Comments on: Are there any family-friendly PS3 games?

Question: Are there any family-friendly PS3 games?

jackypaper — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:29:18 -0800

I'm buying a Playstation 3, but I want to include at least one game that my girlfriend will also enjoy. The Wii seems to be more kid- and girl-friendly. Is there a non-RPG, non-sports PS3 game that is "fun for the whole family?"

By: Squee

Squee — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:42:06 -0800

It's not out yet, but LittleBigPlanet is a game your girlfriend might be interested in, for the PS3.

By: I EAT TAPAS

I EAT TAPAS — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:58:25 -0800

The PS3 is a strange beast.

Sure, there are those big expensive $60 games you see at Target or Best Buy -- they're boring-ass hardcore gamer central, 1080 lines of swords, blood, and basketballs. In comparison, the Wii games are all cute.

But then, when you actually go online with the PS3, you can buy interesting, cute little games for almost nothing. Flow. Piyotama. Super Puzzle Fighter. Q-Bert. Lemmings. Sudoku. Nucleus. All cute or innovative non-RPG, non-sports fun games, and none of them are more than 10 bucks.

Just wait 'till it's home, and download to your hearts' content.

(Also, Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, The Simpsons and Singstar are coming soon, if you really, really need to buy one of those $60 discs for her.)

By: peep

peep — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:04:48 -0800

Soon! October 23! Ratchet & Clank! I'm peeing myself with excitement. (Girl.)

By: Phire

Phire — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:18:22 -0800

I'd recommend any Harvest Moon incarnation, including the ones for PS2...

By: cmgonzalez

cmgonzalez — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:33:22 -0800

What are her interests? As in, books, movies, music (genres and the like? That would actually help us narrow it down aside from no RPGs or sports titles.

Is she only into kid-friendly titles, or is there a chance she'd like something more mature yet not in those two genres?

There aren't any catch-all "appeals to females" titles. It will generally depend upon what the player's interests are.

By: cmgonzalez

cmgonzalez — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:35:35 -0800

I EAT TAPAS: Nintendo has the online Virtual Console for Wii, which is similar.

By: Effigy2000

Effigy2000 — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:43:23 -0800

Squee: "It's not out yet, but LittleBigPlanet is a game your girlfriend might be interested in, for the PS3."

I'm going to have to second that. I own a Wii and am a whore for Nintendo's consoles, but damn, LBP is something that makes me want to blow almost a thousand bucks on a PS3.

By: ShootTheMoon

ShootTheMoon — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:46:12 -0800

We like to play super puzzle fighter here at my place. It was only a few bucks on the playstation's downloadable store, and it has provided many hours of entertainment :)

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:22:38 -0800

The PS3 runs PS2 games, doesn't it? How about Katamari Damaci? I've heard that a lot of women like it.

By: Kellydamnit

Kellydamnit — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:34:08 -0800

Seconding Katamari. Everyone with a pulse seems to love it, regardless of gender.

Also, not too keen on the idea that there are girl games vs. guy games. In my house the FPS games are almost all mine, and my straight, male roommate owns the DDR mat. Don't shortchange your girl, she may just surprise you.

By: thebrokenmuse

thebrokenmuse — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:56:24 -0800

Lara Croft!

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:24:56 -0800

I'll second Ratchet and Clank. Don't let their obsession with weapons fool you, it's a platformer through and through.

You can even pick up one of the earlier PS2 titles on the cheap to see if she'll like it. I'd avoid Deadlocked though, since they changed formula for that one.

By: Malor

Malor — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:51:59 -0800

Be sure you get the 60gb PS3. The newer 80gb one drops the hardware compatibility chip, so you can't be sure that PS1 and PS2 games will work on it. It should be easy to find. It's heavily stocked at retailers, since it isn't selling very well.

Nthing Katamari Damacy. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say they DON'T like that game.... the 'if you have a pulse, buy it' argument really does seem to be true.

By: ollsen

ollsen — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:21:01 -0800

Second Katamari Damarcy!
My girlfriend loves it!

By: pokermonk

pokermonk — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:15:14 -0800

My girlfriend loves Karaoke Revolution like its chocolate-covered kittens. Sing Star looks to take over that ground on Playstation.

I don't like Katamari Damacy. It's like a cute, really long tech demo. Most people I roll with, from my girlfriend on out, think similar. I understand the hype, and it's probably worth trying, but it's more a gateway drug than the real thing.

By: Phire

Phire — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:52:30 -0800

MMmm, I find Katamari Damacy addictive when you start playing it, but it's not the type of game that compels you to pick it up if you haven't played in a while, does that make sense? It's a great, hilarious game, but... yeah.

If she's into sports any, DDR is super fun. Plus it has definite health benefits if played regularly, and very appealing as a two player game as there is motivation to keep going.

By: waxpancake

waxpancake — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:33:26 -0800

Beautiful Katamari is coming out for the PS3 on October 16, so you might want to wait for that.

By: Argyle

Argyle — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:13:23 -0800

Not to distract, but it appears that Beautiful Katamari is a Xbox 360 only game.

Dance Dance Revolution games are family fun, and many of the PS2 games are less hardcore gamer oriented, but the majority of PS3 titles on the market are not "fun for the whole family".

The Wii on the other hand...

By: doorsfan

doorsfan — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:40:24 -0800

Does your girlfriend play games to begin with? My wife doesn't but will every now and then. Since she is not a big gamer the only games she really plays are where we play together like Mario Party or Sports (yeah I'm talking about Wii) or if it is movie game (Harry Potter) she'll play.

I think you'll have more luck getting your girlfriend to play the Wii but if she won't be playing that often get what you want and she can watch.

By: peep

peep — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:08:50 -0800

Expounding on my own comment, and Gary's, yes DO NOT GET Ratchet & Clank Deadlocked if you are interested in trying the series. It sucks. Also, I played them in order and madly loved each one, but if once you've played the sequels it's hard to go back and play the previous games, because the improvements are so great.

Katamari: I don't know why, I just hated it. I know, everyone loves it but I just couldn't get into it. Since other people are mentioning PS2 games, I'll throw in Kingdom Hearts I and II. Again, don't try to play II and then go back and play I - it's too frustrating.

By: mattholomew

mattholomew — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:28:17 -0800

Also a PS2 game, but Okami is an absolute must-have. I'll eat my hat if she doesn't love it. And I don't wear a hat, so that's saying a lot.

By: churl

churl — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:16:45 -0800

I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet: Calling All Cars! is a wonderfully manic, fun, cartoony romp. Incredibly simple to pick up and play. It's just a $10 download from PlayStation Network and everyone I've played it with adored it. One friend said he would buy a PS3 for the game alone.

By: IndigoRain

IndigoRain — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:44:16 -0800

How about not assuming that girls only like stereotypically girly games?