Meanwhile, on a very special seventieth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, the Rainbow Suspenders of Justice Friends meet at the Hall of Justice to take down Lex Luthor and his cohorts in the Hall of Doom. Will their fashion sense be enough to save the world?

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We all have those games that we miss the first time around. With the busy release schedule of modern gaming, no one has time to play everything. That is why we at WingDamage present to you “Fashionably Late Reviews“. This is our series on games from the current generation of consoles that we may have missed on their initial release, but have gone back to experience now.

Ever since Grand Theft Auto 3, people have been trying to outdo the precedents established by Rockstar. They have had to go bigger and more over-the-top crazy with each game to keep things interesting. With GTA4, Rockstar tried to scale things back and make it a little more serious.

Thank goodness Volition didn’t do the same thing. 2008′s Saints Row 2 continues the tradition of open world games that provide a huge, goofy action experience where the world is your playground; a playground filled with fast cars, giant explosions, and rival gangs to take down. It marks the first time I have stuck with an open world game long enough to finish its story mode.

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"Our #1: The Blue Footed Bubi"

On a very special sixty-second episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we discuss our Top 10 Birds of the Year (thus far). Sure, the goldfinch may have other outlets’ votes sealed up, but with their wingspan getting them solid 9′s across the board, the Blue Footed Bubi is putting up quite the show.

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"No Photoshopping Required"

On a very special thirteenth episode of “Barrel Roll! – A Video Game Podcast” (spooky!), we talk a lot about Star Trek. Sadly, most of that had to be cut.

The good news is, we end up talking about the new movie version of Star Trek in our movie segment in the last part of the show.

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"This Is the City..."

In popular entertainment, one aspect many look for is immersion. Feeling sucked in by a good book or movie makes you really feel like you are part of the action. They can transport you to another time and place, and whole new world (cue the song from Aladdin).

One style of game that excels at this for many gamers are “Open World”, or “Sandbox” games. While they do have an over-arcing plot, most of them allow you to play at your leisure. Often there are a lot of mini-games and side-quests to keep you occupied. If they are well designed, many players spend hours just exploring.

Here are a few good open world games with brief overviews.

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