Yet another COVID-19 gaming question!
March 20, 2020 7:25 AM Subscribe
This seems like a good time to get into a multiplayer online game - which should I choose? Looking for: low barrier to entry, no special equipment requirements, fun storylines.
I don't _think_ World of Warcraft is the kind of thing I'm looking for, but I could be wrong. I don't want anything that's heavy on fighting or requires any kind of skill with a keyboard or game controller. I am bad at the kind of manual dexterity that modern gaming seems to require.
I do want something that I can play with other people, that has good storylines/quests/whatever, that I can play with my normal laptop. Non-multiplayer games that I have enjoyed include Undertale (though even the fighting there was too hard for me, if that gives you any idea of my non-skillz), Portal, and the long-ago Sierra games. Do want: gentle, with a good sense of humor. Indie a positive!
I don't _think_ World of Warcraft is the kind of thing I'm looking for, but I could be wrong. I don't want anything that's heavy on fighting or requires any kind of skill with a keyboard or game controller. I am bad at the kind of manual dexterity that modern gaming seems to require.
I do want something that I can play with other people, that has good storylines/quests/whatever, that I can play with my normal laptop. Non-multiplayer games that I have enjoyed include Undertale (though even the fighting there was too hard for me, if that gives you any idea of my non-skillz), Portal, and the long-ago Sierra games. Do want: gentle, with a good sense of humor. Indie a positive!
Stardew Valley! Lovely indie game with a lot of content updates. Great story and addictive. You do have to fight monsters in the mines, but you don't have to mine if you don't want to (the fighting really isn't too hard, though)
posted by Feminazgul at 8:22 AM on March 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Feminazgul at 8:22 AM on March 20, 2020 [3 favorites]
My husband and I are playing Cat Quest 2 which is local multi-player and has a plug in for network multi-player. It's very chill, more like a Nintendo game than a full MMPORG.
I love Torchlight and Torchlight 2 is multi-player but I don't know how that works. It does require some sort of skill but by the time that matters you might have played it enough.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:29 AM on March 20, 2020
I love Torchlight and Torchlight 2 is multi-player but I don't know how that works. It does require some sort of skill but by the time that matters you might have played it enough.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:29 AM on March 20, 2020
Seconding Stardew Valley! It's as intense or as chill as you want it to be. Lovely soundtrack and fun villager interactions.
posted by area.man at 8:36 AM on March 20, 2020
posted by area.man at 8:36 AM on March 20, 2020
I will also recommend Stardew Valley BUT I want to hear other options as well, since I'm a bit Stardew Valley'd out.
Other games I enjoyed: Moonlighter (it's half easy fighting, half selling the stuff you find in the dungeons while not fighting) and Terraria (I've heard it called 2D Minecraft, it's got fighting but lots of exploring and building and digging lots and lots of tunnels).
posted by Gray Duck at 8:41 AM on March 20, 2020
Other games I enjoyed: Moonlighter (it's half easy fighting, half selling the stuff you find in the dungeons while not fighting) and Terraria (I've heard it called 2D Minecraft, it's got fighting but lots of exploring and building and digging lots and lots of tunnels).
posted by Gray Duck at 8:41 AM on March 20, 2020
Guild Wars 2 is a massive, but tilted towards individual exploration and personal storylines in a way I enjoyed for a really intense few months a while back. Usually with massives you can find a class/job that is easier to play at your dexterity level than others, this can take some trial and error or a few expeditions into Reddit to ask questions.
I have had thoughts of checking out Maple Story 2 in these troubling times. No idea if it's what you and I are actually looking for but might be worth checking out.
posted by Mizu at 9:14 AM on March 20, 2020
I have had thoughts of checking out Maple Story 2 in these troubling times. No idea if it's what you and I are actually looking for but might be worth checking out.
posted by Mizu at 9:14 AM on March 20, 2020
I haven’t looked at it in years, but for a long time Kingdom of Loathing would have been my recommendation for this. Free to play, so check it out!
posted by Night_owl at 9:31 AM on March 20, 2020
posted by Night_owl at 9:31 AM on March 20, 2020
I just got Stardew Valley for the same reasons and I already love it. It can also be played offline, which was important to me with the overloaded internet right now. And DRM-free copies are on sale at GOG right now!
posted by veery at 10:39 AM on March 20, 2020
posted by veery at 10:39 AM on March 20, 2020
Standing Stone Games, the company that makes Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online, has made all the quests and content in both games free-to-play for all players through April 30th.
They're MMOs, but LOTRO, at least, is far more laid-back than WoW, and the rendition of Tolkien's worlds is amazing.
URLs are lotro.com and ddo.com .
posted by WaywardPlane at 3:54 PM on March 20, 2020
They're MMOs, but LOTRO, at least, is far more laid-back than WoW, and the rendition of Tolkien's worlds is amazing.
URLs are lotro.com and ddo.com .
posted by WaywardPlane at 3:54 PM on March 20, 2020
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posted by AlexiaSky at 8:13 AM on March 20, 2020