Game suggestions for a complete beginner

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Hohokum. Flow. Both relaxing games like flower and journey. Hohokum is crazy colourful and creative. Ratchet and Clank series are generally amusing and engaging with many variety of animals and aliens. A world of Keflings is resource management and kinda cute town building game series, it also feels quite Swedish for some reason. Little big planet series? Viva Pinata has a sequel too. Then there's always Nintendo, who are fun solidified into a singularity. Especially Zeldas.
Erm, maybe Dust: An Elysian Tail also. Abe's Odyssee/Oddworld games.

GTAV has always worked as a gateway game with everyone i have experimented with, you can't go wrong there. It isn't about your favourite game, it's about deciding what will be a fun, not overly confusing entry barrier. So mentioning Dark Souls is a joke. It isn't fun to watch play, nor is it fun to play going in as a layman/women. It is considered a hardcore audience for a reason. You don't want to put them off gaming that quickly.
The 3D prince of persia series i have noticed is pretty popular with the casual ladyfriends. It is also popular with a lot of people, but yet again, a good gateway game.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

- She likes animals. And Sweden. Anything that features those will probably get her attention for that sole reason.

If she likes Sweden, try her on the Carol Reed games by MDNA. Exhibits Swedish culture and the stunning scenery of Sweden combined with fairly easy gameplay and interesting stories.

 

[CritialGaming]

If she gravitated to Viva Pinata, I would give her Pok?mon X or Y. Bright colorful monsters to collect and raise that will change and slowly bring her into a meaty RPG while still keeping the friendly and colorful ascetic. It really isn't that heavy on story, so long as she can get through the first 15 minutes, which I don't think is too much to ask.

 

[Zhukov]

I've found that Mario Kart games are great for beginners if you have a platform to play it on.

The Portal games. Humour, shooting without the difficulty and a very gentle learning curve.

The Sims might be worth a try.

Can't really think of anything that fits your specific parameters. Sorry.

 

[Souplex]

If you have a DS or Iphone you could get Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.
It's a throwback the old point N' click adventures, but you have only one item that does different things based on the context.
It is also the greatest story in gaming.

Gonna get some serious hate but Dark Souls. It is rather difficult but it is very good at teaching you mechanics that apply across multiple genres. Plus she could play with the bow that's kinda of like and FPS. The is story pretty minimal unless you go looking for it.

I would say Dark Souls as well, with the major caveat of having someone who is already very familiar with it in the room to advise. When they fail, remind them that it is part of the experience and to learn from it. Eventually something inside them will break, and failing won't effect them.

 

[DrownedAmmet]

I'd recommend multiplayer shooters like Halo, Borderlands, and Army of 2. A good day way to learn is to play, and if you both play if she dies it won't be as frustrating

I've only played the first army of 2 but it was still one of the most memorable co-op games I've ever played. Especially since there is an in-game high-five button where you can interact with your partner which is awesome

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Oh you gotta' pair games with drinks. Make it memorable, no?

Lets do a run down.
If you want something light, easy going and enjoyable, trying playing Roller Coaster Tycoon and having a shandy or two.
If you want to get a little more serious, Ori and the Blind Forest pairs really well with Summer's Gardens.

You could always start them off with Mass Effect and a good old Brown Ale.
If they like RTS, try Dawn of War with a gin and tonic.

If things need to get heavy, Bioshock and a stout.
Or go full board, whiskey straight up and Condemned Criminal Origins.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Suggestions?

EDIT: Just to give some more details on her tastes -

- She says she likes resource management, like in Zoo Tycoon.

- She likes playing shooters.

- She wants something easy. Anything too hard will make her give up. This includes anything that... well, anything that doesn't hold your hand all the way through. The puzzles in Soma were too hard for her, for reference. The Order 1886 (What, I had it lying around!) was too hard for her.

- She doesn't seem to be very picky about the story, but she doesn't want anything that focuses too much on it. So most RPGs are out.

- She likes animals. And Sweden. Anything that features those will probably get her attention for that sole reason.

Having quite a few female friends who are into gaming, several of which I got into gaming to begin with, I've found the following are good "gateway games".

The Sims (either 3 or 4)
World of Warcraft (MMOs in general have an unusually large female demographic)
Skyrim

If you're looking to hook her on a Telltale style adventure, I'd start with Life is Strange.

Viva Pinata is a virtually impossible game to duplicate, it has a lot of really unusual game play mechanisms. Best to find out what she liked about it and try and find those elements in the aggregate in other games.

I've seen everyone from housewives to school children enjoy WoW, so that's probably your safest bet. Checks several of your boxes. There are animals in it (you can have many pets, both combat and cosmetic), it's easy, story exists in a campy/easy to understand way but is not a focus, there are elements of resource management in the meta game. Perhaps most importantly, you can play it together.

 

[Leg End]

- She says she likes resource management, like in Zoo Tycoon.

SimCity(not the shit one). RTSes if she likes things dying.

- She likes playing shooters.

Borderlands, immediately.

- She wants something easy. Anything too hard will make her give up. This includes anything that... well, anything that doesn't hold your hand all the way through. The puzzles in Soma were too hard for her, for reference. The Order 1886 (What, I had it lying around!) was too hard for her.

I don't think I can think of anything here.

- She doesn't seem to be very picky about the story, but she doesn't want anything that focuses too much on it. So most RPGs are out.

I'll be a parrot and say Kingdom Hearts even if it does have a focus on story, as long as it's the first or maybe Chain of Memories because after that point, her head would implode.

- She likes animals. And Sweden. Anything that features those will probably get her attention for that sole reason.

...Impossible Creatures? Nintendogs? Mercenaries 2 because Mattias is a swede? More Zoo Tycoon?

Also for a totally, newbie friendly experience, I'd totally suggest EVE Online. Totally player friendly and the players couldn't be more welcoming to new players. Only half of this statement is true.

 

[HybridChangeling]

Just to give some more details on her tastes -

- She says she likes resource management, like in Zoo Tycoon.

- She likes playing shooters.

- She wants something easy. Anything too hard will make her give up. This includes anything that... well, anything that doesn't hold your hand all the way through. The puzzles in Soma were too hard for her, for reference. The Order 1886 (What, I had it lying around!) was too hard for her.

- She doesn't seem to be very picky about the story, but she doesn't want anything that focuses too much on it. So most RPGs are out.

- She likes animals. And Sweden. Anything that features those will probably get her attention for that sole reason.

For sims:
-Zoo Tycoon would be an obvious pick, as the first 2 are great.
-RollerCoaster Tycoon 1-3 have varying difficulty and are tons of fun and easy to pick up and play.
-If you can afford the $150 price, Jurassic Park Operation Genesis is one of my favorite simulator games of all time. From Car driving, Park management, dinosaur AI with rampages and everything, I probably spent more time on that game then any other.
-SimCity 3 is probably the easiest one, with the simplified UI and the appealing design.

For shooters:
-Star Wars Battlefront 1 and 2 is a great entry point for FPS videogames.
-Halo easy modes are incredibly fun and each time you die, you usually can figure out why.
-Just Cause 2 can be quite easy, especially when just running around the map.
-Borderlands is highly team based, so you guys playing together could very well teach a lot about gaming.
-Just messing around in sandbox GTA can be fun.
-Fallout 3 follows an incredibly simple story dynamic with waypoints, easy shooting (VATS anyone?) and a good stealth system for beginners. I know you said RPGs were out but this game is definitely good for beginners.
-Uncharted is a great starter to videogames, showcasing shooting, driving, and scripted segments.

Misc:
-The Batman Arkham games have simple combat and freeflow gaming, being accessible to everyone from gamers who have been gaming for years and people new to gaming.
-Fallout Shelter for the mobile devices.
-The WWE games are so fun if you come at it with a silly angle. Me and all my friends have the most outlandish characters that fight each other.
-Guitar Hero man, Guitar Hero.

 

[Mister K]

How about Journey? It's easy, pretty and fun.
EDIT: Oh, you never said anything about 4X strategies. Maybe Civilization V?

 

[EHKOS]

If you put 007 Nightfire on easy, it auto-aims to an extent without moving the camera. The first main levels takes place in what could be Sweden.

For resource management she could play Plants Vs. Zombies...or come work for the Base Facilities platform on Mother Base...what, I need fuel.

 

[Barbas]

What about Minecraft? Think of the worlds you could build together!

 

[BlackBark]

I vote for Animal crossing as well. Also, another +1 for the Rune Factory games. I've played Rune factory 3 and I really enjoyed it (you can look after animals in them), but I'm not sure which is the best in the series.

As a local multiplayer game, I recommend running Dynasty Warrior 8 by your friend. It is super easy on the lower difficulties, you can play as a wide variety of characters, there is a story, but it's pretty light.

As for shooters...GTA V? All of my favourite shooters have at least some horror elements to them, so I guess I'll just add another vote for Portal.

 

[Bad Jim]

She wants something easy. Anything too hard will make her give up.

What about Tomb Raider 2013? I set the difficulty to 'hard' on my first play through because I found 'normal' way too easy, something I very rarely do.

What about Minecraft? Think of the worlds you could build together!

This too. It's got resource management, it's got shooting, and it's fairly easy. It also gives you far more room for creativity than most games.

 

[meowchef]

What sort of television does she enjoy? Books? Movies?

My girlfriend loves The Walking Dead... so in turn, she plays the shit out of Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil, and loves watching me play The Last of Us.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

This might sound bonkers, but X-Com 2. Set the game to easy mode and mod the crap out of it to make it even easier. It has resource management, a sense of attachment to your characters, lots of customizable options, it's turn-based so she won't feel like the game is moving way too fast, an interesting set-up, and is just a fun and compelling game.

Any of the Dungeon Keeper games, including War for the Overworld (aka DK3). Oodles of personality, fun without being particularly difficult, move at a nice leisurely pace, a novel concept, resource management, and funny.

I think a good shooter would actually be Quake 4. It's a fun, old-school shooter, with no crafting, RPG elements, open-world etc. It's just fun and straight to the point and is very simple to pick up.

 

[Saetha]

Sorry for getting back to you all late. I'm trying to focus in on posts that have games I can get but haven't already tried to her playing.

If she's up for some puzzle action: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes or Puzzle Quest. The original Plants vs Zombies is fun, too.

If you do happen to come across a Wii, see if you can find MySims Kingdom. No, seriously, that game is awesome. It's kinda like Animal Crossing but with a big emphasis on completing tasks by building things. My siblings and I - the youngest one being 18 at the time - actually argued about who could play next. Only reason I won was because I had to review it...

I actually own MySims Kingdom. And the first MySims. I can try that.

Nintendo games, especially Pokemon and Mario games, are a good place to start. I started there, and would assume a lot of others did too. The 2D Zeldas are also a good start.

I'm beginning to realize that. Now I feel a little silly getting ahold of my 360 when I could've brought a Wii...

Hohokum. Flow. Both relaxing games like flower and journey. Hohokum is crazy colourful and creative.

I never heard of Hohokum. I check it out.

And she's actually playing the Viva Pinata sequel, since it's basically the first game but with a bit more. That aren't any true sequels after that, though.

I'd recommend multiplayer shooters like Halo, Borderlands, and Army of 2. A good day way to learn is to play, and if you both play if she dies it won't be as frustrating

I've only played the first army of 2 but it was still one of the most memorable co-op games I've ever played. Especially since there is an in-game high-five button where you can interact with your partner which is awesome

I've been thinking about Borderlands, as well. She didn't like Halo, but maybe the lighter atmosphere of Borderlands will appeal...

What sort of television does she enjoy? Books? Movies?

That's a good question! She doesn't seem to like any books or movies. On the television front, she likes, um... medical dramas? Police procedurals? That sort of thing.

Part of the reason I'm trying to get her on board with video games is because we haven't got much common ground in any other aspect of media tastes.