Game suggestions for a complete beginner

[NPC009]

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.

I should note the quality of the games vary. The console games are usually decent to good, but the handheld games are very disappointing. For instance, MySims Kingdom on DS is nowhere near as fun as MySims Kingdom on Wii.

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.

If you are going to plug in a Wii, there are the Trauma Center games. They're not the easiest of games, but considering the subject, she might be more forgiving.

 

[Fijiman]

Well pretty much any LEGO game is a good way to kill an afternoon and have some fun. I also highly recommend Rayman Origins and Legends.

 

[veloper]

Just whatever you do, don't start with first person games, not even Portal, when introducing a complete newbie.

I've discovered that mouse-look is surprisingly hard for people who are completely new to games. They'll end up staring at the floor or the ceiling, fighting with the camera controls more than getting round to playing.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

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.

No hate here. I sat the gf in front of my pc and had her try out Dks. Honestly I kind of wanted to enjoy her suffering for a while but I was pleasantly surprised. She does not play games at all except when we play Roller Coaster Tycoon (1) together and she has difficulty using both control sticks at once. After a lot of coaching from me and a few demonstrations on how the game works she got through the Asylum pretty much on her own. She was determined not to let the game beat her. Maybe OP's partner is different but mine has asked me when she can get another shot at Dks.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

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.

Can we be friends? This is the best thing I've ever seen.

 

[The Enquirer]

snip

What platform(s) do you guys have access to other than the PS4 and 360? Even an older PC will work since a lot of the PC games I'm suggesting here aren't exactly high end, or even modern.

For resource management/sims games
-Cities Skylines... Haven't played it myself however I've heard amazing things.
-Evil Genius... You basically play a James Bond villain in a top down sim. Build a base, hire henchmen, don't get caught, take over the world.
-Mount and Blade Warband... So it's sort of an RPG with a bit of a learning curve. Combat is simple but can be difficult. I put this here because you can play as a trader if you so choose to. While an RPG the only story to follow is your own.

For shooters
-Timesplitters: Future Perfect... If you've got a ps2, gamecube or xbox, pick this up. It's a lighthearted shooter with great mechanics, a level designer if you're into that sort of thing, a co-op story mode. It's worth playing in single player and co-op because there's some unique dialogue. Probably one of my favorite shooters of all time and one of the only games I've ever bothered to play to full 100% completion.

-Star Wars Battlefront... The original, not the EA bullshit we've gotten ourselves stuck with. It isn't hard, I can still remember my friend and I playing this game for hours on end. It's just some mindless fun.

-Various other Star Wars Games... There is a huge variety of star wars games out there, ranging from shooters like Republic Commando to The Jedi Knight series. Then there's flight sim games, if you could call them that. Worth checking some out to possibly open some doors. If she's into star wars then this is a great way to open her up to new types of games.

-The Portal Series... It has a gentle learning curve. If it's too difficult you can always just skip to Portal 2 and help her learn stuff in co-op, then go back. Could be an easier way to help her learn.

-Call of Duty: They're linear shooters with an easy to follow story. 'Nuff Said.

-Saints Row 2: I personally prefer this one to the third, especially if she seems to enjoy sims style games due to the customization on this one being WAY better than other installments. Though the third game is a bit more refined. Not sure if she would be interested in the whole crime sandbox style game though.

-Section 8 prejudice: It wasn't a great game but if you can pick it up for 5 or 10 bucks there's some nice gimmicks in there, such as being able to spawn by dropping in from orbit, calling in building drops to lock down parts of the map etc.

As per some other games: I'd suggest looking into the Batman Arkham game series. They aren't difficult unless you try to not break combo streaks and could get her interested in other fighting games, Driver: San Francisco was a nice driving game with a fun mechanic, being able to take control of other cars on the road to take out opponents, or clear a path for yourself, and lastly, if you've got a PC, the Stanley Parable could be a fun game for you guys to experiment with for a little while.

 

[SweetShark]

I can suggest you games I give them a good score for your friend:

For Different kind of Shooters I suggest you:

First Person Shooter - SUPERHOT
Horizontal Shoot 'em up - Danmaku Unlimited 2
Run and Gun Shoot 'em up - Kero Blaster

Also a personal suggestion I have which also will not cost you any kind of money, is to play a PAX Demo of "VA-11 HALL-A".
A simple Cyberpunk game which you create drinks for the costumers base what they ask. You can follow step by step the rules and give the correct drink to the costumer, but you can also give something else on purpose. However doing this doesn't mean you fail. The game doesn't have a fail state. It just change the dialog you get from your costumer. Also sometimes is BETTER and more funnier if you fail to deliver the correct drink :3
Plus it want only 30 minutes to complete. Highly suggest it. If she like it, please tell her to support the developers by getting the game. It cost only I think right now 5 dollars.

Cheers!!!

 

[LostCrusader]

Well if she likes Viva Pinata, you could look for other viva pinata games. The only one that I ever owned was Party Animals and that one was perfect for beginners (basically a mix of mario kart and party). Other than that, I would aim a beginner at something for a nintendo console that doesn't require motion controls.

 

[TheJebus]

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Jesus Christ Viva Pinata is a sick game.

It's amazing what a bunch of cute happiness theme being thrown on everything will hide from you.

Anyways, list time.

Any mario sidescrolling game, the classics. You can just get these for your computer to let her play on. Simple to learn, hard to master. The best of the best starting out game.

For the more high tech video games, aka 3D, first person shooter, a good start is quite simply the first Halo. don't playing that shit on the xbox 360 either though if you can help it, as it has shit optimization on it. Maybe just play this one on computer too. awesome co op game too.

For the 3D third person games, the best of the best classic once again, super mario 64. Dunno how well it plays on emulator though or on keyboard. Got my 64 for this one. Fun ass game even if you're shit in it.

Obligatory mentioning of: Zelda: the ocarina of time.

Undertale just to fuck with her.

Kingdom hearts.
You're gonna have to help her get all the supplies to gtfo the island in the first game though. Always had a shit time with that part.

Pokemon games might be fun for her. Fucked up in the same way pinata is though if you think about it.

As for a strategy/management kind of game...

The Tropico series.

inb4 she has an old granny tackled and executed for treasonous thoughts.

 

[Squilookle]

Get her Rare Replay then, and tell her how all the games on it, Viva Pinata included, were made by a truly innovative, groundbreaking and lovable studio once upon a time. Hopefully she'll branch out into Banjo Kazooie and platforming, then stumble across the crass irreverence of Conker, rind herself rooting for the female heroine in Perfect Dark, an FPS, and from there... the sky's the limit.

 

[maninahat]

Grow Home is a fun colourful game with lots of animals. Also, how about the Katamari Damacy titles? They're reasonably easy and don't have punitive fail states.

Also, one that was recommended is the 2008 Prince of Persia game. It similarly lacks a failure state, so it isn't needlessly frustrating. There is a degree of repetitiveness involved that makes me tentatively recommend it - but it never really gets harder as you go along, so it never becomes un-winnable.