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Wife Quest: Help me find the right games.

MundaneSoulMundaneSoul fight fighterDaehan MingukRegistered User regular
edited February 2010 in Games and Technology
Hi all, I've recently been able to pull my wife into the world of gaming with the joys of Assassin's Creed 2. I was talking to her this morning about what it was about AC2 that attracted her so that I can grab more games that we can play together, and these are the criteria she mentioned:

- Above all else, the historical setting, events, and people that were interwoven throughout were a major plus.

- Something relatively fast-paced and exciting. She mostly watches me play, so she wants something that is going to keep things moving along and not become stale.

- An intricate, interesting storyline.

- She absolutely loved all of the different ways Ezio could perform a kill. She cracked up every time I walked up to a pair of guards and dual hidden bladed them down.

So, G&T, what you got? Help me in my quest to make my wife as hopelessly enslaved to gaming as I am.

For reference:
PC, PS3, and Wii are all available. My 360 is currently dead, so that's out.
Also, console games are greatly preferred, because then we can play on the big screen in the living room.

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Posts

  • subediisubedii Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Well Mass Effect 1 and 2 would be my recommendations. They don't have the historical setting unfortunately, being Sci-fi, but they're fast paced with good stories, and very good dialogue.

    I can't think of too many games with a good historical setting and background that aren't also relatively slow paced.

    subedii on
  • Capt HowdyCapt Howdy Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    FFXIII

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  • ElinElin Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Bioshock, it's loosely historical and fast paced. I'm not sure how the PC port is, I played it on the 360.

    Fallout 3, also loosely historical and you can get the GOTY edition for the PS3 and have all the DLC.

    GOW 1 and 2 for the PS3, historical AND bloody fun.

    Darksiders, there is biblical history in there along with ripping the wings off angels.

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  • ArkanArkan Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    god of war is the only thing that comes to mind.

    It's not so much about history as it is about mythology but it is fast paced and all that. Plus lots of ways to beat things up/kill things.

    Might be a bit over-the-top with the gore/nudity though.

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  • Chris WChris W Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    This.... could be a terrible idea. Two gamers in one house? It's going to look like a sloppy bachelor pad in a matter of days.

    Anyway, I had a lot of fun playing Dragon Age Origins. IMO it fits pretty well into what you want.

    Chris W on
  • ChenChen Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Prince of Persia?

    Chen on
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  • Stabbity StyleStabbity Style He/Him | Warning: Mothership Reporting Kennewick, WARegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Doesn't really fit the historical setting, but I'd recommend Heavy Rain. It's got a cool storyline, it's very tense and exciting, and there are tons of ways that you can progress through the game.

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  • subediisubedii Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Chen wrote: »
    Prince of Persia?

    Actually yeah, Sands of Time. Plenty of action, good pacing (although the combat can be overlong at times) and the dialogue was pretty well done too.

    I replayed it maybe a year ago and it's still my favourite in the trilogy.

    subedii on
  • eatmosushieatmosushi __BANNED USERS regular
    edited February 2010
    Bayonetta. Eassssy.

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  • Dr_KeenbeanDr_Keenbean Dumb as a butt Planet Express ShipRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    First of all, kudos for actually asking her what she likes and not just coming in here with the usual 'need to get generic female human organism-friendly list of games!'

    Beyond that, perhaps the upcoming Red Dead Redemption would be of interest?

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  • LawndartLawndart Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Yeah, I can't really think of many games that combine a realistic historical setting and a fast pace.

    Well, there's The Saboteur but I haven't played it, but it may be worth a rental.

    If you want a game that's all about pandering to the history fan but is the exact opposite of fast paced, there's either Civilization IV or Civilization Revolution.

    Also, if you're looking for fast paced and exciting with excellent dialogue, please tell me that since you own a PS3 you already own both Uncharted games, right?

    Lawndart on
  • ArkanArkan Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    oh yeah

    the Saboteur is worth a shot, I'd say

    Arkan on
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  • inconnuinconnu Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    I'll second Uncharted.

    Have you already gone through Half-Life 2? Seems like it might work out, aside from the historical setting.

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  • RanadielRanadiel Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    God of War series and Prince of Persia, specifically Sands of Time come to mind. Bayonetta maybe, but she may not be into girl on girl action. Uncharted series might be a good call, but it might not be over the top enough for her - hell they made a commercial about how that guy's girlfriend thought UC2 was a movie.

    Oh, and Cooking Mama.~

    Ranadiel on
  • MundaneSoulMundaneSoul fight fighter Daehan MingukRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, The Saboteur definitely looks worth a shot and I'll probably grab God of War and maybe Prince of Persia as well. Right now we're playing Heavy Rain and she seems to like that pretty well, even did a few of the QTE sequences herself.
    Lawndart wrote: »
    Also, if you're looking for fast paced and exciting with excellent dialogue, please tell me that since you own a PS3 you already own both Uncharted games, right?

    I played through the first one on my own. I was actually just telling her about it this morning, how it had a bit of a historical bent with the whole Francis Drake thing, and she seemed interested, so I think we're going to get U2 and play it together.

    MundaneSoul on
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  • Dr_KeenbeanDr_Keenbean Dumb as a butt Planet Express ShipRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Can't believe I forgot Saboteur.

    Your wife sounds a lot like my GF - interested in the hobby that I love so much, just doesn't actually want to try and play anything complicated. Like she will want to pull the trigger after I line up a sniper shot (incidentally this happened a few times in Saboteur) or help me probe planets for resources in ME2.

    On that note I'd like to strongly recommend ME and ME2. It may not have a historical element, but the world is incredibly fleshed-out and really feels alive.

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  • MundaneSoulMundaneSoul fight fighter Daehan MingukRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    So fast-paced, history-laden games are tough to come by. What are some games that are historical and slower-paced? It needs to be something with a plot, i.e. something like Civilization wouldn't really work. I mentioned several of the games here to her and she's really interested in The Saboteur and Uncharted 2, so the historical element is going to be really important, I think.

    MundaneSoul on
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  • DrakmathusDrakmathus Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    ..stronghold?

    Drakmathus on
  • DashuiDashui Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    The Uncharted games are perfect sit-and-watch titles, if you haven't already played them. There are great characters and intense action sequences.

    The Mass Effect series is also great. I was going to highly recommend Heavy Rain, too, but it seems you're already playing that. :)

    I don't know why people are saying The Saboteur. I enjoyed it a lot, but as a sit-and-watch title? Probably not.

    The God of War series sounds like it could be another good recommendation, especially with the third game coming out in March.

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  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    If you ever get that thing fixed, Brutal Legend. The Ps3 Community sucks. 360 is awesome.

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  • zellychanzellychan Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Pretty much everything I'd mention is already mentioned....but the Thief series is still awesome, even if some of the older titles are pretty much shot at this point. Maybe go with Deadly Shadows?

    Final Fantasy sounds like a good bet too if she's into storylines.

    If she likes Star Wars you can totally drag her into Battlefront, though she might like something like Jedi Academy more.

    Wii's probably easiest to get her into through sheer competition. Grab something simple like Cooking with Mama or Mario Party.

    zellychan on
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  • LunkerLunker Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    I didn't like Wife Quest. Too much grinding.

    ... huh?

    Thinking of PS3 games, FFXIII and Uncharted 2 spring to mind as possible candidates. As an alternative, it has the complete opposite of a compelling storyline, but my wife really enjoyed watching me play Mirror's Edge. Fast-paced and action-packed -- I was really good at the hand-to-hand combat and parkour elements -- plus it was just so vibrant and colorful that she (as a graphic designer) liked the entire setting.

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  • LawndartLawndart Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    So fast-paced, history-laden games are tough to come by. What are some games that are historical and slower-paced? It needs to be something with a plot, i.e. something like Civilization wouldn't really work. I mentioned several of the games here to her and she's really interested in The Saboteur and Uncharted 2, so the historical element is going to be really important, I think.

    Oh yeah, if your wife is amendable to FPS games, I've heard there are a few of those set during WW2. :P

    Lawndart on
  • DietarySupplementDietarySupplement Still not approved by the FDA Dublin, OHRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Lunker wrote: »
    I didn't like Wife Quest. Too much grinding.

    I think I might have played this once, but it was in Japanese.

    DietarySupplement on
  • MundaneSoulMundaneSoul fight fighter Daehan MingukRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Also, it appears anything with a murder mystery vibe may work, as she's really digging Heavy Rain right now, so if anyone has any good recommendations along that line it would be much appreciated.

    MundaneSoul on
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  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    It's not historical but Marvel Ultimate Alliance is really fun coop and is a great couples game despite the comic theme.

    If she's ok with the violence Bioshock feels like a bygone era - even if not a true historic one.

    Prince of Persia is beautiful in high def too - although I'd worry its so similar to AC2 it may bore her a bit if she played AC2 to death.

    My wife like the overall setting of GTA4 too - the theme of an immigrant may appeal to her.

    Lindsay Lohan on
  • cwapfobrainscwapfobrains Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    You might check out some adventure games, a la the new Tales of Monkey Island, and other Telltale stuff. Other good adventure style games include:

    -Machinarium
    -Ben There Dan That & Time Gentlemen, Please (very low tech, but quite hilarious).
    -Sam & Max (in my opinion the humour depends on the person how much they enjoy it)
    -Old Lucasarts stuff: Indiana Jones, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, Full Throttle, etc.
    -Broken Sword series (I've only played the first one, but they seem to remind me of the Dan Brown books, with historical conspiracies and such)

    These aren't fast paced games, but it's something I could see having 2 people thinking through the puzzles would work well.

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  • surrealitychecksurrealitycheck lonely, but not unloved dreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Tomb Raider underworld isn't bad and is super cheap now. Plus the DLC apparently makes it 300 times better.

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  • useless4useless4 Registered User regular
    edited February 2010
    Uncharted 2 for real. The train sequence alone is worth it.

    Batman Arkham Asylum has good story and nice touches if you are a fan - If she likes the Batman Animated Series from the 90s this should be your number one buy. Think of it as a great beat 'em up combined with the first time you meet the FBI agent in Heavy Rain - where he's using the glove.

    Valkaria Chronicles isn't immediate action and fun but it has a nice altrna-history and if it clicks with either of you it clicks hard like a parasite.

    As far as wives and gaming here is what i have found out the hard way:

    1. It gets expensive to own two of every counsel and two of some games (We had to get two copies of White Knight Chronicles and two of the first Zelda ds games)... we don't share well apparently. Things like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey worked well because one of us would get to the second disc before the other started. The PS3 and the bluray kills that ability.
    2. BE careful how high you set the bar with the first game you show her: My wife has found her favorite type of game play is "grinding" apparently. And "searching". Watching her play blue dragon was painful because she literally searched every item in the game. And since it was her FIRST game she is now upset that every other item in every other game ever made can't be searched.
    3. You will never ever be able to predict what what she likes: My wife likes JPRGs... so I thought Dragon Age Origins would be exactly what she needed to keep her in gaming this winter - she played the prologue and lost all interest. However White Knight Chronicles keeps her up all night.
    4. Wif'e's gaming habits can quickly make yours look light: I was pretty heavy into Uncharted 2 back to back with MAG but when she discovered White Knight Chronicles she will be playing still when I go to bed and when I wake up the next morning - I am so scared that she will find WOW and I will lose my wife.

    useless4 on
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