Games For Both Of Us? 208
Truist writes "My wife and I have started playing games together (side by side at the computer) recently, and we're having a hard time finding games that we both like. Specifically, I tend to like FPS games (Quake) and she tends to like puzzle games (Myst), but we're both happy to meet in the middle. She doesn't seem to like Worms, but Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a huge success for both of us. What are your suggestions for good games that we can play together, and that we'll both enjoy?"
mame.. (Score:1, Insightful)
there's shitloads of good games there that the gals like.
.
hmmm (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:hmmm (Score:1)
Re:hmmm (Score:5, Funny)
We've had great success playing the Sims. I got sick of playing that one, because I got tired of making new friends. I mean, sheesh, I don't have 9 "real" friends, much less 9 sim friends.
Subspace/Continuum (Score:3, Interesting)
Free download, free play, tons of fun. Got my GF hooked.
Re:Subspace/Continuum (Score:2)
I used to be seriously hooked on that game. I have all the Continuum files and stuff now and even went back and played some about a year ago, but I had a lot of lag problems on the servers at the time, so it was less than fun. Not to mention my favorite game type was Turf, and I couldn't find any turf server with more than a handfull of players on it. :(
Co-Op (Score:2)
Re:Co-Op (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Co-Op (Score:2)
One of the major selling points of Bungie games is that they have really good co-op.
Re:Co-Op (Score:2)
Oni was a good blend of action/story/puzzle... (Score:1)
-Munki
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Score:2, Interesting)
My girlfriend hates most gaming, especially D&D, but she begs me to play Dark Alliance with her.
Sorry, XBox and PS2 only. Also, it's pretty short. About 6-8 hours will get you through the game, even on a first run through. (And Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 is on the way!)
Re:Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Score:1)
She just got home and I asked her..
She's hooked on Warblade [warblade.as], a really good independent, Galaga type game development by Edgar M Vigdal.
She also loves the Sims. Also, she likes a lot of the computer adapted board games. Monopoly, trivia, etc..
She loves Jeopardy and a lot of the fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, etc...
There are some classics too like Oregon Trail.
Hmm.. Now that I think about it, she doesn't play many games..
WRONG! (Score:2)
I agree, it is very fun. Unfortunately it is very short... I wouldn't buy it myself (again) - i'd just rent it if you plan on spending a weekend on it.
The original (Score:2)
Re:Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Score:2)
Awesome game- AND the chicks get to dress the players up in nice clothes.
Seriously, I came home from a neighbors house tonight and found my wife playing a little more just to get her player trained up to the next level. Great game.
Rez (Score:5, Funny)
In fact, if you have the right peripheral, she might enjoy it more than you [gamegirladvance.com]...
: )
Have you tried RPGs? (Score:3, Insightful)
If you're really attached to first-person shooters, though, try something slower paced with a bit more strategy--System Shock 2, the Thief games, Deux Ex, and so forth. You might find something you both like.
Re:Have you tried RPGs? (Score:4, Funny)
Also, try falling block puzzle games (Score:2)
My gf and I play Pokemon Puzzle League against each other all the time. I've been playing longer, though, so I often have to let her win so she'll still play me.
Re:Also, try falling block puzzle games (Score:3, Funny)
Man, 11 years old and you've already got a girlfriend? I smell BS.
Re:Also, try falling block puzzle games (Score:2)
Re:Have you tried RPGs? (Score:2)
Re:Have you tried RPGs? (Score:2)
Adventure... (Score:5, Informative)
Marathon (Score:4, Interesting)
If you can find it, I think you'd both like Marathon [bungie.com]. Really more of a puzzle than a FPS--it's not nearly as competitive as, say, Unreal--it has a nice blend of "How do I open that door" with twitch fragging. I would often clear a level, and then go back to figure out all the puzzles. Really, one of the best games of it's class, although now the graphics are dated. It gave a Mac-gamer hope in a dark day...but I'm not going to believe Halo is actually shipping for the Mac until I install it.
(Marathon also was available for the PC, but not nearly as widely known as it was on the Mac. And, good luck finding it, especially for the PC--but I'll warrant any Mac user from 98 still has a copy lying around somewhere.)
Re:Marathon (Score:2)
Not sure if I still have the game itself, but I believe I still have some old network replays. Somewhere.
Weird thing to ask... (Score:1)
Personally though, my ex and I played just about every multiplayer pc game out there... I have never bought a game on anyone's word either, especially considering the price of a new game. I would just ask around and go play at someone's house to sample a lot of different genres. You like fps and she likes puzzle games, but have you tried strategy games like age of empires, civilizations (free
A Tale in the Desert (Score:4, Interesting)
We have Windows and Linux clients, and it's free for 24 hours. (We don't even ask for a credit card upfront.) If you check it out, do a "/chat pharaoh" in game and let me know.
Re:A Tale in the Desert (Score:2)
Re:A Tale in the Desert (Score:2)
Doing the sums, one gets that (again on average), a female player plays 1.8 times longer than a male player.
Two-Player Games (Score:2)
Hmmmm, if you've actually got a girl there... (Score:2)
Lots o' good stuff (Score:1, Interesting)
Coop play in console FPS' is all the rage now and still great fun even if one player is more skilled than the other. Halo and Timesplitters 2 both have fun Coop play. Balder's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action RPG that has some interesting Coop mechanics as well.
Battlefield 1942 on PC might be fun as you co
Gauntlet (Score:3, Interesting)
My wife and I got into playing Gauntlet together over 10 years ago. To this day, we still get out once a year or so to blow a pocketfull of quarters playing Gauntlet Legends at whatever local arcade has it at the moment. It's got a good mix of strategy, action, and teamwork that we both enjoy. I think I've seen it available on consoles - if you can find it, you might want to give it a try.
Tag Team Singleplayer (Score:2)
Re:Tag Team Singleplayer (Score:1)
Re:Tag Team Singleplayer (Score:2)
- one computer instead of many consoles to hook up
- emulators tend to offer smoothing options, higher resolutions
- larger choice of controllers, since every USB controller, keyboards, mice, plus adapters for many consoles, are available
- can play most games on a laptop, or older games on PDA
- aging console hardware is harder to find, won't last as long
Re:Tag Team Singleplayer (Score:2)
PC controllers, especially these days, largely ape their console counterparts. Plus, there's much to be said about playing a game with the input device it was designed for. I do lots of emulation on my PowerBook, and it's great, but sometimes, since my controller isn't the same as a Genesis (for example) one game will need a button combination that isn't too convienent on my controller mapping, but changing the mapping presents issues in another game. It's not a deal-breake
Re:Tag Team Singleplayer (Score:2)
Gauntlet and Fighting Games (Score:2)
Recently, we've been playing Gauntlet: Dark Legacy. That's a good co-op game, even if it is cheesy and not exactly a five-star game.
And on her own, she likes Ico, a little bit of Ratchet and Clank, and some Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.
I just got Rez (with
Re:Gauntlet and Fighting Games (Score:2)
How?
Re:Gauntlet and Fighting Games (Score:2)
How?
Don't ask [gamegirladvance.com]
Gladius is a recent favorite ... (Score:1)
if you haven't got one of the recent Gauntlet Updates, they're worth a look too.
Civilization series (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Civilization series (Score:2)
Re:Civilization series (Score:3, Insightful)
You can play against each other, and throw in a computer opponent or two to add some cannon fodder.
It's not crazy fast, and is essentially a 'puzzle' of the rock-paper-scissors type.
some ideas (Score:2)
If she likes Myst, a natural choice of a game to play together is Uru: Ages Beyond Myst - basically Myst Online. The Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights/etc series is another good place for cooperative play with more action than Myst.
If you're both really patient and like strategy, you could try Master of Orion 3 or Alpha Centauri multiplayer. Be prepared for reaaly long play sessions, though. Starcraft would be a faster play experien
The counting game! (Score:5, Funny)
What are your suggestions for good games that we can play together, and and that we'll both enjoy?
Why don't you two have a race to see who can discover the 41st Mersenne Prime [slashdot.org] first?
GMD
Games that the wifey & I play (Score:4, Informative)
- Diablo II (Mac)
- Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Xbox)
- Dynasty Warriors 3/4 (PS2)
- Time Crisis 2/3, Vampire Nights (PS2)
- House Of The Dead 2 (DC)
- Super Puzzle Fighter II (GBA)
She's sort of an exception to the norm, though. She also enjoys Animal Crossing quite a bit, and doesn't mind watching me play through Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC), or Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox).
m.
Tetris or Double Dash (Score:2, Informative)
I've found Tetris to be a head-to-head favorite with smart ladies everywhere.
For the girlfriends who aren't as interested in the competitive aspect of multiplayer gaming, the new Mario Kart: Double Dash lets you cooperate, set in a theme that's not pushed towards a particular gender.
Side note: Tried the four-Game Cube link-up. Incredible.
Re:Tetris or Double Dash (Score:1)
I've found Tetris to be a head-to-head favorite
Better yet: Tetanus On Drugs [pineight.com]. You'll feel like you're drunk and/or high, even when you're sober.
IMHO... (Score:4, Insightful)
With that, my recommendations are (besides ChuChu Rocket): Final Fantasy Tactics, Gran Turismo 3, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and any of the Doom games.
Go for Edutainment! (Score:3, Interesting)
With this game [somethingawful.com] you can have oodles of fun raising your virtual daughter to be a princess (as no doubt your real darling daughter would eventually become), and along the way, you get great tips on how to improve her mood with cake, fish and S&M gear!
my wife's preferences (Score:5, Interesting)
Diablo II
SimCity
The Sims
various Zeldas
Animal Crossing
Mario Kart: Double Dash
I'm not sure what it is about Diablo II -- it's certainly not a traditional female-friendly game -- but for some reason my wife really loved it and burned serious hours playing it. Now that I think about it, my girlfriend is even less of a gamer than my wife, but for some reason she too is a huge Diablo II fan. It might have to do with the collecting & accessorizing aspect of the game.
The co-op mode in Mario Kart: DD is GREAT for spousal involvement. My wife rides on the back of the cart, helping me dodge things and using items, so she feels very involved and will happily sit and play for hours. But because I'm doing the driving, and therefore most of the success/failure rests on me, she doesn't feel extremely pressured. With my wife, at least, her main turn-off when it comes to video games is pressure: if she gets flustered while playing a game, she won't touch it again. Every single game my wife has ever gotten into has been low pressure, and generally also low-conflict.
I would say that in general Nintendo makes the best gender-neutral games. Buy a GameCube if you don't already have one.
Re:my wife's preferences (Score:3, Funny)
Re:my wife's preferences (Score:2)
Re:my wife's preferences (Score:2)
I have a PC, XBox, GameCube, PS2, GameBoy Advance, Dreamcast, N64, SNES, and a NES.
And a pair of wonderful, beautiful ladies who adore each other and, for whatever reason, me.
Of course, as soon as I step back and think to myself "DAMN, I am a lucky bastard!" I start to worry about when the fates are going to cackle wickedly and take it all away. Oh well, I'll enjoy things while I've got 'em. I know you fuckers will be laughing at me on my way back down
NWN (Score:1)
She'll like the puzzle-solving role-playing aspect, and you might like the action and horde collecting.
It has a great user community creating scenarios. This guarentees tons of re-play value.
To top it all off,
do you like Risk? (Score:2)
Co-op's the key (Score:3, Insightful)
Rule #1 when playing with your partner is always play co-op. Otherwise you discover that, just like the movie War Games said, nobody really wins.
Age of Empires and Age of Kings went down very well in my house (playing co-op vs the computer). So did Diablo 1 and 2. My girl hates shooters too, but for inexplicable reasons she has become deeply obsessed by Battlefield 1942. I just have to remember to always play on the same side.
Enemy-Territory (Score:2)
my experiences (Score:2)
xpuyopuyo [freshmeat.net] (she always wins)
Chu Chu Rocket for dreamcast (anybody's guess)
Natural Selection (Score:3, Informative)
You can also play on the alien side, where there is no commander. Different alien subspecies have different roles. I like playing the 'gorge' and 'lerk' subspecies that have support roles like healing and building new alien structures. Other players enjoy the front-line combat alien subspecies.
-m
A GameCube Game (Score:1)
Heroes (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Heroes (Score:2)
Good Multiplayer (Score:1)
On the way are Dark Alliance II and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Both are Dar
MMORPG (Score:1)
Re:MMORPG (Score:2)
Like the origional poster, we had some trouble finding games to play together. For a while we played Age of Empires II in cooperative mode - where I would control our army and she
She didn't like Worms? (Score:2)
It's a hard one... personal taste varies a lot (Score:2)
Finding mutually enjoyable multiplayer games is the hard part. Driving games (especially rally), Diablo-esque games, and a few of the sports games are about all that we can agree on. Your mileage may vary.
That is not to say that you cannot both enjoy single games together. We often play solo games in a tag team fashion (very useful when you have kids:) and it is amazing how much it can defuse the "frustration factor" that so many gam
I forgot card games and the like. (Score:2)
She whips my arse so bad in double handed patience... :)
Q.
competitive or cooperative (Score:2, Informative)
The Zelda games did not work well because they took too much time in large chunks to get anywhere, the same with the Final Fantasy games.
We went through a long phase of playing competitively against one another. So
Tony Hawk Multiplayer (Score:1)
Get a dance pad or two (Score:2, Interesting)
StepMania [stepmania.com] is a GPL'd rhythm game for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Combine it with two PS1 dance pads [buynshop.com], a 2xPS1 to USB controller adapter [google.com], and some Tournamixes [ddramerica.com], and have hours of fun.
Well, she sure seemed to enjoy playing 'Twister' (Score:2)
Some games I've seen played (Score:2)
Warcraft 3 was actually a popular one for them. They would not play the actual game but the custome maps that people would make. There were a lot of team co-op kind of maps for that, and they really enjoyed it.
The game they are on now is Final Fantasy 11. Long ago my sister played Ultima Online when it first came out, since then she has not played another MMORPG.
YDKJ (Score:2)
Why not go Luddite? (Score:2)
There are a slew of really great non-electronic games available which work quite well with two players, and which don't favor a particular gender. For something nicely strategic, why not try The Settlers of Catan Card G [boardgamegeek.com]
Enemy Territory (Score:2)
Our list (Score:2, Informative)
Adventures of Cookies & Cream (PS2) **
Amplitude (PS2)
Animal Crossing (GCN)
Crash Team Racing (PS1)
Dance Dance Revolution (PS2) **
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN) **
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN) **
Mario Party 1-5 (1-3 N64, 4-5 GCN)
Parappa the Rapper (PS1)
Pokemon Puzzle League (N64)
Pokemon Snap (N64)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (all) **
Soul Calibur 2 (all)
Starsky & Hutch (PS2) **
Supe
M.U.L.E (Score:2)
Mule, Spy Vs Spy, and Floyd Of the Jungle are the games I really enjoy playing with others. Get Atari800 (the emulator, though a real atari, or in some cases a C64 or Apple// would work)and find a bootleg copy of those games.
P.S. I'm not married, and like the sterotypical geek have no clue how I'd find a girl, so take my ideas with a grain of salt. Thats what I'd play iwth her if I knew her, but I don't...
Related links and other thoughts.... (Score:4, Interesting)
On that note, by the way, consider a console. I never saw the point in them, as I've been playing computer games for twenty years. But then I got married, and (as you're discovering) the computer games are not nearly as social as the consoles. Consoles are geared towards multiple players, whereas there are very, very few games out there that utilize multiple players on a computer.
On a highlight, there's always something like ePSXe [epsxe.com] and other console emulators. Get one set up and go rent some PS1 games! They're cheap to buy, now too, and almost any modern computer emulates the PS1 with cycles to spare. Get a couple of joysticks, (or buy PS1 pads and the converters -- they're out there but I have not tried them).
There are also plenty of good old arcade games, so as another poster mentioned, MAME is a great idea. You can, of course, find ROMS online if you are so inclined. Golden Axe, Gauntlet, Double Dragon, Xenophobe. These may not be the best examples, but they're out there.
So in short, I'm clueless for computer games per se. But for PS2/Xbox, my favorite is Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. It's simultaneous two player, cooperative, not split screen, contains plenty of shopping for new items (my wife loves that part -- seriously), and although it's not phenomenally long, it has pretty good replayability. The sequel comes out in the next couple months, too.
Re:Related links and other thoughts.... (Score:2)
Re:Related links and other thoughts.... (Score:2)
I can see that, but frankly I hated that spell. I got it just to try it, said "this is stupid because it does almost no damage and doesn't require any skill", and never looked back. I can understand how it would take the fun out of the game for sure. Have you tried the other characters? The archer is a whole lot of fun. Drizzt is fun for a little while, too.
Re:Related links and other thoughts.... (Score:2)
Re:Related links and other thoughts.... (Score:2)
That's hilarious! Our significant others must be related. Mine would love to buy new outfits and would get offended if I picked up something good before her.
On a related note, my wife's fave is the Sorceress. Not because she's the girl, but because many of her spells don't require much aiming. It can be a little tricky to s
Re:Related links and other thoughts.... (Score:2)
Games my girlfriend and I play... (Score:3, Informative)
However, the games that we truely play together or even competitively, are of a different vein.
We recommend:
Jardinians [jardinains.com] - "Like Breakout, But With More Gnome Bouncing", Fun to play competitively, and you can make your own levels to challenge each other. (Just make sure you can beat your own level)
Text Twist [gamehouse.com] - Kind of a word jumble game. There's a free trial, give it a chance, it's a addictive. Fun to play cooperatively.
Super Collapse 2 [gamehouse.com] This is an interesting puzzle game which is best played solo.
Spider Solitare - This one was free courtesy of Microsoft. Sure it's solitare, but you can play cooperatively too.
Monopoly Party [gamespy.com] - This old stand-by never dies. We stick to classic, not the weird "party mode". The CPU's are kind of stupid, but it's still a good time, especially with more people. The best part is, nobody has to be the bank, so games go sooo much faster.
Old NES ROMS - We have a hacked xbox that has a ROM emulator loaded on it and we love to play Super Mario 2 and some of the classics. And now we're talking about building a MAME/XNES Cabinet.
...now if only I could break her into Linux.
Games With Editors (Score:2)
Editors appeal to the puzzle lover, plus you can challenge each other.
Playstation is the answer! (Score:2)
Re:Playstation is the answer! (Score:2)
I'm a woman... (Score:2)
You
Party Games (Score:2)
Also, even if you don't like sports games try Mario Golf and Mario Kart (especially the new Double Dash which allows 2 players to operate the same vehicle, one drives, one aims and shoots turtle shells and those sorts of things). Mario Golf is fun even if you don't like sports games or golf (me).
That being said, I hate super mario sun
How about a ... (Score:2)
Personally, I prefer this kind of chess [yahoo.com].
Even if I lose, I usually win afterwards.
Our list of fun games (Score:2)
Head to Head Tetris
Grand Turismo
Super MonkeyBall
GTA 3
Well, we don't actually play GTA3 together, but take turns. I cheer her on when she takes the hookers out for a ride, then beats them mercilessly with a baseball bat.
Puzzle Pirates (Score:2)
We got addicted TetriNET and PuzzleBobble for a little while.
I hit the mother load when I found Puzzle Pirates, which was mentioned today [slashdot.org] on slashdot.
Re:Something Awful Says... (Score:2)
Re:Scorched Earth (Score:2)