Help me, Obi-wan
I am not a gamer. For that matter, neither is my husband. Once upon a time, many years ago, I actually played whatever the early colour version of Nintendo was (Donkey Kong, anyone?) and pretty much sucked at it. But it was fun and ridiculously addictive. Since I didn't actually own it, the addiction proved temporary (unlike the subsequent internet communities that did hook me for life, but that's another story for another day). My husband did own it, but he was over-ruled in his regular usage by the two progeny he shared a house with. Such has been the state of our lives as the gaming systems have evolved: stuck in the dark ages.
Still, I have secretly wished to join up with the rest of the world. And, as I was considering various ideas for Christmas gifts, it hit me: I could get a gaming system for someone (read husband) for Christmas! How cool would that be? Turns out my husband has the same secret yen, so we are thinking about buying ourselves one for our joint Christmas present.
So, I need some advice. Seriously, I am clueless. What gaming system would best suit a pair of fifty-something non-gamers? I am leaning toward the Wii, but am open to suggestions. If I do get a Wii, I would love some information on the best accessories and games I should start with.
In short, I need some nerds here.
Still, I have secretly wished to join up with the rest of the world. And, as I was considering various ideas for Christmas gifts, it hit me: I could get a gaming system for someone (read husband) for Christmas! How cool would that be? Turns out my husband has the same secret yen, so we are thinking about buying ourselves one for our joint Christmas present.
So, I need some advice. Seriously, I am clueless. What gaming system would best suit a pair of fifty-something non-gamers? I am leaning toward the Wii, but am open to suggestions. If I do get a Wii, I would love some information on the best accessories and games I should start with.
In short, I need some nerds here.
posted by allison | 7:58 PM
9 Comments:
Personally, my recommendation would be The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. (I am a huge fan of the Zelda franchise in general, though.) It's an RPG with a mixture of defeating monsters and fun/massively frustrating puzzles. Plus you get to ride your own horse!
I enjoyed Super Monkey Ball but I have only played for maybe half an hour, tops. Super Smash Brothers is one I hear mentioned a lot, featuring a lot of characters from other Nintendo games.
You could also try Super Paper Mario, which is an RPG like Zelda, but very cartoony, light and fun. The good thing about the Wii is that it runs Gamecube discs - my favourites right now are Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and Super Mario Sunshine. I'd also go for a GC copy of Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (which does have dated-looking graphics) but is still one of my the best games EVER, in my opinion.
If you want something gentle and not too taxing I'd recommend any of the Harvest Moon games - they are farming sims!!!
Oh and apparently there's some game you can play called... Guitar Hero? ;)
I'm sure Simon, having his own Wii, will be able to give you much better ideas though. :)
I would go with the Wii. I got my boy a PS3 last year, and now I wish I'd gotten the Wii instead. His cousins have one and it's a lot of fun, playing with moving your whole body instead of just pressing buttons on a controller.
One time my friends tried to teach me how to play these kinds of games. But I was useless because of my spatial ineptitude.
In the meantime, all I could do as a player was walk into the wall over and over and over again. (I seem to have some SPECIAL issues.)
I am not a fan of the Wii, but I think one simply cannot be a casual player. Everyone I know who actually HAS one loves it. And I hear that the Wii Fit is the best.
We have a Playstation 2, which is totally obsolete. So I do not know what I'm talking about. But Guitar Hero is awfully fun.
We also have a PS2, but mostly so that I could play Kingdom Hearts. Which I totally suck at and so cannot bring myself to play. :-/
I also forgot to say at the start of my big long-winded list - I think you should get a Wii! ;)
I am also not a gamer and as a result I just don't "get" conventional gaming controllers. This is why I love our Wii. While there is still some need to figure out which button to push when, much of it is based on your movement which makes it (to me) much more fun. My faves are Wii Fit (which uses a balance board), Guitar Hero (which uses a "guitar") and Mario Kart (which uses a steering wheel). Seeing a pattern there? I have tried out the Zelda game that Caz mentioned, and a Spyro game (little purple dragon!) that is a similar RPG style and had more success with those on the Wii than on the Game Cube (conventional controllers). The only downside I've found is that we have so many extra peripherals that my living room is being taken over by guitars and steering wheels.
We're a Nintendo family through and through, so my input here is a little biased, but, really, the Wii is the ideal console for, as you put it, 'non-gamers'.
If you can find a system in the stores, you should definitely pick one up. As for games - MarioKart has provided us with endless entertainment (and is extremely easy to learn), and even the WiiSports game that comes with the system is able to provide a bunch of fun. WiiPlay has 8 games on it, but the replayability of them is not extremely high.
I've heard great things about WiiFit, and that will probably be the next game we buy. And of course, Guitar Hero, if you're into that type of thing.
But, whatever games you get, you should definitely pick up an additional remote and one of the best purchases we ever made was a Wii Recharger, because the remotes do eat batteries pretty quickly otherwise.
Good luck!
The Raving Rabids series is also quite fun.
Most stores have the chance for you to try things out, too.
We have a gamecube and play Mariocart mostly. Just got a retro pack with space invaders and other arcade games.
I want a wii.
Post a Comment
<< Home