Hmm... Which game would he like?
December 14, 2005 8:50 AM Subscribe
Help me get a computer game for my brother...
My brother is 41 and not a "computer person". To him it is a tool, not a hobby. He uses it for email, doing his budget, family genealogy work, some limited home photography/video stuff, web surfing and the like. He likes sports, history, and is very "science smart" (he's a certified athletic trainer / physical therapist). He likes movies, and long walks on the beach... (Sorry)
His computer is a couple years old, and definitely not a "gaming machine". There are only a few games that I know he likes; some solitaires, and maybe one or two from miniclip or popcap. Oh, and he liked samarost. A few years ago we got him "Age of Empires", and he loved it. After loading it on his computer, he played for more than two hours before he knew what happened!
Please don't recommend "Civilization" - I think that would be too similar to AofE (but what do I know, I've never played it). But maybe another RTS? He does NOT like D&D type games (WoW, Everquest). I don't think he's into FPS. Also, I don't think he'd be interested in "community gaming". So... Maybe something "puzzley" like Douglas Adam's Starship Titanic? (Don't know, never played it.)
Oh, and reviews would be helpful - yours, and gaming sites (I used to know a couple, not anymore). Thanks Meta!
My brother is 41 and not a "computer person". To him it is a tool, not a hobby. He uses it for email, doing his budget, family genealogy work, some limited home photography/video stuff, web surfing and the like. He likes sports, history, and is very "science smart" (he's a certified athletic trainer / physical therapist). He likes movies, and long walks on the beach... (Sorry)
His computer is a couple years old, and definitely not a "gaming machine". There are only a few games that I know he likes; some solitaires, and maybe one or two from miniclip or popcap. Oh, and he liked samarost. A few years ago we got him "Age of Empires", and he loved it. After loading it on his computer, he played for more than two hours before he knew what happened!
Please don't recommend "Civilization" - I think that would be too similar to AofE (but what do I know, I've never played it). But maybe another RTS? He does NOT like D&D type games (WoW, Everquest). I don't think he's into FPS. Also, I don't think he'd be interested in "community gaming". So... Maybe something "puzzley" like Douglas Adam's Starship Titanic? (Don't know, never played it.)
Oh, and reviews would be helpful - yours, and gaming sites (I used to know a couple, not anymore). Thanks Meta!
Is this a PC? If so, I recommend the best adventure game ever.
posted by justkevin at 9:01 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by justkevin at 9:01 AM on December 14, 2005
What about the Myst series? That's the first thing to come to mind when you mention puzzle games. End of Ages is reportedly not too great, but all of the others are excellent, engaging, "where did the night go?" games. They also have the advantage of spanning the last ten years or so, so they'll be fine on a slower computer.
Man, I used to love me some Myst. I should get back into those again.
posted by mendel at 9:06 AM on December 14, 2005
Man, I used to love me some Myst. I should get back into those again.
posted by mendel at 9:06 AM on December 14, 2005
Why is it bad getting him a game that is similar to AofE? If he liked AofE, in theory he would like a game LIKE AofE.
Of course, there's always Age of Empires II (and III!), Age of Mythology... Seems to me, if you've found a genre that he likes, stick with that.
posted by antifuse at 9:07 AM on December 14, 2005
Of course, there's always Age of Empires II (and III!), Age of Mythology... Seems to me, if you've found a genre that he likes, stick with that.
posted by antifuse at 9:07 AM on December 14, 2005
I totally second Myst. It's beautiful to look at, has an involving storyline, and touches on science and history. It's a Point and Click type of game (like Samarost, I think?), and doesn't require a lot of hand-eye coordination or extras like joysticks. Plus I think it would work well on an older machine, since there's not a lot of animation.
posted by iconomy at 9:25 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by iconomy at 9:25 AM on December 14, 2005
Alpha Centari is like Age of Empires (building, conquering, expansion) but much better and will play on two year old hardware no problem. It's a turn based game instead of real time which I find easier to deal with. As a bonus it's really cheap now, I bought my copy for $8. Also better and easier to play than CIV.
posted by Mitheral at 9:34 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by Mitheral at 9:34 AM on December 14, 2005
Thirding the Myst series (though avoid Uru and End of Ages, they're less good). Also if he likes Samarost, the sequel came out recently, and the download can be bought for about $10, I think.
posted by Lotto at 9:36 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by Lotto at 9:36 AM on December 14, 2005
Black & White, which is a point and click sort of civilization building game, with a moral twist; you get to be God, and can turn yourself into a kind diety or a fearsome overlord. I believe they just released Black & White II, but you'd need to check his system specs to make sure he could run it.
posted by junkbox at 9:39 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by junkbox at 9:39 AM on December 14, 2005
If he likes history and RTS, go with Rome: Total War. It's a couple years old, so it may run on his computer (reqs: 1ghz cpu, 256mb, and a graphics card) and it's one of the best (maybe the best?) historical RTSs of all time.
posted by Hildago at 9:39 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by Hildago at 9:39 AM on December 14, 2005
Response by poster: Yes, he has a PC. (Damn! Can't believe I forgot that!) Also, I don't think he wants to take up "gaming" - a subscription to multiple games is too much time to dedicate. He's married with a two-year-old. He has a life! (Not like his brother.)
I think he might be a little tired of AofE (by the way, I think he has II - "Conquerer's Edition"?). So something similar might not be quite right. One reason I think he liked AofE was the general novelty and "cute-ness" of it; click on a villager, and he says something! That kind of thing. Not necessarily the genre, per se.
Myst might be good. When I played it, I got kind of stumped after not too long. And my bro is smarter than I am. But sometimes these puzzles need a "computer savvy point of view", if you catch my meaning.
Thanks so far! Will check grim fandango at home. Damn work Internet Police!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:43 AM on December 14, 2005
I think he might be a little tired of AofE (by the way, I think he has II - "Conquerer's Edition"?). So something similar might not be quite right. One reason I think he liked AofE was the general novelty and "cute-ness" of it; click on a villager, and he says something! That kind of thing. Not necessarily the genre, per se.
Myst might be good. When I played it, I got kind of stumped after not too long. And my bro is smarter than I am. But sometimes these puzzles need a "computer savvy point of view", if you catch my meaning.
Thanks so far! Will check grim fandango at home. Damn work Internet Police!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:43 AM on December 14, 2005
Response by poster: Mitheral - Alpha Centauri sounds interesting. I like that it's turn-based. Maybe I'll get a copy for myself...
y6y6y6 - Aren't Warcraft and Diablo D&D-ish?
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:47 AM on December 14, 2005
y6y6y6 - Aren't Warcraft and Diablo D&D-ish?
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:47 AM on December 14, 2005
Does he like pirates? And jokes? and jokes about pirates?
Why not the Monkey Island games? 3 and 4 can be had for like $10 each at Amazon, and are loads of fun.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:50 AM on December 14, 2005
Why not the Monkey Island games? 3 and 4 can be had for like $10 each at Amazon, and are loads of fun.
posted by cosmicbandito at 9:50 AM on December 14, 2005
I second Rome: Total War. That game is really good, he will definitely like it if he liked AofE.
posted by pazazygeek at 9:57 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by pazazygeek at 9:57 AM on December 14, 2005
When you say D&D-like, do you mean MMORPGs like your cited WoW and EQ or anything with a fantastic leaning?
Arcanum was hands-down my favorite game of my last computer's lifespan. It's an RPG, though, so that may be a knock against it. A knock that is easily buffed out by the fact that it's a Steampunk RPG.
Other than that, Alpha Centauri is a good bet, though it is a Civ clone (Well, close enough for government work. Wiser folk know I'm stretching a bit here). Starcraft is likewise a great game (plus you can click on dudes and they'll say funny stuff).
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:07 AM on December 14, 2005
Arcanum was hands-down my favorite game of my last computer's lifespan. It's an RPG, though, so that may be a knock against it. A knock that is easily buffed out by the fact that it's a Steampunk RPG.
Other than that, Alpha Centauri is a good bet, though it is a Civ clone (Well, close enough for government work. Wiser folk know I'm stretching a bit here). Starcraft is likewise a great game (plus you can click on dudes and they'll say funny stuff).
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:07 AM on December 14, 2005
Lux. I'm hooked. Demo available. Not as fancy as the games everyone else is suggesting though.
posted by voidcontext at 10:09 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by voidcontext at 10:09 AM on December 14, 2005
There's another game that I play when I just want to blow off steam. Dungeon Keeper II. It's a bit of a constructing and planning game where you play the bad guy out to prevent the hero's from taking over your realm. The joy comes in smacking around your followers to get them to work harder. It's also a bit silly. For example your minions need sustance so you build chicken coops and your minions eat the chickens. But you don't have any fences so the chickens get everywhere. Oh you can also smack the chickens around :). It's fun.
posted by Mitheral at 10:10 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by Mitheral at 10:10 AM on December 14, 2005
Black & White, which is a point and click sort of civilization building game, with a moral twist; you get to be God, and can turn yourself into a kind diety or a fearsome overlord. I believe they just released Black & White II, but you'd need to check his system specs to make sure he could run it.
posted by junkbox at 9:39 AM PST on December 14
Black and White is a buggy unfinished piece of shit, and Black and White II is a more linear buggy unfinished piece of shit. I just wanted to warn you that some people (like me) hate it.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 10:16 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by junkbox at 9:39 AM PST on December 14
Black and White is a buggy unfinished piece of shit, and Black and White II is a more linear buggy unfinished piece of shit. I just wanted to warn you that some people (like me) hate it.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 10:16 AM on December 14, 2005
Ohh, speaking of pirates, may I add Sid Meier's Pirates to your list of contenders? The remake, not the 20 year old original. It's a great game, extremely fun, and has a perfect mixture of historical atmosphere and unrealistic swashbuckling. Everyone I've showed it to has gotten hooked.
It's really simple to learn, impossibly addictive, and can be played for 15 minutes or 5 hours at a time. The system requirements should be pretty low.
posted by Hildago at 10:18 AM on December 14, 2005
It's really simple to learn, impossibly addictive, and can be played for 15 minutes or 5 hours at a time. The system requirements should be pretty low.
posted by Hildago at 10:18 AM on December 14, 2005
SimCity? About the only game (other than Harpoon) I ever got excited about.
posted by lhauser at 10:20 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by lhauser at 10:20 AM on December 14, 2005
justkevin, Grim Fandango is the second best adventure ever. The very best is "The Longest Journey", and if you haven't played it, get busy and find it. :)
Pirates is a really good suggestion. It's cute, fun, reasonable on system demands (but double check before buying) and requires no major time investment.
I think Rome:Total War is likely to be too high on system demands... it needs a very fast graphic card to run well. (you're animating hundreds of little soldiers!) If he doesn't have a gaming computer, that title could be a big disappointment.
posted by Malor at 10:42 AM on December 14, 2005
Pirates is a really good suggestion. It's cute, fun, reasonable on system demands (but double check before buying) and requires no major time investment.
I think Rome:Total War is likely to be too high on system demands... it needs a very fast graphic card to run well. (you're animating hundreds of little soldiers!) If he doesn't have a gaming computer, that title could be a big disappointment.
posted by Malor at 10:42 AM on December 14, 2005
You might consider Rise of Nations. Also Fable TLC.
posted by Zeedog at 10:49 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by Zeedog at 10:49 AM on December 14, 2005
Hm, Pirates doesn't seem like it would run so well on an old system, but I can't say for sure.
Grim Fandango and the Money Island Games are great, indeed. For another excellent and engrossing adventure game, check out The Longest Journey.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:50 AM on December 14, 2005
Grim Fandango and the Money Island Games are great, indeed. For another excellent and engrossing adventure game, check out The Longest Journey.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:50 AM on December 14, 2005
One reason I think he liked AofE was the general novelty and "cute-ness" of it; click on a villager, and he says something! That kind of thing.
This may seem obvious, but how 'bout The Sims?
posted by Otis at 10:58 AM on December 14, 2005
This may seem obvious, but how 'bout The Sims?
posted by Otis at 10:58 AM on December 14, 2005
You know, I have The Longest Journey, but I could never get into it. I picked up shortly after playing Grim Fandango and was disappointed with the dialog and voice acting. Maybe I'll give it another chance.
posted by justkevin at 11:47 AM on December 14, 2005
posted by justkevin at 11:47 AM on December 14, 2005
In terms of strategy, I really loved Darwinia.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 12:02 PM on December 14, 2005
posted by KirkJobSluder at 12:02 PM on December 14, 2005
I say go for Civilization IV. I bet it is sufficiently different from AoE. The civ-line of games is classic, and someone who likes history and science will probably love it...
posted by shivohum at 12:10 PM on December 14, 2005
posted by shivohum at 12:10 PM on December 14, 2005
The Space Bar ($5 on Ebay) and Obsidian have much cooler puzzles than Grim Fandango.
posted by Aknaton at 12:34 PM on December 14, 2005
posted by Aknaton at 12:34 PM on December 14, 2005
Response by poster: Some excellent sounding suggestions. Thanks, all! I have some research to do tonight.
robocop and Mitheral - I think any flavor of D&D type game he would not like. Hard to explain, but I can't see him playing that type of game. Maybe a D&D "nerd" stigma?
I'll try to do some subtle interrogation, and see if I can get some feedback.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 1:33 PM on December 14, 2005
robocop and Mitheral - I think any flavor of D&D type game he would not like. Hard to explain, but I can't see him playing that type of game. Maybe a D&D "nerd" stigma?
I'll try to do some subtle interrogation, and see if I can get some feedback.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 1:33 PM on December 14, 2005
Hey! I know the perfect game. Get the original RollerCoaster Tycoon for him. It's very old now, but has huge grab factor... if he hasn't played it, he really should. It'll run on pretty much anything, so you wouldn't have to worry about compatibility...if his computer is running properly, that game will work.
You can get it together with the expansion packs. I *think* there were three packs, but I only remember Loopy Landscapes and Corkscrew Follies.
I got this game for my sister a few years ago and she ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, and still plays it regularly even now.
There's a newer, 3D, Rollercoaster Tycoon... be sure you get the old one. If you're confused, I can give you a link to the right version.
posted by Malor at 2:03 PM on December 14, 2005
You can get it together with the expansion packs. I *think* there were three packs, but I only remember Loopy Landscapes and Corkscrew Follies.
I got this game for my sister a few years ago and she ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, and still plays it regularly even now.
There's a newer, 3D, Rollercoaster Tycoon... be sure you get the old one. If you're confused, I can give you a link to the right version.
posted by Malor at 2:03 PM on December 14, 2005
justkevin, I'd give Grim the edge on voice acting, but it loses out a little in story. Both are truly superb adventures. TLJ is quite long and difficult.... have a walkthrough handy. :)
Kirk, Darwinia rocks! Great game. But I don't think it's pointed at novices, and I'm not sure that it would run well on old hardware. Not a good choice for this recipient, probably. Any of you grognards who are looking for something really new and different, be sure to check it out. It's VERY cool. (Introversion, the publisher, also did Uplink a few years ago, which is also great fun... you play at 'hacking' a virtual internet, using absolutely ridiculous tools and suchlike. Much fun.
Aknaton, the puzzles weren't the point with Grim... it was the story.
posted by Malor at 2:05 PM on December 14, 2005
Kirk, Darwinia rocks! Great game. But I don't think it's pointed at novices, and I'm not sure that it would run well on old hardware. Not a good choice for this recipient, probably. Any of you grognards who are looking for something really new and different, be sure to check it out. It's VERY cool. (Introversion, the publisher, also did Uplink a few years ago, which is also great fun... you play at 'hacking' a virtual internet, using absolutely ridiculous tools and suchlike. Much fun.
Aknaton, the puzzles weren't the point with Grim... it was the story.
posted by Malor at 2:05 PM on December 14, 2005
He definitely sounds like a person for whom games in the Adventure genre would be perfect. Try The Adventure Company. Great catalog of games, nice graphics, but nothing that will tax a non-gaming computer. Games tend to be interesting story lines in which the player must solve puzzles and gather items to solve the game.
posted by katyggls at 3:11 PM on December 14, 2005
posted by katyggls at 3:11 PM on December 14, 2005
My favorite games ever have already been mentioned (additional votes for Longest Journey, Grim Fandango, Monkey Island series, and Starcraft/Warcraft). I would agree with Myst too, as I actually got my parents to play and enjoy it.
One game that I have found intrigues even non-gamers is Ghost Master, which is a puzzle game where you have to use the abilities of an array of ghosts to do your bidding. There are a ton of different solutions to the puzzles, depending on which ghosts you choose for the task. I've had it forever, and pick it up occasionally anyway because it's just so much fun!
posted by gemmy at 3:55 PM on December 14, 2005
One game that I have found intrigues even non-gamers is Ghost Master, which is a puzzle game where you have to use the abilities of an array of ghosts to do your bidding. There are a ton of different solutions to the puzzles, depending on which ghosts you choose for the task. I've had it forever, and pick it up occasionally anyway because it's just so much fun!
posted by gemmy at 3:55 PM on December 14, 2005
I really liked Tropico (and its extensions) and Pharoah; my father loved both. Cute, and can be as detailed as you like (or not) in building the little cities to solve the scenarios. Starship Titanic and the Myst series were good puzzle games.
posted by Melinika at 4:04 PM on December 14, 2005
posted by Melinika at 4:04 PM on December 14, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
And when he's bored of those he can play the original Pacman on the Atari. :)
posted by selfnoise at 8:58 AM on December 14, 2005