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tricking my boyfriend into liking video games
World as Myth
a breezy way to annoy serious peopleRegistered User regular
a breezy way to annoy serious peopleRegistered User regular
so I'm in a relationship with a fellow who does not appreciate video games much at all
however, he got totally obsessed with portal and beat it as fast as he could, and right now he's in the other room doing the same thing with braid -- it seems to be puzzle platformers he's into, things that make you have to think pretty hard in unusual dimensions to solve problems
we have been having some Talks (capital t, you see) lately about how we don't seem to have a whole lot of interests in common, but I feel that this could bode well in my favor
do any of you folks have recommendations for other good games he might like in this vein? he watched me play the mirror's edge demo and asked me about it out of the blue a few nights ago (wondering if it had a two-player mode), so I think I might pick that up. any other suggestions would be very much appreciated.
(two months from now I would like to be posting a "my boyfriend plays too much xbox" thread.)
however, he got totally obsessed with portal and beat it as fast as he could, and right now he's in the other room doing the same thing with braid -- it seems to be puzzle platformers he's into, things that make you have to think pretty hard in unusual dimensions to solve problems
we have been having some Talks (capital t, you see) lately about how we don't seem to have a whole lot of interests in common, but I feel that this could bode well in my favor
do any of you folks have recommendations for other good games he might like in this vein? he watched me play the mirror's edge demo and asked me about it out of the blue a few nights ago (wondering if it had a two-player mode), so I think I might pick that up. any other suggestions would be very much appreciated.
(two months from now I would like to be posting a "my boyfriend plays too much xbox" thread.)
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For puzzle-type games, the Myst games are super-fun, and can be easily enjoyed together.
he played video games when he was younger and we both loved myst as kids
and mario games would rule, but alas, I have only a 360 presently
if not i know a lot of otherwise non-gamers who've been converted by good old guitar hero / rockband
and I do own guitar hero 2 and 3, and two controllers! I guess I never thought rhythm games would be his thing.
but yeah, hockey is the funnest of all sports videogames 'cause it's fast, violent and fairly easy to get the hang of
It was made by Sierra Online back when they were the undisputed rulers of the adventure game genre and made a game that blended the adventure game genre with puzzle games so seamlessly it could qualify as a the one and only true "hybrid" of adventure/puzzle. What makes this game so unique? It's a puzzle game that not only has a main character and a story, and typical adventure game inventory system (without the retarded "rubbing two objects together till you find something that works right" method of puzzle solving), but rather than doing the same type of puzzle over and over again with an increasing level of difficulty each and every puzzle you do is unique. So the first one would be a game of Simon. The second would be arranging a set of numbers in a matrix so they have the same sum vertically, horizontally and diagonally. The third would be a sliding tile puzzle. Then the fourth would be a 3d maze.
the sequels were varying degrees of crap but this little gem is probably the most underrated in the puzzle game genre and Sierra Online's game library.
I endorse this plan of action.
Why not pick up Fable 2 and play together?
Also get him to play Braid.
Satans..... hints.....
Also, for the 360, try Psychonauts for the original Xbox. It runs on the 360 and you can even download it from Live as an Xbox Original.
I think you mean Sands of Time, not PoP3D, which is a steaming pile of post-chiliburger shit. You can get PoP: Sands of Time for the original Xbox, but I don't know if the 360 is backwards compatible with it. Something to look up.
N+ is a fun platformer, but that's all I can think of as I'm not into platformers.
Check out the other xbox arcade stuff too - there are tons of free demos. I'd guess fun times if you both go looking through to find/talk about interesting new games.
Check out Exit on XBLA. "Puzzle platformer" is a perfect description of it.
Other than that... what kinds of movies/books does he like? I have a friend who's not particularly into video games... not opposed to them, but not really excited about them... but she likes westerns, Firefly, and post-apocalyptic stuff - so she loves watching me play Fallout 3. She also likes watching me play Dead Rising because really who doesn't love watching somebody use random consumer items to bash zombies?
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
If he doesn't like it, then he has no soul.
1.Buy used Game Cube
2.Buy Zelda: Twilight Princess
3.You accomplish said goal.
Or is infact, not male.D:
I hate the idea of not being extremely helpful but I second this.
My Idea is buy him GTAIV, Mass Effect, Gears of War, and Madden 09. Tell him to prove he is a man he has to beat these games in this order. About halfway into the 2022 season, he will have grown a manly beard, drink crazy amounts of beer, and will desire an Xbox in every room, with D TV and Sunday ticket.
Psychonauts for the original Xbox would be one to consider. It's mostly a platformer, but there are some puzzle elements there. Also, it's hilarious. Like, you'd have to have something broken to not be endeared by its wacky sense of humor.
That also goes for you if you haven't played it. ALL OF YOU
The new Banjo-Kazooie game might also be good for him.
Crackdown can be found cheap and that orb hunting just gets addictive.
He beat Portal and is asking about Mirror's Edge so he can play FPS. Halo co-op is a wonderful bonding experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Steam
XBOX
I second the thought of trolling XBLA and seeing what's out there. The new "community games" segment is nice as well for the same thing.
For specific recommendations, maybe Mega Man 9?
Oh God AND GEARS OF WAR.
Honestly, my best friend and I became so much closer having beaten the Beserkers and the Riftworm.
With that in mind, I wouldn't have him play a more traditional shooter yet until he's more comfortable with the concept of playing video games. Here's some he might love:
Puzzle Quest. It seems like Bejeweled, but it's far deeper and holy shit is it addictive.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. Not only do you have to complete challenges, but you have to figure out how to build a vehicle to best beat the challenges.
Guitar Hero/Rock Band: My fiancee didn't like video games, but then she went to a party where everyone was rocking out. Suddenly, she was hooked and actively encouraged me to buy Rock Band.
A few more games under his belt and then you should try more "traditional" games.
GM: Rusty Chains (DH Ongoing)
-I definitely have the new prince of persia 360 game in my sights, but the reviews have been mostly lukewarm, so I wasn't sure it was worth $60.
-psychonauts I have had downloaded since the first day it was available on live arcade -- I totally love that game. I think he would, too; we actually talked about it last night when I pulled him away from the xbox at 3:30 in the morning. the monkey island games are another great suggestion, but I think it's better to try to stick to the 360 as much as possible. he uses his computer all the time for work, and it's nice for him to not have to stare at it to play games, too.
-banjo kazooie is a franchise I've never tried myself, but I've heard great things -- I'll check that one out too!
-puzzle quest is a little too banal for his tastes (not for mine, though -- oh the hours I've spent)
I guess the thing that makes portal and braid so popular is that they are so unique and unlike anything else available. a tragedy! but these suggestions are great. thanks again.
I love Mega Man 9. It is a great game. But recommending it to someone who's not a big-time gamer and not used to Mega Man levels of difficulty? That's a one-way ticket to frustrationland, and a really easy way to make him even more turned off to games.
I know a few people also badmouthed the new prince, but i thought he was awesome. Funny without being goofy and the optional banter between him and Elika was always good.
About the new Prince of Persia WAM, it's only 40$ at Gamestop from now until Jan. 8. If I don't get it for Christmas I'm picking it up there myself.
From some of your previous posts, it seems like your boyfriend might be a bit of nerd/geek (what with not knowing anything about sports etc.), how's his stance on Star Wars?
I know I loved "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed". It was fun and so satisfying to be doing all these sweet moves with the force and light-sabre. It completely turned me around, I'm now a fully blown Star Wars enthusiast, having seen all the movies for the first time now and really reading into all the lore and canon and whatnot.
I just wish Star Wars: TFU was canon because technically you get to play as the most power force user ever.
I'm a little ashamed to say this, but I've never played any of the mega man games for more than about 10 minutes. I always assumed they were more action-platformer than puzzle-platformer... am I mistaken there?
he is a total geek, but between the two of us, I'm definitely the star wars nerd. I played the TFU demo and never bought the game, despite being totally excited about it, because friends told me that the demo was pretty much also the most exciting part of the actual game. still thinking about giving it a rental, though solely for my benefit -- I don't think it's be his cup of tea.
You're right, Mega Man is an action-platformer, and it's very, very hard. I dig it, but I wouldn't recommend it to him.
And Psychonauts. Hell yes. That might get him into games with serious storylines.
Like what? I must have been oblivious to all the bad things since the only thing that annoyed me about the game was the Star Destroyer level (did it on my second try though) and to a slight extent, the aiming system.
And while they are at it they should also play Day of the Tentacle (plus of course Zork and HGttG but that is perhaps slightly more hard core:P)
Also I'm not sure but if Bomberman is on XBOX Live that could be a hit. Oh and there is of course Halo 3 which can be played by two persons so you'll beat the game together.
The original PoP and Psychonauts, as mentioned, are fantastic, and the new PoP is pretty good, too.
The targeting often sucks, the level design is kind of flat, the bosses are tedious, the puzzles are lame and the game pretty much lies to you about how to manipulate the Destroyer.
But I'm not picking on this game. I'd be this way about ANY love-it-or-hate-it game, since this guy is on the fence and he needs to be dazzled by sure-fire gold to get him and keep him hooked.
Edit: Bioshock's not a bad idea at all, since you can get plenty creative there if you want to.