Are there any family-friendly PS3 games?

September 13, 2007 8:29 PM

I'm buying a Playstation 3, but I want to include at least one game that my girlfriend will also enjoy. The Wii seems to be more kid- and girl-friendly. Is there a non-RPG, non-sports PS3 game that is "fun for the whole family?"
posted by jackypaper to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (23 answers total)

It's not out yet, but LittleBigPlanet is a game your girlfriend might be interested in, for the PS3.
posted by Squee at 8:42 PM on September 13, 2007

The PS3 is a strange beast.

Sure, there are those big expensive $60 games you see at Target or Best Buy -- they're boring-ass hardcore gamer central, 1080 lines of swords, blood, and basketballs. In comparison, the Wii games are all cute.

But then, when you actually go online with the PS3, you can buy interesting, cute little games for almost nothing. Flow. Piyotama. Super Puzzle Fighter. Q-Bert. Lemmings. Sudoku. Nucleus. All cute or innovative non-RPG, non-sports fun games, and none of them are more than 10 bucks.

Just wait 'till it's home, and download to your hearts' content.

(Also, Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, The Simpsons and Singstar are coming soon, if you really, really need to buy one of those $60 discs for her.)
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 8:58 PM on September 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

Soon! October 23! Ratchet & Clank! I'm peeing myself with excitement. (Girl.)
posted by peep at 9:04 PM on September 13, 2007

I'd recommend any Harvest Moon incarnation, including the ones for PS2...
posted by Phire at 9:18 PM on September 13, 2007

What are her interests? As in, books, movies, music (genres and the like? That would actually help us narrow it down aside from no RPGs or sports titles.

Is she only into kid-friendly titles, or is there a chance she'd like something more mature yet not in those two genres?

There aren't any catch-all "appeals to females" titles. It will generally depend upon what the player's interests are.
posted by cmgonzalez at 9:33 PM on September 13, 2007

I EAT TAPAS: Nintendo has the online Virtual Console for Wii, which is similar.
posted by cmgonzalez at 9:35 PM on September 13, 2007

Squee: "It's not out yet, but LittleBigPlanet is a game your girlfriend might be interested in, for the PS3."

I'm going to have to second that. I own a Wii and am a whore for Nintendo's consoles, but damn, LBP is something that makes me want to blow almost a thousand bucks on a PS3.
posted by Effigy2000 at 9:43 PM on September 13, 2007

We like to play super puzzle fighter here at my place. It was only a few bucks on the playstation's downloadable store, and it has provided many hours of entertainment :)
posted by ShootTheMoon at 9:46 PM on September 13, 2007

The PS3 runs PS2 games, doesn't it? How about Katamari Damaci? I've heard that a lot of women like it.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:22 PM on September 13, 2007

Seconding Katamari. Everyone with a pulse seems to love it, regardless of gender.

Also, not too keen on the idea that there are girl games vs. guy games. In my house the FPS games are almost all mine, and my straight, male roommate owns the DDR mat. Don't shortchange your girl, she may just surprise you.
posted by Kellydamnit at 10:34 PM on September 13, 2007

Lara Croft!
posted by thebrokenmuse at 10:56 PM on September 13, 2007

I'll second Ratchet and Clank. Don't let their obsession with weapons fool you, it's a platformer through and through.

You can even pick up one of the earlier PS2 titles on the cheap to see if she'll like it. I'd avoid Deadlocked though, since they changed formula for that one.
posted by Gary at 11:24 PM on September 13, 2007

Be sure you get the 60gb PS3. The newer 80gb one drops the hardware compatibility chip, so you can't be sure that PS1 and PS2 games will work on it. It should be easy to find. It's heavily stocked at retailers, since it isn't selling very well.

Nthing Katamari Damacy. I don't think I've ever seen anyone say they DON'T like that game.... the 'if you have a pulse, buy it' argument really does seem to be true.
posted by Malor at 1:51 AM on September 14, 2007

Second Katamari Damarcy!
My girlfriend loves it!
posted by ollsen at 3:21 AM on September 14, 2007

My girlfriend loves Karaoke Revolution like its chocolate-covered kittens. Sing Star looks to take over that ground on Playstation.

I don't like Katamari Damacy. It's like a cute, really long tech demo. Most people I roll with, from my girlfriend on out, think similar. I understand the hype, and it's probably worth trying, but it's more a gateway drug than the real thing.
posted by pokermonk at 5:15 AM on September 14, 2007

MMmm, I find Katamari Damacy addictive when you start playing it, but it's not the type of game that compels you to pick it up if you haven't played in a while, does that make sense? It's a great, hilarious game, but... yeah.

If she's into sports any, DDR is super fun. Plus it has definite health benefits if played regularly, and very appealing as a two player game as there is motivation to keep going.
posted by Phire at 5:52 AM on September 14, 2007

Beautiful Katamari is coming out for the PS3 on October 16, so you might want to wait for that.
posted by waxpancake at 7:33 AM on September 14, 2007

Not to distract, but it appears that Beautiful Katamari is a Xbox 360 only game.

Dance Dance Revolution games are family fun, and many of the PS2 games are less hardcore gamer oriented, but the majority of PS3 titles on the market are not "fun for the whole family".

The Wii on the other hand...
posted by Argyle at 8:13 AM on September 14, 2007

Does your girlfriend play games to begin with? My wife doesn’t but will every now and then. Since she is not a big gamer the only games she really plays are where we play together like Mario Party or Sports (yeah I’m talking about Wii) or if it is movie game (Harry Potter) she’ll play.

I think you’ll have more luck getting your girlfriend to play the Wii but if she won’t be playing that often get what you want and she can watch.
posted by doorsfan at 8:40 AM on September 14, 2007

Expounding on my own comment, and Gary's, yes DO NOT GET Ratchet & Clank Deadlocked if you are interested in trying the series. It sucks. Also, I played them in order and madly loved each one, but if once you've played the sequels it's hard to go back and play the previous games, because the improvements are so great.

Katamari: I don't know why, I just hated it. I know, everyone loves it but I just couldn't get into it. Since other people are mentioning PS2 games, I'll throw in Kingdom Hearts I and II. Again, don't try to play II and then go back and play I - it's too frustrating.
posted by peep at 9:08 AM on September 14, 2007

Also a PS2 game, but Okami is an absolute must-have. I'll eat my hat if she doesn't love it. And I don't wear a hat, so that's saying a lot.
posted by mattholomew at 3:28 PM on September 14, 2007

I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet: Calling All Cars! is a wonderfully manic, fun, cartoony romp. Incredibly simple to pick up and play. It's just a $10 download from PlayStation Network and everyone I've played it with adored it. One friend said he would buy a PS3 for the game alone.
posted by churl at 5:16 PM on September 14, 2007

How about not assuming that girls only like stereotypically girly games?
posted by IndigoRain at 6:44 PM on September 14, 2007