Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with recommendations and games

What games would our group love?

Carillon — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:55:42 -0800

What are some good board games from my group of friends? So in a similar manner to DetonatedManiac, I have a group of friends that love to play board games. As a group we have played Here I Stand and A Game of Thrones plus the two expansion packs. We play Game of Thrones the most consistently, as it is the easiest of the two to note positions and put away for another day. We love A Game of Thrones, but novelty is the spice of life, and we would like to try some new games.

Outside of the group, I have played Axis and Allies and Risk, I also have played some Euro games like Catan and Carcassone, and while great, I too would love to expand my gaming horizons beyond those games. I know that one of our members will be getting Puerto Rico in a few months too.

So what would be some good games to buy and play, especially outside the classic strategy games like Chess and Go? We would probably prefer more limited dice-rolling than Risk and Axis and Allies, but it doesn't have to be chanceless.

To sum up: complicated is fine, moderate to minimal dice-rolling would be good, what games would our group love?

Recommend adventure games from the last 5 years

bent back tulips — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 11:25:00 -0800

Recommend some cool adventure games from the last 5 years to me. I've never been interested in computer games, but recently I played Discworld Noir (being a Pratchett fan) and really enjoyed it, to my surprise. Now I'm looking for other games of a similar nature. Things that I particularly liked about it:

It had an advancing plot, and interesting characters
Plot wasn't a rather generic D&Dish fantasy plot (eg, anything with the phrase "restore the kingdom/crown...")
It wasn't based on obscure, irrelevant puzzles ("tie the octopus with the string, pour the custard in the toilet and put the octopus in it...")
There was little skill involved... eg fighting, lightning reflexes and such.
You can't lose the game, or die, and you're allowed to repeat events if you "fail" the first time
The graphics! They actually impressed me, given that I think the last games I played were Wolfenstein 3D and Day Of The Tentacle, 10+ years ago. I have low standards.
It runs in Windows XP (hence the "last 5 years" stipulation, as a guideline). I do have a little old laptop running Win98 on 16MB RAM if there's a really good game that needs it, but would prefer not to.

Pretty much all of these are negotiable, except the first and last. Last week I played the Blade Runner game which was wonderful, just what I had wanted. I've also started with The Longest Journey, which is a bit dull so far but I'm working through it.

What else?

Good websites for toddlers

itchy — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 23:49:43 -0800

Hi, does anyone have any good recommendations for great web sites for 2 to 4 year olds? My 2 1/2 year old has started getting interested in playing on the computer. I know a couple of sites for kids his age, but would love recommendations on other good sites for 2 to 4 year olds, particuarly ones that are educational, entertaining and easy for him to navigate (he's only using the mouse, not the keyboard at this stage). Thanks!

Need recommendations for games similar to LucasArts titles

Lush — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 04:10:11 -0800

Adventure Game Recommendations: I really miss playing games I could lose myself into for hours on end, and I would like to find some new games similar to those I enjoyed years ago. But I stopped playing a long while back so I have no idea what's been on the market since and how to look for such games now. I have always loved the LucasFilm/LucasArts titles but they seem to have stopped producing pretty point-click adventures after Grim Fandango. Other favorites were Windham Classics adventures like Below the Root or Alice in Wonderland, Cinemaware action-adventures like It Came from the Desert, The King of Chicago and Sinbad, and detective games like Killed Until Dead and Intrigue! Are there any comparable modern counterparts? I am not into RPGs or text MUDs or shooters. Please tell me there are still games out there involving great stories, detailed scenes, and good puzzle-play! The only modern non-LucasArts adventure I know of is The Longest Journey. Are there more of this sort?

If there are no such new-ish games, are there ancient ones similar to the games mentioned above that I should try to hunt down?

Thanks, MeFi gamers!

(This question was triggered by nostalgic feelings after playing the underground fan-made Maniac Mansion remake and Zak McKracken sequel.)

What should I know before buying a Playstation2?

meditative_zebra — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 06:45:06 -0800

I'm thinking about buying a playstation2, what should I know before I take the plunge? Knowing little, I assume the redesigned and shrunk ps2 would be preferable to the older model. Can I expect either version to actually work playing playstation one and two games as well as dvd’s? I know that the xbox is the way to go for modding and emulators, but are there any ps2 mods or emulators I should know about? Does the new model ps2 have any technical issues? Overheating? Anything else I should know? Any game recommendations that haven’t been made yet or that no one knows about?

GameCube Games

blueshammer — Wed, 12 Jan 2005 12:14:04 -0800

Got a GameCube and would like some players' feedback regarding building a library. [+]

PS2, GameCube, or XBox?

cgk — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 19:32:34 -0800

Well, the time appears to have finally come. With my kids starting to cross over the 10 threshold I am on the verge of caving in on the gaming console issue. As a kid who wanted an Atari 2600 but got a TI-99/4a it took me a while to realize that gaming consoles are now pretty much part of the background recreation matrix/social experience of kids and not an extravagant extra. Anyway, they get good grades and I wound up working for a while as a game programmer and it did not kill me.

So parenting aside, I was wondering if anyone could suggest some good sources of information on the three major platforms (XBox, GameCube, PS2). The kids told me that their friends mostly have PS2s and that they like the GameCube, but I just want to make sure that, say, in February the next generation of platform hardware won't come out and they stop production of titles for what we get. FWIW their tastes are Backyard sports games, Civilization 3, and Hobbit/Harry Potter type games -- but they remind me that playing those and Zaxxon on the family PC do not a gaming system make. Oh, and there any must-have accessories that we should take care of up front? Cheers.

Games for Kids

blueberry — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 01:18:49 -0800

I'm looking for some fun kids games that don't rely on words to play. From one kid to fifty. Got any good ones? [more inside] ...the [more inside] part...

I'm travelling and often assume the role of basically, camp counselor. Right now I'm using : "Duck, Duck Goose"*, the interactive spectacle that is "The Hokey Pokey", Red Rover, paddy-cake, freeze tag, and hide-and-seek.
(There's another one but I don't know it's name. Everyone gets in a big circle with one person in the middle -- usually me -- and two kids at a time try to swap their places in the circle without me seeing. If I can jump into one of the places that they vacate, then they have to go in the middle)

Duck, Duck Goose seems to be the odds-on favorite and good for all ages but after about 20 minutes even DDG gets old. Red Rover can be problematic unless the kids are roughly the same age and not too rough-housey. The Hokey Pokey, well, it's classic, but only good for about two minutes.

Preferably, I'd like suggestions for games that don't require equipment (balls, jump-rope, lemurs), but if you've got a really good one with a ball or a lemur, let me know anyway as I can probably lay my hands on something.

* okay, Duck, Duck Goose does have two words, but you don't need to know what they mean in order to play. And really, even knowing what the words mean doesn't lend much more insight into the game.

Looking for a card game for 2

Mwongozi — Wed, 22 Sep 2004 12:04:04 -0800

Fun and simple games for two players and a standard deck of cards?

What games and accessories should I get for my Playstation 2?

TedW — Thu, 17 Jun 2004 08:01:17 -0800

Playstation 2 fans: I have just invested in a Playstation 2 for a game room in my house. Now I am trying to put together a library of games that has something for everyone, from little kids to psychotic bikers; what titles do I need? Also, what are some useful accessories? I have found a lot of review sites on the net and are taking them into account, but I often find that the collective wisdom of AskMeFi gets to the point a lot better for these type of questions. Thanks in advance for your help.

Cottage Board Games

bondcliff — Mon, 17 May 2004 11:01:58 -0800

What are some good board games to keep at a summer cottage? [more inside, but you knew that]

Think of a game you'd want to play at a dinner party when the wine bottle is empty and the scotch is being poured, or perhaps on a rainy afternoon. Something to keep the conversation and laughter flowing. Maybe 4 - 8 people. Team games are fine.

We already have chess, checkers, Pictionary, Monopoly, Othello, Trivial Pursuit and decks of cards. I'm looking for games that are easy for adults to learn quickly, can be finished up in an hour or two, and played over and over again without getting stale. Batteries or electricity should not be required.