Gaming while riding

January 17, 2012 5:56 AM

PC game that runs on an Athlon X2 64 and plays with a Gamepad? (Bonus if you can suggest a good value gamepad too)

Hi there. I am biking indoors a couple of hours a week in front of my PC and I found out watching movies/tv series is not a good enough motivator.

So i though I could buy a gamepad (either wireless or with a longish cord) and play some games while riding away...

My computer is an Athlon X2 64 with an integrated ATI 3200HD card with Win7 and 4GB ram. So I don't expect anything new to run on it, but also I am fine if i can get PS2-level graphics.

Thanks for suggestions!

posted by madeinitaly to Computers & Internet (16 answers total)

Burnout Paradise is the only PC game I enjoy playing with a gamepad. It was published in early 2008, so it ought to run on your system. And it's freakishly enjoyable if you like arcade racing games where the emphasis is on insane speed and smashing into things.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:04 AM on January 17, 2012

Correction: the PC version came out in 2009. But still, it runs really well on my system, which is only a little higher in spec than yours.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 6:05 AM on January 17, 2012

Ah, the good ol' HD 3200 - served me well for a year. You will actually be able to play relatively recent games with it, so long as you can stand a little sub-standard FPSs and low quality/resolutions.

I've played these on the HD 3200 that I think should gamepadable:
Mirror's Edge
Dead Space
Prototype
Tales of Monkey Island
Mass Effect 2
Burnout: Paradise [strongly recommended]

I've played these at lowest settings on a card poorer than the 3200:
Portal 2
Alice: Madness Returns

If you're... legally uninhibited, then you might consider getting SNES, GBA or DS roms for an emulator, they're meant to be played with a gamepad-ish and will help acquaint you with some classics.
posted by Senza Volto at 6:08 AM on January 17, 2012

(I just wanted to add here that playing Mirror's Edge with a gamepad while cycling is something I'd really love to do, tyvm)
posted by Senza Volto at 6:09 AM on January 17, 2012

Response by poster: @le morte de bea arthur -> two answers two suggestions for this game, I'll try it. But after having had a Gran Turismo addiction some 15 years ago I am always afraid I won't ever like any other driving game. Or that I won't have the ridicolous amount of time I had to master the game when I was in univ.

@Senza Volto -> thanks for your suggestions. About that Mirror's Edge comment... was it sarcastic? For me playability on the bike is essential! What about your other suggestions?
posted by madeinitaly at 6:18 AM on January 17, 2012

Super Meat Boy, Bit.Trip Beat (and VVVVVV, but that one is better with a keyboard) are great if you like old-school platformers. They're really addictive -- you're constantly dying and restarting, but not in the annoying NES way -- so time passes in a flash.
posted by griphus at 6:23 AM on January 17, 2012

Hey madeinitaly, since it looks like Senza Volto may not be back to comment, I'll do my best to answer in their absence:

Mirror's Edge is a game about moving forward as fast as you can while avoiding obstacles and enemies. There is very, very little shooting, and the game very much is a parkour-action dystopian sci-fi game. If you played it while running it would likely be very difficult not to sprint the whole time. I don't think the comment was meant sarcastically.
posted by Poppa Bear at 6:37 AM on January 17, 2012

If you like retro scrolling shooter's, Jamestown is good and much easier to play with a joypad. I use a corded Xbox 360 one, just plugs straight into a USB port.
posted by Z303 at 6:39 AM on January 17, 2012

madeinitaly: "Or that I won't have the ridicolous amount of time I had to master the game when I was in univ."

Burnout Paradise is kinda the opposite of Gran Turismo. More arcade fun style of driving, but still full of lots of challenges (racing or destruction derby or stunts or a mix). Definitely fun, but not a driving simulator, it's a driving game.
posted by Grither at 6:47 AM on January 17, 2012

A Microsoft Xbox 360 pad will do you fine, and most games these days support it as-is.

I've been sinking daft amount of time into Defense Grid lately. I also loved Orcs Must Die! (demo). Both are tower defense-style games and a lot of fun.
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 7:15 AM on January 17, 2012

Mirror's Edge is a unique game, it's all about forward momentum and parkour. Playing it while doing a physical activity like cycling sounds something so awesome, Xzibit might set it up for you.
posted by Senza Volto at 7:33 AM on January 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

I lean more toward the RPG and strategy end of the spectrum, so I'll suggest Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers (either the original, or the new 2012 version). Made for an Xbox 360 controller, shouldn't be too heavy on the graphics end.

On the RPG front, it is worth noting that both Oblivion and Skyrim have such console-focused UIs that they are often criticized for it (and modified to fix it) in PC circles. Skyrim might be a bit much for your system but Oblivion is a few years old now and should be a bit lighter on the graphics. As a bonus, if you only play while exercising, it will take you a couple of years to finish...
posted by robt at 7:37 AM on January 17, 2012

Burnout Paradise is damned good fun. I'll third that recommendation. But if you want a game built for a gamepad that'll run regardless of graphics hardware, you cannot do better than Cave Story.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:46 AM on January 17, 2012

Psychonauts! The Steam version is kept updated and runs beautifully at high resolutions on modern systems, and it's one of the best games of the 00's.
posted by Merzbau at 9:56 AM on January 17, 2012

AaAaAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity is a game where you pilot a free-falling skydiver around obstacles. It's on steam. It's $10. It seems like maybe it would be good for this.
posted by kavasa at 10:24 AM on January 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

The 360 controller is likely your best bet. You can also use a PS3 controller with a Bluetooth dongle or the USB cord (I do), but you need separate software, the cord is short, and you'd have to buy a dongle if you want to play wirelessly.

As for games, I have a similar system, with an integrated HD4200. Lately I've been playing Portal 2, Fable, and hopefully Painkiller when it finishes downloading. I've tried Bully: Scholarship Edition but it does not seem to work well at any resolution. GTA4 surprisngly works, but I only get playable frame rates at the bare minimum settings. Both of these automatically support a 360 gamepad.

Pretty much all of the Valve games (Half-Life, Portal, etc.) work very well on just about any card .
posted by tatma at 4:39 PM on January 17, 2012