Best games to play in 15-30 bursts

[PeaceRiot]

I want to start getting in shape and have an awesome stationary bike. However I get EXTREMELY bored just staring at a wall. So I started watching some tv (mainly simpsons) while riding but that only worked for a little while. Now I'm looking for something to totally distract me from the fact I'm exercising. Something engaging so I wont have time to thing how tired my legs are getting. Since I'm totally out of shape though I wont be able to last very long so obviously my favorite games (mostly rpgs) won't due as they take a while to get into.

I'm on the hunt for fun distracting games you can play in just 15-30 bursts. They can be any genr--racing, shooters, puzzle, rts--anything. And for any system. BUT since I will be on my bike I can only use a controller--no mouse and keyboard (I do have xpadder though so if I can fit all the controls onto a controller I'm set). Thanks for your help!

TLDR VERSION: Fun engaging games of any genre that have 15-30 minute play sessions for any system.

 

[josemlopes]

Geometry Wars 1, 2 and 3
Its basicly a top down shooter that is very good and addicting even though the best way to play it is in short bursts.

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker
Stealth game that is around a lot of fast drop in/drop out mission, it was design for a handheld so they made sure a mission could be completed in a bus ride.




Any fighting game, at least for me, just go to the arcade mode, pick a character and fight untill the boss, watch the cutscene and do the same for a different character the next day.

 

[Frezzato]

I figure any racing game would only help out, like you would just want to go faster.

Maybe some sort of sympathetic reaction would occur; I sometimes find myself craning my neck when a game artificially limits me from looking a certain direction. I've also seen that with people who can't control their movement in a game and physically turn their bodies lol.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

I don't know how well these work with controllers but..

One Finger Death Punch, Rogue Legacy, Super Crate Box, Spelunky, Risk of Rain, Our Darker Purpose.

Those are the ones I can think of off-hand.

 

[Guffe]

Go for Rayman Origins/Legends.
That should do the trick, entertaining, fast paced and challenging!
2D sidescroller platformer in case you didn't know
One map takes no more than a few minutes (if you don't fail), perfect for short bursts!

 

[Jandau]

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. A single run can fit nicely in that timeframe and you can quit and resume at any point.

 

[Blacklight28]

Spelunky works for short bursts and I believe it has controller support.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Play Ikaruga, it's on XBLA and Steam. I play the at least the first level every day but by the time chapter 3 comes along i'm fucking done. Bullets. Bullets everywhere.

 

[aozgolo]

Scribblenauts Unlimited works well for a casual experience, you can enjoy it in short bursts and tackle as many or few missions as you like and it challenges your brain without requiring twitch skills.

I also second Spelunky as a good short game to play in quick bursts.

Fortix and Fortix 2 are lots of fun, I really enjoy them, they are basically advanced versions of the old game Qix with a medieval fantasy twist.

 

[happyninja42]

I don't know how well these work with controllers but..

One Finger Death Punch,

Yeah, this one. It's incredibly distracting, and the missions are really fast. If you can somehow get it to work with a controller, it will only require 2 buttons to play. And the mood of the game, plus the music will probably pump you up during your workout too. xD

 

[Shymer]

Castle Crashers or Battleblock Theatre would get my vote - closely followed by Dungeon Defenders. They are all diverting, but have simple controls and can be picked up and put down in 30 minute bursts. Critically I can imagine being able to cycle and play them at the same time. Some games eat up too much of my brain's CPU and I wouldn't be able to do anything too cognitively challenging.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I tend to go towards these games because I have some time to kill, or when I'm mad and need to let out some steam. Either way, it's quite a selection:
Sonic Mega Collection, Dr. Wario on WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Skullgirls, Samurai Showdown 2, and Pokemon Puzzle League.

 

[Madame_Lawliet]

I'm going to get flack for this, but Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is drastically underrated in my opinion, and that game can easily be played that way, being designed with the Nintendo DS in mind after all.
Granted that game does pretty much require playing the first two games as well as Chain of Memories to understand... any part of what's going on, but if you've done that then you're golden!
[small] Also that bit towards the end with a certain character's death(?) still gets me right here man... [/small]

Also Animal Crossing, pretty much any version works but I'd recommend New Leaf because it's the newest one with the most customization options and it's rad as hell, and pretty much designed to only be played for about 30 minutes once a day anyway.

 

[natenate95]

Nosgoth, put in a single round and then get along with ur day

 

[The Squid King]

If you want something challenging then you could try a rougelite such as Spelunky, Risk of Rain, or The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, a run through these games often last around half an hour. If you want something simpler then you could play something with short levels such as Mario or Sonic, this means that you can make progress without having to get too invested.

 

[Raddra]

Hi PR!

I game while on my stationary bike by playing with my Nintendo 3DS.

I find that Fire Emblem or another tactical strategy game works best: the battles are of a perfect length for an exercise session.

My fallback is Pokemon: playing Pokemon is fine in short bursts.

Hope that helps.

 

[ninja666]

Get Flatout 2 or Flatout: Ultimate Carnage. They're both the same game basically, so your choice depends on how much you value the graphics. Other than that, they're great racing games where you're rewarded for wrecking your opponents and generally driving as aggressively as possible.

 

[Vidiot421]

I don't know how well these work with controllers but..

One Finger Death Punch, Rogue Legacy, Super Crate Box, Spelunky, Risk of Rain, Our Darker Purpose.

Those are the ones I can think of off-hand.

I'm not positive of the controls off the top of my head, but when I had my 360 controller plugged into my computer, One Finger Death Punch instantly went to controller bindings instead of mouse, and same with Rogue Legacy.

 

[Angelblaze]

I'm also gonna add on to the list Crypt of the Necrodancer because...well its just awesome + there aren't any other rhythm games here.

 

[Bad Jim]

BUT since I will be on my bike I can only use a controller--no mouse and keyboard

Are you actually going to be any good at using the controller while also pedaling and trying to stay balanced? I notice a lot of these suggestions involve twitch skills.

I suggest Deadly Rooms of Death. It's a puzzle game series. It's keyboard controlled, but you don't need many buttons.