The mastermind behind Spore and The Sims has compiled a list of his five favorite game series, focusing on strategy and openness.
Now that Spore’s finally been released, lead designer Will Wright is able to relax, conjure up his next inspiring idea and interview with the media on his five favorite games.
An MSN special asked Wright about what touches him from each of the five franchises he mentioned. Wright was able to categorize compelling titles into two categories: strategy games and open-world experiences.
His list of game series includes:
- Civilization
- Grand Theft Auto
- Battlefield
- Advance Wars
- Flight Simulator
The turn-based gameplay of the Nintendo DS Advance Wars titles remind Wright of how he “used to play these board games as a kid – these elaborate, real board games, so it’s kind nostalgic for me, for that reason.”
Sid Meier’s Civilization also had “strategic diversity” rarely found in its competitors.
The diverse environments of GTA, Battlefield 1942 and Flight Simulator were all described with similar terms such as “open-ended”, “big playground” or “world”. The lighthearted “cops-and-robbers” style of Battlefield reminds Wright of his childhood. When he mentions the other two titles, he is fascinated by their realism in digitally recreating worlds.
He descriptively explained his GTA love, “It’s such an open-ended world… you can actually be very nice in the world and drive an ambulance around saving people, or you can be very mean…. For me, it’s not really about the missions, it’s about the open-endedness… going out and living a life in this little simulated city. It’s like a big playground.”
Source: Joystiq
