From a Casual Gamer to other Casual Gamers - HELP!

Hi guys!

outcasted here.

I don't usually broadcast this out loud... but yes, I'm a medical student... What exactly does this mean? Well, for starters, I can't afford to get myself into "deep" and "involving" games mid school year (i.e. Demon's Souls, Assassin's Creed 2, etc). I just saved up a couple of bucks and would like to spend it on a relatively casual game, the type that's pick up and play (i.e. The ULTIMATELY COOL UNCHARTED 2!!! Best game ever). I have a couple of games on my list... think you guys could put in your 2 cents?

1. The Saboteur - I loved mercenaries and it's a shame that Mercs2 wasn't anything to boast about... I love the WW2 setting, the crapload of Nazis I can shoot up and the concept of "will to fight". Should i?

2. Bayonetta - I know this one is borderline deep, involving game, but hey... can anyone prove me wrong? Wasn't a huge huge huge fan of the DMC series, but i like the concept of expandability. Give this one a try?

3. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 - ditto for the reason above. Althought I can probably score this at a much lower price. But I'm not much of a hardcore gamer. Turn off? hehe

4. Dead Space - Ok. YES. I didn't play it yet. But why would I when i already played RE5 and loved it? To get or not to get? Heard there's not much replay value.

5. Modern Warfare 2 - Well. I did play it for the PC. PC died though, which is why I've been a console gamer ever since. Hehe. Plus, I didn't really turn up all the graphic settings. I live in Asia, so I really don't know how multiplayer will turn out. I liked Kz2. To save up for?

any other games I missed out? Casual gamers.. HELP ME OUT! Thanks

demon souls is game of the year 09

restident evil is awesome 2 player game

fighting games are fun to duel your pals. virtua fighter, street fighter or tekken are all great

edit: metal gear soild 4 gun of the patriots are great to

I'm not sure that I understand what you consider a pick up and play game. If U2 is that kind of game for you, then I don't see why you would have a problem with AC2. Sure AC2 has a longer main storyline, but it could easily be played in short segments once you got the basics down (I'm sure that even in U2 you had to learn the basics before you could just pick up and play it).

The same could be said of Demon Souls – once you learn the basics, DS could very easily be played in short bursts – especially since it involves going to the same places over and over again. (Though it is so good that it is hard to stop playing once you start).

Anyway if you are looking for action/adventure games similar to U2 and RE5, then:

Dead Space is a good game, but its got a different kind of pacing than U2 and RE5– DeadSpace is all about building atmosphere – so tension builds up then you go into an action sequence—then you wait for the tension to build again before you get to the next action sequence. The pacing in U2 and RE5 is built more around huge setpiece action sequences. I didn't think DeadSpace had a lot of replayability because there really wasn't anything interesting to do once you finished the game (I didn't find the different weapons found in the game all that interesting). But if you are into getting trophies then you will have an incentive to play it through again.

Modern Warfare 2 campaign does go more for setpiece action sequences, but its got more frentic action than U2 and RE5, and the campaign is very short. I don't think the campaign has much replayability . The only reason to get this game is for the multi-player. And if you really want to be a top player you are going to have to devote some significant time to learning the maps, the guns, the perks, etc. If you are OK with just being an average player, then casual play is fine because they throw enough bones to low level players to allow them to compete with the uber-leveled players.

I haven't played the other games on your list.

Have you considered Just Cause 2, which is coming out next month?

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a really good game. The combat is challenging, requiring a lot of fast evasion skills and you'll need to learn your combo attacks or you'll die often. The environments are great, characters are great (the chicks are uber-hot!) and I thought it was a lot of fun overall. Boss battles definitely require some patience.

Dead Space - awesome game! Probably the scariest game I've ever played. The atmosphere - creeping down dark passageways, not knowing what might jump out at you at any moment - then a jarring musical cue plays - eek! The combat if fun too. I thought it had good replay value. I liked it so much I was ready to start over again as soon as I finished it. You can't level up your character all that far in one playthrough, so there's plenty of incentive to give it another go.

dead space is an amazing and immersive game. easily 10x better than re5 (for the simple fact u can walk while aiming) its one of my favs this gen. but sadly, probably not for you. youll get sucked in and wont to walk away from a great story, atmosphere, and game. i would still get it and come back to it. its only $20 right now. youll kick yourself later for passing it up...trust me.

ninja gaiden sigma is probably what youre looking for on that list. its easy to pick up and put down. and yea, you can probably find a good deal by now. maybe infamous or batman aa. there good to play in bursts as well.

if you never got round to heavenly sword, then i would definitly take that. if you liked uncharted, and like games like gow, then hs is your game. best use of the sixaxis on the ps3, great graphics and voice acting, as well as a really fun and unique fighting engine. the campaign is short, but youll go back and try to perfect things more so than before. i still use it to show off the awesomness that is my ps3.

I liked Dead Space a lot. I played thru it 5 times. On each difficulty, plus one for the heck of it. Using different strategies for combat and leveling up, made each playthru different and fun.

I would consider GTA4 & FarCry2 both fun pick-up & play games. Because learning to play them is simple (not terribly complex-backstory or play/control & cutscenes are quick) and they are both composed of strings of missions/tasks that each take 25-45minutes to complete (in roughly 1/2 hr I have fun, experience a minor storyline arc, save my progress & get closer to understanding the entire journey of the main character). But the driving to & from these tasks might wear on you after awhile.

If you are looking for games requiring shorter spans of your time (in between saves) try Portal or Little Big Planet.

Hi guys!

outcasted here.

I don't usually broadcast this out loud... but yes, I'm a medical student... What exactly does this mean? Well, for starters, I can't afford to get myself into "deep" and "involving" games mid school year (i.e. Demon's Souls, Assassin's Creed 2, etc). I just saved up a couple of bucks and would like to spend it on a relatively casual game, the type that's pick up and play (i.e. The ULTIMATELY COOL UNCHARTED 2!!! Best game ever). I have a couple of games on my list... think you guys could put in your 2 cents?

1. The Saboteur - I loved mercenaries and it's a shame that Mercs2 wasn't anything to boast about... I love the WW2 setting, the crapload of Nazis I can shoot up and the concept of "will to fight". Should i?

2. Bayonetta - I know this one is borderline deep, involving game, but hey... can anyone prove me wrong? Wasn't a huge huge huge fan of the DMC series, but i like the concept of expandability. Give this one a try?

3. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 - ditto for the reason above. Althought I can probably score this at a much lower price. But I'm not much of a hardcore gamer. Turn off? hehe

4. Dead Space - Ok. YES. I didn't play it yet. But why would I when i already played RE5 and loved it? To get or not to get? Heard there's not much replay value.

5. Modern Warfare 2 - Well. I did play it for the PC. PC died though, which is why I've been a console gamer ever since. Hehe. Plus, I didn't really turn up all the graphic settings. I live in Asia, so I really don't know how multiplayer will turn out. I liked Kz2. To save up for?

any other games I missed out? Casual gamers.. HELP ME OUT! Thanks

the_outcast

I doubt anyone will mention this, but the Saboteur isn't a bad option. I will say that other open world games like Red Faction Guerilla GTA4 or Infamous are better, but the Saboteur isn't bad. I played it around Christmas and really enjoyed it. The ending is rather neat as well.

It does have a story line, but it can be pick up and play. On one hand you have the story mode with missions similar to how they are in other open world games (different NPC's give you missions to move forward the story line). Those might last 10-20 mins so you may be able to sit down for a half hour, play a mission or two and move on.

The other component of the game is where the title comes from in that you have to destory a variety of Nazi structures (sniper's nests, tanks, guard posts, propogranda speakers and tons of others). The sheer number of things to destroy are huge and you can jump into the game for a few minutes, do that for a bit and quit.

There are definately better games on the console, but the Saboteur isn't a bad option.

get dead space, awesome game, you can finish it in 2 days and find replay value on the trophies, that will give you at least 2 more playtroughs

Just bought Deadspace a few days back,so far it's a riot.It's got lots of tension and a creepy environment.Miles ahead of RE5

Just bought Deadspace a few days back,so far it's a riot.It's got lots of tension and a creepy environment.Miles ahead of RE5

Kingfighter77

you are right sir, lots of OMGWTF moments, the background music, the effects, the environment its alot of pshycological terror.

I'm just going to throw this out there, but have you thought of Little Big Planet? That's a nice pick up and play game and there's always something new to do. Even if you don't make levels you can still play everybody else's.

Thank you all for the wonderful inputs. Thank you for the insight on the games I've mentioned... Makes an old, busybody casual gamer like me realize that there are still straight thinking casual gamers out there that i can connect. I already tried Infamous (finished it actually, and it rocked) and MGS 4 (one of the first games for my ps3) as well as GTA IV (which, yes, is the ultimate definition of pick up and play. I did think of giving little big planet a try, but i'm not too into the customization aspect of it, so I don't think it'll appeal to me as much as it does other people.

The Saboteur looks like a good buy, and yes, thank you for giving your honest thoughts. I'm glad to see people who are willing to speak their mind and say games are decent even when high profile gaming sites say otherwise.

Thank you very much, Guys. I'm glad to see that gamespot (formerly videogames.com back when i was young...er. Hehe.) has retained the decency of online discussion and kept flaming down to a minimum. Kudos to us casual gamers!

A great game u should consider thats not on your list is Infamous. Its also reduced in price now, u can find it for around $35-$40 and its a game u will really enjoy. Open world superhero game done right, another great exclusive PS 3 owners should enjoy.