Recommend Video Games for my Wife [UPDATED]

[Another_Poet]

Updated: We now have an Xbox 360 as well!

Hi all, welcome to recommending video games for Another_Poet's (somewhat finicky but still lovable) wife!

The game where you recommend games, I rent 'em and she plays 'em for 60-400 seconds before making a judgment. First prize is: your very own cookie cookie-eating demon roaches! Second prize is: you're fired! Hit the bricks!

Okay, here are the systems we have:

-Xbox 360
-Wii
-PS2
-Play Station
-SNES
-N64
-Gamecube
-PC games are possible, but must be older or not-graphics-intensive. (Final Fantasy Online is just beyond our capabilities; anything earlier should be fine.)

Here's some info on her preferences, in order of priority:

-Must not involve lots of hand-eye coordination. This immediately disqualifies most non-RPGs. RPGs that have some button mashing are fine (mist moves in FFXII, for example, were not a deal-breaker) but if lots of quick aiming or button combos are required, it's no good.

-Graphics must either be cartoony or great. By "great" I mean FFXII, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Rogue Galaxy, etc. By cartoony I mean Zelda: Windwaker, Mario games, etc. To give you an idea, I can just barely get her interested in FFIX. FFVIII or earlier would be out because the graphics are too outdated. But a cartoony-looking game can get around this if it's still fun to look at.

-The less railroady, the better. She's been playing D&D since the early 80's so she knows when she's being led along. Games with the option to explore instead of advancing the plot win over railroading games any day of the week.

Games she liked:

-Tales of the AByss. We've only played the beginning but I think that when she has time she will play through more of it. The first enemies in the game were dancing green onions, which counts for a lot.

-Eternal Sonata. We're about halfway through. This has a lot of button pushing, but generally just pushing the same button over and over is good enough. She only plays a little, and mostly watches, but she likes it.

-Fire Emblem (the one for Wii). The initial difficulty of this game put her off a little, but she kept going back for more. We took it back to the rental store but I think she will buy it and play through eventually.

-Pokemon Colosseum. Probably her new favourite game. Thanks Oregano!

-Civilisation. Loves III and IV.

-Dragon Quest VIII. Probably her second third favourite game.

-Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (gamecube). She mostly watched but eventually I got her to play and she liked it.

-Final Fantasy XII. Probably Previously her favourite game.

-Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Sadly she wached me play it through before deciding she would try video games, so she doesn't want to play it herself, but she thought it was awesome.

-Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker. She loves sailing around and finding things.

-Myst (series). I think she's played and loved all of these.

-Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. She worships it.

-the Sims. Plays daily.

-SimCity. She just got this used lately and seems to like it.


Games she has tried and doesn't like:

Final Fantasy Tactics - she loved watching me play it, wouldn't play it herself.
Final Fantasy VI - crappy graphics by her standard
Final Fantasy VIII - couldn't get into it, old graphics
Final Fantasy X - didn't like the intro or the too-frequent cutscenes.
GrimGrimoire - this game is a piece of **********************
Kingdom Hearts 2 - hard to get into
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adv - too primitive, too railroady
Rogue Galaxy - too much button pushing
Shadow of Colossus - loved watching me play, too much button-pushing for her
Wizardry - she's not an old-time video gamer; she can't appreciate its glory. Similar games with better graphics might be okay though.


Games you shouldn't suggest:

Final Fantasy IX - jury's out on whether she likes this one
Okami - she wants to play it, but only the PS2 version, hard to find
World of Warcraft - our computer won't do it


Suggestions that we're going to try:
GC: Legend of Zelda collection

GC: Pokemon games - Tried it, loved it, thanks Oregano!

PS2: Shadow of Destiny

??: Shin Megami Tensei
> SMT: Nocturne
> SMT: Digital Devil Saga
> SMT: Digital Devil Saga II

GC: Tales of Symphonia

PS2: Tales of the Abyss Thanks crispydave and others!

Wii: Mario Galaxy

I'll probably try those in that order. I also appreciate the PC game suggestions, especially the space ones, but will hold off on those unless the console games above are hard to find. Thanks guys!


Winners so far!

Oregano, who won a whopping 16 demon roaches for suggesting the Pokemon games for GameCube, something I hadn't even considered. Turns out she loves it more than any other game!

Crispydave, who got 5 demon roaches for the Tales of... series.

Geno9999, with 5 demon roaches for Fire Emblem.

W00t!

I'm sure there are some I've forgotten for the above categories; I'll add them to the list if they are suggested. Anyway, any help is appreciated, as we really enjoyed playing a few games together but I'm out of ideas for what else she might like.

Thanks!

ap

[Oregano]

How about loading up on Gamecube and Wii RPGs and the like. The two Pokémon, Fire Emblem, FF:Crystal Chronicles(although you apparently don't have any handhelds, My Life as King for the Wii might be good though), Super Smash Bros.(although she may not like the fightiness of it).

How about some Nippon Ichi games, they're cartoony, fun and have coolness factor.:smallcool:

[Crispy Dave]

the tales of series would probley be good i just played the demo for the new on the 360 and it reminded me how great the games were.

[The Valiant Turtle]

Wanting to play Okami PS2 over the Wii version is just wierd.

Anyway, it looks to me like her tastes really lean towards the strengths of PC games more than consoles, but it sounds like you PC is pretty weak.

If your PC can handle it I would investigate some of the better examples of "Tycoon" style games. Roller Coaster Tycoon 1 and 2 would probably be playable, but 3 would probably be too much for your rig. Zoo Tycoon 1 and or 2 might work for you as well. The truth is there's a "Tycoon" game for just about everything, it's just a matter of finding the ones that are decent.

Another genre she might like to explore is 4X-Space games, the most modern example is Galactic Civilation 2, but it might be a bit much for your rig. Master of Orion 3 might work as well, although it's not as good in my opinion.

Coming a bit farther out of left field would be Homeworld. It's a beautiful game and doesn't require very much in the way of reflexes. It's realtime strategy, but a relatively slow paced one. I'm not sure what it's system requirements are, but it's pretty old. Others might be able to recommend some other slower paced RTS games.

[Joran]

Baldur's Gate 1-2?

It's D&D, a RPG, filled with cool characters and a great story. It's kind of old, but should run on your computer. Very minimal graphics, so I'm not sure if she would like it.

On that note, you can also try Bioware's next offerings, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire.

The advantages of these games are that you have some choice in how your character develops. They also have turn-based, stat-based combat, so hand-eye coordination isn't really needed, except for Jade Empire, which has a real-time combat system.


How about some Nippon Ichi games, they're cartoony, fun and have coolness factor.


Might strike her as too much like Tactics. Does she like Strategy RPGs?

[Breltar]

Well I know my wife actually took a little interest in 'The Sims' even though she doesnt like gaming much at all except for puzzle and brainage type games.

Worth a shot as I believe I read that 'The Sims' had sold 75% of its units to women?

[Joran]

Well I know my wife actually took a little interest in 'The Sims' even though she doesnt like gaming much at all except for puzzle and brainage type games.

Worth a shot as I believe I read that 'The Sims' had sold 75% of its units to women?


-the Sims. Plays daily.

Are there any games like the Sims/Sim City/Civ that we missed?

[valadil]

My GF has really enjoyed the Katamari series. Not sure if that's too much hand eye coordination. She also really liked Psychonauts at first, but gave up once it got too hard. We're looking forward to Little Big Planet.

I've also had some luck getting her to play old school games via emulator. Tetris Attack is real big with us right now.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

Paper Mario is very cartoony and doesn't rely too much on button mashing or combos. I really enjoyed the Gamecube Paper Mario.

[Dallas-Dakota]

I was gonna suggest Zelda twilight, but she already played it...

Out of suggestions...

Must figure way out to have cookie...

[Another_Poet]

Hey guys, off to a great start.

Katamari wasn't a big hit with her, hard to say why.

What are the "Tales of..." games?

I never even thought of Pokemon. Of course I should try that, cute creatures go over great. She might be a super-feminist 21st century woman but moogles still give her the fan girl eyes.

[potatocubed]

If you can find a copy, try Shadow of Memories for the PS2. It's a very old game, and I think it was called something else in the US.

The graphics are... maybe a bit dated? But it's got an excellent time travel plot and doesn't require any sort of reaction speed or button mashing.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

If you can find a copy, try Shadow of Memories for the PS2. It's a very old game, and I think it was called something else in the US.

The graphics are... maybe a bit dated? But it's got an excellent time travel plot and doesn't require any sort of reaction speed or button mashing.


Shadow of Destiny, I think. The one with the creepy Homonculus?

[Proven_Paradox]

She seems to be kind of hit-or-miss with jRPGs. What does she think of violent/dark/bloody/very M-rated games? I see none on either the Liked or Didn't Like list. If she's okay with that, I would suggest trying out pretty much any game in the Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) series. Graphically, they have a unique looks that kind of fuses realistic and cartoony graphics--it uses cell shading to great effect.

If she wants a more open ended game, SMT: Nocturne (released as SMT: Lucifer's Call for our friends in Europe, I think) might please her; though the game's middle is fairly set, there are several endings which are influenced by how one makes decisions in the game.

They suffer from railroading a bit, but SMT: Digital Devil Saga I and II are both good games. You need to play them in order to have any idea what's going on, though.

For these, good luck finding them--they're quite rare. My suggestion would be to head straight for EBay. Also, I note that she seems to enjoy games on the easier side of the spectrum. These games require essentially nothing from the player reflex or reaction time wise, but they are strategically intense, and if you screw up, they will brutally kick your ass. This is part of the reason I liked them myself, but consider these only if she's okay with getting game overs.

[edit] In regard to the Tales series: I've never played any of them other than Symphonia myself. I didn't particularly like it, but I've been told by many that the later games are much more to my tastes. They might be a bit reflex intensive for your wife, as it's a real-time battle system. Wikipedia for quick reference. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_(role-playing_game_series))

[Crispy Dave]

theres one for the gamecube called tales of symphonia thats a great rpg

[Griever]

How far did she get into IX? The storyline really picks up after awhile imo and allows for more interest in it.

Other than that... hmmm... X does start out with a lot of cutscenes, but getting through those just takes about 10-15 minutes of patience, did she even get beyond that?

You said she didn't like KH2 due to being hard to get into (which it was, very, and I only really understood everything the second time through), did she try KH1?

Rock Band :smallcool:

Crud... must, think, faster...

[Oregano]

I second Nocturne/Lucifer's Call, I was wondering why everyone praises Nocturne but not Lucifer's call!:smalltongue:

Another good choice might be the Sonic Mega Collection for the gamecube and the LoZ collector's edition, both collections of older games, both great fun.

EDIT: My Brother played KHII for a while before and gave up because he hated Roxas.

[Another_Poet]

Creepy is fine with her (though zombie-heavy might put her off). Difficult games are fine too. She's actualy super strategic and often has the winning idea in our D&D group. In FF XII she made it a mission to kill the optional hunts as soon as they became available, even if we were under-leveled. Yeah, we saw some game-overs. (Damn you, Carrot!!!)

We got about 4 or 6 hours into FFX and neither one of us could get into it. Maybe it's just not our world. After finding out that the first actual ball game is rigged for us to fail I was pretty much fed up.

We haven't tried KH 1 yet but I think we will. It seems like it might be a lot less... mind... blender... y.

I will definitely try out some of the games mentioned above, if I can find 'em, especially the homunculus one. Bear in mind I'll do some wikipedia'ing and then some used-game-searching before I have a definite answer on which ones she liked. Feel free to keep 'em coming, if there's more that hasn't been suggested.

[Destro_Yersul]

if she liked Windwaker, see if you can find a copy of Ocarina of Time and/or Majora's Mask for that n64 of yours. Both of those are great, especially OaT.

And they're roughly as railroady as Twilight Princess, from what I've seen. Graphics are kinda dated, but they're more cartoony, so it should be fine.

[Oregano]

That's why I suggested the LoZ collection for the Gamecube, you can get both easily and for a better price probably.

[Another_Poet]

Hmm, maybe I'll look for that LoZ collection then. I think just the idea of another Zelda game makes her happy. The plot is crazy railroady, but searching out mysterious caves is totally her thing. There's always lots of hidden stuff in Zelda.

[Oregano]

Well you get The original, the second one, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, although Majora's Mask's a bit buggy at times.

EDIT: You'll also only be able to get it used as it's very limited in availability, games that seel used games usually have a copy or two where I am though.

[NEO|Phyte]

With the sims/simcity likes, Spore might be something, but it's a ways beyond what your PC can handle, comparing it's reqs to that of FFO. How old is your computer, anyway? My computer wasn't exactly top of the line when I got it 4+ years ago, and it can run Spore, albiet at minimal settings with some chugging. I'll look through my collection for a few ideas once I'm at my computer.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yeah, and Majora's Mask is a veritable gold-mine of collectible goodies.

What else... Mario 64 is also good. Collect stars, explore worlds, defeat Bowser if you're not too busy... :smalltongue: Galaxy might be good for the same reason, and is easier to find. As a Bonus, the Lumas are adorable.

[Another_Poet]

I've updated the first post with the suggestions I'm taking. Here they are in case you don't feel like scrolling (yeah this is a full service operation).

Suggestions that we're going to try:
GC: Legend of Zelda collection

N64: Pokemon games

PS2: Shadow of Destiny

??: Shin Megami Tensei
> SMT: Nocturne
> SMT: Digital Devil Saga
> SMT: Digital Devil Saga II

GC: Tales of Symphonia

I'll probably try those in that order. I also appreciate the PC game suggestions, especially the space ones, but will hold off on those unless the console games above are hard to find. Thanks guys!



My laptop is probably about 4 years old. it's the graphics card that's the problem, and we're not interested in upgrading right now.

[The Evil Thing]

Since Myst was a success, I strongly recommend The Dig. It's very olde, running on LucasArts' SCUMM engine but the writing is absolutely fantastic.

In a similar vein, have a good look for Grim Fandango; similarly brilliant writing with "outdated" but obviously cartoonish graphics.

[Tirian]

Some good news is that, while I haven't gone off looking for it yet, I understand that Okami has been rereleased for the PS2 on the Greatest Hits line in the past week. So you should find it not only pretty easy to find but half of the price that you would have had to pay a month ago. (Which I did, and TOTALLY do not mind as it is a mind-blowing game.)

If the Okami level of hand-eye coordination is okay with her, then I'd also suggest looking into the Ratchet and maybe Sly Cooper games. Both have fun graphics and most of the games have an open-ended exploration feel to them.

On the PC side, I heartily recommend Zeus/Poseidon as excellent Civ-style games. And there are lots of solid "Myst clones" in the world like Rhem, or you could go towards other excellent graphic adventures like Grim Fandango or the Monkey Island series.

[warty goblin]

I don't play console games, so here's my PC game recommendations:


Galactic Civilizations 2. Can be losely characterized as "Civ in space" although there are some major differences in the economic, culture and military models. I honestly enjoy it more than Civ IV, the AI is better without cheating (on the highest settings it does cheat, but it gets plenty hard before that point), and the military aspects feel more organic to the setting than Civ's do. Plus you get to build your own spaceships, and the expansion packs are beyond brilliant. If your computer can run Civ IV, it should handle GalCiv II pretty well, although naturally I'd check before I buy.

[The Evil Thing]

Galactic Civilizations 2. Can be losely characterized as "Civ in space" although there are some major differences in the economic, culture and military models. I honestly enjoy it more than Civ IV, the AI is better without cheating (on the highest settings it does cheat, but it gets plenty hard before that point), and the military aspects feel more organic to the setting than Civ's do. Plus you get to build your own spaceships, and the expansion packs are beyond brilliant. If your computer can run Civ IV, it should handle GalCiv II pretty well, although naturally I'd check before I buy.
^ This

You can get it and its two expansions for $60.

[Innis Cabal]

Crono Cross, amazing game, decent graphics, alot of characters to get

[alexeduardo]

Ithink there was a war pinball game for the gamecube. Bizarre concept, but maybe just what you need

[Geno9999]

I was thinking of Super Mario Galaxy... And there's Super Mario RPG (VC/SNES) and Fire Emblem 9 and or 10.

[Triaxx]

Rent Metroid Prime 3. It's a bit twitchy, but the lock-on keeps you from getting lost in the jumble and it's such a natural feel that it might win her over.

Sacred Underworld would be a good PC game. It's not very twitchy, there's no rail roading. The graphics are pretty good, and she can wander forever. Plus it's just incredibly fun.

[Seonor]

Try Beyond Good & Evil. That game is pure awsome. Since it was released 2003, youp PC should handle it well. Graphics are ok, story is good, you can explore the map for extras or go for the story relevant missions.

As far as rpg's go take a look at Grandia 1&2, they aren't so bad.

[The Duskblade]

I won't reapeat any of the above but I will throw one hat into the ring. Psychonauts. Looks decent if a tad aged and relitivly Cartoony. Great humour and a decent number of collectables. A tad linear but no worse then the Zelda games and the last few levels can be done in any order. If your computer cant run it there is a PS2 port so you should be set.

[Woot Spitum]

Try Beyond Good & Evil. That game is pure awsome. Since it was released 2003, youp PC should handle it well. Graphics are ok, story is good, you can explore the map for extras or go for the story relevant missions. I would advise getting either the Gamecube or PS2 version of Beyond Good & Evil over the rather buggy PC version. Even with the patch installed, I still have frequent crashes with the PC version. I'll bet the controls are better on the console versions as well.

[Tirian]

I would advise getting either the Gamecube or PS2 version of Beyond Good & Evil over the rather buggy PC version. Even with the patch installed, I still have frequent crashes with the PC version. I'll bet the controls are better on the console versions as well.

I certainly have no complaints with the PS2 controls, and it is a most excellent game that most everyone should try. Unfortunately, the boss fights and minigames are quite arcadey so 20% of it might not be the OP's wife's cup of tea.

[Knaight]

DROD, from caravel games. Probably the second one, Journey to Rooted Hold. There is a free demo, and its a hybrid puzzle action game, cartoony graphics, huge amounts of strategy, and its fun. Basically your an exterminator who was hired to clean out a dungeon from giant cockroaches, and goblins and such, and you discover it connects to an underground city. You can do the rooms in pretty much any order you want on a level, and there is no twitching. Every turn you can either take 1 step, or rotate with your sword 45 degrees, and a sword hit kills all. It starts out easy, but gets hard fast past the demo part(demo is level 1-3, 25 rooms or so, by level 8 there is some real difficulty, and level 13 has some nearly impossible rooms.)

[Another_Poet]

What does DROD stand for?

[Pronounceable]

I can't believe no one even mentioned Heroes of Might and Magic. Especially 3, though 5 is servicable if your PC can handle it. Though 3 is best and old.

As people said above, there's Grim Fandango. Great doesn't cover it, it should be a legal requirement of owning a PC. Perhaps it may not like Vista, but I'm sure there's some cure for that.

BG&E is golden as said. I had no problems on PC version.

There's also the good ol Jagged Alliance 2. Tactical combat at its (probably) finest. I heard stories killing enemies with richocheting bullets or behind tin and wooden walls. It's very old with neat graphics, there's no PC that can't run it.

If she's into adventure games, old Lucasarts or Sierra games are good, if you can get them. Like Leisure Suit Larry 7, fun for the whole family! (or maybe not)

A better example would be Full Throttle. And Gabriel Knight. And of course Monkey Island.

[Burley]

Alright, Poet, I know you said this is out of the running, but I wanna put it back in: Kingdom Hearts 2.
I have multiple reasons, including "Disney characters are innately cartoony", "simple, yet fulfilling gameplay", "Moogles", and "Every* girl wants to play a game with lots of Disney Princesses."

But, I'm not even gonna state these reasons. I'm just gonna tell you a story. My girlfriend plays Sims constantly. She's really good at it, apparently. I don't understand a thing that's going on, but she's got alien and werewolf babies all over the place, so, she's gotta be doing something correct, right??
Anyways, I got her into Kingdom Hearts 2 one day when she got sick. I demanded that she not quite until she had played for at least an hour. After 45 minutes of her whining that it wasn't fun, she finally got to play as Sora... With Donald and Goofy. She nearly crapped out of her ears with excitement.

Force it into her, and I swear to you: She'll get into it. Before you know it, she'll be screaming at Sephiroth. ("This Fenrir Keyblade had better be with it you one-winged asshat!")

*I am fully away that not "every" girl wants this. Hyperbole for effect.

[alexeduardo]

I won't reapeat any of the above but I will throw one hat into the ring. Psychonauts. Looks decent if a tad aged and relitivly Cartoony. Great humour and a decent number of collectables. A tad linear but no worse then the Zelda games and the last few levels can be done in any order. If your computer cant run it there is a PS2 port so you should be set.

it is a great game, but methinks it's a little too skill-based for our wife here.

also, may I suggest the Metal Gear series? not overwhelmingly skill based and a topic of constant among the gaming elite.

[Spiryt]

I see that someone had suggested Baldurs Gate series, so I can only recomend it.

From your list it seems that she would love it.

Hereos of Might and Magic (any part) are also great.

And of course khm, khm...

Planescape : Torment !

[Woot Spitum]

What about Oblivion? It has pretty graphics and an awful lot of freedom to choose where you want to go and what to do when you get there.

[alexeduardo]

What about Oblivion? It has pretty graphics and an awful lot of freedom to choose where you want to go and what to do when you get there.

nah, it's not any better (or different) than a regular D&D campaign

[Tirian]

What does DROD stand for?

Deadly Rooms of Death. (And I have a special love for the game, being the winner of the race to first defeat the 'Neather in the wrong room.)

[Oregano]

If you're getting Pokemon Stadium 1&2, you might as well get Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness for the Gamecube, there's also Battle Revolution for the Wii but I think that is only battles.

[Knaight]

Deadly Rooms of Death. (And I have a special love for the game, being the winner of the race to first defeat the 'Neather in the wrong room.)

That, although you can kind of just ignore it. And this makes two people saying the games awesome, so at least download the demo.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

Since it sounds like she enjoys watching you play games, I also recommend Super Mario Galaxies. Its a game where the 2nd player can aid the primary player without much chance of hurting him by using their Wiimote to stun enemies and stop evil boulders and help collect the star bits that Mario needs. It has great cartoony graphics and is a great deal of fun, although the plot is rather basic.

[Airk]

I still think that Tales of the Abyss is one of the best PS2 RPG offerings. The graphical style is probably cartoony enough for it to pass muster, and certainly they don't suck by any standard (Reference here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtPSz228HCI&feature=related).) It's more linear than FF12 or DQ8, but much less so than the beginnings of FFX, where you might as well have been on rails.

The battle system is realtime, but if my wife can play it, yours can too. ;) It has the added benefit of multiplayer support for battles, which adds a lot to the enjoyment.

Another likely candidate might be Persona 3. Which is highly linear, but in a very unusual sort of way. In fact, it's generally a highly unusal game. No reflexes to speak of required for this one.

Edit: Ooops. Left out my reference link. x.x

[Another_Poet]

Okay, Tales of the Abyss and Mario Galaxy havebeen added. I'll encourage her to give Kingdom Hearts 2 another try. I think she might be more open to KH1 and if that is fun then she might give 2 a second chance.

I have to say I'm surprised at how many reponses this thread is getting. I wish I could try all these games with her tonight but between our work schedules, limited budget and the fact that we're going out of town for a week it'll be a while before I can start handing out cookies. :(

of course you've all earned one just for making so many suggestions... so if you go around telling people I gave you a cookie I won't say anything :)

ap

[Griever]

We got about 4 or 6 hours into FFX and neither one of us could get into it. Maybe it's just not our world. After finding out that the first actual ball game is rigged for us to fail I was pretty much fed up.

The first game is winnable, you MUST have Jecht Shot and be damn good at defending, but other than that, it is winnable. Just takes quite a few tries to get it down.

[Proven_Paradox]

Ah, I guess I never specified that the SMT games are all for PS2.

They've already been suggested, but if she's into strategically minded games, you should give Disgaia and Disgaia 2 a try. Very cartoony look, light hearted, humorous stories, and deep strategic gameplay. My main gripe with them really is that a lot of grinding is needed to get at a lot of the super high level content. There's this break between where you beat the games at around level 80, and then extra content starts up expecting you to be around level 200. Getting there isn't necessarily difficult--especially if you know how to break the system--but it takes a long time doing the same thing.

If you're not after extra content, though? The games are awesome.

[Krade]

Master of Orion 3 might work as well, although it's not as good in my opinion.

Waitwaitwaitwait... There's a MoO3?!?!? My brother got MoO2 at a Half-Price Books a few months ago and I loved it. I never knew there was a third...

Also the first Blitzball game is winnable without Jecht Shot. Sphere Shot works just as well sometimes. I just went through the game again in the past couple weeks and I won the Blitzball game 4-2 without using Jecht Shot (it costs too much to use at that point in the game anyway so if you've lost too many HP dribbling, then you can't use it at all). Of course, I don't think anyone wins that game the first time they play anyway. I know I didn't. What's really upsetting is that the prize you get for it isn't even that good (I think it was one of the spheres that fills in a spot on the grid), so you didn't really miss out on much by losing.

Also, in that first game, don't neglect Datto. He's not as good a shot as Tidus or Wakka, but he can score a goal (and he did last time I played it)

As for my actual suggestion, I want to say Front Mission 4, but it's a tactical RPG. It's really fun though and I suggest giving it a try. It's faster paced and has a more realistic story than FFT. All your guys are fully costumizable (they have there own set of abilities to buy but you can purchase more sets for them). One fun thing you can do (though kinda hard to pull off real effectively) is you can have four guys with machine guns surrounding an opponent and through the link system, fire with each of them twice for each of them (making 2x4x4 shots or 32 if anything could survive that). But for that, you need to buy lots of ability sets with your money and then level your guys up so they can actually use them. There's also a New Game+ mode where you keep all your experience and money and start over (you lose the equipment and any abilities you purchased, but I'm pretty sure it gives you more money to compensate). It's real fun and I think I'm gonna have to go play it again now...

[Airk]

Waitwaitwaitwait... There's a MoO3?!?!? My brother got MoO2 at a Half-Price Books a few months ago and I loved it. I never knew there was a third...

While I didn't try it myself, most of the 4X fans I know tried and it were disappointed. It did not get a good reception, overall.



As for my actual suggestion, I want to say Front Mission 4, but it's a tactical RPG. It's really fun though and I suggest giving it a try. It's faster paced and has a more realistic story than FFT. All your guys are fully costumizable (they have there own set of abilities to buy but you can purchase more sets for them). One fun thing you can do (though kinda hard to pull off real effectively) is you can have four guys with machine guns surrounding an opponent and through the link system, fire with each of them twice for each of them (making 2x4x4 shots or 32 if anything could survive that). But for that, you need to buy lots of ability sets with your money and then level your guys up so they can actually use them. There's also a New Game+ mode where you keep all your experience and money and start over (you lose the equipment and any abilities you purchased, but I'm pretty sure it gives you more money to compensate). It's real fun and I think I'm gonna have to go play it again now...

I almost suggested this one, but I wasn't sure how well it would go over. It's awe inspiringly linear. Gameplay was kinda fun, but I thought the graphics were a little muddy. (At least, in combat.)

[Pronounceable]

AFAIK MoO3 is universally loathed.

[Castaras]

Old games, but alot of fun. Maybe a tad railroady, but there's loads of stuff you can wander around killing/doing while not going for the main plot:

Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honour
Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer

Cartoonyish graphics. RPG. Sadly, the one place these games lack in (especially in 8) is with female characters who actually wear things. Luckily this can be covered by the armour.

Simon the Sorcerer. Wandering around a cartoony world, trying to work out what a 20th century teenager is doing in a fantasy world. Very funny. Simon the Sorcerer 2 is good as well.

Ooo, she likes the Sims? And she likes Alpha Centurai? Go for Spore.

I'd recommend Sacred as well. A fun hack n slash rpgish thing where you have a world at your fingertips to explore and attack things in. Once again, pity about the scantily clad women, but eh.

[The Valiant Turtle]

AFAIK MoO3 is universally loathed.

I don't know that I'd say it's loathed, but it's certainly not exactly loved. What's far more exciting is that Stardock (makers of GalCiv2) is making a game that will be Master of Magic 2 in all but name (they couldn't agree on a licensing deal with Atari to get the name). I've been waiting for a sequal to MoM since the original came out back in the days of DOS, and I've still got it installed!

[Airk]

I don't know that I'd say it's loathed, but it's certainly not exactly loved. What's far more exciting is that Stardock (makers of GalCiv2) is making a game that will be Master of Magic 2 in all but name (they couldn't agree on a licensing deal with Atari to get the name). I've been waiting for a sequal to MoM since the original came out back in the days of DOS, and I've still got it installed!

This news intrigues me. Have you any details? MoM was fun if hilariously unbalanced. ;)

[The Valiant Turtle]

This news intrigues me. Have you any details? MoM was fun if hilariously unbalanced. ;)

Not much. Here's a few links though:
Main stardock forums thread:http://forums.stardock.com/310372
Interview excerpt:http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-5389.html
Interview about the licensing snafu:http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1780/master_of_the_galaxy_stardocks_.php

Summary: will be announced in November, probably released in late 2009.

[Oregano]

If you don't already hva eone I'd recommend getting a DS whenever you can as well, there are loads of games that your wife would like(by the sounds of it anyway).

FF: Crystal Chronicles: Rings of Fate could maybe prove enjoyable to her.

And Chocobo Tales, one of the best games ever! it's jsut so fun and although the humour is meant for kids it is funny. It uses simple things(the plots very simple) and yet it involves the player.

[Triaxx]

A suggestion I didn't think to make earlier, but that's very applicable.

Resident Evil 4 on the Wii. Yes, I know she might not like shooters, but it's different. The Wii controls are so smooth, and so responsive that it's... it's undescribable. And despite popular opinion it's not easier, it's just the controls.

[Another_Poet]

How about loading up on Gamecube and Wii RPGs and the like. The two Pokémon...

Hey Oregano, you still out there?

You is the winner of not one, not two, but THREE FRIGGIN' COOKIES!

Pokemon Colosseum is a huge hit with her. I finally rented it the other day. I've never seen her like a console game so much. Even FFXII, her previous favourite game, took some time to get into. With Pokemon Stadium she liked it right away, is constantly amused and won't let me play for more than two or three battles. So, hmm, maybe you're too good at this. But you have an awesome avatar so it's all good.

I now see that there is no cookie picture among the smilies on this forum. I can only assume the demon roaches ate them. So, here are sixteen demon roaches for you instead! They will kill for you!

:roach::roach::roach::roach::roach::roach::roach: :roach:
:roach::roach::roach::roach::roach::roach::roach: :roach:

[Oregano]

Wow, Glad I could help, now I has 16 demon roaches, I'll have to get them to steal me some cookies to replace the ones they ate though.

Thanks for the compliment about my avatar as well.

[Mando Knight]

Pokemon Colosseum is a huge hit with her. I finally rented it the other day. I've never seen her like a console game so much. Even FFXII, her previous favourite game, took some time to get into. With Pokemon Stadium she liked it right away, is constantly amused and won't let me play for more than two or three battles.

Y'know, if she likes Pokemon Stadium and Colosseum a lot, you could also try Colosseum XD or Pokemon Battle Revolution (compatible with the DS Pokemon games, so if you have those, you can battle with whatever team you want...)

[Another_Poet]

Sweet! I don't have a DS but I wouldn't be surprised if one lies in my future.

[Triaxx]

Careful with the DS. You might find you never see your wife again, just a big white square with hands...

Might as well wait for the DSI.

[phoenixcire]

You should try Harvest Moon:Tree of Tranquility. My girl is so into that game that I rarely get a chance to play myself.

[Winter_Wolf]

What about Monster Rancher? I think it's a Playstation game, requires very little coordination. Though I admit I think it gets kind of tedious. It was quite amusing to watch others play back in the college days.


And oh ya, SMAC is just evil. I don't know if it would even run under Vista, but I can't let myself get sucked into that game again. Waaay too many wasted days (months) there. Like crack cocaine delivered via PC.

[Spirit300064]

How about Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree? Those types of games seems to be popular among casual/nongamers

[Another_Poet]

Hmm, what kind of game is it?

If it's a collection of mini-games I have no idea whether she'd like it (she might), but I might not mention it to her just because I personally find such games annoying :)

[Tirian]

They are minigames, but it's more intelligence based than Rayman or that Wario thing. It's a cute game, but pretty heavy on the hand-eye scale.

[Zorander]

This is an old Sierra series my wife enjoyed, [ http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Quest-Collection-Pc/dp/B000AYFPKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1225157897&sr=8-1 ]the first 4 were older graphics (think early Lego); I don't know if they have upgraded it for XP, there is a version for earlier Windows. The last 3 were much more cartoony. You have a lot of exploring to do, you can go on if you don't find all of the puzzle solutions, but you really can't railroad the game.

[Another_Poet]

Okay, so an update to this thread. WE HAVE A GAMECUBE NOW! So if any of you want to add suggestions, please do. So far we've only played Two Worlds (sucked) and Eternal SOnata (quite enjoyable).

Also, Tales of the Abyss has gotten a mixed reaction so far. But I think she's going to try it again soon and maybe play it through. Five roaches for whoever first suggested it:

:roach: :roach: :roach: :roach: :roach:
edit: these are for cripsydave, who was first to suggest the Tales games.

last, didn't someone here suggest Fire Emblem? If so, kudos. She rented it and liked it, and will probably purchase it and play it through.

:roach: :roach: :roach: :roach: :roach: for you!
edit: it was Geno9999. Geno, please enjoy your roaches!

Looking forward to Xbox suggestions... (And yes we have a 360 if that matters)

[Joran]

Well, the first obvious suggestion is if you liked Tales of Symphonia, you should try Tales of Vesperia, which is a Xbox 360 exclusive.

[Oregano]

360 RPGs are pretty difficult but you and your wife may enjoy Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery might be worth a try too. The Last Remnant is a brilliant game but it's fairly inaccessible. Fable 2 is a good RPG and although it's British is shares the look of JRPGs(in my opinion anyway) oh and it's got limited co-op.

[alchemyprime]

Gamecube: Skies of Arcadia. Very similar to Tales of Symphonia. The characters are a little cartoony but once she see's Cupil she'll be hooked. Hard to find though... Also, perhaps consider the Megaman collection.

XBOX 360: Viva Pinata should be up her alley if she likes the Sims or Sim City. Fable or Fable 2 perhaps?

Wii: Wii Music, but wait until it's cheaper. Also, perhaps Wii Fit, but only if she wants it (don't want the OP to end up in the doghouse! :smalleek:) Maybe Super Mario Galaxy or Animal Crossing perhaps? And if she likes hospital dramas, the Trauma Center Games. And after she finishes Tales of Symphonia, WIi has the sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. I just got it! Its fun! Part ToS and part Pokemon, but all fun!

PS2: If you can find it, Mad Maestro is a personal favorite, as well as Champions of Norrath.

PC: The Baldur's Gate series or perhaps Neverwinter Nights? Maybe Chuzzle? Or Puzzle Quest? Wait, that last one may be too new...

[Crispy Dave]

Alright well I'm glad she liked the tales of games. I would recommended the one for the 360 as well. Also check out Star Wars:Knights of the old republic for the original xbox if she doesn't like it you will. Puzzle quest may be a good pick and is available for $15 from the xbox live marketplace.

More xbox Live arcade suggestions to come just let me go through and play them again.

fyi every single xbox live arcade game has a trial version so she can try them before you buy them.