Game recommendations for old fogey?

jeanniepep · 04-25-2008, 04:09 PM

I have Carnival Games, and it is fun to play alone too - mainly because I want to play different games than my husband and friends (I could shoot wooden ducks all day!). Gameplay just isn't very deep, and the characters look crappy, it seems like a lot of wasted potential to me. There are soooo many more minigames with more variety in Thrillville. Robo KO kicks my butt! SOOOOO much harder than Wii Sports boxing! Anyway, I have both and like both, but play Thrillville way more. That's one that I start playing for "just a minute" in the afternoon and before I know it the sun has gone down, the family has gone to bed, etc.

Resident Umbrella is fun, I like shooting zombies. I rented House of the Dead but haven't played it yet. Just more zombies that need to eat my bullets!

I'm glad someone mentioned Excite Truck, that is fun!!! Many WOO HOO moments when the truck goes slamming into trees or tumbling down a hill! Really easy to play, more stupid fun per minute than lots of other games added up together!

Nobody has mentioned any of the Trauma Center games . . . those were pretty interesting and made great use of the Wiimote. I'm wondering if they are actually more fun on the DS, though. The Wiimote was not as precise as I would have liked, my patients would REALLY need a plastic surgeon after I got done with them.

It's definitely a good idea to rent Carnival, Rayman, and any others before buying. I almost bought both Zack & Wiki and Nights: Journey of Dreams because of the good reviews, but I hated both of them and couldn't get them back to the store fast enough. Just personal preference, and low skill level on my part. Too much frustration, not enough fun (and squeaky voiced characters can really work my nerve).

Full disclosure: I'm a 35-y/o non-gaming woman, so keep that in mind when reading my advice!

Skorp · 04-25-2008, 04:15 PM

Ahh forgot about Umbrella Chronicles, I'm sure you'll enjoy that one.

If it wasn't for mario kart coming out I'd definitely recommend Excite Truck. You might want to rent both and see which one you like more. The benefit of Mario Kart is the online component. Excite Truck is pure fun. I've been meaning to write a review for it but I'm waiting to play Mario Kart so I can compare it in my review.

Trauma Center is intuitive but it can also be very challenging from what I hear. I got stuck at one point in the DS game and didn't touch it again. I wouldn't say its really a casual title.

Coincidentally that is what happened in Zack & Wiki as well. It's a very well done game with great puzzles and a good sense of humor. The graphic style is superb too. It can definitely be frustrating at times though if you get stuck. Remember that it is a puzzle game and if you get stuck on a puzzle you'll either have to spend a lot of time trying things out or look up what to do next.

hal2814 · 04-25-2008, 05:28 PM

I personally don't have much time for gaming and when I do get time I like games I can easily pick up and put down easily.

I'd recommend Trauma Center as a 2nd tier for you. It's a lot like that old Life & Death game on the PC. There's a lot going on but it's very intuitive after about 5 minutes of play.

I would recommend Bomberman Land as a Tier 1 because it really is a fun collection of mini-games along with a very good classic Bomberman implementation but there are these stupid cut scenes all over the place that they make you watch. I really don't know what they were thinking. Who the F gets Bomberman for the story? The mini-games are really fun though and they tournament system they set up for unlocking more mini-games is a strategy game of its own.

Zack and Wiki was a VERY simple game to play and was pretty fun. I'd normally say it's a renter but now it's only $20 so you might as well buy it.

DrMoze · 04-26-2008, 02:58 AM

I'd give a serious look at Williams Pinball. It is an easy pick-up-and-play game, completely intuitive controls, and it actually gives a 'real' pinball experience with a good variety of tables. And I'm picky about pinball.(I have 3 machines in my gameroom!)

sbarrett4 · 04-26-2008, 03:09 AM

I'm an old fogey as well. I played the 2600, NES, Genesis, and Playstation 1 and still own my Colecovision - not sure if it actually works anymore.

Super Mario Galaxy is fun, you can waste 30-60 minutes playing it, finish a level and walk away.

Game Party is decent. Basically a bunch of college/ barroom games that use the wiimote. Nice to know I still got it in beer pong.

Make sure you download some of the old school games from the Virtual Console as well.

Zoro11031 · 04-26-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottH29

I'm about to become a new Wii owner and am looking for recommendations on which games to get. But rather than just look at a list of what's popular, I was hoping to get some recommendations tailored to what I specifically would more likely enjoy. So here's some info about me:

I started playing video games with the Atari 2600. The last game system I bought was the Sega Genesis. (I always thought the thumbpad controller was a step backwards from the earlier joysticks, more like issuing a command than actually doing something, but I adapted okay... I guess this partly explains why the Wii is the new system that captured my attention, seemingly more visceral controllers.) I never got into anything too complicated or time consuming or requiring all kinds of tricky control maneuvers... I guess you'd have to call me a casual gamer, despite the hours I used to spend! (Oh, I had a Turbografx-16, too.)

From that background you might be able to guess... I like games that can be learned in just a few minutes. That you can enjoy without a walk-through. That can be fun to play for maybe a 30 minute stretch, I don't have the time to spend hours upon hours gaming.

I like action. Puzzle elements are fine. But I don't care about "plot", I'm not into RPG (casually exploring worlds, conversing with characters, "buying" things at virtual stores, etc etc... I want to just play, and not have to remember anything except how to play if I come back to a game days or weeks later).

Shooters are okay, but I don't like fighting games.

I like games that offer something different/unusual. So games that are tough to categorize are often a good bet. But some standard genre things can be good too, particularly if they have an interesting twist.

On the Wii, I'd specifically want things that take advantage of the controllers, I don't want to be using the remote like an old Genesis pad, though I might make an exception if something was really good and unusual.

Graphics by themselves are not that big a deal for me. Genesis had too many side scroller/platformers, and nicer graphics wouldn't be enough to entice me to buy another one, but I would consider one if there was something unusual/unique about the game play, and wasn't just a prettier version of something I've done plenty of before. (I guess that was the beauty of the old 2600... the graphics were so limited that the emphasis was on coming up with new and different kinds of game play!)

I haven't generally gone for sports games, but I am getting Wii Sports and think the idea of racquet games, bowling, etc. with this controller sounds interesting. I'm also going to get Wii Fit. Maybe it will finally make exercise enough fun that I'll actually do it! Other games that require a lot of physical involvement may interest me as well.

I'm interested in solo games, and in 2-person where two people can play simultaneously.

Well, that should be enough to rule out most recommendations, what's left? :-)

Hmm, it sounds like you may enjoy Endless Ocean.

ScottH29 · 04-29-2008, 04:51 PM

Thanks again for everyone's input. Combined with other research, I went on eBay and decided to start by picking up:

Mercury Meltdown ($15)
Thrillville ($20)
Excite Truck ($22)
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles ($25)
Carnival Games ($30)

I appreciated the rental idea, but I don't have a good rental source nearby, and I figured, if I get them used, if I don't like them, I could probably turn around and put 'em back on eBay and get about what I paid, more or less, plus the shipping cost, so it's is a kind of sideways rental, albeit with a higher nuisance factor (though also with the benefit of being able to just keep it if I like it, which is the preferred outcome!).

I was a little hesitant especially about the $30 for Carnival Games which seems to have a pretty mixed response, but it seemed to be a good casual two-player thing which is one of the things I was looking for, even though most of my Wii play will be solo. Also, it may help fulfill my fantasy of owning a skee ball machine!

I'll still probably pick up Super Mario Galaxy, too.

I also got the Perfect Shot gun to use on RE-Umbrella, and the Pelican Nerf sports attachments... more because of the extra realism I might get from the extra heft of the controller, rather than caring about what it looks like. Though maybe that's nice too. I mean, there *is* a psychological factor to this stuff, and sometimes what makes a game "feel" good to play isn't easy to predict and may even seem silly if you're just looking at it objectively.

CoralMark · 04-29-2008, 07:02 PM

Now that I've given probably 6 hours in the last two days to it ... I'd recommend the new Mario Kart. I've had an absolute riot playing it, probably some of the most fun I've had with my Wii.

Maybe time will find me more average about it, but I really like the arcade-like racing with all the zany add-ons. I'm not very familiar with the old versions ... some gamehounds seem to compare/contrast with older versions ... but that just means I think it's the best one ever.

Anyway - figured I'd just mention how addicted I am to this game - my big problem is setting down the remote from `just one more' ... one could play this for just 20 minutes, but I find I don't want to quit until well over an hour of play.

Skorp · 04-29-2008, 07:51 PM

Yeah I'm glad you picked up Excite Truck Scott, $22 is a good deal. I highly recommend getting mario kart too though. It's a must own game. It's really fun and addicting. I feel the same way as Mark, easy to pick up and play a couple races, but hard to put down once you start.

the doc · 04-30-2008, 01:22 AM

try mario party 8 thats pretty good

raisinghelen · 04-30-2008, 02:18 AM

Good job picking up Excite Truck, i've always wanted that game but never got it as it's still $40 used at EBgames.

Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart really are must buys. Both are easy to get into, use the controls well and are immense fun to play. Mario Galaxy will be like no platformer you have ever played before (the gravity is amazing in places) and Mario Kart comes with the wheel which is actually a great accessory to use.

You said that you were interested in games that were different or unusual. Trauma Center:Second Opinion is both of those, using the Wiimote in inventive ways as you cut and stitch away in a game that simply wouldn't work with a standard controller. Surgery certainly isn't a common game theme and i think that it is one of the most unique Wii games out there. It is quite difficult though (New Blood is even harder) so maybe worth looking at once you are more comfortable with the Wii controls.

Zack & Wiki is also a quite unique game, at least as consoles go. It's a point and click puzzler with motions added, such as making a sawing motion to cut down a tree. Some of the puzzles get quite difficult so try it if you are feeling brainy, otherwise you might need a walkthrough in places.

Endless Ocean is quite a strange one too. At times it hardly even seems like a game, basically just swimming around looking at fish. Kind of relaxing though and also the kind of thing you can just waste 20 minutes playing without having to put in any actual effort at all.

There isn't a great deal of choice in Wii shooters. Metroid Prime 3 is awesome with superb controls but it's heavy on adventure with some puzzles thrown in too. MOH:Heroes has superb controls but it's more aimed at online multiplayer with a short single player game. Red Steel is ok, it has splitscreen multiplayer but the controls are not as good. I think the rest of the shooters on Wii are junk.

Out of the more casual motion intensive games i found Rayman Raving Rabbids fun but it's not great to play alone as it's very short (i completed it in under a day), Super Monkey Ball is ok but gets very hard after level 9 and Warioware is supposed to be good but i've never actually played it, looks like more of a party game to me though.

WiiPlay is worth getting if you ever need an extra controller or want some very short very simple games to play. Actually if you had an Atari 2600 and ever enjoyed the tanks in 'Combat' then it's really worth getting.

Theres always the Genesis games that you can download on the VC if you're feeling nostalgic too.

I'm an old fogey too by the way and my Atari 2600 still works!

jeanniepep · 04-30-2008, 03:10 AM

Just got Mario Kart on Sunday and it is REALLY FUN!!! Very highly recommended! Excite Truck is still fun too, especially for only $22, but Mario Kart is definitely a must-have!

I don't have a rental source nearby either, that's why I went with Gamefly.com. There is a monthly membership charge, but I like the fact that they send games to my house and I can keep them as long as I want (like Netflix). Some of them have a low "keep it" price if you decide you just don't want to send it back ever! Then again, I've had relatively good luck selling ones I didn't like on Ebay too. Gamefly is just a smart idea for me because I get all excited about games and I would buy everything I ever heard of! Which doesn't work for me too well, mainly because I'm so bad at games that some are really more frustrating than fun. Also because there really are a lot of bad titles out there for the Wii that sound fun and aren't.

ScottH29 · 04-30-2008, 05:48 PM

Okay, I picked up Super Mario Galaxy and also Link's Crossbow Training, $44 for the pair. I got the latter without the zapper, but I had already ordered a Perfect Shot anyway.

As for Mario Kart, I think I've ordered enough games--and spent enough money--to keep me busy for a while. I figure some months from now, I may be able to find Mario Cart used like I did the others. Or maybe I'll be content with what I have for a good while! As it is, even though I bought it all used (except the Wii Fit, which I have on order from Amazon), I still managed to go beyond the $500 budget I gave myself for picking up a Wii and games/accessories: $260 for system with 2nd remote+Tiger Woods, $40 for the Perfect Shot and Nerf Sports Pack accessories, $156 for the games I picked, and $80 for the Wii Fit, which was the reason the whole thing started!

RaisingHelen, I think my 2600 still works too... plus I've got the Sega Genesis, and NEC Turbografx 16, an Atari 800, and I think an Amiga and a Sega Master System, all in boxes in the attic! I have a sunroom that is hardly used, so i'm thinking now of turning that into a game room... put my old 32" tube TV in there, the Wii, and maybe some of those old systems. And maybe finally set up the exercise bike that's been in a box for two years. (You see the motivation for the Wii Fit...)

Though I'm sorry to hear you say the other Wii shooters are junk, as I have picked up two of them (RE-Umbrella Chronicles and Link's Crossbow Training), but they seemed to get some pretty positive write-ups.

manufan15 · 04-30-2008, 07:05 PM

If you ever did want another game, I think Mario Kart Wii should be your first buy based on your interests. You can play for any amount of time period and still get into the game. Online is probably the best with Wii yet, and it supports local multiplayer battle and races. Not to mention stats, cups, downloadable ghost times etc.

It's definitely one of my favorite games.

Band geek · 04-30-2008, 07:23 PM

If you're looking for a fun game to just pick up and play, Scott, check out WarioWare: Smooth Moves. A ton of hilarious minigames. You should also rent/buy MarioKart Wii sometime. I think it's more fun alone than with a bunch of people, but I haven't raced online yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeanniepep

Full disclosure: I'm a 35-y/o non-gaming woman, so keep that in mind when reading my advice!

Oh come on, 35 isn't old.

jeanniepep · 05-01-2008, 12:38 AM

Scott - once you get a chance to play your games, please stop back and let us know what you thought! We'd all love to hear your feedback!

And no, we won't ever stop urging you to get Mario Kart.

Edit: BandGeek, I just noticed your post! Thanks for making my day, I'm officially adding to your reputation!

Adamquest64 · 05-01-2008, 07:49 AM

I can't believe Scott skipped out on Mario Kart. If only he knew what he's missing...