Getting Into Gaming

[Edge]

I would like to recommend Neverwinter Nights 2.

Well, not the main game, but the first expansion, Mask of the Betrayer. Since a Let's Player has already explained why you should play Mask much more succinctly than I can, I shall just borrow their words:

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Mask is a story about truth, and the differences between what is obvious and what is actually real. It's a story about learning and knowledge, and also about ignorance and falsehoods. It's a story about self-discovery.

Mask is a story about death, and the dead. It's a story about God, the gods, and the godless. It's a story about what happens to you after you die, and why bad things happen to good people (and the other way around).

Mask is a story about love. Not a love story, mind, but a story about capital-L Love. Love of family, love of friends, religious love, love for your country and, yes, romantic love.

The first [PROTOTYPE] is interesting due to the way the backstory is filled out with the Web of Intrigue, but the main plot isn't really that enthralling, and it is an exceptionally gory game. Probably not the best suggestion, but perhaps worth a look.

I found Enslaved: Odyssey to the West a worthwhile play. The interaction between Monkey and Trip is excellent, the gameplay interesting and relatively varied, and the environments gorgeous. Definitely worth consideration.

[Dublock]

The first game had a damn fine tale to tell, with a well written plot, good, likable, memorable characters, and a very clear and defined villain with obvious motives (The Four Horsemen, I am referring to). What most people have an issue with is not the first game, which most Call of Duty haters still love (because it's a fantastic game that hadn't been mercilessly duplicated four more times at that point).

I cut his quote short, but really he hit the nail on the head.

I love CoD4, both single player and multi-player. Both I spent some time on, and I did play MW2, and I was disappointed and multi-player was not that much improved that I did not even purchased the 3rd and it looks like I did not make a mistake.

I had another rant in another thread here, that Halo 1 (and CoD4) were the last of the good single player pure FPS games that were made. I can recommend other FPS games that have other elements in it (Dues Ex wdith stealth, Half-life for adventure/some puzzle, etc), but for pure action pack FPS that has some good characters, a half way decent plot and nothing that made you go "Really?" just does not exist.

[Triaxx]

The thing is that in a well worked game, ala MW, or in my opinion the Ghost Recon games, the act of killing the enemy isn't a matter of just style. It's not a matter of just killing the enemy. It's a matter of saving your teammates.

Dealing with that enemy is the difference between the life of you and your squad, or that guy. I know what I'd chose.

The whole idea of story telling is to make you care about the characters. If you don't care about the characters enough to want to kill the enemies before they kill your team, they've done something wrong.

[RagingKrikkit]

Okay, plot holes. These are spoilers to MW2.

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• How did Makarov just trudge around the airport without a mask? How did the Russian military not notice him on a security camera? He's a terrorist the country knows quite a bit about!
• How did the SAS identify the bullet apparently fired by Rojas that lead them to Favela? It was a bullet obtained from the aftermath of the airport attack, which means the Russians obtained it, and supplied the SAS with the casing. Of all the casings in the world, this one points to a specific favela the target may have supplied the terrorists with, and may still be there!
• Soap and Price were evac'ed by Russian loyalists at the end of CoD4. So why in the hell was Soap left to prance about in the UK while Price was chucked in the Gulag?
• Shepard just happened to know where Makarov's last two hiding spots were. How did anyone think he wasn't a traitor when he pulled this stuff out of his ass? It just comes out of nowhere, nobody questions it, and two major characters die. Whoopee.

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In "Loose Ends", there are is a newspaper clipping on the wall which states that the Russian government holds Makarov personally responsible for the attack, whilst being supported by America. I have no video link, but it is mentioned in the CoD wiki, or you can find it yourself, like I did last night.

Intellegence agencies occasionally get something done. Weaons have serial numbers that allow police to tell when and where an illegal weapon went missing, and it is possible that ammunition has something of the kind, perhaps by the batch. Odds are more than the oone bullet was examined, but only the one was mentioned as per dramatic tension. Rojas did not personally take place in the assault, but merely supplied it, and if he lives in Rio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgqmJRkrutI offers an alternate reason for Price's imprisonment, which is supported by the picture at the end of MW3 showing Soap, Price, Ghost and Roach together in 2013 (and this video was sponsored by IW)

Shepers does not soley operate through the 141, he also had acess to CIA, as demonstrated with Allen. Additionally, these characters (with the exception of Price, who stated he never trusted Sheperd) were working with him for years and maybe, just maybe, started taking him at his word. Also, this offers another explination for the Rojas question.

Also:

My hero, it comes as no surprise, is the experienced Captain Price. While belly crawling after the Chernobyl disaster, with heart in mouth and weariness of murderous mutts, I saw a leader. Our experiences shape who we are, and the inclusion of the backstory resulted in my, SHeRUBI’s respect for Price once back in.

I'm not really a big fan of Price, between his cutscened execution(s) of unarmed men (followed up by him not moving through the doorway during gameplay until he has killed every last wounded man trying only to crawl out of the line of fire.) His

MW2

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total lack of sympathy for the deaths of Soap's commrades, he basically says "grow up and kill the bastard who did it". Not to mention that he admits to being mentally unstable, saying "The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is it's last day on earth. But I find that's a luxury, not a curse."

And

MW3

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PRICE GOT SOAP KILLED! Price said "Overconfidence makes you do stupid things" Literally the next level, Price ignores all signs that this is a setup (Soap sees Makarov looking at them, Kamarov goes missing) and rushes forward in his rage to kill Makarov, only to spring Makarov's trap and get Soap killed.

Then again, the whole trilogy is really about a crazy British man trying to wipe out a crazy Russian man and anyone and anything associated with him.

[Lord Loss]

Two PS3 exclusives that I would like to reccomend.

Heavy Rain

This game is... just wow. Ihonestly won't tell you a single thing about it, because any spoilers lessen the effect of the game. I played through it in two sittings, my friend in one. It's probably the videogame that's touched me the most, ever. From what I hear, you'll either love it or hate it. I for one loved it. It's a thriller-type-thing where your decisions don,t jus taffect the plot, they create it. Your every action has huge repercussions, and I don't say that lightly. What you do doesn't just change small things, but the entire way the game unfolds.

LittleBigPlanet

A really adorable, really challenging game. It's about little sackpeople and at first glance it comes off as a kids game. It's not. It's very challenging, I had trouble finishing it and I honestly can't imagine any kid getting through the last few levels. There are collectibles (costumes, stickers and ''parts'' for custom made levels) scattered all over the place and finding them all is insanely challenging. The level editor is jaw droppingly good, the stuff I've seen made by people with a whole lot of patience never seems to astound me.

Also, I reccomend Saints' Row 3, but YMMV. it's not a game for everyone, I personally really like it. You're the leader of a street gang in a very slapstick, crazy world. It's a little like GTA, but a lot whackier, and if I hafd to choose between the two I'd go with Saints' Row in a heartbeat.

[TheLaughingMan]

LittleBigPlanet

I'll go ahead and recommend Little Big Planet 2 as well. You don't need to play through the first to get what's going on, and the level editor is vastly improved.

(Sorry if it looks like I'm trying to one-up you, Lord Loss, haha ).

[Triaxx]

I played through about 3 hours of Heavy Rain on a borrowed system.

That is possibly the most boring 'game' I've ever played. And I beat Superman 64.

[Koury]

Alright, last night we finished playing through Assassin's Creed 1. Expect to hear her thoughts and opinions on that game some time soon.

The question now is what game next?

Short List of Next Games

• Portal (PC)
• Left 4 Dead 2 (PC)
• Oblivion (PC)
• Skyrim (360)
• Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

I think we'd both like to begin with FF12, but I need to get me a PS2 again first. Barring that, I'm thinking Portal for a tour through not only puzzel games, but also for some good humor. Plus it's not that long so we can begin FF12, assuming I find a system and get it (Sorry GameStop, it's justnot worth $40 ).

[Dublock]

Well the first portal is pretty short as well.

If you don't know the story of portal (from what I heard) it wasn't actually designed to be a full fledged game. But rather it was a group of college students/grads that wanted a job at Valve and they made it as a demo of their abilities. Obviously Valve thought it was good lol.

Oblivion and Skyrim are a good deal longer. I know I spent more then 100 hours on each game. Then you can get into the mods for the pc which can add/change a LOT from the looks (there is a great mod that changes the currency's looks that is beautiful) to adding houses/dungeons to changing how a system works. If you are not in the mood for a game that can take a while right now, avoid those two :P

[Triscuitable]

If you don't know the story of portal (from what I heard) it wasn't actually designed to be a full fledged game. But rather it was a group of college students/grads that wanted a job at Valve and they made it as a demo of their abilities. Obviously Valve thought it was good lol.

This is actually pretty incorrect (but you understand the gist of it). Let me explain it.

Here in Washington, we've got a technology college called DigiPen. Annually, they take the Juniors and Seniors of the school to team up and develop games using the software they're been taught to use over the course of the year. One of these teams, in 2006, made a game called Narbacular Drop. It was about a princess who was trapped by a demon in his castle. Another demon decides to help the princess escape by having her place entry and exit doors along the world using his power.

This team didn't want a job at Valve. Valve visits the school annually when the games are complete to find a possible team to recruit (as do a lot of publishers, like EA and Activision). Thing about Valve is, they're really quite mean when it comes to recruiting people. They bully and antagonize students about their games, aren't very clear as to why they hire another (they expect the students to know why they were hired), and generally just diss the less impressive games.

To date, only two games have ever been selected from DigiPen by Valve: Narbacular Drop, and TAG.

EDIT: Right, game choice. I'd say save the really exceptionally long games (why did you choose Oblivion and Skyrim? Skyrim's a straight upgrade, and Oblivion has aged horribly. Quite frankly, Oblivion's just plain bad by today's standards. Buggy, dull combat, a lot of walking around, cookie-cutter dungeons, etc.), and go for Left 4 Dead 2. Since your last game didn't support co-op, it'd be a nice change of pace to play together, and have a lot of fun with.

Better yet, try this. Every time you beat another game, play a Left 4 Dead 2 campaign. When you beat that campaign, move onto the next game. When you beat that game, move onto the next campaign, and so on.

Oh, and uh, play Portal. Portal's a fantastic puzzle game, was originally released as a freebie in The Orange Box (Portal was more of a tech demo than it's predecessor), and lasts about 4 to 5 hours.

[Koury]

why did you choose Oblivion and Skyrim? Skyrim's a straight upgrade, and Oblivion has aged horribly.

Well, Oblivion I have for PC, meaning mods can (and likely would) be used for a lot of things. I have Skyrim on 360 (or more correctly, I have my brothers Skyrim for 360).

I think that Skyrim is indeed an upgrade over Oblivion, but Mass Effect 2 (and Assassin's Creed 2) are upgrades over their aged predecessors as well.

I'm open to hear agruments about Oblivion not deserving a spot on the list. I would personally go for Skyrim over Oblivion myself, if I were picking between them. But thats likely because I've spent more then my fair share of time in Cyrodiil. But thats us. Seasoned adventurers. For her, new to not only opel world RPGs, but still new to gaming in general, I don't think right now that it deserves to not be played (though in a modified version, admittedly).

[Dublock]

This is actually pretty incorrect (but you understand the gist of it). Let me explain it.

Ah ok, interesting. Sadly that lowers my opinion of Valve, but good to know.

@ Oblivion

The reason why I think it can be a good game to play at this point is for the fact that it can serve into an introduction to the modding community.

The number of things they can do is down right amazing from the improvements to the looks to the dungeons, to the vast changes to systems/locations/etc. So it can be interesting for her to look at those mods and it can't be done in Skyrim because its on the Xbox 360 (and why I would never get it on the xbox lol).

Of course if she has no interest in the mods then go ahead and skip Oblivion for the reasons listed above. The magic system is cool, but wow it can be abused without knowing how to lol.

I support the idea of playing a campaign on Left 4 Dead inbetween games. Its a great way to take a short break and really there is little point if you play 3-4 campaigns in a row.

[Triscuitable]

Ah ok, interesting. Sadly that lowers my opinion of Valve, but good to know.

Why should it? Valve is the elite of the elite. If they aren't impressed, then they've got every right to: they've done better.

[Dublock]

Why should it? Valve is the elite of the elite. If they aren't impressed, then they've got every right to: they've done better.

Because you said

Thing about Valve is, they're really quite mean when it comes to recruiting people. They bully and antagonize students about their games, aren't very clear as to why they hire another (they expect the students to know why they were hired), and generally just diss the less impressive games.

There is a difference between being nice and being mean. You can still be the elite of the elite and not be mean about it. If you said they offered constructive criticism about the less impressive games then it would be different.

But the impression I got is that they just rip into the games they don't see any merit of. The terms "bully," "antagonize," "diss," and "mean" don't portray a positive image of their recruiting trips, just being one of the top companies of an industry doesn't give you the right to be mean.

[Logic]

There is a difference between being nice and being mean. You can still be the elite of the elite and not be mean about it. If you said they offered constructive criticism about the less impressive games then it would be different.

But the impression I got is that they just rip into the games they don't see any merit of. The terms "bully," "antagonize," "diss," and "mean" don't portray a positive image of their recruiting trips, just being one of the top companies of an industry doesn't give you the right to be mean.

Some companies want to put people under pressure before they hire someone. If they have the opportunity to see someone under pressure by being mean, they have a better idea of who they are actually seeing under a deadline crunch. I'm sure what they are doing is from a business perspective, not from a bullying perspective.

No one has the "RIGHT" to be mean, but when you are looking for a job in a highly competitive industry, you had better have some thick skin, or it won't be for you.

[Triaxx]

I love Oblivion. I really, really do. I still play it on occasion.

Oblivion is very very hard to get into as a seasoned player because you want to level up and get better. The thing is that there is NO REASON to ever level up. Skills increase by use. The more you run, the faster you can run. The more you jump the higher you can jump.

Whack things with a sword, you get better at whacking things with a sword.

You can be a master sneak thief at level one. You can litterally steal the pants off of a person and have fewer HP than you get paid at the store for them. And all enemies are equal.

The big problem is that as you level up, your enemies get harder and harder until you can't survive the onslaught until you break a crest and are suddenly the strongest thing in the room.

At which point there's no challenge. In Oblivion, the most powerful creatures in the game were the guards, who could usually handle anything thrown at them single handedly. And not mister Essential Super Guard who'd just pop back up like a daisy. The basic run of the mill Guard McDierson. There's almost nothing he can't kill.

I have to suggest that you play it first, with mods. Skyrim is a much more... user friendly game, and if you play it first, you'll find it hard to go back to Oblivion.

[tomaO2]

If she is interested in story then it's not always needed to actually play the game itself

Why not just watch a You Tube professional playthrough of Portal?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbpovd7ZOYA

Also, the ending song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs

Not a single comment of dialogue to distract from the game itself and this guy has the entire thing memorized. I was astonished by how perfectly he played the game. He never got lost, never died, never hesitated, that I recall. This is as fast a playthrough as you are likely to see.

Portal 2 is way better. I watched the ending and that is what made me watch the Portal replays. Both of them. Wheatley is frikken hilarious. The beginning end ending are much more interesting then the middle where you just have GLADOS. Another great game ending is the "good" ending for BioShock. Even if you don't play the game, watch the ending.

I'd suggest Starcraft 2. That game has a strong storyline and the levels are a joy to play. Normally in RTS games, you take forever for base building but this game lets things progress at a good pace.

Also, what about Black and White? I like the moral choices you make in that game and you get to raise your own monster.

If you can, you should get her to try some Wii games. The WiiMote setup brought a legion of traditional non-gamers to play and she might like it as well.



Aside from retail games, have you thought about internet free games? I am a big fan of those. Graphics are far less important then gameplay and there is some truly innovative stuff that don't cost a cent to play. Plus, they are shorter, more forgiving for casual players. I got some suggestions for that.

- Suit-Able http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/532760 Platformer. If your girlfriend likes plot heavy games Godlimitations does fantastic ones (warning, some are horror inspired). In this one you wake up underground and must wear an "invulnerable" suit to survive.

-Memoir: Text Adventure http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/514365 Choice. It's a game of life. Follow your character from birth to old age, making choices that affect what happens to him.

Unfair Platformer http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/422675 I swear that she will NEVER play a game anything like this platformer on any conventional game system. It's rigged with invisible booby traps all over the place. The only way to win is to memorize where they are. The opening level is so funny. :)

Loved http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/539211 Platform. you make your way while being ordered/insulted by somone. your decisions shape the game.

Heir http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/539299 Platform. It's similar to Colossus but with low end graphics and the monsters can't move.

Boss Rush http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/533278 Shooter. It's a space shooter only instead of being the little ship facing hoards of enemies, you are the end boss trying to kill what is NORMALLY the player ship. This is also a concept you won't find in retail games. Controls are, admittedly clunky though.

Air Pressure http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/529708 If she likes choice based decision making, then this is a must try. A deep storyline holds this game together. I was confused until I found out that the girlfriend was a metaphor for... well, try and guess for yourself.

Sixty Seconds to Live http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/519879 Escape. Very cool escape game. You were poisnoned and have 1 minute to live. You die no matter what so try to find out who did this... and why.

Battalion: Ghosts http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/517263 Turn Based. Cool little tank strategy game in the mold of Advance Wars.

Genius Test http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/511119 Quiz. Great game that tries to trick you with every question.

Finding My Heart http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/507159 Point & Click. You were kicked on the street by your girlfriend for playing too much video games. You gotta set things right with her if you ever want to play your games again!

Turn Based Battle http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/508692 RPG. Forget Final Fantasy. If you want your girlfriend to wade her toes into the RPG genre, look no further then this game. I can't tell you why without spoiling the story though, but it's shorter then you'd expect. ;)

This is a very small portion of my gigantic internet game list. I can post some more if you like these. :)

(note to self: continue from issue 53 if yes)

[Logic]

*SNIP*

Please, but some of us find Comic Sans hard on the eyes.

Back on topic:

Not a bad list, but there are plenty of games I would put on higher priority than Black & White and Starcraft 2.

[SHeRUBI]

What most people have an issue with is not the first game, which most Call of Duty haters still love (because it's a fantastic game that hadn't been mercilessly duplicated four more times at that point). No, most people hate the second one, which underneath that incredibly intense atmosphere, fun level gimmicks, and exciting mission variety was a story chock-full of plot holes (which I will list in their spoiler-y glory in a moment), ridiculously unrealistic events (let's jump a chasm in a snowmobile!), and a downright stupid plot twist that defied the logic of the game (as in, you're shot five times, get in cover, wait for the jam to fall off, proceed with killing).

I appreciate the heads up, Triscuitable. I do know that Koury falls into the Call of Duty lovers or worshippers category and that he sees merit in 2 and 3's storylines. I imagine we'll invoke the tried and true three-time rule. Are the characters in MW2 and/or 3 of interest at least?

The first [PROTOTYPE] is interesting due to the way the backstory is filled out with the Web of Intrigue, but the main plot isn't really that enthralling, and it is an exceptionally gory game. Probably not the best suggestion, but perhaps worth a look.

I found Enslaved: Odyssey to the West a worthwhile play. The interaction between Monkey and Trip is excellent, the gameplay interesting and relatively varied, and the environments gorgeous. Definitely worth consideration.

Great suggestions~keep 'em coming! I should also add that I am fascinated by character interplay, and Enslaved seems to fit the bill.

The thing is that in a well worked game, ala MW, or in my opinion the Ghost Recon games, the act of killing the enemy isn't a matter of just style. It's not a matter of just killing the enemy. It's a matter of saving your teammates.

Dealing with that enemy is the difference between the life of you and your squad, or that guy. I know what I'd chose.

The whole idea of story telling is to make you care about the characters. If you don't care about the characters enough to want to kill the enemies before they kill your team, they've done something wrong.

Well put. I wish I had teased out the theme of teamwork now! But I am still troubled over the stylistic comments. What effect is that meant to have? After we first played, I shared my concern/confusion with Koury, and he said that the dialogue is spot on for how it is that people talk...

Also, may it be noted that any resentment toward the pilot during nuclear detonation was poorly delivered sarcasm.

I'm not really a big fan of Price, between his cutscened execution(s) of unarmed men (followed up by him not moving through the doorway during gameplay until he has killed every last wounded man trying only to crawl out of the line of fire.)

Isn't that how it is with all characters and killing, though? Or do others let the wounded be? I really can't remember.

Plus it's not that long so we can begin FF12, assuming I find a system and get it (Sorry GameStop, it's justnot worth $40 ).

BOO, GameStop!

[Triscuitable]

Spoiler

Show

If she is interested in story then it's not always needed to actually play the game itself

Why not just watch a You Tube professional playthrough of Portal?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbpovd7ZOYA

Also, the ending song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs

Not a single comment of dialogue to distract from the game itself and this guy has the entire thing memorized. I was astonished by how perfectly he played the game. He never got lost, never died, never hesitated, that I recall. This is as fast a playthrough as you are likely to see.

Portal 2 is way better. I watched the ending and that is what made me watch the Portal replays. Both of them. Wheatley is frikken hilarious. The beginning end ending are much more interesting then the middle where you just have GLADOS. Another great game ending is the "good" ending for BioShock. Even if you don't play the game, watch the ending.

I'd suggest Starcraft 2. That game has a strong storyline and the levels are a joy to play. Normally in RTS games, you take forever for base building but this game lets things progress at a good pace.

Also, what about Black and White? I like the moral choices you make in that game and you get to raise your own monster.

If you can, you should get her to try some Wii games. The WiiMote setup brought a legion of traditional non-gamers to play and she might like it as well.



Aside from retail games, have you thought about internet free games? I am a big fan of those. Graphics are far less important then gameplay and there is some truly innovative stuff that don't cost a cent to play. Plus, they are shorter, more forgiving for casual players. I got some suggestions for that.

- Suit-Able http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/532760 Platformer. If your girlfriend likes plot heavy games Godlimitations does fantastic ones (warning, some are horror inspired). In this one you wake up underground and must wear an "invulnerable" suit to survive.

-Memoir: Text Adventure http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/514365 Choice. It's a game of life. Follow your character from birth to old age, making choices that affect what happens to him.

Unfair Platformer http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/422675 I swear that she will NEVER play a game anything like this platformer on any conventional game system. It's rigged with invisible booby traps all over the place. The only way to win is to memorize where they are. The opening level is so funny. :)

Loved http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/539211 Platform. you make your way while being ordered/insulted by somone. your decisions shape the game.

Heir http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/539299 Platform. It's similar to Colossus but with low end graphics and the monsters can't move.

Boss Rush http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/533278 Shooter. It's a space shooter only instead of being the little ship facing hoards of enemies, you are the end boss trying to kill what is NORMALLY the player ship. This is also a concept you won't find in retail games. Controls are, admittedly clunky though.

Air Pressure http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/529708 If she likes choice based decision making, then this is a must try. A deep storyline holds this game together. I was confused until I found out that the girlfriend was a metaphor for... well, try and guess for yourself.

Sixty Seconds to Live http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/519879 Escape. Very cool escape game. You were poisnoned and have 1 minute to live. You die no matter what so try to find out who did this... and why.

Battalion: Ghosts http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/517263 Turn Based. Cool little tank strategy game in the mold of Advance Wars.

Genius Test http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/511119 Quiz. Great game that tries to trick you with every question.

Finding My Heart http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/507159 Point & Click. You were kicked on the street by your girlfriend for playing too much video games. You gotta set things right with her if you ever want to play your games again!

Turn Based Battle http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/508692 RPG. Forget Final Fantasy. If you want your girlfriend to wade her toes into the RPG genre, look no further then this game. I can't tell you why without spoiling the story though, but it's shorter then you'd expect. ;)

This is a very small portion of my gigantic internet game list. I can post some more if you like these. :)

(note to self: continue from issue 53 if yes)

The Comic Sans is really a dreadful font. As for watching a playthrough of Portal, the point is to introduce his girlfriend to games, not get her to watch one. That's far less interesting, and not fun at all. For you, you might enjoy it. For her, she's trying to play, not watch.

As for Portal 2, gameplay wise, it's better. But I think the simplistic story with black humor is exactly what the series should have stuck to: a plight between an AI and a silent protagonist, plus an inanimate cube and a couple talking turrets here and there. I recommend both, but I'm going to have to say you can't shove the first one aside for the second.

As for StarCraft 2, that's a terrible game to introduce someone to the games with. It's a sequel to a plot-driven game with literally ten years of backstory to catch up with before the second game's plot even kicks in.

Black & White is an example of what Peter Molyneux is: a brilliant mind that does not understand he cannot execute his games with today's technology. They're heavily flawed and not understood by his audience as well as they should be.

I'd say your game suggestions are good, but they're not exactly "let's teach you how to play a game" material. I'd say save them for another day.

And please, please stop using the Comic Sans font. It's tiny, oddly shaped, and an eyesore in general.

[Koury]

I do know that Koury falls into the Call of Duty lovers or worshippers category and that he sees merit in 2 and 3's storylines.

As much merit as I see in the story behind any Rambo or Die Hard movie. Its there. This was a thing we did before we got into what it was you really liked in gaming. It was also largely to show that FPS games are not (purely) about shooting guys.

And I don't love Call of Duty, I love playing competative games with friends. Theres a difference.

I imagine we'll invoke the tried and true three-time rule.

Yes, likely, at some point. We're still dipping toes in different gaming waters at this point. Not feeling like its quite the time for a sequal yet, especially MW. Would do ME2 before MW2.

Well put. I wish I had teased out the theme of teamwork now! But I am still troubled over the stylistic comments. What effect is that meant to have? After we first played, I shared my concern/confusion with Koury, and he said that the dialogue is spot on for how it is that people talk...

The mission that really made her mad was this one. She really didn't like the whole "Ka-boom." and "Lots of little pieces down there." and other comments like that.

[TheLaughingMan]

The mission that really made her mad was this one. She really didn't like the whole "Ka-boom." and "Lots of little pieces down there." and other comments like that.

May want to keep her away from Team Fortress 2 then. Just a heads up.

[tomaO2]

The webcomic OOTS uses Comic Sans MS. Tell you what, get him to change his font, which apperently is so horrible that nobody reads his comic or stop harrasing me over it. If you still have a complaint with the font I have picked, please feel free to report me to the mods. If not, please stop bothering me about it, you have asked and I politely decline. If you want to delete my font when you quote me though, feel free.

Okay, with that out of the way, you guys are making a lot of assumptions on what the girlfriend wants and doesn't want. She said she prefers plot to gameplay. Maybe she would like to watch a play through, you don't know. Maybe playing a puzzle game would be less fun then watching a pro do it. How many video games do you think she has watched other people play and play WELL?

Maybe having a walkthrough would make playing the game more fun afterwards? I use walkthroughs all the time. I don't like getting stuck in various places and spending 20 minutes trying to get to the next part.

It's a skill. Lots of people like to watch starcraft tournamants. There are many matches with commentators explaining how the game goes. Maybe she would like that. There is a reason Starcraft became a spectator sport.

Maybe you don't need to know the backstory to play Starcraft 2. Why assume you do? Also, it's not ten years worth of backstory. God, you make it sound like she needs to read every book devoted to the game. In 10 years there has been exactly 1 game and 1 expansion pack and and the story in them wasn't all that deep. Nothing compared to Mass Effect with a codex full of background information. What is a fact, is that the gameplay of Starcraft 2 is the most polished of any RTS around.

Maybe she would like training a creature or doing a god style game and decide how to treat her tribe. Maybe she would like to play something like the Sims or maybe Harvest Moon. There is a fun little thread devoted to the Harvest Moon story in this topic area that I think is a lot of fun to read.

Let the OP and his girlfriend make up their own minds on what is good or not. I can only assume the only reason no one cut down the internet games I posted is because you think it's too laughable to even consider playing them. Since I'm getting nothing but criticism.

[Triscuitable]

In any case, you guys are making a lot of assumptions on what the girlfriend wants and doesn't want. She said she prefers plot to gameplay. Maybe she would like to watch a play through, you don't know. Maybe playing a puzzle game would be less fun then watching a pro do it. How many video games do you think she has watched other people play and play WELL?

Let the OP and his girlfriend make up their own minds on what is good or not. I can only assume the only reason no one cut down the internet games I posted is because you think it's too laughable to even consider playing them. Since I'm getting nothing but criticism.

Because the point of the thread isn't to gawk at someone else's skills. It's for the OP to introduce his girlfriend to video games, and quite frankly, YouTube isn't going to give her the same experience as actually playing it. StarCraft II wouldn't make much sense, and it's not exactly good for someone who's only just begun to play games in the first place. That is why we're saying it's a bad idea.

You start with the mainstream pick-up-and-play games. Not too challenging, but still difficult. Nothing with a steep learning curve, but still moderately demanding. You can pick up and play Grand Theft Auto 3. Will she want to? Most likely not; that game is really morally questionable, and I can understand why she'd avoid it. If you want to know why we recommended our games, check the previous thread to see what we threw out there. Almost everything we threw out there was shot down, so don't think you're the only person denied that.

(As for Comic Sans, it's called that because it's used in a comic with a bigger font size, and bolded in small sections. It's easier to read in small chunks, but paragraphs of tiny, oddly shaped letters take effort to read. It's made for comics, not novels. Besides, I don't read OOTS; I like the community, not the comic strip).

[elizasteave]

I came across Final Fantasy XII. I would apologize before saying anything, if it hurts to anyone, that this game couldn't impressed me too much. The fun and the pleasure in this game were not to that level as they used to be in the earlier versions of this series. Not that the game is poor, but its not worth for me at least. Other than that I liked to play CoD a lot and yes its multi player option is also great this time. Now I am looking forward to play the two games suggested by Lord loss as Heavy rain and the LittleBigplanet.

[Icedaemon]

You are considering Portal and Bioshock on a console? The first person perspective works far better on the PC, especially in a game like Portal where accuracy is paramount.

[Triaxx]

Would you at least increase the size one? Comic Sans is hard to read because of the minimal size of the letters, designed to get the maximum amount of letters into the minimum amount of space. It was always intended for print comics so they didn't have to increase sizes or add pages.
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With that said, you do have a point. I can think of a few games where LP's are actually quite the good idea and if you find one that matches the way you play, it can work better than an FAQ. If for example you prefer to use plot to make decisions instead of meta game reasons, a LP can make it easier to work your way through to the choices you want than an FAQ. Particularly in something like Mass Effect.

[Yora]

Thoughts on Mass Effect as an entry point?

Two weeks late, too bad.

When I saw the thread, I was thinking "If you start with Mass Effect, you probably end up as a gaming snob." In a good way. This is top-level quality when it comes to games: Deep story, complex characters, rich world, lots of descisions to make, yet at the same time very linear levels. The only problem is the inventory system, which is waaaay... too complex for way too little gain, but with someone who knows RPGs and this game well to help, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Otherwise, it's really beginner-friendly.
Overall, the series is perfect to show what video games can be. On the downside, it also is what most video games can never come even close to. With this as your baseline, most games will fall short.

You are considering Portal and Bioshock on a console? The first person perspective works far better on the PC, especially in a game like Portal where accuracy is paramount.

With Portal I agree. But mostly it's a case of what you're used to. When I started, I thought shoter on console is a stupid idea. But with some experience, they play just as well. Playing Halo, Bioshock 2, Modern Warfare or Mirror's Edge on console, I never have the feeling that the controlls are insufficient.

That said: Mirror's Edge, big recommendation from me for people who lean towards the more "artsy" games out there, like Mass Effect, Portal, or Shadow of the Colossus.

[RagingKrikkit]

I appreciate the heads up, Triscuitable. I do know that Koury falls into the Call of Duty lovers or worshippers category and that he sees merit in 2 and 3's storylines. I imagine we'll invoke the tried and true three-time rule. Are the characters in MW2 and/or 3 of interest at least?

Well, Soap turns into your new character's mentor, and the other character has a sergeant who begins an order with his name at least 26 times through the campaign, followed by the other soldiers piling on more. This has spawned a meme.

[Triscuitable]

That said: Mirror's Edge, big recommendation from me for people who lean towards the more "artsy" games out there, like Mass Effect, Portal, or Shadow of the Colossus.

A flawed but still excellent game that I wholeheartedly support. That's what happens when you let the Battlefield guys make a game they want to make. The result is really cool.