I went from an NES to the Wii (a long time later) and now also a 3DS and PS3. I’ve been looking for games to play with very mixed results. There are a lot of disks in the house now gathering dust as well as some downloads that never get opened.
I’ve tried Zeldas: Twilight Princess, Link’s Awakening and Ocarina of Time 3D. Just don’t like. I think I got furthest in to TP.
Just downloaded Okami HD for the PS3. Turns out it’s a lot like Zelda with a dog (okay, a wolf who is a goddess).
Have not finished Super Mario Galaxy, however I do think it’s fun. Have not finished New Super Mario Bros Wii nor Super Mario Land 3D.
Many other Nintendo games have been purchased and unfinished metroid, (Metroid Prime Trilogy, Epic Mickey, Mega Man 9, Cave Story, Fluidity) This is getting depressing.
So I’ve finished both the Portal games and enjoyed them immensely. I gather I will like Quantum Conundrum. Is it as kiddy as it seems from the graphics/art? Can you recommend any thing else like the Portals? Is there anything else like the Portals?
I also enjoy the Mario Kart games I’ve played (Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7 (3DS). Well, that’s not completely true, I downloaded Mario Kart 64 (I think it’s 64. Got it from the virtual store for the 3DS as a free download.). Did not like the mechanics on that one. So that means I’ll like fun, funny racing games, right? Well, did not really have fun playing Mod Nation Racers when I got to try it out with a friend’s kid. Not to mention the non racing in that game. No kid, I do not want to make new outfits for my characters. Push start already!
So is there any hope for my future gaming? Think you can recommend anything for me to try?
Maybe you’re just not much of a gamer. You skipped a huge chunk of the video game revolution. Lots of things have developed between the NES and Wii that you weren’t really a part of, so it may be that you’re just not used to the change. You might want to try a more gradual dive into current gaming. Other than the Portals, what else do you like? I’m afraid those games are so well-received because they are so unique, there’s not much else like them unless you want to try Half-Life which is essentially in the same universe but much more action oriented.
You may be right YogSosoth. When I first played Twilight Princess I couldn’t really get started. I may have looked something up online and then said in my best Captain Picard voice, “How the fuck was I supposed to know that!?”.
Well game devs, make me something unique and cool. Oh, liked Little Big Planet 1 and 2. Finished LBP2, but not 1.
I’ve played the beginning of Twilight Princess at least 3 times now and every single damn time I get stuck in the cell the first time you’re a wolf with Midna taunting me.
In the same kind of quirky puzzle game genre, you may like Braid or The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. They’re both heavily stylized in different ways, and have really clever platformer-based puzzle mechanics that get more and more devious as you progress.
Braid also tells a story in a way that English majors would eat up (i.e. some think it pretentious), but as they’re just in-game books you don’t have to read, it’s completely optional to pay attention to it. There is one sequence towards the end where the gameplay and story collide in one of the most brilliant displays of interactive storytelling I’ve ever seen.
I’m going to dissent on Quantum Conundrum. I really didn’t like it much. It wasn’t bad, just… average. And the dialogue, while kind of amusing, felt like it was trying too hard.
If you’re looking for something quirky, offbeat, and unique then you might be interested in the Katamari Damacy games.
If you liked SMG then there’s a host of other platformers you might enjoy. Off the top of my head there’s the Spyro games (available on PS1 and PSN), the Sly Cooper games, Jak and Daxter (available on PSN standalone and on disc with it’s action-based sequels), Psyconauts (PSN), and the Ratchet and Clank games (start off platform based with equal parts combat but become more action based as the series progresses).
My sole recommendation for racers is Road Trip Adventure (PSN) a budget title for the PS2. Looks and sounds rough, but it’s quite a fun little game.
Hmm, I’d briefly heard that interpretation before, but no, I’m talking more about:
The sequence where it looks like you’re rescuing the princess from that big ol’ bully, but then you do the backwards version of it later and you realize that the princess is actually escaping YOU, and all of those helpful things she is doing are actually meant to hinder you. You are the stalker villain of the story, but have constructed an elaborate narrative where you’re the hero (which is what everyone does, I guess). An inspired use of unreliable narrator that is deconstructed using game mechanics!
Thanks for the reccomendations. I’ll look into some of those.
I forgot to mention a couple of other games that I enjoyed and completed. Journey and Limbo. Both great games but both I thought were shortish. Still didn’t stop me from getting emotionally involved with the characters.
A friend was telling me about Psychonauts years ago, before I had a PS. Could be worth a download.
I second the suggestion to try some older games to help you with the gap between the Wii and the NES. You like Mario Galaxy, which makes it sound like you like 3D platforming*. And you like quirky titles. So my first thought is Psychonauts. At first I was worried you couldn’t play it on the systems you have, but it seems it was released on the PlayStation Network. It also will run on some pretty old computers, whether PC or Mac.
Another quirky game that I can’t help but recommend is Scribblenauts. There’s a 3DS version as well as a DS version.
You may also like adventure games, since Portal is essentially a first-person adventure game with platform elements. These are games that are all about puzzles, and have very little twitch gameplay. You’ll probably want to start with the modern ones which are much easier. Just look at anything in the Telltale Games catalog and see what it looks like you may like.
*I’m not counting Epic Mickey because a lot of people didn’t like that one. Everyone I know who tried Psychonauts and likes the genre loved the game. It’s pretty easy, too, until the last section.