Slashdot Mirror
PC Gaming Suggestions for Console-like Fun?
jayminer writes "We are a relatively newly married young couple who enjoy spending our spare time at home. We don't own a console but have a gaming laptop with DVI output to play games on our TV. My wife is also a CS major so she's computer literate enough. She does not like strategy games, MMORG or any other role-playing game. Apart from "Find the Sausage" jokes, we need quality gaming advice, preferably games which we can play with a single laptop connected to a single large screen, with two gamepads, a console-like experience. What are your suggestions?"
Just buy a console.
If you are wanting to play on your television opposed to a monitor, you probably have a pretty nice TV. Chances are your laptop cannot run at a resolution where you would even enjoy this experience.
The 360 and the Wii cost less than the original NES did if you count in inflation. Do some research in game libraries and pick one. Well worth the investment.
In terms of games, Guitar Hero is addicting.
My friend is in virtually the same situation as you, and he and his wife love to play Mario Party, or ROMs from older console games in general.
Lego Star Wars 1&2 works very well and has a good co-op feature.
Get a couple of USB dance pads and try out Stepmania, a free DDR clone.
Or get a Wii. Tons of simple flash games through the browser. Fun and simple.
Manic Miner, Jetset Willy, enuff said!
Get some old-school console emulators and play some of the great classics.
I'm sure that what constitutes a "classic" will vary here on /., but I prefer some of the older Super NES games... Tetris Attack is awesome.
You didn't hear that from me, though...
Proudly supporting the Libertarian Party.
ROMS and emulators my friend. Also, "You don't know jack" is a good multiplayer trivia game.
"Not only do I have a girlfriend, but we're MARRIED, and she wants to play video games with me! Oh, did I mention she loves Linux?"
Give a try to old console and arcade emulators. My wife is into SNES Mario and similar stuff.
Although it's usually played with a mouse, the old Worms series is great fun as well.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
I think this is what you're trying to say:
...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hide+the+sausage
or maybe not
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Find+the+sausage
...you took to post this inane question you could have driven down to your local *mart and purchased a Nintendo Wii, Playstation 1,2,3, Xbox, or a SNES.
My advice - go buy a console if you want to have the most authentic "console-like" experience.
Two controllers MAME + street fighter 2 = great time. Unfortunately when me and wife play its two controllers + MAME + puzzle bobble :/
Although it is not the most graphically gratifying there a tons of great classic (2p) games to be played on MAME and other emulators.
-- if you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine
Think she already had excluded vast majority of ways to have fun while playing on a computer. If not on an MMO and by looking for 2-players games, you are just left with console emulators.
Try http://www.mamedev.org/ or Google'ing around for maybe not-so-old console emu's.
With a couple of game pads and any computer you can play just about the entire library of any classic system. I'm still addcited to some of the old SNES titles - Mario World, F-Zero, Starfox and Mario Kart. Seek and ye shall find.
Don't mean to be presumptuous, but I would recommend you spend your spare time outside of your house exploring the world. You will have plenty of time to stay in the house if/when you decide to have children.
Wii.
Much simpler- fewer wires.
http://blog.grcm.net/
Comment removed based on user account deletion
You won't regret it.
One never knows when one might need a rotten tomato... - King's Quest IV: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
It's a turn-based battle-tank game my whole family enjoys. There's probably a version for your operating system. Your turn has two parts, a battle turn, and a purchasing turn, where you can buy more/better guns, missiles, shields, etc.
Make sure you stock up on parachutes
The best game to play is "HIDE the sausage"!
Lego Star Wars 1&2 can be played on PC with either keyboard or controller and has a good co-op function. You can probably find a torrent of it easy enough.
Why don't you take off her clothes and play doctor?
Gametap.com. I like that. Go to walmart and buy a controller adapter for usb and you can both play games, old and new, arcade and console, from your laptop.
Depending on what kind of graphics you have your experience may vary. But M.A.M.E, ePSXe,Gens ,Kega Fusion, ZSNES, or Project 64 may be what you are looking for and there are a million site to find games ( Roms) remember Google is your friend.
Trackmania id say. Its a very fun addicting game, and while i dont believe it has a Split Screen mode. It has a hotseat mode to take turns doing tracks. Plus there are two free versions of the games, which are both very full featured, Trackmania Nations and the just released Trackmania Forever.
Parent? Get it? ha
...the Hot Coffee mod for GTA. What, it's not multiplayer you say? Well, SCREW YOU then! ;-)
a head designer was the guy who coined the term mmorpg. it is in fact the first (graphical, sorry mudders) example of an mmorpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubSpace_(computer_game)
its like the original asteroids, without the asteroids, and instead a maze of a bunch of other ships (random people from around the world)
i think a lot of slashdotters messed with it 10 years ago, and forgot about it
however, i recently rediscovered it (its free now) and was surprised to find a lot of zones still heavily populated. each zone has a different variation on the basic ship types and their abilities. you can waste 5 minutes or half an hour on it, to great effect
nothing like meeting a guy in a tank from finland, dodging his mine, blowing him away, while a guy from china materializes out of cloak and shoots you in the back. its cheap and easy mmorpg fun without the massive time commitment something like WoW demands
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Seriously, get an old PS2 (one of the smaller silver ones, been out for years - should be cheap).
My girl loves playing Lego Star Wars, it's cutesy and simple enough to start with, has elements of puzzling to it, can be a little challenging in places and is a hell of a lot of fun.
In all seriousness, the total hardware cost of two gamepads, a TV out connector and a laptop graphics card needed to run the latest games will more than likely overrun the cost of just buying a PS2 or a Wii, Your spouse's tastes scream console gaming. No strategy games or RPGs? What does that leave? FPSes? Good luck finding a co-op FPS title.
For Co-op play, console is King. There are a myriad of two player titles out there to cater for all tastes, and co-op is something that even gets included in some one player titles, owing to its popularity.
PCs are not designed for what you're looking for. Consoles are, and they are cheaper, faster, easier and offer a better selection of titles. Just buy the damn Wii.
May the Maths Be with you!
Dance Dance Revolution for the PC. You'd need some dance pads but it's a fun and great way to get some exercise. http://pc.ign.com/objects/640/640958.html
I have a subscription to Gametap, and I've been very happy with that and my usb game controllers. It's got some multiplayer games, and some single player games. A lot of games from older consoles too.
Aside from that I recommend getting n64 roms and playing smash bros till you pass out.
Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
I have fallen in love with AudioSurf from Valve.. it's only limit is your music collection..
I purchased a nintendo for my wife some years ago. We play tetris, mario, and about a billion other games. If you shop around you can buy an old console for probably 50 bucks or so, and your games run you a 1-5 dollars. You can sub in Sega Genisis/NEOGeo or whatever for the console system she's familiar with. OR hit up the Wii, with which you can DL all the old classics from any of the older systems and play. Also, the older consoles with 2 buttons and a D-pad are great for the young gamers to be. trying to teach a 3-6 year old super mario is tons easier than Halo3. trust me.
And for the "Think of the Kids" response, we also participate in sunlight related activities.
The issue with most PC Games even Multi-Player is they expect one person for PC, so they are normally networked for multi-player.
Get 2 USB Keypads, and a Copy of VMWare. Install 2 OS the VMWare and copy of each game on it. setup the virtual network correctly and Link one USB Keypad to each VM. Now Resize the VM Windows so you have Split Screen. And there 2 of you can play games at once (even 2 different ones if you feel like it) on your laptop all for the price of getting a console.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
If you can afford one the those over priced pieces of junk you can afford a Wii, a Xbox360 and a PS3.
If you're not too averse to sports games, I strongly recommend EA GAMES FIFA Soccer 2008 (or any of the FIFA games) or Konami has a good one out too... Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.
Jesus, if you've got to resort to games this early on in marriage, that's not a good sign.
Sexual deviance, man! That's what you need to try; your "find the sausage" game sounds like a good start. You're married, it's ok to do that now!
throw new NoSignatureException();
So what part of "No 'Find the Sausage' jokes" did you not understand?
And what illiterate dickhead modded you Insightful?
(God, I hate teenagers.)
J.
You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
If you already have the game pads, the easiest and cheapest way to play old school console games is to download ROMs and Emulators. If you do a google search, you will be bombarded with choices.
definitely; i'm recently married and the last game I'm playing with my young, way too hot wife is a video game.
Ep1-3 and 4-6 are both excellent and are PC-available.
I think guitar hero has a PC port, if you're into rhythm games. (ba-dum-ching!)
Slashdot Patriotism: We Support our Dupes!
Serious Sam is one of the few PC games that allows you to do split screen, so I would suggest trying that out, it's a great experience! Saves you from trying to set up a home lan just to play with one friend. Wacky Races by Apogee is another great game that allows split screen play on PC. There are a few Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat games ported to PC as well. Other than this, unfortunately co-op and multiplayer console style games on a single PC are really hard to come by.
Twinstiq, game news
I missed the two-player, one laptop requirement from the question.
Demented But Determined.
This is Slashdot, so I'm going to guess "all of it".
What did I win?
http://twitter.com/onion2k
Do you then make a sausage taco?
Windows 3.1x calc: 3.11 - 3.10 = 0.00
Jay Miner died in 1994?!!1
:|
oookay.. on topic, and in refference to your nick...
You could try one of the many UAE amiga emulators out there (E-UAE, WinUAE)... although the Amiga was kind of a hybrid Console/PC it had alot of good games many of which was focused on 2 player action.
These will probably be better with joysticks than gamepads... And I'm not sure if any of the UAE's actually supports gamepad-like devices
Well.. Worth a try?
Really. Just buy one instead of trying to shoehorn a laptop into the role. As a new couple with (presumably) no kids yet, you can spare the change. In fact, if you're really price-conscious, go buy a 1st-gen Xbox for $25 or so and pick up some games at mom-and-pop used game stores for $5-$10 apiece. There are plenty of split-screen shooters and racers for the original Xbox that you two can spend countless hours on.
Our intelligent designer has never created an animal that we couldn't improve by strapping a bomb to it.
For the console-like fun experience, you need a stick, a sharpening tool, and one of your eyes.
Nintendo-Hard, look it up.
(I kid, I kid).
Get ROMs here
When using an emulator you can buy a USB adapter and then use PS2 controllers rather than cheapo ones made for the computer. http://www.amazon.com/Playstation-PC-USB-Gamepad-Converter/dp/B000F6BGXY I would assume they also make them for other game system controllers too, but I haven't looked
Download a console emulator. Look them up on google. They are tiny pieces of software that emulate older console's hardware. Look for the ROM packs on BitTorrent- they are 600MB - 2GB depending on the system you choose, and usually include EVERY GAME EVER MADE for the console they correspond to. The emulators usually run flawlessly too.
FOXTROT UNIFORM CHARLIE KILO
I'd say just buy a console or two. A Wii/360 combo may keep you both happy. My wife is not a gamer but loves the Wii. Personally, I really don't like the Wii. It will not satisfy the hardcore gamer. The 360 has many good titles worth checking into, Halo, Mass Effect, Gears of War, Dead Rising, Oblivion, and Orange Box, to name a few.
There are tons of free, fun arcade style games at: www.dosgamesarchive.com.
Many of them will run on newer computers with minimal trouble.
Here's a site showing the best atari games ever complete with the awesome box covers. So real gems in there, many you probably never heard of. Get an emulator and enjoy the nostalgia.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashed
a bit older, but a lot of fun
buy a ps2 and lego starwars. Even if you don't like starwars. My partner and I played through both games together and it was great fun. We are waiting for lego indiana jones! Most fun co-op series I've ever played.
Slashdot allowed this question be posted?
Mod me to hell but I think honey and hubby can do things more worthwhile i.e. "Find the sausage". Than to figure out what video game stimulates them.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
... and softmod it.
Then you can play original XBox games (which are cheap now), run emulators to play old NES and SNES games and run XBMC so you can use it as your multimedia center.
I figured I would log on to an Ask Slashdot and sure enough everyone would be suggesting consoles. This is the last thing we need, when it comes to gaming.
I feel that World of Warcraft is good for two people to play and seeing the game is a lot more fun when you play with people you know in real life that is a great suggestion.
I also recommend getting the Half Life 2 Orange Box, and yes I know that you can get it on a console too but IMO FPSs will never compare to a PC experience. Portal alone is enough to send you both into tears from laughing.
Crysis has a great storyline combined with some of the best game play I have seen in a while.
Just whatever you do, don't get a console. All you will get is re-branded sports games, FPSes with shitty controls and maybe one actually good game every now and then.
Even a good SNES emulator i.e ZSNES is a whole lot more then current console offerings. You can play Chrono Trigger, FF6 and a lot of other classic games you can not play on any current platform other then PC via emulation.
Super Bomberman! Get a SNES emulator, and a couple of controllers. My girlfriend also likes Peggle.
is a great Guitar hero clone, if you want to spend some money get Guitar Hero III, but be warned it is very buggy. http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/
By completely ignoring what you asked for I would recommend you buy two Nintendo DS's and just wireless a couple of games. My wife and I do this and it's (a) no hassle, just works (b) great fun and (c) when one of you doesn't want to do it the other can watch tv...
I hope she likes fighting, FPS, sports or puzzle games, cause that's about all you have left multiplayer-wise. I'm not even to sure about the puzzle games.
There is a war going on for your mind.
I have Lego Star Wars on the television via PC, and it is surprisingly fun. It is multiplayer and definatley designed for a controler. I use Playstation controlers and EMS usb connector http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-6m-49-en-15-ems-70-1b5.html
That and there's also pretty much every sports game ever made, if you're into that.
I'm sure I don't have to tell you to ignore all the calls to "buy a console" - there's more great co-op PC games than ever before. The only advice I will give you is to forgo your requirement to play on a big screen since your laptop's resolution is far superior. PC games assume you're playing on a monitor so downgrading to TV resolution will, among other things, likely make text unreadable.
One game my wife and I play religiously is the new Sam and Max adventure series from Telltale Games. It's an episodic series that just concluded its second "season". The gameplay is at a casual pace, the dialogue is absolutely hilarious and very clever (especially for a CS major - many nerdy jokes), and is honestly (in the case of my wife and I) a good-natured and romantic way to spend time together. It's $9 per episode or $35 for an entire season, and it's a steal at either price (moreso for the season).
Do you only have one gaming PC? I used to play a free racing game with my wife called Trackmania Nations, but we stopped when we learned of its evil copy protection. The game has been re-released on Steam which replaces the copy protection. It's a very Hot Wheels kind of game with high speeds, loop-dee-loops, and no penalties for crashing.
Another great game is Peggle - a puzzle game similar to Plinko on The Price is Right. Rounds are short enough that you can alternate and enjoy watching each other play. You can buy the game or try the free demo on Steam, though I believe you can buy a non-Steam version as well.
Happy gaming with your ladyfriend, and I hope you'll consider forgoing the television requirement. Playing PC games on TV is like going to a concert wearing earmuffs.
Play Starcraft.
Makes you think, requires a bit of dexterity, it's cheap, and it runs on the crappiest of hardware.
Play the UMS games (Use Map Settings) -- they are games in and of themselves. Things like Tower Defence and others are popular here.
Trust me, easy to pick up, casual gameplay, and lots of fun!
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
Legality aside, MAME is the best when it comes to two-player entertainment. A pair of psx-spin-off made-in-china usb controller costs for $8 in here (the one without analog sticks costs about $6). With some luck, you can probably find one in eBay. I have it for almost a year and have no problem since.
My last console is the PSX, I just find it rather disturbing to find my console just sitting around doing nothing because of my lack of time to play games (the last RPG game I played was Xenogears). When I have the time (and sudden urge, or friends visiting) to play games, usually I just play them with emulators.
If you and your wife aren't much into gaming, I suggest you not to buy consoles, as I think the games cost relatively high in there.
Some game suggestions (MAME):
Shmups (Gunbird, dodonpachi, vasara, 1945)
Metal Slug series
Dungeons & Dragons
Fighting games (KoF, fatal fury, samurai showdown)
Comment removed based on user account deletion
try game tap. I love it. Have all the old games and new games as well. Its about $10 a month and you can play them all.
then buy AudioSurf. It builds 'tracks' based on mp3's, and plays somewhat like Klax. It's an excellent game and you'll have fun re-experiencing your favourite music.
Ingredients: Turkey, Mechanically Separated Turkey, Water, Salt, Flavour.
EVERY system that's currently out will be hacked and emulated within the year.
/w a 46' tv sometime.
i've a dual core desktop im gonna try that
i'd say make a game folder and load it up with each system.
nintendo games - about 1200 roms/games available
snes - over 600 for sure
sega gensis - 500 easy
playstation 1-2-3 - each disc can be stored on the hard drive as an image that emulators will play
get 2-5 controllers (usb) and work with emulator programs that will support lots of controllers. gravis makes a ps2 looking controller (pc game pad pro does the job well)
i've also seen REAL controller hook ups for each system. playstation to usb adapters can get your favorite controller working on a computer.
don't listen to people saying to buy a game 1 at a time. save your money for hardware (unless its multiplayer your after and are using default servers)
3 games at 20 each or a 60 dollar 5.1 system for the big tv.....
bomberman 1 and 2 for super nintendo are fun for multiplayer
you can always use original controllers if you buy a few adapters from ebay/somewhere online.
Get mame.
A lot of the old arcade games had less demanding attitude than games today. They actually had to win your attention as you passed by the arcade machine, and were designed for you to want to keep playing (and pop in more quarters). Fighters, brawlers, sports, hack and slash, puzzle, side/top-scrolling shooters, and countless others I'm overlooking: they're all on there, and they're not afraid to use bright colors and really nice 2d sprites. The best part is that almost all of them are 2 player, and a good majority is co-op.
I've found that there's not much more fun than teaming up with player 2 and beating the crap out of the computer with infinite credits. And really, how can you go wrong with a bizarre co-op puzzle game hybrid ?
This is a dated reference, but try to find some copies of the different versions of You Don't Know Jack. This is great for a young couple and really keeps the conversation and interaction going while you are playing... And the innuendo doesn't hurt either.
A few options I can think of:
1. Play games where you take turns (think Golf games and the like)
2. There were a few first-person shooter games that supported split screen (I know I tried it with Serious Sam a number of years ago). Probably nothing recent, since the console is for that type of game.
3. I remember playing a racing game that supported split screen. I mostly liked/played the rally type of racing, so try Colin McRae or some of the similar PC games to see which one (or more) it was that supported split-screen.
http://btanks.sourceforge.net/
(for gamepad configuration dialog press G or J in settings menu)
No, this isn't a variant of the "find the sausage" joke.
Since no one else is looking like they want to actually answer the question...
Look into the worms series of games. I think there are 3-d versions nowadays, but even the old 2-d versions were hilarious. Sure, they're dumb, but can be very funny.
Screw a PS2. If you're a couple looking to have fun, get a Wii. I'm a fan of the Xbox 360 and don't own a Wii, but even I must admit that there is no better console for family fun.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Tunneler!!
Those of us who think they know everything annoy those of us who do.
My wife and I play pyKaraoke. We think its fun. We can go to parties and do the same thing. In fact sometimes I take my linux laptop around with a microphone and some external (amplified) pc speakers to parties and we do group Karaoke.
Since the post talks about what games the misses dislikes, I'll do my best with that even though no insight about what she does like was provided. Worms Armageddon is a seriously fun game anyone can play. It's an old game, and I want to say there is some hacked version that can run at higher resolutions than it was originally capable of handling, so I would suggest buying the game and looking into that. Also, I would recommend looking into emulators for NES, SNES, and so on. There is a ton of stuff out there for that which could provide a wide variety of games that are tons of fun to play (even if the graphics are far from top-notch).
Even though you can't go spit-screen on this one, if either or both of you likes racing games, GTR2 is a seriously good racing simulator, but keep in mind that the average person might find its realistic physics to be frustrating. The Logitech Momo force-feedback steering wheel works exceptionally well for this and other racing games.
If the misses also likes diablo-style games, Titan quest is a game my wife enjoyed. Again, you can't go split-screen here, but it could provide some good entertainment for both of you. Of course, if you have another PC in the house, you could play together over a LAN. ^_^
If you want the "console experience", use an emulator and grab a few ROM's. They actually have torrents that compile every SNES and NES ROM ever made.
Buy a deck of cards or a board game for smarties like scrabble or upwords.
It's nice to look at your wife while you play a game. Don't you spend enough time staring at computer displays already?
It took a real world war to end the airplane's patent wars. - Fâché Rouge -
My boyfriend and I have had a lot of fun with Cortex Command. It's a really entertainingly adolescent wargame that supports splitscreen play and joystick controllers.
It's not actually finished but its active mod community makes it not matter - if one of you skims the forums now and then, you'll find all kinds of giggle-inducingly overpowered toys to play with. It's ultraviolent but it's on the border between 'obscene' and 'slapstick'...
egypt urnash minimal art.
So what part of "No 'Find the Sausage' jokes" did you not understand?
How about "Spot the Submarine"?
I've got a second hand Dreamcast at home for 50 euro's (roughly 75 US$) with a bunch of games. Consoles of around this generation (N64, PS, GC) onwards have all the types of games you'd want for a fraction of the cost of modern consoles.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
It's not that expensive and has a bit of games on the free side as well - gameamp is basically a glorified emulator but has some stuff up to the playstation 2 era (god of war, legacy of kain, some other stuff) and some PC games.
Armagetron (http://www.armagetronad.net/) is has a split screen multiplayer mode. Great, console like, game.
just get a wii.....all the emulation for the classic marios and zeldas etc is already there.
If you like Old School, I'd recommend GBPVR (http://gbpvr.com/) with the GameZone Plugin. It offers a nice setup for running multiple emulators out of one menu system. For instance, I have Atari 2600, Turbo Graphix, NES, SNES, NES64, GameBoy, Genesis, Mame, and Playstation 1 running off our system. Plus it allows for collection of ripped movies... But even for just games, it wraps them all up in one system, plug in a couple game pads, and you're all set.
I am this girl. Not as in married to OP but married to my network engineer and all around computer geek husband, play video games w/ him, watch him play video games and love Linux.
/. I think my work here is finished. Honey, do you think we could fit a PS3 between the Wii and 360?
AND ON TOP OF THAT I gave him his own room for electronics. He has a rack.
AND ON TOP OF THAT I have our living room furniture especially arranged to accomodate his chair-side technology requirements, and I don't make him put it away every night.
AND ON TOP OF THAT I love technology for birthday/Christmas/anniversary/in-lieu-of-flowers.
AND ON TOP OF THAT I named our first dog CmdrTaco. No kidding.
I'm so happy to have made my husband the envy of
The best kind of games to play with a few people in front of a TV are easy to learn, competitive, but still fun.
My favorites so far are:
Puzzle Bobble (Bust-a-Move) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle_Bobble
(MAME)
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Puzzle_Fighter_II_Turbo
(MAME)
Dr. Mario
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_Mario
(NES)
Rampart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rampart_%28arcade_game%29
(MAME/SNES/etc)
You Don't Know Jack (trivia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Don%27t_Know_Jack
(PC)
Get ZSNES, a super nintendo emulator and get the game "Legend of the Mystical Ninja". It's a lot of fun. Preferably use a gamepad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_the_Mystical_Ninja
What are they supposed to do the rest of the night?
http://www.gametap.com/ I would look on there, they have tons of classic games that you can play on your computer for a small subscription fee.
I remember most of these. Wow those were the days. Thanks for the memories!
Well, I was doing the exact same thing having a desktop PC hooked up to the LCD TV and using an ATi Remote Wonder II to control it from the couch, but felt the experience was less than satisfactory compared to say a dedicated gaming console. So, now I have my xbox 360 for gaming and have MythTV still on the PC. The thing I really like is that with the MythGame plugin I can do all my retro console / mame stuff from the MythTV interface with a remote + gamepad and have the xbox for the heavy duty games that require a lot more power than my media PC can provide.
However, if you don't wanna even consider the console route check out the following PC gear to make for a much nicer experience.:
-Microsoft xbox 360 Wireless Gaming controller (works very well with the "Games For Windows" branded games)
-OR-
-Logitech RumblePad 2 gamepad. (it's also wireless but requires hacks to use in some games)
-ATi Remote Wonder II (works as a remote and doubles as a mouse)
As far as games go, before I got my 360, I was playing Guitar Hero III a lot on the PC, but it only ran above average on my E6600 @ 2.8GHz CPU and 2GB of RAM. Multiplayer on Hard and Expert settings was difficult as the game would sometimes become choppy and lag during gameplay. I don't experience this on the 360. (Thanks for the craptacular port, Aspyr.)
I was also playing a bit of Sins Of A Solar Empire. Its an RTS game which I believe I read was off-limits, but it's good none the less. There's also the whole range of EA Sports games which work natively with the Logitech Rumblepad 2. Lastly, I love ToCA Race Driver III. It's the best racing game on PC.
Those are my recommendations. Take them for what they're worth..
That's one genre that's boring by yourself, but real fun for two. Adventure games are a huge genre. If you hate Myst, you can still find something you love. Very comfortable to play from a couch, since all you need is a mouse. A $10 game on clearance can give you 20+ hours of constantly new gameplay. Like scary/creepy movies? Look for a game where Jonathan Boakes is involved. Dark Fall is creepy, but still full of challenging puzzles. Like amazing graphics? Look for something by Benoit Sokal - try Syberia or Paradise. For tougher puzzles, try safecracker. Then there's always the depth of storyline you find in Myst. Some of these games are almost cinematic in the way the story unfolds.
Am I the only one that is completely confused?
College-Pages.com - Online Colleges, Degrees, and Programs
A recently married couple needs quality advice about gaming? Who did you marry, your sister? Guess I forgot this was Slashdot after all...
alias possession='chmod 666 satan && ls
and then download some games. Some games are public domain now and can legally be downloaded.
You will need to purchase the Amiga ROM file legally though.
Most Amiga games have better game play than modern games with ultra realistic graphics and video cards that consume upwards of 600 Watts, but the game play absolutely sucks.
As the island of our knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.
How about a copy of Custer's Revenge ported to the Wii? :)
My partner and I have probably spent more time cooperating on single player games, than competing on two player games.
Classic point'n'click adventures like Monkey Island, Sam and Max Hit The Road and Day of the Tentacle, for example. We also played a lot of text adventures (Google "Interactive Fiction" and "Curses" for a fantastic one).
More recently we played the new Telltale Games episodes of Sam & Max on the PC, rigged up to a TV almost as you described. I got some joypad-to-mouse software, and we sat on the sofa playing together -- taking it in turns to take control. They're not quite as good as the classic original, but they're entertaining enough.
We played a lot of two player puzzle games on the original Playstation -- Bust a Move for a while, then when we discovered it, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. The former is widely available, including on the PC and in MAME as Puzzle Bobble. The latter came out recently on Xbox Live Arcade and PSN. I think there's a Steam release in the works.
I'd recommend 'Wired' versions of Xbox 360 pads for use with emulators.
Finally a console pad you can just plug straight into a PC, via USB.
Not tested it in Linux yet, but gaming is one reason i keep a dual boot system. Oh and Autocad.
Have fun, and google Kaillera too.
lee heywood - not so AC
You're making the assumption that his suggestion was a "find the sausage" joke, and you're being a dick.
Who says you can't play games AND make sweet love? A good game could be like foreplay... get the tension just right then BAM! sweet sweet lovin'
The last thing you want in this scenario is to actually care about the game... so no RPGs or MMORG or even Team games... just good old fashion PVP action.
A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
As a console owner, I have to concur with some of the earlier posts. Go for something like a 360, and get Rock Band (a lot of fun). Or go for M.A.M.E.
A unicycle!
Trench wars basing is the most fun and addictive thing you can do in subspace/continuum.
As a player who has played in Trench Wars for about 10 years now, let me tell you, it kicks ass. I always go back to it when I get bored with other games. Basing is a fast-paced conflict between two teams of 8 players, for control of a flag room, and it can be really intense. Basing is a highly tactical, aggressive, challenging team sport. It is where all the skilled Trench Wars players eventually gravitate.
But there is also lots of other stuff to do in Trench Wars (play in pub zones, javs, duels, elim, TWD = squad-based matches refereed by bots, TWL = leagues refereed by humans).
Also there are volunteer staff members who constantly host events in special arenas. Turretwars, zombies/twtown, hockey, racing, mario, fishtank, and dozens and dozens of other ones.
I solved my need for pick and play gaming with a modded Xbox. ROMs, MAME and it makes a decent media streaming device.
No sig for you!!
But Worms 2 or Worms Armageddon seem to match the bill pretty well.
If you like strategy games, the Civ series or its (in my preference, superior) offshoot, Alpha Centauri are excellent, and turn-based goodness.
Guitar Hero is available on the laptop, and two can play. Its a great game.
One never knows when one might need a rotten tomato... - King's Quest IV: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
I personally recommend that specific version of Rock Band. The lack of character customization really destroys a lot of what makes it truly special.
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
The "You Don't Know Jack" series of quiz-show type games everyone loves and it's two player and it'll work great hooked up to your tv. You can just share a single keyboard to buzz in your answer.
Dance Dance Revolution. You can have together time, exercise, and a sense of accomplishment, all in one. If one of you gets a lot better than the other, difficulty settings can keep you competitive.
You will need a DDR simulator or clone to run it on your PC instead of on a console.
There are affordable dance pads.
it's free, cross-platform arcade game with split screen mode. You could download it from the http://btanks.sourceforge.net/ Have fun! :)
(answer to your actual question at the very end, because you MUST read the first part)
BUY AN XBOX. SERIOUSLY! I picked one up for $50 a while back... most entertaining $50 I've spent! There are a TON of great coop and 2 player games for xbox. Much more than for PS2 or gamecube IMHO. It's also ridiculously easy to mod via software alone, especially for a CS major. Games are cheap (often $10), and that ng thing that we are sworn not to talk about has dozens of xbox games posted a week.
Some of my favorite COOP games were Halo 1, Halo 2 (better), The Warriors, Razes hell (it's impossible, so cheat a little and it becomes a REALLY great game), Justice League Heroes, Destroy all Humans 2, both Time Splitters (second one is better), the Conflict Denied series (last one is best)... and there are DOZENS more! (and hundreds of 2+ player non-coop games)
If you are willing to skirt the law a bit, the Xbox Big Ass Emulator Disc DVD's 1,2,3a,3b have all of the MAME, Atari, Genesis, Nintendo, Snes, Neo Geo, Gamebody, etc. etc. games that were ever released.
As for native (non-emulator) PC, 2 players, one screen, two joysticks... Let's see.. Marvel Ultimate Alliance was really good (and looks way better than the console version). Rise of Apocalypse was mediocre. The teenage mutant ninja turtles games were ok (the last one was actually quite a bit of fun). There's a recent 2 player spiderman game that was pretty monotonous... That's really about it as far as I can remember.
Well I could say "buy a console" but I don't want to give you that blut reply. The big catch is you are on a laptop so for gaming that is probably the worst of 2 worlds: Less power along with fewer gaming options that are not stragety. However there is one thing I could tell you: If you put Linux on it you have a number of options as Linux takes more resources. If Adventures Games don't count as Stragety (but to some it may I feel the are different) there are actually a number of commercial games for Linux and non-commercial games of considerable quality.
:D The Super Mario SNES games (on an emulator or packing on the Wii) are FANTASTIC for couples as are Tetris games. An old Japanes Favoriate (not available in English), Pyo Pyo, is in my opinion the ulitimate couples games as in this tetris variation, it has tons of cute victory sounds, and you can really mess up your opponent by dropping "bubble" on your opponent's space to make their life more "interesting". I was introduced
http://www.linuxgamingworld.com/
Among these include action, simulation as well as the RPG and stragety games (which are my favoriate in case you didn't guess). WINE is in many ways better for running certain games than Windows since you can no longer buy Windows 2000 new, and if MS does withdraw Windows XP on June 30th, 2006 (which would drive MANY business people AND gamers to using WINE on Linux, MS just isn't that smart I guess) the only laptops you can run Windows on will need 2 Gigs of RAM minimum according to reports. (In other words 17" Laptops or nothing for MS). So again, Linux is a nice alternative you can run on just about and laptop and you don't worry as much about things like poor framerate. (although its still an issue on some games).
The following site has info on noncommercial Linux games and Linux emulators
http://www.linux-gamers.net/
The SNES emulators are awesome and although I have a SuperFamicom (Super Nintendeo, the Original from Japan), the Emulators work nicely. Get a ROM chip reader, and WOW! Imagine! Truth be told, because of the old hardware limitations, the old games were FAR more original and creative than most games today.
Of course every geek on earth (and beyond) knows about SourceForge.net. Frets On Fire is a Linux version of guitar heros that is very popular. Several Dance, Dance Revolution games I Believe are on Linux as well as long as you have USB foot dance pads. Awesome!
There are emulators for Windows of course, but given all the weird stuff out there, I go in assuming any closed source solution that is non-enterprise (and a few that are) are laced with some kind of Spyware (Remember Vista itself has some spyware elements including the "kill switch" and MS activity monitoring "features" you agree to have imposed on you when you install it under the EULA). So if you can't trust MS to respect the customer...(okay, MS not the most trustworthy company but still...), I think open source is the only way to keep software companies on the straight and narrow.
I use Windows 2000 and XP for only two things: testing for windows environments of clients, and a few odd games that don't quite work on WINE...yet... The Mac OS X isn't bad for gaming: You can pretty much run almost all Linux software on them, and you can play a few games not made for Linux like Neverwinter Night II (no authoring module however) but as that is a RPG game anyway you don't want that.
The best Console gaming solutions in my opinion is the Wii. Its the only console that adds physical elements to get you off your seat outisde of the DDR (Dance Dance Revolution games for the Playstation). Of course the laptopt will do Flash games too, if you like pure arcade type of stuff.
For couples, I think the simulation games are ideal: Car Racing, Airplane/Spaceship combat games, are the best for couples.They can interact and act out their differences.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
Sorry folks for the confusion: Linux uses FEWER resources than MS Windows, not more. (duh)
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
Congrats on the marriage. Funny, when I was a newlywed computer games were the last type of "game" we thought about playing. Anyway, ahem, 3 kids later...
MAME is always fun, plenty of games there. Also try some of the older emulators like the Atari and NES/SNES ones. Once you're bored with those you can always get a Speccy emulator (Spectaculator, SPIN, etc.). Once you're bored with those try Gametap.
Or, you could just buy yourselves a console and get one of the Namco museum compilations. Or DDR, or Guitar Hero, or Rock Band.
- The games are cheap or free
- It's all legal
- They're usually easy to pick up and play, with a focus on fun game mechanics over action-movie style production
- You find new, creative ideas all over the place
I find a lot of good games at the experimental gameplay project - which came up with world of goo and crayon physics, among others. http://www.experimentalgameplay.com/You can also check out the indie games festival's guide to games: http://www.indiegames.com/play.htm
In addition, Wired offered a list of the best indie games of 2007 at http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/commentary/games/2007/02/72796
Its a little known fact you can use Xbox 360 controllers with windows. Even the wireless ones with one of these : http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360wirelessgamingreceiver/ Makes it feel much more consoly. Now you just need to pick a game, which is easier said than done.
You Don't Know Jack ;)
This game is the BEST multiplayer experience you will find on a PC without playing a console game through a ROM. You won't find any other multiplayer experience that both of you can play on the same screen.
In fact, almost ANY trivia game will fit this bill, but You Don't Know Jack is just the most fun of them all. Brings a whole new meaning to "screwing your wife".
Chippy
Boxhead is really fun for 2 players. http://www.kongregate.com/games/SeanCooper/boxhead-2play-rooms enjoy
Can I bum a sig?
Then, you can play find the wii-wii in lew of finding the sausage. That or you can play fun games like this: http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=227
Pinball and you can play the real games on your laptop with VPinMAME / PinMAME and Visual Pinball
http://www.vpforums.com/
Comment removed based on user account deletion
You'll have that sometimes...
The Worms series is full of great hotseat games that can be played on a single computer. My girlfriend and I both love Worms Armageddon.
As a majority of people have already stated emulators can be fairly entertaining. Also as previously suggested... get a console. Games for Xbox and PS2 can be had fairly cheaply from a used games store. These options aside, I have a few other suggestions for you. Casual gaming on the internet is really taking off. Kongregate.com, Addicting games.com, and a host of other sites offer a wide variety of interesting games to play. If you would like to stay fixed on your laptop I might suggest "You Don't Know Jack", or anything from the Worms series (Made by Team 17).
Get an original XBOX... Soft mod it.. and add a larger hard drive. They can emulate NES, SEG, and SNES very well. And some N64. If your wife is a CS major she can do it. Or just buy a modded one. I just bought my secong one off craigslist with 4 controllers for $100.
Most MythTV distributions include a MAME emulator, as well as a SNES emulator, and support for several others you can optionally download, install and configure in their menus.
The nice thing about this is, it gives you a good excuse to dedicate an entire PC to your TV set, since it works as a very capable DVR, gives you a set-top web browser, and other goodies.
The downside? At least from all the knoppmyth distros I've used, I've always had some hassle getting MAME working well with it. (EG. You can purchase wireless gamepad type controllers from Logitech that use USB dongles and are detected just fine in Linux. But you'll have to do some creative stuff with the xmame config file so you have all their buttons assigned in a sensible manner. If you don't assign one to simulate dropping coins in, for example, you'll never be able to get a new game to start from your controller.)
Mooooo!
Wanna do another cow run?
This post brought to you by your friendly neighborhood MBA.
If you like fighting games and don't mind the gray area of expired beta abandon-ware M.U.G.E.N. and it's still updated clones are for you. It has downloadable (sp?) characters from almost every major fighting game and many from Anime and non fighting games as well. Just don't look for impressive computer controlled opponents or a whole lot of cross package balance and you'll do fine.
I've seen this a lot, especially on ports of old console games or games being developed for PCs and game consoles: Game makers decide that multi-user "co-op" play, or 2 people playing a game on the same PC, does not seem "logical" enough to include in the game.
There's always Rapid Onset, Vital Passage, or Sudden Thrust.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
we play Stepmania all the time (v3.9) with lots of great packs, songs and steps for all levels of player available. there is a 4player hacked version of 3.9 which doesn`t allow dancing characters as per 2 player version but it is brilliant fun. using decent mats (at least Ignition 3 foam mats - very cheap really)
the other favourite is Frets on Fire - again tonnes of songs available to download. grab a couple psx-usb adaptors and the guitar hero controllers work great.
i used to game A LOT but got really bored with everything coming out, no new ideas and the same old crap. at the same time stuff rarely comes out to suit all players. with stepmania/frets on fire, it gets more addictive as you go on - friends come round and you end up having parties around it.
we now have 2 projectors to network play 4 player (we have 15 dance pads, usually playing 8 players at a time) and when we have barbecues and the like we project it on to the house.
i bought a wii just cos of mario kart - and whilst it's good to have a racing game to share with others, everyone always wants to get back on the dance mats.
by their publishers, and some publishers don't even exist any more.
As the island of our knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.
Pressing a button to put in a quarter is my favorite part.
When I think of the number of times my weekly allowance was ALMOST enough money to beat Double Dragon... now it's "Hahahah, fuck you Willy. Click, click, click, click..."
Petty I know. But very satisfying.
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
Indeed. I used to go down on my ex boyfriend while he sat playing Sonic the Hedgehog all the time, it was great.
There's a PS2 emulator that can handle a FEW games here and there, but by and large, no. GP is an idiot.
Check out Worms: Armageddon. I think it's the strongest in the series and has provided my wife and I with many hours of fun. It's a 2D tactical shooter akin to the old Scorched Earth, but you're controlling cute (heavily armed) worms. The weapons are silly and the violence cartoony, but the mechanics of the game are excellent. The weapons are well-balanced and provide many different creative uses.
Later entries in the series (especially the 3D varieties) stumble a bit and the early games look *really* dated. WA though, strikes a very nice balance between graphics and playability.
Any plan which depends on a fundamental change in human behavior is doomed from the start.
Excellent themable 3D remake of Scorched Earth:
http://www.scorched3d.co.uk/
Meat Fighter!
http://www.meatfighter.com/
And there's always Tux Racer:
http://tuxracer.sourceforge.net/
For many here on /. you are going to need to back up and explain this "wife" you speak of. I searched all over the 'egg and cannot find one.
But seriously. My fiancee likes more empire builders (caesar, settlers, sim city). For two player cooperative games she seems to like Lego Star Wars. She has also spent time with the kids Wallace and Gromit games and the like.
Trivia games are fine, but why not just sit at the table and play a tabletop version. Same with dancing games. Get out somewhere with music you like and dance.
Just my thoughts.
Overlord. And it's expansions. For that matter, anything with the "Games for Windows" stripe at the top. They all work with the proper gamepad, that of the 360. As I'm an insensitive clod, I'd simply suggest getting a 360, though it is my understanding that they're full of sausage.
There's a game called Ragnarok Battle Offline. If you google for it you can find it and the translation patch. It's a REALLY good side scrolling beat-em-up with RPG elements. It supports up to 3 people on one computer. Multiple classes (Swordsman, Archer, Thief, Merchant, Magician, and Acolyte) that all play very differently from each other. Your choice of playing as a male or a female even changes the character's combat style. All in all, it's a heck of a lot of fun.
and that's World of Warcraft. Your wife will learn to love it like the rest of us already do! Remember to get 2 copies :)
This is a viral signature. You are now infected!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I can't believe no one has mentioned any Japanese doujin games yet. A few two-player examples would be Acceleration of Suguri X-Edition, Touhou Kaeidzuka ~ Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Touhou Suimusou ~ Immaterial and Missing Power, Miko Blaster.
You just gotta look around, man. This stuff exists.
An awesome hot-seat game that I've played is the worms series. Track down a copy of Worms Armageddon, its a turn based game where you control a team of cute two dimensional worms, armed with any weapon of destruction you can imagine. Your goal is to eliminate the opposing team.
Old school NES + Bubble Bobble, River City Ransom, Super Dodge Ball. That's all you'll ever need - Dodge Ball being *the* tip top. :-)
DO NOT PLAY:
NES Ninja Gaiden - you will want to commit vehicular homicide. You have been warned!!!
http://www.gltron.org/
can be played on one keyboard
great group fun
and free
btw. usually for many games it sucks to play on one screen, because it has to be divided up some way
Worms Armageddon really is amazing, especially 2-player, but for certain weapons (which you can turn off) I believe it requires a mouse. C-Dogs is also really fun if you can get it to run properly with sound. (I believe it's a DOS game)
Mr. Period: Nine is the one that's right by ten!
Nine: One day I will kill him. Then, I will be Ten.
But you will take the time to post to slashdot...
These are old but valid:
Return Fire is old but was multiplayer on one machine.
Settlers 2 required 2 mice but had multiplayer
Big Red Racing
Often things that are turnbased, Monopoly, Quiz Shoe games, etc. (I could think of tons, but you get the idea)
No, I'm sorry, when it comes to co-op games that HUGE PS2 library has it all over the X-Box.
Audiosurf from on steam is an amazing game. Especially for 10 dollars. Can be two players and is an audio experience in and of itself.
I agree with the sentiments from other posters that knowing about what you guys LIKE would be more helful than knowing some dislikes, but I'll also venture a couple thoughts. 1) If you're determined to stick to your laptop, definitely grab a copy of Soul Reaver on eBay (go for the FIRST version). This game had the benefit of some great story writing and an incredibly ambitious scope. I liken it to "Tomb Raider with Vampires, plus harder puzzles". It is a bit over the top and melodramatic, but that can be kinda fun with a vampire story :) Follow-on games were more shaky. Soul Reaver II being okish (get it if you get sucked into the story), Blood Omen II sucking (get it if you are ADDICTED to the story) and Defiance being pretty decent (get it cuz it's fun).
2) If you do end up picking up a USED/OLD console then I'd definitly suggest PS2 and:
- Soul Reaver I (see above about rest of Legacy of Kain series too).
- The first three games in the Ratchet & Clank series.
- (I know this is getting close to stated dislikes but) Kingdom Hearts was a pretty fun/whimsical experience.
your laptop can emulate everything up to and including the Dreamcast, most likely. I suggest downloading console classix for everything 16-bit and under, and then I suggest ePSXe for PSX emulation and Chankast for the Dreamcast emulator. UltraHLE is still one of the best N64 emulators out there (though I don't know if you still need a silly GLide wrapper)
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Audiosurf on Steam is amazing! I would also suggest FIFA 2008 (great for 2 player head-to-head) and the Need for Speed series is great too.
Even on an SD tv, some of the older games such as Alice, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, and Halo are fun. With an HDTV, you should check out King Kong, FarCry, and games like that.
If you are looking for stuff to play with a gamepad:
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, King Kong, the Need 4 Speeds games, and of course console emulators are great. In fact, if you do not have a great graphics card, but have a good processor, SNES, Gennesis and other emulators may be a godsend. But I am not going to tell you where to find ROMS, you will have to find them on your own.
Also, I think there is a PC version of Guitar Hero that you may be interested in checking out.
Goto 3dgamers.com and there are TONS and TONS of demos there that you can try stuff up, including demos of all the games I have mentioned earlier.
...at zone.msn.com has all kinds of free games including arcade style, card games, and puzzles.
PS2 has finally gone sub-$100 refurbed, and there are more games for it than ET cartridges buried in Arizona, including classics of just about any genre. Multitap purchase needed for more than two player games though.
Xbox is around $50 refurbed, has many PC ports in a much more friendly multiplayer environment than the PC, the Xbox version of just about any used game is going to be significantly less than any other version, 4 controller ports if you've ever get friends coming over.
GameCube is $30 refurbed, has a lot of good multiplayer games as well, but less overall selection than either of the other two, and the game prices are higher in general.
Any of these options will end up being better than trying to find PC games that will let you replicate a console like that. If you're set on doing it, the only real way to emulate a console experience is frankly emulation.
Other great multiplayer action RPG choices for PS2 are Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 1 & 2 (though 2 is in high demand and pricey as a result), Champions of Norrath and Champions: Return to Arms (basically two more Dark Alliance games set in the EQ world, but that doesn't make them too far different).
MAME, SNES9X & MOST IMPORTANTLY -- GRIDWARS!!!
oh - and two logitech wireless gamepads are a must
"Achtung die kurwe" is a great multiplayer game you can play on one computer.
Here's some PC Games suggestions that can be played with a gamepad:
-Tomb Raider (Legend/Anniversary)
-Toca Race Driver 3
-Resident Evil 4
-Grand Theft Auto (III/Vice City/San Andreas)
-Prince of Persia (Sands of time/Warrior -Within/The Two Thrones)
-Need for Speed (Underground/Underground 2/Most Wanted/Carbon/Pro Street)
-Flatout 2
-Nascar 08
-NHL 08
-FIFA 08
-Tiger Woods 08
Most of theses games have a good re-playability too.
I hope this is gonna sustain your gaming appetite.
Lately I've noticed that the gaming companies took all the news on people playing games on consoles more than PC to heart...and what's happening is that the games are being built for the consoles and not the pc first. Like Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Call of Duty 4 on pc is so~so where as on the 360 or PS3 it's awesome and everything feels right where as the PC the controls seem clunky and awkward. Vegas 2 has it's own problems but has the same problems as COD4 as well. So you want console like fun on PC? Try playing DIRT on the 360 then switching to the PC...Then you go to the store buy a wireless adapter for your PC for the 360 remote, feels much better doesn't it? Same goes for COD4, though not so much for Vegas 2.
For free, most emulator will do. :P
Paying, buy a Wii...
For more guitar action, be sure to check out Frets on Fire
With a little bit of google-ing you can apply a 2-player mod and import all the music from Guitar Hero 1, 2, Encore and 3...
Several people have mentioned emulation, I'd recommend a Commodore 64 emulator, there are tons of good 2 (or more) player games, here's a short list of games to try:
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Emulators are now SUPERIOR to consoles in every way. Better graphics, better controllers, easier load system (don't have to have disks, cartridges all over!). I highly recommend the emulator 1964 and Mario Kart 64. That is THE top game at this house, and we have an xbox 360, a ps2, and 5 networked computers. Doesn't matter, the people who come over always turn on the projector and start Mario Kart 64.
http://a977.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/73/l_ae58c1bb24714fed7fd88ce2f5283878.jpg
With this setup everybody gets their own 6' screen! We also use the high resolution texture packs, and the surround sound speakers with the sub woofer cranked. The lightning bolt is thunderous!!!
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
SERIOUS SAM!!!
I didn't drudge through the other responses so forgive me if this stuff has already been said.
I strongly suggest the Worms gameline (Armaggedon, World Party, whatever) as they all support hotseat multiplayer, have a really fun and innovative approach, and are easy to find extremely cheap (or totally free).
You can get hundreds of NES, SNES, Gameboy Advance, Genesis, etc. in the form of emulators and ROMS. Might be hard to find nowadays, but i have like 1087 nintendo games on a single cd.
Civilization (2, 3, and 4) and Heroes of Might and Magic (2, 3, 4, and 5) are all hotseat multiplayer. They are similar in some ways to roleplaying, or tactics/strategy games, but they aren't real time and have way more depth and interested for the less hardcore RTS's or RPG'er.
I think X-men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse and Marvel Ultimate alliance support multiplayer and gamepads from a single computer, but I'm not certain. They are dungeon crawlers, which might mean they are a little "RPG" oriented, but for the most part people can find a character they enjoy. Maybe I'll think of some more later.
but I've found Bookworm adventures to be great fun with my girlfriend. Story or logic based games that are not actually multiplayer can still be good to play with multiple people.
Get an original xBox, softmod it, load Xbox Media Center, and download the big ass emulator disk. That out of keep you entertained for a lifetime.
Gish!
Great single player platformer, with 2-4 player deathmatch/race/etc modes.
Best multiplayer PC game, if you get controllers it's off the chain. Runs on any machine (AFAIK).
Liero.
In the vein of buying a console, unless you need online multiplayer the best consoles are: A Modded Xbox (original) tonnes of games/emulators media support and no disks, or a Dreamcast.
Enjoy.
Since this seems to be the thread that's NOT about "buy a console", "play console roms", or "hide the sausage" I'll add my recommendations here:
;)
Competitive PC games:
1) Fighters: Get MUGEN (and its infinite supply of custom characters/stages/mods/etc) There are Linux and Windows ports and clones of various levels of actually working-ness. I think the WinMUGEN port is probably the best supported. In modern times, pretty much the only PC fighters are Japanese, some of them have translations out there but might be tough to get legally (play-asia, paletweb, a few other sites exist for imports).
2) Sports: Looks like people still make multiplayer football/soccer/etc games for the PC. These are all going to be Windows games (might work in Wine)
3) Puzzle Games: Frozen Bubble and a billion others out there have competitive modes.
Co-operative PC games (because rubbing it in when you win is likely to mean you'll be rubbing one out on your own tonight):
1) Puzzle games: even if you can't find a co-operative tetris clone, there's always Shoulder Surfer Solitaire... if you can stand it
2) Shoot-em-ups: almost all work with gamepads. A lot of them DO have two player co-op modes, but most of the freely available ones are single player. http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/windows/gr_e.html has a two-player gamepad mode. I've successfully built this guy's C games on Linux with a few Makefile tweaks, haven't tried porting the games he wrote in D.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Use an emulator and some old controllers from http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/12/nes-usb-controller-dont-make-it-buy-it/ You won't ever have to blow on the cartridges or work special magic to make it stay down.
Buy some boxing gloves. Pummel. Repeat.
Seriously, though, MAME is excellent, but I prefer GTA San Andreas. You'll have to take turns, though.
Works well to play a lot of old school console games and it's legal.
I have been a console gamer since the original NES to todays crop of consoles, i find that games on consoles are just far more immersive and more varied than PC games.
PC games generally fall within a handful of categories primarily FPS, MMORPG, strategy and simulations. The problem is that thats about it!!. While clearly graphics have improved the game genres have become stagnant as the primary method of controlling them has gone unchanged since the mid 1990's. Additionally quality was always an issue with CPU if it wasn't a crappy OS it was a piece of hardware not fully supported by a particular game drivers that need to be updated or else the game will routinely crash, a slew of patches that correct issue that should have been found and fixed well before the product even touched store shelves. Quality control on PC games is a nightmare because essentially anything goes there isn't a governing body licenses releases for the platform. Issue two is hardware, because PC game graphics evolve more rapidly than those of consoles hardware updates are far more regular a modern graphics card can cost $500 and beyond and is relevant for no more than two years, not to mention RAM and CPU updates and operating system support for older games.
Console are a "One-and-Done" answer "it just works". Developers only need to design for one platform configuration and as such can optimize the hell out of it dispite the lower hardware specs these devices have been designed from the ground up with gaming in mind. In regards to PCs general usage and not primarily gaming devices and because there are thousands of hardware OS and driver combinations it if more difficult for developers to accommodate them and test them resulting in a inferior offering from a quality standpoint in general. another irksome issue with PC games are patches, patches are a pain because the enable the game developer to release substandard software to the market faster with the anticipation of patching serious flaws later; on consoles (at least prior to the X360) patches have not been possible on consoles requiring developers to release it as right as possible the first time because unless there is a serious issue there are no recalls. Console game recalls are extremely rare.
Despite the lesser graphics of consoles they more than make up for that deficiency with their immersiveness, overall the offering of games on consoles is far more broad, with a far greater diversity of games and because each is designed using the controller as the primary input device and there are virtually no stability issues either (X360 is the only exception). No tweaking settings to see if you can get a couple more frames and no incompatibility issue or OS forced obsolescence.
Another mis conception is that consoles are "kiddie" this could not be further from the truth, due to the less intimidating nature of the control interface it has made consoles more open a wider audience of people than ever before and are usually in a more public settings such as a family room which automatically puts them in a better position to provide an in-room multilayer experience.
On a related Note:
Sure companies including Nintendo put out "immature" games but in many cases for those willing to put aside their prejudices will find a very well made and rewarding experience, honestly who knows anyone who played and didn't like Mario Galaxy!! or Katamari Damacy!! and for those who say that consoles generally suck for RPGs obviously haven't played Metroid Prime 3 on Wii.
Gametap
People who didn't know us in college are always amazed that my wife plays console and PC games with me, enjoys some flavors of tabletop RPGs, and puts up with my incessant need to acquire more geek toys. Even after 7 years of marriage, she managed to surprise me a few weeks ago when I was telling her about how I booted off of a Knoppix CD to retrieve some files she needed off of a years-old Windows box that hasn't been booting properly for a while and she turned to me and said "Isn't it about time that we just back up what we need and fry that machine to put Linux on it?"
I love her more every single day.
"Linux doesn't exist. Everyone knows Linux is an unlicensed version of Unix"- Kieren O'Shaughnessy
Doom2 is why I bought a computer. Get some of those old games... you can play co-op or deathmatch or whatever. Other than that... buy old NES and SNES cartridges on Ebay for legal reasons, then download the ROMS and play the ROMS on emulators.
Offtopic as hell, I know...
But "Myriad of" is grammatically incorrect since "myriad" litterally means "A lot of". So it's like saying, "There are a lot of of two player titles...". Myriad is a great word, use it with care.
"There are a myriad two player titles..."
Thank you, and good night.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
This is Slashdot, so I'm going to guess "all of it".
What did I win? Another Sausage!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
This is sort of like saying, "I want a car that gets killer gas millage, is incredibly reliable and fairly compact... oh, and it must be made by GM"
No dipshit... buy a Toyota or a Honda.
What this couple needs is a console. Everything they've asked for fits more with the philosophies with console gaming. Price will be comparable to even slightly to a console's advantage. The only thing stopping them is some irrational love of PCs, or some irrational hatred of consoles. I'm sorry, but few are going to cater to this type of bullshit. This subsection of gamers is too small to waste money on.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
No dipshit... buy a Toyota or a Honda. In this analogy, GM replacement parts are made by every generic maker, but Toyota and Honda replacement parts are made only by licensees of Toyota and Honda.
I was in a similar boat to you - console-style multiplayer games on a PC system. In the end, we found quite a few good games:
Little Fighter 2
Simple 2D fighter
Has:
Gamepad support
Up to 4 players
Co-op mode
Versus Mode
Modding Community
Free
GL Tron
Simple 3D arcade game of Tron
Has:
Gamepad Support
Up to 4 players
Open Source
Project 64
N64 Emulator
Some good roms can be found here.
Has:
Gamepad Support
Super Smash Brothers!
Huge catalogue of old games
Up to 4 players
Free
Lego Star Wars
Has:
Gamepad Support
2 player co-op
To be honest, we only ever played the demo of this, but it seemed a pretty good game, and it's got good reviews.
Frets on Fire
PC Guitar Hero clone
Has:
Split screen play
Gamepad/Official Controller Support
Import Guitar Hero songs
Open Source
Community made songs, mods, etc.
A little warning with this one: it takes a while to set up. It should really be considered beta software, and ATM it is going through some developer reorganisation. The official game is still kinda buggy, but there is a good fork available (just hidden away in forums). Will probably become a lot better in a few months time.
If you can get a cheap old PC and get a small LAN together, you'll get a lot more options - there's a lot of good old PC games out there. If you want to game on the cheap, just stick to the older games - Win98 era or so.
You need to reroll. ;)
Dude, just get a used Wii. While I managed to find a girlfriend who DOES enjoy mmorpg's, we have also had a blast with the Smartypants trivia game on the Wii, and a few other Wii games.
I think he is asking how to make a computer a more console-esque environment during actual gameplay.
+don't be afraid to get game pads.
+get a really big high rez monitor
+get that stereo system you've always wanted for your tv for your computer
+make sure you computer is speedy enough to handle a good gaming experience
+get a joystick
+etc etc
best 2d fighting game there is
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.U.G.E.N
Please, no more "Just buy a console" posts. A hundred people have already posted it, and it completely fails to answer the question.
You need to consider that some people don't want to own a console for reasons that have nothing to do with money.
I don't own a console because I don't want to support their business model. I despise hardware that's specifically designed to prevent me from using it however I want.
It used to be that Slashdot was one of few places where you could hold a view like that without being the odd man out. How many people here refuse to use Windows because it isn't open enough? Windows is ten-fold more open than any recent console. It would be nice if there were some advice here for people who still hold to open ideologies.
That said, here's my best suggestion. I love old school adventure games, and though they're single player, they can be fun to collaborate on. Take turns handling the controls (the other player is free to suggest what course of action to take next).
All of the LucasArts adventures are amazing: The entire Monkey Island series (there are four), Sam & Max Hit the Road and Dig. In addition to that, try The Longest Journey (the sequel is also good, but it's very easy) and the new episodic Sam & Max games. Somebody else in this thread suggested Gametap, which would have some of these games (I know all the Sam & Max episodes are on it).
--Justin
Lode Runner: The Legend Returns is a puzzle type game with excellent coop play. Some of the levels are designed where you can only beat it if you time your cooperation.
Pocket Tanks Deluxe is also a classic.
Well, As a real suggestion, i can suggest the new "games for windows" series, a lot of them started as console games. i can also suggest using xbox 360 controllers for gamepads..the games for windows games detect the gamepads immediately and actually includes rumble functionality as if it were a console game...which i've found adds to the experience, personally.
but in the end, it depends on the kind of games you're into playing. one would love rumble function for a shooter like Crysis or Call of duty, but wouldn't find it so necessary for Mario brothers or monopoly.
My wife and I play platformers together by handing off the controller in stages. If you can handle that without ripping the controller out of each other's hands, that would open up many games to play together.
My GF and I have the best time playing old classics from Lucas Arts together.
I'm talking about games like "Day of the Tentacle" and "Sam and Max Hit The Road" and the others like it.
I highly recommend trying these if you can. We spent hours together trying to solve them.
Best of luck.
'mmmmmmmmm.... forbidden donut'
Since everyone else just seems to tell you to get a console, I'd thought I'd actually list a few good PC games that are actually fun to play multiplayer on the same screen. Yes, they do exist. It's a great platform for the task, and if people started actually taking it seriously as such, we could probably see more games like this.
Worms Armageddon (already been mentioned a few times)
Heboris (great customizable two player Tetris game)
http://tetrisconcept.com/wiki/index.php?title=Heboris
Super Mario War (very fun party game where the goal is to stomp on the other player's heads)
http://smw.72dpiarmy.com/
Stepmania (DDR style game that can take all sorts of songs)
http://www.stepmania.com/
Atomic Bomberman (8 player Bomberman on the PC)
You Don't Know Jack (fun and wacky non-trivia game, huge series of them)
Also, try looking at the list of simultaneous player games at Home of the Underdogs. There are a LOT of games. (http://www.the-underdogs.info/multi.php?sort=SHS)
strip poker
Is it illegal? Grey area. But can you honestly consider it immoral at all? Nintendo don't sell PC versions of their games, they never did.
gametap.com
Plenty of early/mid console type, gamepad style gaming on that. And when she gets bored, you can play the PC style games.
Of course, it costs per month, though there's some sort of trial or free type play now too I guess, and I'm getting the distinct impression that everyone here wants something for free or near enough.
OH MY GAWDS NOT FUNNY STUFF ON TEH INTERBUTTS. ONLY SERIOUS BZNZZZ SHOULD BE ALLOWED ON MAH SLARSHDOTS.
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
My wife (3 kids and 4th on the way) and I are in the same boat.
We have 2 xbox wireless controllers with the usb receiver and they work great. Most of the games that we play are with mame (although our mame dance dance revolution doesn't work, so we use a psx emulator).
We mostly play Puzzle Bobble (Bust-A-Move), Gem Fighter (Street Fighter kids), and Puzzle Fighter (street fighter tetris).
JJ
Serious sam is great for 2 PC's, but for one PC gamepad fun try
:) :)
shadowgrounds 1 and 2 which is 1-4 people on the same screen and works great with gamepads, probably the best recommendation here if I do say so myself
Mugen which is street fighter/mortal kombat style all in one, and free
minigolf linux games are great and free
The marvel ultimate alliance birds eye view shared screen beat em ups are fun too, but not so much for girls sometimes.
I'm sure you know all about emulation so no need to get into that. (mario cart smash brothers etc)
My partner and I emulate a dreamcast, using NullDC.
Then we play Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi, and other games. It's not hard to setup and the hardware requirements aren't too bad.
g'luck.
Gametap! (No. Seriously.)
Retro Emulation. (With an emphasis on the SNES. ZSNES is the obvs one.)
15 dollar gamepads from Radioshack.
'nuf said.
Oh wait. THE CURSE OF MONKEY ISLAND. That game can make any woman a gamer. No lie. Make sure that you have a nice stereo hooked up.
I wanted to point out that SubSpace is very similar to Ambrosia Software's "Escape Velocity" (and its sequels), which predates SubSpace. When it was written, the players said "This is a great basis for a multiplayer game, either LAN or online; will you do it?". Ambrosia said "Naw, the game wasn't coded for it and it would require a total re-write." EV Override came and went (rather thankfully in the fans' opinion I think), and then EV Nova became so popular that Ambrosia released it for Windows ca. 2002/3 after being Mac-only before. (They've only done that with one game since, to my knowledge.
To this day, their EV franchise has no multiplayer, but it's such a good single-player universe that you can let it slide.
I just want to throw up my whole hearted support of GameTap. They have plenty of great old console games. Even better (and I know this isn't what you want), they have some truly awesome older computer games. You can really start to appreciate the quality of what came before. Games have gotten prettier, but after having fooled around on game tap of a good year so, I don't think they have actually gotten any better.
Stop being cheap and buy an original xbox, perform a light mod on there and you got yourself a great multimedia device. you can load all emulators for ps1, SNES, megadrive and all the other classic consoles, plus you have all the xbox games you require on simple downloads.
No matter how expensive a Gaming PC is you will never beat an xbox or an xbox 360 for multi player gaming.
you could pick a old Xbox up on ebay for about £20 around $40. a simple investment.
GO FOR IT!
http://fosswire.com/cat/games/
Enjoy
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
There are pretty cheap adaptors to make game controllers (PS2) work on the computer and many emulators let you map the buttons quickly and easily. I haven't tried any games with 2 controllers this way, but I hear it's possible. Also there is a way to make a Wiimote work with through a cheap Bluetooth usb dongle so you could play various games (many online ones) with that as well.
"To be is to do." --Socrates
"To do is to be." -- Aristotle
"Do-Be-Do-Be-Do..." --Sinatra
Great for you! Thanks to you it took me 2 months to finish Soul Reaver!
Worms Armageddon - great game!
It's also turn based, which is something else you might look into with 2 people on 1 laptop.
Get two 360 controllers for windows, and go get gametap. Its 20$ a month, gives you like 900 pc/console games that nearly all work with a controller and its very easy to setup.
You browse through the game titles, decide on which on you want to play and it downloads it to your laptop. Looks great on a tv, will run on a laptop, and it costs 20$ a month, which is cheaper than a console and a bunch of games, more legal than downloading a bunch of roms, and is visually appealing to the misses, i play with mine on my big screen.
It isn't two-player, but it's almost like it is one of the greatest games that came out for the NES that you haven't heard of (even though it's a PC game).
Cave Story/Dokutsu Monogatari
This is a link to the website of one of the guys who made the english translation of it. It also has links to the website of the game's creator (Pixel) and the free download. It's very much worth playing, it's a very great action/platform type game sort of like the new style Metroid and Castlevania titles. It has a great retro vibe too, as well as having an interesting story and even several endings (you haven't seen some of the most awesome stuff in the game if you haven't gotten the 'good' ending).
There was a game called Gods some time ago that is a whole lot of fun and very console looking. The Bitmap Brothers who produced that (and also Xenon 2 which is great) recently released their new Speedball game over Steam. You should get that too. I'm a fan of most of their stuff, as you might guess.
Also, since "RPG" covers so much ground these days, I will recommend Summoner (the first one) since it was a lot of fun but it's a "console RPG," as is Anachronox. I can highly recommend Anachronox also. It's funny in a way that most games try to be but are not.
When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."