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My girlfriend wants to be a gamer, but doesn't know how
caseyquicksilver
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, she's told me she wants to play games with or near me, because games have had such a dramatic effect on my upbringing and my current lifestyle. I'm looking for any recommendations you folks can give; I've looked through the steam catalogue, searched a few forums online, and haven't really nailed down anything definitive. We're both on our computers alot, so PC games would be an obvious first choice, but due to differing operating systems and the headache that usually goes with multiplayer PC gaming, I would be willing to look into Wii games as that is the only other console we have access to.
She's played the absolute shit out of Puzzle Quest, and that's really the only game she's ever played. Colorful and casual is probably the way to go. Twitch, complex, or dark/scary games are all probably a no-go.
I'd like to find something co-op, but really, any game you think she would enjoy playing I would be willing to look into.
Thanks for the help in advance. Cheers!
She's played the absolute shit out of Puzzle Quest, and that's really the only game she's ever played. Colorful and casual is probably the way to go. Twitch, complex, or dark/scary games are all probably a no-go.
I'd like to find something co-op, but really, any game you think she would enjoy playing I would be willing to look into.
Thanks for the help in advance. Cheers!
"A good man is as strong as the right woman needs him to be."
-Karla, Shantaram
-Karla, Shantaram
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My girlfriend got completely hooked on Peggle, and Plants vs Zombies is the next step from that.
It could be fun to run through adventure games like Monkey Island 1+2 together, especially if you haven't played them yourself before.
For co-op there's Diablo and Torchlight for your clickfest needs. Magicka if you're okay with screwing up repeatedly being part of the fun. Trine for some platforming co-op, though the physics are a bit fiddly in that.
Co-optimus.com is probably your best bet for finding more co-op games.
You could also try playing Fallout 3/New Vegas or Mass Effect while she watches. Those were what got my wife in to more complex video games because of their stories.
For PC, I'd recommend Plants vs Zombies, Monkey Island (this series has a soft spot for me), Sims, Dungeon Defenders.
For the Wii, any of the Mario games, Harvest Moon series, Raving Rabbits series.
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So basically I agree with pretty much all of these suggestions, and want to add that women love RPGs. Seriously. Ever notice how big the female fanbase is for Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy in general? Yeah. Lucky for you, I believe the best co-op RPG of all time, Secret of Mana, is on Virtual Console. So grab it and use two Gamecube or Classic controllers for the pair of you! Other than that, if she wants to watch you play something (I don't remember how complex the controls are but I doubt they're as simple as other suggestions, and I don't think it's easy either), Xenoblade is one of the greatest single-player RPGs of all time and that's on Wii too. It's really easy to get invested in the characters, it looks and sounds gorgeous... all good hooks for someone who's wondering what this whole gaming thing is all about.
- Coop which involves actually cooperating.
- Goofy fun and instantly recognisable
- Not too much of challenge but still engaging
- No fail gameplay (if you die just lose some cash and respawn instantly)
- Available for every platform under the sun
Pick her favourite licensed franchise (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman, Lord of the Rings, etc) and dive in.
Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II are also choices that may be fairly popular, if she is into characters and the story. I'd recommend checking out some of the mods over at thegibberlings3.net to make more of the playthrough and to help balance out the genders in the game somewhat.
Botanicula is colorful and puzzly and adorable, but it's also kind of hard. Plants vs. Zombies makes an awesome gateway to tower defense stuff.
Kongregate is a neat site that has all kinds of flash games on it, from shooters to physics games to puzzle games to solitaire, and BloonsTD4 and 5 are highly addictive tower defense games. I actually really enjoy tower defense.
The first game I played with my husband was League of Legends, the controls are simple, we could play together, and the basic game was easy to figure out (kill other players, capture towers). This was when it was in beta though so it may be more intimidating to get into now.
My main recommendation is to start out with low-pressure games first. When I played with my husband in PvP games he wanted to win, he would occasionally get upset by my lack of skill if we lost, which turned me off from playing for a while.
Other suggestions like Plants v. Zombies and most Final Fantasy games are good choices as well, although they lose the aspect of her being able to share an experience with you.
Oh and really enjoyed Never Winter Night : Hordes of the Underdark Expansion. Final Fantasy 8 was the first game I ever playd through to the end, KOTOR and KOTOR2 are also favorites.
Hmm looking at that list I guess I like Bioware games. I never noticed that. I do know for myself I have issues with Flying/Driving and first person games. just something in my head does not work right with those styles of game play, I get so lost and aiming goes to crap in first person but if I can look over my own shoulder I am fine.
Even though it is free to play, if after playing the game for a few weeks/months you decide to stay, it's a good idea to give Turbine money once so your account is permanently upgraded to premium status , which will allow you to trade money with other players as well as permanently unlock a few other things. Account types explained ---> http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Account_Types#Downgrading
Most bang for your buck way to upgrade to premium is to either subscribe for just one month ($10 or $15?), or buy Mithril Edition for $20 ---> http://www.gamestop.com/pc/games/the-lord-of-the-rings-online-mithril-edition/97978 (Unique horse. Trollshaws, Eregion, Mines of Moria, and Lothlórien expansion/quest packs. Unlock Warden and Rune-keeper classes. 2000 store points). For a truly dedicated player I would recommend doing both as each have their own benefit.
*Important* Best place to download this game is of Steam. If you do it of the Turbine website they will try to do it with Pando Media Booster which is just dumb on so many levels.
Depends on whether WASD clicks for her or not, really.
There's also Minecraft which a few other people mentioned; Terraria would be another one in that vein, though I think the difficulty ramps up faster. I find Terraria to be a game I can spend hours at a time playing and not "finish" everything I might have wanted to do in that particular session, which is good because it allows you to have things to do when you pick up again the next time. It's possible to set up a small "server" at home; nexus and I have both played on the same world at once.
Hm, there's a lot of possibilities depending on what she finds interesting, too. I really liked Botanicula, but then I like click-and-explore adventure puzzles. It's complex but pretty easy to make sense of the internal logic of the game and once you have that down it's usually easy to guess what the game wants you to do.
Bastion is awesome and such a great game experience but I don't think I would say it is easy unless she gets WASD down; you could go for the casual play mode, though!
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I wouldn't recommend it to start with, but there are some seriously crazy mods for Minecraft too.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Also $10 right now on Steam.
edit: Sounds like driving games might be out, but blur was basically Mario Kart.
Plus, watching games be played is a good way for me to figure out what sorts of games I may or may not like playing myself, and what I find important in a game.
If you've got a Wii, try Super Mario Galaxy. The second player gets to help collect sparklies from all the way across the world and can assist in combat and platforming as well.
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I personally think Puzzle Agent is top notch, and I personally prefer adventure games to an FPS or real time strategies. Stuff like The Walking Dead, Don't Starve, Braid, Psychonauts, Triple Town, Plants v Zombies are all great and easy to pick up . I sort of missed out on the WoW experience when I was in high school but I have a feeling its fun to get into as well
Really what you should do is go through your games with her and see if there's any that stick out. Have her watch some game previews like on GiantBomb and see if any titles catch her eye
I mean we can sit here all day and recommend games we think she'll like, but she might be happier if she saw these games herself and made the decisions. There's tons of great games out there! Especially like if you've got live arcade or can rent games from somewhere nearby
For platforming, I'd start with simpler things like Rayman: Origins, or Donkey Kong Country. Both have local co-op and are fun to play. You're both full characters on screen and both playing together. If you want to start simpler, you can start with Mario Galaxy (1 or 2, both should be pretty cheap by now) and she can help you OR you let her be Mario and have you be the helping hand.
My recommendation is always the Lego games. The levels REQUIRE multiple characters, whether that's you going through a couple single-player or doing it co-op. There is no "game over" so there is no frustration with "losing" and a lot of fun. The production value is high and the levels follow the story of your favorite movie or characters. There's Star Wars (prequels 1-3, original 4-6, clone wars), Indiana Jones (1 and 2), Batman (1 and 2), Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter (early years, later years), Lord of the Rings. We've played through almost all of them and my personal favorite is Batman 1 as a comic / pop culture nerd. She really enjoyed the pirates game as she's a big fan of the movie. They're geared more "family friendly" as "death" is more like a lego guy separated torso from legs but it can make for some good humor. There is a Marvel one that is coming in Q3/4 this year (this fall). I think on the Wii, they're not the best of the consoles (we've played them all on the PS3) but defiantly playable.
Always Mario Kart as well?
Some of the more shooter stuff, my wife can't handle as she can sometimes gets vertigo as I know I'm about to look left as my thumb does it, so I internally adjust to that. She thinks it's too "twitchy" and can't handle it. Third person games (ME3, Assassin's Creed) are a little better.
As for non co-op games she might like (that are on Steam): Chime, Rock of Ages, Auditorium, Cogs, World of Goo, Crayon Physics, SpaceChem, Osmos, English Country Tune, Braid, and Offspring Fling might be good options.
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Seconding this, but with the caveat that you should avoid the earlier games which don't have hybrid split screen. Without it, you can knock each other off of platforms if one of you move the screen too far. It can be very frustrating.
Difficulties would include:
1: a complete aversion to anything even remotely scary (I'm saying the fog levels in PvZ were almost too much for her, and she never wanted to go into caves in Minecraft due to spooky sounds and music)
2: little-to-no familiarity with gaming controls, FPS or otherwise
3: she has a bit of a temper, so frustrating aspects would probably ruin the experience for her
I really like the Heroes suggestion. I've played these games for decades though, so I hope I can be patient when explaining the game to her. Think I should start her off with III, IV, or V? You didn't feel like hot-seat took too long? She can be impatient on occasion.
I never played through it, so this might be a great choice. As long as GLaDOS isn't too creepy for her.
I'm thinking co-op would be best so she doesn't get bored. She seems to really like puzzle games and games with story, but most of my favorite story-driven games are too dark for her. Monkey Island is a great suggestion. Should we start with the 1st, or there was a remake available on Steam, right? Is the story episodic, does it matter which one we play first? Dungeon defenders might be a bit too technical for her, but I could show it to her while I play.
These are games I feel I've overlooked for too long. This might be perfect. Most are available for the Wii, correct? I feel like that's the best way to play them anyways.
I'll have to look into Botanicula, I haven't heard of it. I've been playing Kongregate for years, as flash games are the only things I can play when I'm limited to my laptop. I'll send her my profile and some TD game links, see if she bites. Here's hoping this doesn't result in her losing her job though haha.
So you already had a few years of gaming experience before trying Mass Effect? I think she could really get into the roleplaying aspect of it. This might be the way we can do it:
I know I'm capable of trading off play time in single player and enjoying myself, it's generally how my best friend and play all the great single player games that have been released in the past few years.
Again, I can't emphasize enough how much Left 4 Dead, Half Life, Diablo, The Walking Dead, etc. are off limits for my girl. She once woke up while I was playing through Dead Space and couldn't go back to sleep for a few hours after seeing me get eviscerated in zero-G it freaked her out so much.
So far I have:
PC: Heroes series (probably III), Portal 1 & 2, Torchlight 2, Monkey Island series, Botanicula (sp?), Puzzle Agent, Mass Effect or Kotor, Peggle,
Wii: Virtual Console legendary games (secret of mana, mario kart, DKC, etc), all the LEGO franchises, Harvest Moon
Thanks so much to everyone who put thought into this and replied! You're all a great group. Here's hoping my girlfriend will eventually be able to find the same humor in this comic as I can.
-Karla, Shantaram
-Karla, Shantaram
I don't know if the Fable series would count as scary? The game is fun, easy to play and open. My gf spent more time working in the forge and buying property than doing actual quests (yes, she is that kind of person).
Monkey Island is a must. She should love it, although the MI underground tunnels part is kind of creepy.
Buy her Super Mario World on the Wii store!
Some people make the jump to 3d easily, but I think there's a reason that easy browser games in 2D have had such a resurgence. They're easy to understand and the controls are simple.
There's a new game, The Cave, that is a point & click adventure with a very relaxed co-op approach. You always get 3 characters, but with co-op you can split the control up. That way, you're solving puzzles together and playing as different characters, but it's not about her controller familiarity.
There is a remake of Monkey Island on steam, which lets you switch back and forth to the old and new graphics. I'd recommend starting with the first one, otherwise the on-going jokes may get lost if you start with a different one. Sometimes, they do bundles. If she gets nervous from just the foggy levels from PvZ, I'm a little worried she may not like some of the parts of the story which you going through caves.
Looking for Edith Finch Pin!
It is a solitaire card game, with fairies and pets and a story and junk. The story is not special, but pets and achievements and junk. It is available on steam.