Alright Wii people I need some help...

Panickd

So next week I'm buying a Wii. I need recommendations for 2 games to buy with the system. The catch is I need at least one of those games to be girlfriend friendly. Something she can pick up the controller for and actually play with (or against) me instead of just watching me play. So far the only game I have gotten her to sit down with more than once was Mario Party (can't remember which one) on the GC and I have a feeling that was due to it feeling a lot like a board game (which is why I'm kinda bummed at the horrible reviews for MP on the Wii). I'm kinda hoping the unique control scheme will inspire more interaction on her part. So how about it, what's out there now that I can get that will help me pull her in?

FireWeasel

Panickd wrote: »

So next week I'm buying a Wii. I need recommendations for 2 games to buy with the system. The catch is I need at least one of those games to be girlfriend friendly. Something she can pick up the controller for and actually play with (or against) me instead of just watching me play. So far the only game I have gotten her to sit down with more than once was Mario Party (can't remember which one) on the GC and I have a feeling that was due to it feeling a lot like a board game (which is why I'm kinda bummed at the horrible reviews for MP on the Wii). I'm kinda hoping the unique control scheme will inspire more interaction on her part. So how about it, what's out there now that I can get that will help me pull her in?

It comes with Wii Sports. That's all you need in terms of gf-friendliness.

Black Ice

FireWeasel wrote: »

Panickd wrote: »

So next week I'm buying a Wii. I need recommendations for 2 games to buy with the system. The catch is I need at least one of those games to be girlfriend friendly. Something she can pick up the controller for and actually play with (or against) me instead of just watching me play. So far the only game I have gotten her to sit down with more than once was Mario Party (can't remember which one) on the GC and I have a feeling that was due to it feeling a lot like a board game (which is why I'm kinda bummed at the horrible reviews for MP on the Wii). I'm kinda hoping the unique control scheme will inspire more interaction on her part. So how about it, what's out there now that I can get that will help me pull her in?

It comes with Wii Sports. That's all you need in terms of gf-friendliness.

I don't have a Wii and I've never played one but I can vouch for this. My girlfriend says maybe twice a month how much she wants a Wii. She has no other video game system and doesn't even play them, but she really, really wants a Wii, just for Wii Sports. I said "What other games would you buy?" she says she doesn't know, she just wants to play "the bowling game," "the tennis game," etc.

FireWeasel

Black Ice wrote: »

FireWeasel wrote: »

Panickd wrote: »

So next week I'm buying a Wii. I need recommendations for 2 games to buy with the system. The catch is I need at least one of those games to be girlfriend friendly. Something she can pick up the controller for and actually play with (or against) me instead of just watching me play. So far the only game I have gotten her to sit down with more than once was Mario Party (can't remember which one) on the GC and I have a feeling that was due to it feeling a lot like a board game (which is why I'm kinda bummed at the horrible reviews for MP on the Wii). I'm kinda hoping the unique control scheme will inspire more interaction on her part. So how about it, what's out there now that I can get that will help me pull her in?

It comes with Wii Sports. That's all you need in terms of gf-friendliness.

I don't have a Wii and I've never played one but I can vouch for this. My girlfriend says maybe twice a month how much she wants a Wii. She has no other video game system and doesn't even play them, but she really, really wants a Wii, just for Wii Sports. I said "What other games would you buy?" she says she doesn't know, she just wants to play "the bowling game," "the tennis game," etc.

Exactly. Bowling alone will hook the non-gamer, and girlfriends in particular.

Magus`

Zelda and RE4 (if you haven't played it).

OmegaVelocity

WarioWare? For her, anyway. Otherwise, Zelda and Sonic are great for the established gamer.

urahonky

Magus` wrote: »

Zelda and RE4 (if you haven't played it).

Or even if you have played it.

Big Dookie

Elebits did it for my wife. She saw me playing it one night and became really intrigued. I come home the next night from work, and she's played through half the game already. She actually ended up beating it before me. So definitely consider Elebits.

Excite Truck is another good one. It's a fun, arcadey racer with controls that are familiar as soon as you start playing it, and she can pop in an SD card with all of her favorite music while she's playing. Lots of crazy fun.

jothki

Wario Ware might be a good idea. You need to unlock the "multiplayer" mode, but just passing it between games in the single-player mode would probably work well.

Zek

Get Wii Play with the second remote. They may not be her kind of games but hell, it's $10. Wario Ware is probably a good bet. And get Zelda for yourself if you haven't played it yet.

Pheezer

Wii Sports and Wii Play (oh come on it's $5 for the game over the controller cost how could you not) both provide good multiplayer and being a good sport and showing someone an accessible multiplayer game is a really good way to get them into gaming. And Wii Sports is really accessible. Wii Play is actually kind of crappy, but the shooting game, laser hockey, table tennis, and above all, cow racing are good.

I really like Super Paper Mario even though it gets completely fucking retarded in Chapter 4 and spends a good part of Chapter 5 working its way out of that, and my girlfriend is all about that shit. But she also played a lot of Mario as a kid.

Breyker4711

Wii Sports is really all you need, and Wii Play is great for another Wii mote.

After that:
Cooking Mama has really captivated my GF
Trauma Center is fairly fun for her (although she might enjoy it more because of my presence)

Zelda + Super Paper Mario are just flat out great.

Panickd

I was under the impression that Wii Sports was more of a tech demo than an actual game. Is that not the case?

Zek

No, Wii Sports is one of the system's best multiplayer games. Wii Play is more of a tech demo, but it's worth $10.

Burning Organ

Mario strikers charged if you can get it.
Red steel might have some comedy value in multiplayer.

Mashalot

Def get Wii play for the 2nd controller, you'll need one anyway.

Sul

RE4Wii

it cannot be stressed enough.

Elebits is good too..but RE4Wii is $30 and must be purchased.

Speed Racer

Oddly enough, none of the "non-gamers" I've had try the Wii really liked WarioWare. They couldn't get the hang of it. I think it was too fast-paced for them.

TM2 Rampage

Zelda was boring.

Although if you've beaten every other Zelda and can't wait for more, I guess you would enjoy this one.

Personally, I'd recommend RE4 over Zelda (Twilight Princess).

slash000

Panickd wrote: »

So next week I'm buying a Wii. I need recommendations for 2 games to buy with the system. The catch is I need at least one of those games to be girlfriend friendly. Something she can pick up the controller for and actually play with (or against) me instead of just watching me play. So far the only game I have gotten her to sit down with more than once was Mario Party (can't remember which one) on the GC and I have a feeling that was due to it feeling a lot like a board game (which is why I'm kinda bummed at the horrible reviews for MP on the Wii). I'm kinda hoping the unique control scheme will inspire more interaction on her part. So how about it, what's out there now that I can get that will help me pull her in?

You can pull in a nongamer with:


1. Wii Sports! Of course!
2. Wario Ware Smooth Moves
3. Rayman Raving Rabbids
4. Mercury Meltdown or maybe Monkeyball
5. Trauma Center
6. Elebits
6. maybe Mario Strikers or Excite Truck
7. Mario Party



Mario Party got a lot of negative reviews not so much due to it being crappy, but more because it was just 'more of the same' and that it doesn't have a whole lot to do as a single player game. If you/she like board games, and enjoyed the GCN mario parties, she'll/you'll probably like this new one.



Other great games include:


On that note, I'll just list games that are good, and aren't 'minigame collections': Twilight Princess, Resident Evil 4 WE, Super Paper Mario, Mercury Meltdown, Madden 07, Trauma Center Second Opinion, Godfather: Blackhand, Mario Strikers, Elebits, SSX Blur, Metal Slug Anthology, Excite Truck, DBZ BT2, Tiger 07, COD3, Sonic Secret Rings. There's also Banana Blitz, Marvel UA, Mortal Kombat Argmdn, if those particular games are your sort of thing. There's also a fuckton of great VC games I'd recommend (many of which happen to not be Nintendo IP games). In the near future, there'll be Guilty Gear AC and Metroid Corruption.

RainbowDespair

Warioware and Trauma Center are two quality games that my wife & 6 year old daughter both really like and come highly recommended.

Caswynben

Mario Party is great. It's panned like every other Mario Party game, review-wise. You won't regret getting it, it is hella fun.

Sunjammer

RainbowDespair wrote: »

Warioware and Trauma Center are two quality games that my wife & 6 year old daughter both really like and come highly recommended.

Your 6 year old plays TC? Sweet bleeding christ on the cross. That game is mofo hard.

I hope you don't expect to plunk your girl down in front of one of these games and leave her to it, because i don't think there's a game on the system that, on its own, will actually sell a single player experience to a non-gamer (contrary to what nintendo have been howling about).

If you look for a game you can play *with* your girl/mom/dad/pony though, you can't really go far wrong with warioware and wii sports. I've heard reports of excite truck going down well with non gamers as well, but i can't vouch for it.

slash000

Trauma Center has an Easy difficulty setting.

Gorilla Salad

For her, get Cooking Mama(lol) or any mini-game collection.

For you, 4Resident Evil

ruzkin

Honestly, Excite Truck.

I moved in with some friends for a month and brought my Wii. Being non-gamers, the first thing they said was "is this that gay thing that's like an Xbox but you have to jump around?"

So I showed them Excite Truck.

And then I didn't sleep for a month, because they played it every day and every night. There is no greater shame than having a friend beat your game before you when he is a devout "games are for idiots" fella.

Cameron_Talley

slash000 wrote: »

Trauma Center has an Easy difficulty setting.

Yes, but even on that setting I've nearly busted a blood vessel (no pun intended) trying to beat those damn GUILTs...

Speed Racer

Which GUILT?

Please don't say Kyriaki. I might cry if you say Kyriaki.

Panickd

Sunjammer wrote: »

I hope you don't expect to plunk your girl down in front of one of these games and leave her to it, because i don't think there's a game on the system that, on its own, will actually sell a single player experience to a non-gamer (contrary to what nintendo have been howling about).

I'm not trying to turn my girl into a hardcore gamer, just looking for things that I can play with her that she'll actually want to play more than once. She'll sit on the couch with me and watch me play damn near anything (I've had her wear the headset in games on XB Live, which is most fun in games like Splinter Cell for that "Holy Shit! I got my neck snapped by a girl!" impact that you can foist on some 1337 players). But as for her and me playing together, it's pretty much been MP (6 or 7, I think) or nothing. I want to get her into my hobby in a more interactive way than just watching. And given that I've heard stories of Wii's getting all kinds of the non-gaming crowd into it, I thought it would be the way to go.

Panickd

Caswynben wrote: »

Mario Party is great. It's panned like every other Mario Party game, review-wise. You won't regret getting it, it is hella fun.

From what I've read the MP Wii game is being panned for basically being MP on the GC with tacked on Wii controls. Is that about right? I really dug the GC MP games when I had other people over. If Wii MP is just more of the same that is totally fine with me.

On another note: When I sold my GC I kept the only game I really, really, really loved because I heard you'd be able to play GC games on the Wii. That game is Ikaruga. Question: Will I need to buy a GC controller to plug into the Wii to play it?

Eteric

Panickd wrote: »

Caswynben wrote: »

Mario Party is great. It's panned like every other Mario Party game, review-wise. You won't regret getting it, it is hella fun.

From what I've read the MP Wii game is being panned for basically being MP on the GC with tacked on Wii controls. Is that about right? I really dug the GC MP games when I had other people over. If Wii MP is just more of the same that is totally fine with me.

On another note: When I sold my GC I kept the only game I really, really, really loved because I heard you'd be able to play GC games on the Wii. That game is Ikaruga. Question: Will I need to buy a GC controller to plug into the Wii to play it?

Yeah, you'll have to get a GC controller.

Cameron_Talley

Mushroom Pie wrote: »

Which GUILT?

Please don't say Kyriaki. I might cry if you say Kyriaki.

Spoilers for chapter 6:

I'm on what I think is the last thing of the main game, where you have 4 patients in 10 minutes. I choke on the Parseveski (I think that's the name, the little worms that you have to cut and they burrow into the heart). I just can't move fast enough and there's so much going on that I can't concentrate. I have plenty of time left, they just move too damn fast, and you're operating as the woman so you can't slow things down.

Mr_Grinch

DOn't get cooking mama unless you hate yourself, I rented it recently and a friend and I sat there playing it (both gamers) and were in hysterics. The instructions are in Engrish, the controls barely work as they're meant to and you'll just find yourselves screaming and shouting at the tv as one person does better than the other for no apparent reason.

Actually, if you can rent it, do so. It's worth a laugh just for the awful confusing-ness of it. Honestly, at one point I had no idea what I was meant to be doing so, with the strap firmly strapped to my wrist, I spun it round by the strap in big circles...seemed to do the trick

jothki

Panickd wrote: »

Caswynben wrote: »

Mario Party is great. It's panned like every other Mario Party game, review-wise. You won't regret getting it, it is hella fun.

From what I've read the MP Wii game is being panned for basically being MP on the GC with tacked on Wii controls. Is that about right? I really dug the GC MP games when I had other people over. If Wii MP is just more of the same that is totally fine with me.

On another note: When I sold my GC I kept the only game I really, really, really loved because I heard you'd be able to play GC games on the Wii. That game is Ikaruga. Question: Will I need to buy a GC controller to plug into the Wii to play it?

Personally, I pan it because it's horribly simplistic. All of the board complexity of the early games is pretty much completely gone. The final level is just a simple loop with a few tiny splits that you can't even control.

I played 1 through 4 and loved all of them, did the series get horrible at some point after that or is it just the Wii version that's like this?

Burning Organ

Also, if you can shell out the cash, 2 classic controllers and Wii points (If theres a multiplayer game you like on the VC) or a good multiplayer gamecube game.

PotU

Senior Fish wrote: »

For her, get Cooking Mama(lol) or any mini-game collection.

Whooops, no, bad game.

ArcSyn

My suggestion is:
Wii (comes with Wii Sports - loads of fun)
Wii Play (second controller plus extra mini games)
Super Paper Mario for some 1-player fun
Mario Party 8 for some multiplayer fun when you're tired from Wii Sports

I got Mario Party 8 for my birthday last week and I have never played any of the parties before it. But I enjoy it a lot and my wife has played it more often than I have! Some of the boards and candies make things kinda dumb, but it's all just wacky luck with a little skill involved.

Speed Racer

Cameron_Talley wrote: »

Mushroom Pie wrote: »

Which GUILT?

Please don't say Kyriaki. I might cry if you say Kyriaki.

Spoilers for chapter 6:

I'm on what I think is the last thing of the main game, where you have 4 patients in 10 minutes. I choke on the Parseveski (I think that's the name, the little worms that you have to cut and they burrow into the heart). I just can't move fast enough and there's so much going on that I can't concentrate. I have plenty of time left, they just move too damn fast, and you're operating as the woman so you can't slow things down.

All right, that's fair. That's definitely a tough mission. It's not the last one though. The last one is

A rematch with Savato

Panickd

I always planned to get another Wiimote and nunchuck controller. So I'll probably pick up Wii Play since it's almost as much as the contoller itself. I have been reading up on some of the games and I think I might dig the Wii version of Madden or Zelda for myself. I'm kinda shocked that there aren't any internet MP games on the Wii given all the emphasis on the online stuff that the Wii comes with.

Are the classic controllers only good for VC games or are they used somewhere else too?

Mr_Grinch

SUper Mario Strikers has 'net play.

Of course it's not release in the States yet.

-smirk-

RainbowDespair

Sunjammer wrote: »

RainbowDespair wrote: »

Warioware and Trauma Center are two quality games that my wife & 6 year old daughter both really like and come highly recommended.

Your 6 year old plays TC? Sweet bleeding christ on the cross. That game is mofo hard.

Well, she didn't get very far and she had the advantage of having watched me play before, but she did greatly enjoy the first few levels. Plus she's very bright for her age (she reads at a 3rd grade level despite having not started 1st grade). I think it's a nice example of just how intuitive Wii controls can make games that she's as good at it as she is.

Trauma Center has become somewhat of an injoke in our family, holding out one's hand in a dramatic pose and saying "Let's begin the operation" is guaranteed to get laughs around here.