Please help me get into video games

December 29, 2020 7:37 AM

Hi! I would like to give (video) gaming a whirl and see if it is for me. I know nothing, except that I loathe playing games on my laptop and feel strongly that I would need a console. I think this is because you can kinda get more physically into it? (Does this not bode well?) Anyway, please help me decide how to get a broad sampler platter of good/popular games on a console without spending all my money (just some of it).

It does not have to be the newest generation console (I am under the impression those are tough to get anyway?), but I am open to that if it's the best option. And I would like to not buy physical games, I think, because that seems like a lot of $ to spend on something you're not sure you're gonna like. I'm in a renting sort of headspace. So is it possible to get a subscription to decent bundles of games that you can download via your console situation? Do they do sampler platters? (Everywhere should do sample platters.)

Which console does MeFi recommend for someone with minimal tolerance for futzing with stuff to get it to work? Is it possible to get an older model on the cheap? What about games? I know you people have opinions about games, and I love you for it. So far I find myself attracted to games that seem like immersive worlds with good stories (the Witcher ones? I woulda been interested in the cyberpunk one that some people seem very upset about), but I dunno what I'm gonna like, really. I really want to like games-as-art, too. I think in general I need some story. But as mentioned, given that I'm kinda in discovery mode, I would like Netflix-like access to a bunch of stuff if at all possible.

Please give me all your advices.

posted by schadenfrau to Media & Arts (19 answers total)

If you really want to get a console, don't let me stop you, but if your laptop can run the games you want to play and you just want a bigger screen, you can always plug your computer in to your TV (nowadays usually just takes an HDMI cable) and get a couple game controllers.
posted by yeahlikethat at 8:18 AM on December 29, 2020 [4 favorites]

If you have a fast network you could try a streaming service too, with the aforementioned game controller.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:21 AM on December 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you're looking to get into console gaming, Sony has a service called PS Now that allows you to stream a pretty decent library of games to your PC or a Playstation console. Sony is kind of known for big game worlds with cool stories. In terms of hardware, you'll probably want a PS4. It comes in regular vanilla PS4 and PS4 Pro (the updated version, but not the newest guy on the market). Either will work fine, really; I've played all my PS4 games on the base model. (This is just AN option, not THE ONLY option. I know Playstation stuff, so I'll let other people chime in on XBox and Switch opinions).

In terms of games, here are some that I think were particularly great that I've played on the Playstation, with focus on immersive worlds or game-as-art (some are on PS Now, but most go on sale for pretty cheap): God of War (the new one), Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, Journey (PLEASE give this a shot), Katamari Forever, The Witcher 3, Flower.
posted by specialagentwebb at 8:22 AM on December 29, 2020 [3 favorites]

If you're in a renting sort of headspace, look at the games available on Xbox Game Pass and PS Now and see if one seems more attractive than the other. Buy the console that has the most attractive games

Since you already have a laptop (unsure how good it is), you could buy a controller for minimal cost, and subscribe to Geforce Now, which rolls in cloud computing (I.E. your laptop is only working as a display so it doesn't need to be a gaming device) along with game rental.

Lastly just because it's really re-invigorated my enjoyment of gaming; the Oculus Quest 2. It requires a facebook account, so if you loathe facebook stop reading here. Otherwise, it's a standalone VR headset with controllers, and is absolutely amazing as far as tech that you get versus price, in part due to facebook subsidizing the cost of the console. The games are downloads only, but there isn't a subscription option; only "purchase" of games that can't be resold.
posted by nobeagle at 8:23 AM on December 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

Not abusing the edit window; I'll note that the Geforce Now requires a good broadband connection to not look like crap as the cloud computing implies that the video is streamed back to you; so you want low latency, as well as good bandwidth. Satellite is an absolute no-go due to latency, and you probably want a 25mbit minimum connection.
posted by nobeagle at 8:27 AM on December 29, 2020

Response by poster: I have a 2.3 GHz 16GB 2019 MacBook Pro with 1TB of storage. What I mean about getting physically into it is literally like...jumping up from the couch, or like really throwing your body into those button smashes. (The fictional character I most identify with is Luther the anger translator. Sometimes I have to get up and walk around when just telling a story.)

I am unsure about the internet situation where I am, but so far it seems...fine?
posted by schadenfrau at 8:32 AM on December 29, 2020

I'll also chime in and say the PS4 would be a good purchase. Used ones might start popping up soon at decent prices as people start upgrading to the PS5.

It has a huge library of all kinds of games, and you can amass a library pretty inexpensively if you just buy sale items.

If you're gonna buy a PS4, my advice would be get the one with the biggest hard drive you can find. That way you'll have plenty of room to install games without having to delete old ones to make room. Or, buy one with a small hard drive, and get yourself a 1TB SSD or something and install it as an upgrade yourself. Any SATA laptop hard drive can be installed. Like this one. This upgrade is really easy to perform (no disassembly required) so keep it in mind as an option if you do go the PS4 route.

The Switch has lots of games as well, AND has the advantage of being portable. I've got both but I've probably gotten more mileage out of my PS4. Mostly I like to play games on my couch, and I'm not going anywhere these days anyway.
posted by signsofrain at 8:32 AM on December 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

Another vote for a PS4 - it's a mature platform and there's a great backlist available if you're willing to plonk down occasionally for PSNow (I do every few months and then cancel it when I play through whatever nostalgic title I was looking for). Your MBPro would do fine on some games but OSX is still not really the focus of the industry and it shows.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:04 AM on December 29, 2020

My fairly-uninformed thoughts as a casual but long-time gamer, and these are somewhat orthogonal to your stated needs:

For me, getting away from your main computer to game is a good thing, and for escaping, it is hard to beat the Oculus Quest 2 for a an affordable VR experience. Being portable, it has to compromise on game complexity and sophistication. But, you can't beat it for feeling transported. I still get a thrill thinking about the first time I experienced it - it's almost drug-like. Even fairly basic apps like Wander are remarkably compelling in VR.

For gameplay that I come back to again and again, and that I can drop in and out of quite easily, I love the Nintendo Switch. I bought it merely to play The Legend of Zelda: BOTW, and I don't regret that decision one bit - it is simply a landmark game. Add on a game like Ring Fit Adventure, and the Switch becomes a remarkably useful device. For bonus points, I connect it to my projector and play Zelda and Ring Fit on a glorious 110" screen.

I also have a powerful PC with some good games loaded on it, but I find it is my last choice for gaming, unless I am playing a FPS game, where you need all the computing power you can get if you want to stay competitive.
posted by SNACKeR at 9:10 AM on December 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

How about instead of literally renting things, thinking of eBay as a renting platform? I.e, buy games used, then resell them for around the same price when you're done.

I was intimidated by getting into gaming again having not played anything between the ages of about 15-30. I eventually sprung for a PS4, and am very glad I did, not least because the gaming catalogue is so strong. I would recommend avoiding open world games (like The Witcher 3, Fallout 4 etc.) right at the start because they tend to rely on former knowledge. Like, an intuitive understanding of how gaming works. This is something you will acquire, but till then it takes a LOT of googling at the start to figure out how to make the most of them (user manuals are a thing of the past, basically), and that can be enough to turn you off and maybe even ditch the concept of gaming again.

What I would 100% recommend as a starter is Uncharted 4. It has a linear narrative with on screen prompts - i.e. it is very easy to figure out what you are supposed to be doing, while growing used to the controls and gaming mechanics that will end up applying similarly to lots of other games going forwards. The graphics will blow your mind if you haven't played anything in a while. The story is wonderful, as are the fully fleshed characters and all the voice actors. It's very immersive, doubly so for the adventure element that will make you feel like you are living in a different, more exciting world. It's pretty epic. You will want to quit your day job and become a treasure hunter.

After that? The Last of Us. Pretty much the pinnacle of storytelling. The same linear narrative style, so easy to pick up, but again very immersive - amazing characters, dialogue, storytelling, the works.

Then feel free to start branching out into open world games. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a great intro to those. You'd still want to Google a bit to figure out what you're supposed to be doing, but there are lots of good "walkthroughs" (i.e., a write up someone has done of the game to walk you through the scenes, in case you get stuck or don't get what's going on) available for it, so it's still relatively easy to get into. For all open world games though, walkthroughs are your friend.

Enjoy!
posted by FifteenShocks at 9:39 AM on December 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

You could try Apple Arcade. For like five bucks a month you can try out a bunch of pretty decent games right on your MacBook (and iPhone/iPad etc). No AAA amazing titles but lots of hours of enjoyable gameplay in lots of genres. That will help you figure out what you like to play, which will help guide you on what kind of gaming hardware you might like to purchase later.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:42 AM on December 29, 2020

Your local public library may have games you can borrow at no charge—mine does!
posted by bookmammal at 9:47 AM on December 29, 2020

I agree with SNACKeR.

I am a huge Quest evangelist. It's worth feeding the facebook beast.

Switch fills the void for easy other gaming. I have a capable PC but it's also my last choice.
posted by booooooze at 10:50 AM on December 29, 2020

Response by poster: This has all been fantastic. I'm gonna go with the ps4 to start and all your awesome game suggestions.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:21 AM on December 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

A lot of this is going to depend on what you think you like. I'm just going to add my two cents to all of the above advice.

Should you get a console or a gaming PC?

Personally, I prefer console gaming for a couple of reasons. The first is that I'm on a computer all day and I like getting off of it. The second is that my computer is a Mac, like yours, and Macs aren't generally very good for gaming. I couldn't get a very good Windows machine for the type of money I spent on my PS4.

If you get a console, which one?

Playstation has had better exclusives than Xbox. Most "big" games will be released for both, but there will be a handful of (sometimes prestige) titles that are only available on one or the other.

You're getting a lot of advice to get a PS4, and that's probably solid advice. However, I'd also consider what types of games you think you'll want to play. As you know, PS4 is now "last gen." Moving forward, more and more games will only be available for current gen consoles - especially the big titles with fancy graphics. If you think you might want to play big new releases, I'd wait a while and get a PS5 once they're available again.

But if that doesn't matter to you, the PS4 is definitely more economical. It will be cheaper and a lot of the (wonderful) games in its library will be substantially discounted as well, especially if you pay attention to sales.

What types of games will you like?

You've gotten some advice to avoid big, open-world games, but these are exactly the types of games that got me into gaming in the first place! The mechanics can be kind of overwhelming at first, but personally, I don't think they were that hard to learn (as long as you don't make something like Bloodborne your first game). Horizon: Zero Dawn was the first open-world game I ever played, and I felt like it led me through the mechanics pretty easily, introducing things over time.

The real difficulty for me was just the physical skill of coordinating the movement and the camera at the same time. It can be frustrating and can feel like you're just not good at it. This really is just because you haven't gotten the muscle memory yet, though - everyone goes through it. You might like a game with simpler controls to start. A lot of things disparagingly called "walking simulators" have simpler controls because there's more focus on story and less on things like combat.

One thing I want to point out is how many reviews and streams there are now. You can watch people play a game you're interested in, if you're not sure what it's like!
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:28 AM on December 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

If you like moving around: The PS VR option is not state-of-the-art, but Astro Bot is pretty nicely done, and Beat Saber is a good workout.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:56 AM on December 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

PS4 has the PlayStation Plus service which gives you access to a couple of free games each month with discounts on other games. Games come from a wide range of genres and time periods: sometimes beloved titles past their prime, sometimes (rarely) brand new games like when Fall Guys launched, and you'll see sports games , action games, indie games, etc. I suggest checking the PS+ games from previous months to get a sense of what gets offered.

I have PS+. Not every month has something I like but it's an easy way to check out something I might not have otherwise and I have discovered some gems as a result.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 9:19 PM on December 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you don’t want to subscribe to PS Plus, you can buy games to download and older games can be much, much cheaper. So if you’re very patient, or not bothered about playing the newest games, or want to explore all those games from the past few years, there are a lot of bargains for games 1+ years old.
posted by fabius at 5:49 AM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

Keep in mind that EA's Origin service has a subscription option that lets you play their most popular games for a monthly fee, and it's available for PC.

Technically, Google's Stadia service is supposed to offer remotely hosted gaming, but needs a hefty internet connection. And the library's a bit limited.
posted by kschang at 10:45 PM on December 30, 2020