Video game recommendation?

December 5, 2013 6:13 PM

I'd like to get my dad a PC video game for Christmas, and I'm looking for suggestions.

He's currently playing a flight simulator game that uses a model airplane remote control, and he loves it. He's also enjoyed puzzle games such as Myst in the past, but isn't really a 1st person shooter type of guy. Any recommendations for games that a 60 year old would enjoy?

posted by teradude to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

Do you think he would enjoy games that came out when he was younger? If so, I'd suggest looking through gog.com's catalog. They have a ton of retro/classic PC games, including a bunch of flight simulation games like Wing Commander. They also have the other Myst titles, if he hasn't already played those. You can search GOG by genre as well, so you can find other games under the same genre of games he enjoys.
posted by joyeuxamelie at 7:30 PM on December 5, 2013

Civilization!
posted by sacrifix at 7:32 PM on December 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

If he liked Myst and puzzles, he might enjoy Portal and Portal 2. Although they're first person in format, they're intelligent games with great puzzles.
posted by bluecore at 7:33 PM on December 5, 2013

Kerbal Space Program? Minecraft is popular with all ages in my family. Civilization, but only if he's okay with losing large blocks of time. One. More. Turn!
posted by lovecrafty at 7:36 PM on December 5, 2013

I was going to suggest Portal too. You know your Dad better than we do. Some people just can't handle first-person format games. But as bluecore said, it's not a shooting game; it's a puzzle game. And most of the time you can figure out the solution in relative peace, without worrying about something killing you.
posted by roll truck roll at 10:43 PM on December 5, 2013

The Last Express. Available on PC and iOS.
posted by zippy at 11:57 PM on December 5, 2013

I briefly tried to play Portal with my dad with me running the controller and him helping me with the puzzles and he got motion sickness really fast and we had to stop. He is 2d video game savvy enough for stuff like Snake but there's way too much going on in Portal that requires quick reaction times, coordinating multiple things at once and the like; you really have to know how to move in games for it to not be frustrating. Your mileage may vary, of course, just a data point.

I haven't played Gone Home yet but it looks like it has some Myst-like elements, but more story and mystery-centered than puzzle-centered. You might look into that.
posted by NoraReed at 12:53 AM on December 6, 2013

Does he like adventure games? You might try the remakes of the first two Monkey Island games if so, they're very well done. Machinarium and Samorost might also scratch that particular itch. I haven't finished yet, but The Walking Dead is very good, and some of Telltale's other adventure games are pretty good too. The Stanley Parable is an awesome little experience if you've got the right sense of humor (there's a demo, try it first before buying!). Papo & Yo is a decent puzzler with a moving story, though there are a few spots that require good timing so it might get frustrating there.

If you think he'd be interested in some more retro-ish myst-like games, you might take a look at Zork: Grand Inquisitor (and maybe Zork Nemesis, but that one's kind of a darker & edgier take on the Zork universe that fell a bit flat, IMHO).
posted by Aleyn at 1:09 AM on December 6, 2013

This might seem like a stretch, but I'm going to suggest Dear Esther. It's an experimental game that's more about the story than the game-play, but there's a deep sense of exploration to it, and something tells me your dad might get into it.
posted by jbickers at 5:57 AM on December 6, 2013

Civilisation, Railway Tycoon. Both have a building things and a puzzle element, that is working out the most efficient way to use resources. I'd go Civ IV over V but that is personal preference. Lost Vikings is fun. puzzley, and old school.
posted by wwax at 7:37 AM on December 6, 2013

I'll add another vote for Civ, with the caveat that you may see a lot less of your father.
posted by JaredSeth at 7:43 AM on December 6, 2013

I'm not up on newer flight sims, but if he enjoys flying I'd check out:

Crimson Skies - alternate history zepplin pirate dogfights, missions around the US, cheesy but has lots of character. (let's play)
Wing Commander - classic spacefighter, but early games in the series are very old. Try Prophecy for something closer to modern. (let's play)
Freespace 1 or 2 - alien invasion with very, very good gameplay. (let's play)

Might also like FTL, which is a sort of tactical puzzle but is unforgiving. (let's play)

Civ 4 is one of the best all around games ever, enjoyable by pretty much anyone, and narrated by Leonard Nimoy. However, it has a small learning curve (1-2 hours), slightly intimidating complexity, and is a big timesink. If you go for it, get the complete version with the Beyond the Sword expansion. (let's play)

I wouldn't recommend even non-shooty first person games. Mouselook+WASD can be unintuitive and frustrating to people who aren't used to it.
posted by postcommunism at 8:00 AM on December 6, 2013

I briefly tried to play Portal with my dad with me running the controller and him helping me with the puzzles and he got motion sickness really fast and we had to stop

I get motion sickness with 3d video games when I'm watching someone else play. Maybe if he controlled the motion, he'd be ok?
posted by zippy at 1:20 PM on December 7, 2013