xbox 360 games for the non gamer?

[MergedLoki]

Alright so question here for all you fellow gamers out there.

My gf has said she wants to get a game or two that she can play with me (and as the title suggests i have a 360).

Anyways. i'm more into shooter/action type games, which are not her cup o tea.

as far as i know the 360 doesn't exactly have any platforming type games which she has shown interest in (honestly if i had the cash i'd get her a Wii b/c i think she'd have a blast but i dont have $300 + $ for games).

Anyways.. so any suggestions for 360 games (either full reg. games or downloadable arcade ones) for a casual gamer (prefebly at least 2 player as she would like to play with me and my friends.).

Thanks in advance.

[CSR Kim]

I'm a fan of card games on the 360, such as Rummy, Solitaire, Hardwood Hearts, etc. Also, my husband has downloaded a few boardgames that are fun. Carcassonne (I think I spelled that wrong, but I'm too lazy to look) is great. We also have a version of Trivial Pursuit which we play together sometimes. Oh, and another addicting one is Peggle. They even just put out a version of Magic the Gathering you can download.

Most of what I play comes from downloads, as opposed to games we bought in the store. I am also not too much into the RPGs and FPSs, well...Fable 2 is awesome, but that's about the only other one I've really gotten into.

[MergedLoki]

yea I've got cassarone and MTG (thereby letting all online players know that i am a geek lol :P).

thanks for the suggestions

[Broomjockey]

Castle Crashers. Old-Schoolish style beat-em-up, from what I've heard. Colourful and stylized, and gotten good reviews.

How about Guitar Hero/Rock Band? You've not said what her interests are, so it's a little hard to come up with more recommendations. Definitely Castle Crashers though.

[Javakat]

Castle Crashers.

I second this. The great thing about the games on Arcade is that they almost always have demos. So demo a few: 'Splosion Man, Peggle, Hexic, or Braid.

Plus, lots of Old-school games have been re-released on XBLA: Monkey Island, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, the Sonic games...

For a full game, depends on her tastes. Maybe Fable II? Good story and you can play together.

What kind of movies, books, and TV shows does she like? Might help us make more suggestions.

<EDIT> Also, try the Lego series of games (Lego Star Wars, Lego Indy, Lego Batman, etc.) Not too hard, but a fun look and feel, and plenty of humor.

[Broomjockey]

I'd stay away from Turtles in Time, apparently it's not held up very well, but Monkey Island is excellent (picked it up on Steam). I'd not recommend 'splosion Man or Braid for people new to gaming, they're capable of being rather nasty, but hey, demos are free, so give them a look any ways

In addition to Fable II, I'd recommend Bully, oddly enough. It's not too difficult, decent story, good controls, overall, solid for a new gamer.

[Nurian]

Rock Band is good, if you don't mind the extra cost for the equipment.

[ArcticChicken]

Portal. Excellent puzzle solving.

[MergedLoki]

I second this. The great thing about the games on Arcade is that they almost always have demos. So demo a few: 'Splosion Man, Peggle, Hexic, or Braid.

Plus, lots of Old-school games have been re-released on XBLA: Monkey Island, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, the Sonic games...

For a full game, depends on her tastes. Maybe Fable II? Good story and you can play together.

What kind of movies, books, and TV shows does she like? Might help us make more suggestions.

<EDIT> Also, try the Lego series of games (Lego Star Wars, Lego Indy, Lego Batman, etc.) Not too hard, but a fun look and feel, and plenty of humor.

Not 100% sure on her interests thats the problem. I have GH 3 and she's shown no interest in it (seen me and friends play it. well maybe next time we all get 2gether i'll insist she give it a shot :P).

i've debated picking up lego batman, as she IS a batman fan (as am i :P so it all works) and yea seems like something that could be fun and not too hard.

sorry I can't give alot of detail on what she likes because i've asked her what she would like (and given examples of games/diff. titles etc. and given her a little run through of what they're about and haven't got alot of feedback from her. hence the posting on this site).

Thanks again everyone. any suggestions of any genre are welcome lol i'll just run them all by her (download some demos, maybe rent a few, see if i can nail down a couple that she's interested in)

[Javakat]

A couple of more suggestions to try:

Viva Pinata

Beautiful Katamari (not the best of the Katamari Damancy series, but it's easy to pick up. If you have a PS2, I'd say get the first one.)

Good Luck

[lordlundar]

i've debated picking up lego batman, as she IS a batman fan (as am i :P so it all works) and yea seems like something that could be fun and not too hard.

Let me end the debate. Get it. You will have a blast with it. In addition, get the other lego titles (indiana Jones and star wars) Even if you aren't fond of the source material, you'll enjoy the games.

[DesignFox]

This one isn't a two player, but Zuma is lots of fun. It's an action/puzzle type. You have to shoot the colored balls and line them up as they move around. The idea is to empty the board before they fall into the mouth of the cave.

RockBand has always been my favorite- if your GF doesn't like playing guitar, she can try singing or playing drums.

Aegis Wing is free...it's just a basic side scrolling shooter.


I don't have many other suggestions that haven't already been mentioned.
EDIT:
Oooh. I almost forgot about Worms! That game is hysterical. It's sort of like that old Gorilla game on DOS. Only you are a team of worms...and there's things like exploding sheep. Hilarious.

[MergedLoki]

Yea well next time I make a trip to EB games (in a couple weeks to pick up my preordered Ultimate alliance II)

I'm gonna get lego batman as well.

sigh.. the falls gonna be a busy time for me and my gamer friends... Too many quality titles coming out.

lol Oh well I'll splurge now and then wont need to buy anything for the next good long while.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

[Geek King]

Maybe look for a copy of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. It has a bunch of the old platformers from that system, plus other stuff.

If your GF doen't want to play guitar, maybe see if she'd like to sing or play drums. You could grab Rock Band, and get the drums or mic seperate now. I've even seen some nifty drum pads that can be laid out however you like. and don't take up as much space as the full drum kit for the game.

Is she into RPGs at all? Star Ocean and Tales of Vespiria are decent little action-RPGs, and there are more traditional turn-based RPGs available.

Last bit of advice: Maybe sit and watch her pay some by herself. Offer tips, but don't harp on her too much.

[Cyphr]

portal is probaly your best bet, the 360 is by far lacking in non gamer titles