What games would you recommend for someone that only recently got into gaming?
What games would you recommend for someone that only recently got into gaming?
I've always been more into competitive games, like FPS and MOBA. But now, I'm starting to like more story-focused games that will add something to my life, or just awesome games that everyone should play at some time.
Do you guys have any to recommend? Edit: I play exclusively on PC.
So far I've played both Portal games, truly awesome, Hollow Knight and Celeste.
I am going to recommend, perhaps, my favorite game of all time, Outer Wilds from the studio Mobius Games.
But please please promise to go in completely blind. Your awareness and knowledge of the world is the key mechanic, so almost any info not only spoils the mystery, but also robs you of literal measurable minutes in gameplay.
All I can say - it is a very touching first-person immersive stimulation game in space about, essentially, alien archeology. Expect wonder, discovery, some frights, have your mind completely blown every 10-20 minutes. It will probably make you cry a couple times as well.
It is one of those games when, after finishing it, you immediately get sad because you will never experience it again in the same way. So you start annoying everyone into playing it, just to enjoy discussing it and seeing someone else play.
And the DLC is equally awesome.
Agreed.
But, to be clear without giving spoilers, by "simulation game in space" it means getting in a ship and flying from planet to planet, while dealing with things like gravity and momentum. In my opinion just the right amount of challenge that it starts hard but doable, but is possible to get good at in the late game. So that was lots of fun.
Also, while I will not reveal plot here, I feel given feedback from some of my friends that didn't like it the way I did, that maybe setting some tone expectations may help. The gameplay experience is mostly about exploring the planets, learning stuff, observing things, and making connections in you, the player. There's archeological evidence out there in space, and it's your job to figure out the history. It's not boring, though! It feels more like a giant puzzle. But you should go in with an exploration mindset and if a particular path doesn't work out, maybe it's not time yet. Just try exploring something else!
One of my friends was too "goal oriented" and just kept hammering a given path over and over and it made them frustrated, which is a shame.
Also, while the DLC is also good, I waited until after the main game to play it, and I'm glad I did. I don't know how it works to have the DLC running at the same time as the main game, but they're two pretty independent stories / investigations and I wouldn't want to get accidentally caught up in one while trying to piece together the other. I feel like that would be pretty confusing.
To any followup posters, remember no spoilers!
@s0phia world of tanks and age of empires 2 DE
Right now is a great time for PC gaming as the Steam summer sale is happening! If you enjoyed Portal, you might enjoy other Valve games like Half Life. At the moment, you can pick the franchise up for a few dollars.
Half life is another one of those series like Portal that I feel like everyone is required to play at some point
Skyrim! You’re already used to FPS games, so the first person part of Skyrim should be a breeze (you can toggle to 3rd person too). It’s one of those adventure games that will really stick with you. My wife and I will both come back to it often.
Morrowind is a fantastic game even if its clunky by modern standards, def use OpenMW and a UESP guide tho.
Both Knights of the Old Republic games are great (the second is a lot better imo) if yr into star wars.
With Those we Love Alive is a surrealist hypertext game with an awesome creepy ambient soundtrack.
Journey, Spiritfarer, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last of Us.
Spiritfarer for sure, and it's currently just US$6 on Steam
Upvoted for Shadow of the Colossus, I am a gamer who plays the oldies.
I'm on xbox, bought it with the money stadia refunded lol didn't consider steam. I mean that I think they should sell it standalone too, right now they are only taking preorders for the bundle on xbox. Maybe it will be $20 outside of bundle this Christmas, hopefully?
If you are on PC and have never check them out, I totally suggest checking out NIS games as they almost always have a fun story mixed with humor as well as some really heart wrenching things you accompany the characters on.
If you want story-focused, and you're good with retro graphics and semi-turn-based role-playing games, consider the Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster. That right there is the gold standard of Japanese RPGs.
If you liked Hollow Knight, check out the Ory series. Will of the Wisps was amazing.
If you liked Portal, any of the games that run on the source engine would be a good fit for you. Half Life 2 has an amazing single player story in FPS style and is on sale right now for $.99. Left for Dead 2 is another classic - probably the best zombie shooter of all time (and has a world of third party content) - also on sale right now for $.99. Straight military, go for CS:GO, or Team Fortress II if you prefer more of a Fortnite style game. All of these are older games, so run amazingly well on even the most mediocre hardware.
Doom Eternal. So smooth for an FPS.
I much preferred DOOM 2016 to Eternal, it felt like it had more of the old DOOM essence.
If you just want something super relaxing give Stardew Valley a try. It's cute but all the characters have some real depth to them.
I will never not recommend Subnautica.
It's a brilliant game, probably my all time favourite. I wish I could play it again for the first time.
If you have never played the Halo games, they are worth it too, Halo 1 to Halo Reach are fantastic.
I bought it today to play for the first time and I'm trying to decide between playing it on steam deck or blow some cobwebs off the vive.
Oh god I cannot imagine playing it in VR, it's already scary enough on a normal screen
If you want good story in an amazing game, definitely check out red dead.
I tend to stick to games with interesting stories, with occasional exceptions if the gameplay is good enough.
Top pick from me before anything else would be The Last of Us Part 1 & 2.
Other than that, some I've enjoyed the most that come to mind are
- Bioshock. I haven't played the remaster yet, just the original. Bioshock Infinite was also heaps of fun. I haven't played 2 yet, it's on my backlog - I've read it was made by a different team.
- Alien Isolation.
- Resident Evil 4.
- The Turing Test.
- X-Com Enemy Unknown.
- What Remains of Edith Finch.
- Horizon: Zero Dawn.
- Batman: Arkham Asylum + City + Origins + Knight.
- The Talos Principle.
The Uncharted series is also great, but only 4 and The Lost Legacy are on PC. I'm not sure I'd recommend playing it without having played at least 2 and 3, which are only on PlayStation currently. 1 is fun but dated and the story is not as strong as the later games (but I'd still recommend it if you get the chance to play 1-3).
Omori is a great RPG with forgettable gameplay but an unforgettable story.
Ultrakill is an excellent shooter with fast pacing, unique mechanics, and difficulty that is hard but rarely unfair.
Satisfactory is a factory building simulator which is pretty similar to Factorio, but a bit more chill and in 3D.
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I'm a diehard firewatch fan if you'd like a slightly spooky, heart full, storytelling masterpiece about the Wyoming forest. Everyone should play this game at some point.
Hades
Just to add a amazing story game but with no words and a shorter time investment:
- Stray
If you love cats and robots, well worth the time
I highly recommend Hades! It's a top-notch game with excellently balanced combat (and I say this as someone who doesn't really like combat in video games), an awesome story, and outstanding art direction and voice acting. Because of its structure as a roguelite, you're restarting every time you die but getting a little further every time, so it basically trains you up. It really made other combat games much more accessible to me. Plus you can use God Mode to lower the learning curve a bit while still keeping it moderately challenging.
I don’t like roguelikes, I got it for the character interactions and what do you know, the gameplay is fun too!
Still not going to change my mind on roguelikes though. Just this one is nice.
The Mario RPG franchise is very good actually, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga and Super Mario RPG being my favorites. I've heard good things about Paper Mario too.
Oh and the Earthbound series is very good too, but the Mario franchise is more beginner friendly.
If they're on PC, you can always emulate these. If you have steamdeck or something I would happily recommend Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story as the pinnacle of the M&L series IMO.
- Disco Elysium
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Sayonara Wild Hearts
- Gorogoa (really pretty much anything by Annapurna)
- Stardew Valley
- Night in the Woods
- Gris
- Firewatch
- Slime Rancher
- Oxenfree
- Fallout 3
- Fallout: New Vegas (Fallout series isn't so much about great stories though)
- The Witcher 3 (Pretty good story, but imo it's more focused on world building)
- A Short Hike
More games that are more about gameplay then story:
- Factorio
- Satisfactory
- Deep Rock Galactic (Rock and stone!)
- Goat Simulator
- Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
- Townscaper
- Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel (maybe 1 as well, avoid 3)
- Papers, Please
- Tomb Raider
- The Stanley Parable
I'm always glad when I see someone recommend Night in the Woods. It took me to a place no other game has.
Based on your description and games played I'd say "Furi" and "Transistor". Second is made by Supergiant Games and all thier stuff is fantastic. I loved thier stories and the gameplay was unique in each.
Hades, which is also made by Supergiant, is also fantastic. It's a great intro to the roguelite genre. I've also heard that their first game, Bastion, is great too, but I haven't played it
Can confirm, Bastion is a fun little hack and slash that does a couple of very clever things narratively.
An FPS with a grand story, play Mass Effect if you haven't already.
Mass Effect is notably not an FPS.
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