Another honorable mention goes to Nehrim, which is an Oblivion 'mod' game nearly the size of Oblivion, and a unique and awesome game in it's own right..if you can put up with listening to german. The dungeons in Nehrim are better than I have seen so far in TES games period, they are amazing. It even has it's own tower defense game lol.

The sad thing is it's quite easy to put them in the game.

Instead of the cyclops that could ask why people wanted to drive his kind into extinction, make a giant that do that.
Smith the talking horse that would reveal plots of previous ultima games. Well you have Maiev, but why not make it a talking horse??
The Unicorn that was a virgin detector. Just put a white horse skin with a horn and make it detect your virginity. You already had a talking stag in the game somewhere.
The delusional sultan with the super powerful stone harpy. Why not just put a "delusional jarl" in the middle of an abandoned castle with a super powerful metallic statue? It would humble people who think the game is too easy. They may even laugh and post on the forums, challenging people to fight a creature that may be more powerful than Alduin himself.
Buccaneer's Den that was basically a pirate's den that had gambling and the brothel. Can't you make it an island and have a ship instead of a carriage to bring you there? Technically it is just another village with a bunch of npcs, but it is so much fun to explore.
A "crazy" farmer who said he saw a spaceship crash into his field, and a tiger-lion came out of it that said "kill wrathy" before it died. You can then check his field and indeed the spaceship is there. It is actually an easter egg because the company also made a space-themed wing commander series, where the "Kilwrathi" are a race of spaceship flying cat people.

I'm upset a game that is over 10 years old had more imagination than the current games.

the only other openworld/sandbox i also play and know is a MMO called EVEonline
Open world or sandbox is relative , you can build a huge virtual world but it still has its limits even the MMO s are limited in space and things to do and a system when there is a cap on skills and/or experience you always end up with a endgame , this is true for skyrim and for so many other rpgs and MMOs

The Gothic Series
Fallout 3 and NV
The Witcher Series

There is really nothing like Origin games though, even back then they were so much better than others..there's a reason UO still has a fanatical free server following, Origin games are just unique.

Yes the Ultima series are truly unique. Gargoyles are actually people too, but subject to racism by the rest of the superstitious population because they look like daemons.

But when I heard that Todd Macfarlane made Lord Blackthorne into some mutant monster, I died a little inside. That's not Ultima.

I played assassins creed since the first one, but I'm waiting on revelations as the series is the same thing refined slightly. It's boring after a while.
Other than the first three elder scrolls and fallout? GTA III was ok, and I'm planning on getting the third saints row game eventually, but there aren't really that many open world games that I truly enjoy all that much other than tes and fallout 3. Fable 1. Now that was an amazing game.

EDIT- I also don't play mmos. It's not that I don't find them enjoyable, and I understand why someone would want to, I just don't feel like paying again and again for the same game.

Nothing really compares to TES.

I quite like the Fable lore and universe as seen through the fable series. They need to get their map sorted out though as the regions kinda move around through the games.

there is a good unheard of game called "Divinity II - the dragon knight saga" which has a lot of potential had it had a similar budget.

I think if Warhammer ever made a game it would be good as they already have their races and lore etc and I guess they could possibly have the funds for a major design team.

Fallout & Rage are obvious runners.

Gothic has potential.

Oh. I forgot Assassin Creed which is obviously immense. That game is rocking and has an amazing story and characters. Not quite the same category though.

Zelda Ocarina of Time was good but much more child friendly.

Fallout 3 and NV are really the only ones I can think of, and it is a bit unfair since they are obviously following the TES book of "open world design" to the letter. Fallout 3 still stands to me as the "best open gameworld" in a single player RPG.... I have made 5 characters in that game, and never has it felt like the same game as last time... it's like you always stumble over something awesome. It is a bit let down by a very formulaic main quest.

Might&Magic series are cool, but they're not really open world... more somewhat non-linear in regards to what order you want solve stuff in. Big points for being the most munchkin of any RPG series ever made... seriously, level 120+ in those game and you feel like a party of gods sent down to wreak havoc on all things monstery.

Mount & Blade (Warband) is also a good game

The Fallouts obviously. Two Worlds had a horrible engine, menu and acting, but I really liked the world. My guilty pleasure is Sacred 2 though, plenty of humour, but a classic example of don't make a broken build for your character.

Sacred 1&2 are nice if you like that style of play.

It is a superb game... I have never thought of it as an RPG though... more a "playground with awesome horse combat". Though I agree that it should be included, so I add it to my list.

Actually, if mount'n'blade style horse combat had ever made it into a TES game ala skyrim the epicness would kick the moon out of orbit.

GTA3 did not really come to mind at first, but I would have to agree with that. They surprised the hell out of me with that one. I was expecting another typical over-the-top cartoonishly violent playground, but they really managed to create a living world where you occasionally feel a twinge of guilt while driving an ice cream truck down a busy sidewalk. I was not expecting the massive role-playing potential with this game either. It really gives it a new depth and challenge when you abandon the role of omniscient sociopath that comes so easily with GTA-style gameplay.

I have to second Fallout 3 as the greatest open-world RPG as far as the world itself is concerned. New Vegas wins out in terms of story and quest writing, but nothing trumps that moment in Fallout 3 when you step out of the vault and see the sun for the first time glaring over the wasteland.

Do you guys think Two Worlds 1 or 2 are worth checking out for a cheap diversion? How do they compare to say, Risen or Divinity 2?

Definitely Fallout:3. I haven't played NV. I will give it a try after I'm done with Skyrim. DA:O and Fable2 were both good semi open games. I don't like Mass Effect, it bored me for some reason.

Bethesda should buy out Taleworlds and ask the husband and wife team to add horse combat into the game.

Then in the next Elder Scrolls game, we will have a new skill called horse-riding! Good in the open world, but you can't bring your horse into caves.

Yeah, let's just re-use everything other games have done, that's really original man...let's make TES the cod of rpg's =D

Eve Online is a pretty massive game that I've been immersing myself in lately. It is detailed and complex to the bones.

I loved Gothic 3....
People that never experienced a true large scale world to explore, get this game. The story and quest choices are pretty grey area and I loved it.

Fallout 3 is alright, despite the setting. I really prefer fantasy to be honest.
I've never been able to get into the Gothic games and the like, mainly because I felt no connection to the main character. I really dislike playing a generic looking white male aged 25-35 for some reason. I hope one day European developers cop on to the fact that females play video games too, and character creation is an important part for RPGs.
The Fable series is meh. It has some good things but the interactions with NPCs just feel to juvenile to take the series seriously or get properly immersed in it.

TES just hits the right spot really. Not as wordy or linear as the recent Bioware games, and it gives you a large open world where your character can be pretty much anyone you want them to be. No modern single player game has topped that yet for me.

I'm disappointed there isn't more support for "The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings" its pretty cheap on steam right now, and as much as I hate to admit it I'm having more fun in that game than I am in Skyrim.

Pokemon.

Aye. Eve is just about the most advanced 'open-world' based on the definition we're giving it.

The complexity, politics and sandbox elements really are without comparison. This is partly because basically everything is created and run by the end user. The devs just provide the framework for the player to immerse themselves in.

WoW is just broken.. Got crap tired of it after Cataclysm when all the sudden the majority of the playerbase is 15 year olders with Time cards.. Blabbering all over the channels about how "Uber l33t h4XX0r" they are and how bloody "n000b" someone can be.. Got tired of just reading it day in and day out..
To few quest's at end level and to easy overall.. Both PvE and PvP..

One of the few epic MMO fail games if you ask me (Am probably alone with this)

EVE-Online on the other hand.. Now thats a neat game if you have some brains and can handle it

EVE is literally the reason I will never play an mmo again. Except TOR (if I ever get a pc to run it).

As far as open world games I love: Fallout 3 & New Vegas, Arkham City, Dark Souls (even though it isn't really open world), Red Dead Redemption (even though I despise GTA) and Pirates! (lame I know).

I also haven't played the Gothic series so I may have to add to that. And I heard that Two Worlds II is pretty good. Plus I'm pretty hyped (less than I was before Skyrim) about Kingdoms of Amalur.

All in all I think I have quite a few awesome open world games to sink ungodly amounts of hours into.