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Gaming Suggestions For A Non-Gamer?
StephenLegge asks: "I'm a 33 year old computer programmer and I have not played video games since X-Wing came out. My wife is going away to visit her mom for a *month* and I'm thinking about getting a video game or two -- but I hardly even know where to start!" What games out there would you recommend for a non-gamer, especially those must-play-because-they-are-the-greatest games that are out there? We wouldn't want Stephen to miss out.
"If I rent a machine from Blockbuster, should I get an X-Box or a Playstation 2?
What's a killer:
- action game where I can play a spy or a soldier?
- driving game where I can race around in cool cars?
- D&D style game so I can re-live my pubescent RPG days?
Thanks."
Spy/sneak around: Splinter Cell. /Incredible/ game.
Racing/Hot Cars: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Nothing else comes close to the graphics, the cars, or the entire "feel" of the game. Fun, hop-in-the-car and ride.
RPG: Neverwinter Nights. "Pen&Paper sim", TONS of third party modules for more gameplay.
If you read the rest of his comments he seemed more interested in renting a console and obviously also wanted suggestions on what consoles to rent. Now one may wish to suggest rentig a computer, which is possible. But I don't know any good computer games you can rent.. :)
Planescape: Torment is a superb RPG. The New York Times reviewer said "While computer games have not yet achieved Shakespearian quality, this one is perhaps as good as Marlowe." Although it is out of print (so you'll need to check the bargain bins or the web), it is not cobwebbed. This FAQ was updated in February 2003.
I never post here, hence the anonymous coward tag. If you only play one game this month/year/lifetime... you'd better make it the latest Legend of Zelda game, the Wind Walker. It is being called 'the greatest game of all time', and I have to agree.
Rent a gamecube and try out zelda, pikmin, splinter cell and metroid.
:)
Those are the best games that have been released in the past 12 months, and all could easily fill a month (unless you have no life that is).
You could try an xbox, but why? If you last played games in the x-wing era, you've already played all the games for the xbox
Ps2 has too high of a quality to crap ratio; you might get burned if you just rent random games for that system.
These pretzels are making me thirsty.
You will no doubt become slathered with suggestion, but for PC....
e x/
First go here:
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top50ind
This is Game Spy's top 100 games of all time, some may disagree to some extent, but virtually everythign worth playing is on this list.
Personally, my recommended must play PC games of the past 5 years are:
Homeworld
Half-Life
other Great PC games I have played for more than 1 month:
Netstorm (no longer around and virtually unheard of)
Quake2, Quake3
Battlefield1942
Wolfenstein 3d
StarCraft, Red Alert (both)
Duke Nulem 3D
Doom
For console:
N64 -- Legend of Zelda Ocinar of Time
ps2 -- METAL GEAR SOLID.. beats the crap out of splinter cell
ps2 -- Grand Turismo 3
ps2 -- Final Fantasy X
I hope this helps, I can't put them in any particular order, other than this and I hope you get a few more cross matches to pick something and have some fun.
In my home town (Windsor, Ontario) you can rent PC games at a couple of retail stores. I dunno if it's different in the USA, but here in Canada it seems to be Kosher.
A previous thread covered a lot of games that moved players.
Still, if I were to recommend for a month of gaming freedom, the main constraint would be games you can play and be done with in that time. After all, this is kind of assuming life has to go back to normal.
Max Payne - The writing is so beyond noir it's laughable but it's actually an incredible story, great graphics, the excellent implementation of bullet time and, most importantly of all, it only takes about 10 hours to complete. You'll get a great gaming experience that, even for someone who's out of practice, is completable in the time.
Ghost Recon - If you want a feel for how much first person shooters have advanced since Doom, this is the one I'd recommend. Half Life, Deus Ex, etc. are great games but, as a newbie, you'll be bogged down in them long after she gets back. Ghost Recon is a great game with small enough missions that you can complete it in a week or two.
Civilisation 3 - If you have no twitchy reflexes left but are older and want something that's absorbing, Civ 3 is an incredible game. It'll just keep you sucked in long after she gets back.
The Sims - Cheesy as it may sound, everyone loves The Sims for the first two weeks. It takes most people about that long before it all starts to feel samey. During that time, you'll actually have a fascinating, also non-twitchy, gaming experience.
Grand Theft Auto 3 - Possibly too immature but then it's strangely satisfying for its immaturity and you can get a pretty good fix in the time you have.
All of the above are old enough that you can buy a current $100 graphics card (Radeon 9100, GeForce 4200/5200 etc.) and play them well, even if you haven't been keeping up to date with gaming hardware.
Ones I'd argue against...
Any MMORPG - You'll either not get in to it enough or be so hooked you'll never leave. Either way, it's not a good one month only idea.
Any major RPG - The Baldur's Gate series are incredible but you'll likely not finish them. Same goes for Neverwinter Nights.
Quake 3, Unreal Tournament etc. - They're probably way too twitchy for someone who's out of practice. It'll just be depressing playing them against hopped up 13 year olds.
All these games are/were rated by ESRB at M15+ or higher, the majority at 18+. Also notice the amount of GCN exclusive adult titles, ie: Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil Series and True Crimes. Please provide us with some evidence of how adult games are not supported on the gamecube. Well, either that or take your fanboy wailing back to the IGN messageboard.
Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...