't without it's flaws. Essentially the story is only 7 missions long but there are 3 factions you do side missons for to unlock the story missions. My issue was that I did 2 factions, and completed every base I came across 100% and finished the story before even touching the 3rd faction. Likewise the game seems to want you to complete everything 100% (and theres lots to do) yet it impossible to get to 100% due to bugs.
That said it will keep you entertained for a good 24-48 hours, and the grapple hook mechanics are insanley fun.
My other suggestions would be Borderlands/Borderlands 2. Both time sinks of games, and if you have a PC, League of Legends. League of Legends is free, and you will amass hours on it fast. It is a RTS game though, so not in the same vein as the others.
Also sandbox but a bit more RPG, if you haven't already played Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas they're brilliant.
Mafia 1 or 2 - 1 is great, but it does look old and I know that can put people off. Number 2 is a bit of a let down, but for a GTA fix it does the job nicely.
Saints Row 3 - I played it and enjoyed it, its like GTA with all the serious stuff taken out and more put on fun and huge battles. The story is pretty funny, and its a real riot to play.
Just Cause 2 - Often overlooked but it is CRAZY fun. The storyline is actually pretty boring, but it has a HUGE island to pretty much do as you like on. Lots of vertical freedom as well, in fact it can make other "free roaming" games seem cramped. Very fun game to play, and the action plays out well.
Those come to mind as easy choices, if you like GTA (any of them) you can be sure you will like these.
It can if you disable all cores minus 1 in advanced options, and sound problems can solved by alt tabbing in out. Considering it works in windows 7 and I'm sure it would work in 8 too.