A Good Game for an Absolute Beginner?

[eternal-chaplain]

My true opinion says go for Kirby's Epic Yarn simply because it offers fun and challenge, but the challenge is truly optional.

Now my mom- she still isn't big on video games either, but growing up, one of the more popular franchises of her time was Frogger. Yep. It was a Gameboy Advanced port called Frogger's Adventure: Temple of The Frog. It is somewhat 'Zelda-esque' but very enjoyable. I remember as a kid, I could never beat it, but my mom picked it up one day and didn't stop until she beat it a few days later. Needless to say, my child-view of the world and parents in general was shattered.

 

[sextus the crazy]

OK, what about Skyrim on PC? Simple enough, but really good game.

I'd have to disagree with you on that point. Skyrim is an absolutely massive game with lots of things that a beginner would have to learn. The controls would be to complex for a newbie.

I'd recommend that you stick to platformers and maybe turn-based RPGs. Also flash games, as they tend to have small control schemes.

In Fact, just go onto newgrounds and look up the best games of all time posted on the site. There's a wide variety of good games that your mom can try out.

 

[renegade7]

Portal and Puzzle Quest on Xbox did it for my girlfriend, both of those are pretty good for beginners. Simple to learn, difficult to master.

 

[Riki Darnell]

Minecraft or Animal Crossing is good for beginners. Pokemon is good if she wants to play a handheld.

 

[Vrach]

Worms: Armageddon. You can play it with her as well

I'd also recommend old point and click games. Siberya is probably a perfect choice actually, female protagonist, cool story, emotional, controls are obviously simple as hell and no time puzzles as far as I can remember. If she likes the genre, there's also the Broken Sword series, she might be into that as well if she likes mysteries.

Bastion also comes to mind, it's relatively easy to play as well (not 100% sure if it's for an absolute beginner though), just tell her not to use the temple stones. Something a bit more meatier... maybe she'd like Civilization? There's not really much there that she needs previous game knowledge for and she can take her sweet time as it's a turn-based game. It's a daunting choice, but to be fair, not much more so than it would be for 90% of the gamers trying it for the first time, so she's not at a disadvantage there.

Plenty of options out there, just try and think of stuff you know of that's not too twitchy, has timed missions and such. Anything she can take her time on and get to know the game before it flies before her eyes and drops a GAME OVER screen on her is a good choice. I'd imagine going with less violent stuff would be a plus as well and something with a heavier emphasis on the story (and obviously have it be a good one).

Also try and keep what genre she might like in mind - just think of what kind of books/movies she likes and whether she wants to just relax with games or throw in a bit of a mental challenge.

PS
Oh. And Portal, particularly the second one. Yes, I'm aware the first is better, but the second is a better choice for someone new to gaming, speaking from experience on this.

 

[Guffe]

Make her play games to quit smoking eh?
All my friends get so nervous when playing thet they go out on a nervbreak tobacco everytime they fail.. also my mom is the most rager gamer I know.

First page had some good examples of good starting games and they were also the ones I had thought about typing here.

 

[ThePenguinKnight]

We need SOMETHING to go off of.

Anyway, my shot in the dark is any of the console Zelda titles starting from 64 and up.

 

[Yeager942]

Tons are recommending Minecraft. NO, NO, NO. That game is really confusing to new players unless you go through the wiki constantly (which probably won't be enjoyable), due to it not having a tutorial.

I would second Portal, however it's first person, which might confuse her considering her inability to control Ghost Recon.

Y'know what might really work? Cave Story. Simple, free, extremely fun.

I agree. Minecraft is way too unstructured for a newbie. A lot of people are recommending portal, and that's what my first recombination was too, but I've found that a lot of new players actually get physically sick after navigating Chell. It's hard enough for new players to interact in a virtual 3D space, but adding portals just makes it worse.

Mario seems to be a good bet, as well as adventure games. However, it depends on how much they crave action, or are willing to sit through dialogue and the methodical nature of adventure games. I tried getting a friend of mine to try Monkey Island and she told me she was just straight up bored.

 

[EternalFacepalm]

It doesn't get any simpler than Diablo. You click on something and it dies. click on the ground and you move there. click on a door and it opens.

Diablo is a terrible choice. Simple, maybe, but I think most would find that it just doesn't engage them. Besides, while it may seem simple to most, grasping mechanics such as identification scrolls can be really difficult for newbies. Don't even get me started on inventory management and stats...

Mario seems to be a good bet, as well as adventure games. However, it depends on how much they crave action, or are willing to sit through dialogue and the methodical nature of adventure games. I tried getting a friend of mine to try Monkey Island and she told me she was just straight up bored.

OP said early in the thread that she didn't enjoy titles like Mario, so that probably wouldn't work. Monkey Island might be good, although it does become illogical at times. :/

 

[Girl With One Eye]

Heavy Rain is a good choice because it's very simple, and not much "gaming" is required. Otherwise, I'd say LittleBigPlanet is suitable for a beginner. It kind of depends what games she's into though, if she likes RPGs, FFX is really easy to control. Show her a few games at least so she can see what kind of variety there is.

 

[anANGRYkangaroo]

The Portal series is a great place to start, as both are known for being 90%+ tutorial for the player and entertaining the whole way through. Not too difficult, and puzzle games aren't too demanding in terms of reaction times and that; controls are quite simple as well, and introduced at a rate that's perfect for gaming newbies. To top it off, the games aren't too violent nor offensive in any way (GlaDOS' scathing remarks aside)... though the humour can be a bit dark at times. Portal 2 comes with a co-op mode as well, though it's recommended that both parties got into it dark (haven't played the co-op mode before); that way you can solve the problems together, not just have one guide the other through it.

For other PC suggestions? Maybe the two recent re-releases for the Monkey Island franchises (for the first two games of said franchise, called "Special Editions"). Point-and-click adventures are a bit dated as a genre at this point, but those are whole-heartedly entertaining and hilarious.

And so far, everything is available on Steam.

---

Now for the mildly tricky part, platformers. While it was requested to keep things on the PC, platformers are a bit rare on it; Nintendo has some of the best ones on the Wii, if you're able to get her on it. The reason you want to look at platformers is because they're more or less pure gaming fun; and as a result, a great way to get someone into gaming (by showing them what it's all about). While the genre definitely has a "for kids" look to it, anyone can have fun playing them; they're just that damn good.

Super Mario Galaxy and it's sequel are probably the best to go with, both of which received near-unanimous praise from both critics and players. Again simple controls are at work here, but they also have motion controls; while that might seem off-putting at first, the game's design knows they're new to everyone and eases players into them. Someone who's completely new to gaming might actually have an advantage here, as they don't have to fight the muscle memory developped from years (or a couple decades) worth of playing games with a standard controller.

What everyone seems to forget in these kind of threads is that beginners do not understand anything in the first person. It takes a ridiculous amount of effort to learn how to move for the first time, definitely not a starting game.

 

[Cyberjester]

Plants vs Zombies? Most platformers aren't that easy, and Portal has that whole up-is-down-or-maybe-sideways thing going on which makes it hard for some people to get into. Also switching your perspective rapidly in quick succession can really throw off someone who isn't expecting it, and even some who are.

Minecraft is like Terraria, the amount of memory needed for the craft system can be a bit ridiculous, and there's not that many hints to start with.

Better to stick with something simple to learn, hard to master. PvZ, Bejeweled, Angry Birds, just keep in mind the words "Casual" and "Simple".

 

[crystalsnow]

All of you guys suggesting Mario and Sonic are either really stupid or just being dicks. He asked what a good game for an absolute beginner was, and those types of games are ridiculously hard for people just starting out. Even the newer ones can be challenging.

You should start her out on flash games if nothing else. There are tens of thousands all over the internet, all incredibly easy to pick up, and won't cost you a dime. From there I would suggest either RTS games or some of the more simple RPG games.

 

[Bradeck]

Dark Souls, end of thread. Start em off hard, then the easier stuff comes later. Like teaching a kid to drive. Start by learning reverse, and stick.

 

[GonzoGamer]

We are trying to get her into gaming to cut down on her smoking, hoping that it will distract her from the urge to smoke a cigerette.

Katamari Damacy/Forever/Whatever ...any Katamari game. It's a good way to get someone acclimated to the modern dual-stick controller. But I should warn you, while a Katamari game might help her stop smoking cigarettes, it might get her to start smoking weed...which is less harmful anyway. So go for it.

 

[Pinkamena]

EDIT: Quite hard since most of my games have a fair amount of action in :/

However, I think Portal(+ Portal 2) is a fun puzzle game that is not too challenging, it's just an absolute joy to play the game(s).

Oh and ofcourse the Nintendo platformers :3

I find that the portal games are really difficult for beginners that are not used to navigate in 3D environment.

My own mother is not a gamer, but she really enjoyed Limbo, as well as some Sherlock Holmes point-and-click adventure games

 

[Chalacachaca]

Portal all the way, and some graphic adventures throw in good measure. I have a cousin who prior to hit 30 years of age, wasn't exactly a gamer. Now she plays games like Syberia and other graphic adventures.

Just don't let her play Metal Gear Solid. Even though is a good game and extremely entertaining, both Snakes (Solid Snake and Big Boss) are avid smokers, so I don't think that would help her.