Game Recommendations?

Published on by Nick Bradbury

In preparation for my boring recovery period, I bought a number of new books and DVDs to spend time with. But I have to confess that what I’ve really been looking forward to is revisiting an old love: video games.

A few days ago I installed GuildWars, and I’ve been completely hooked by it – it’s an amazing game. However, as much as I love GuildWars, its 3D game play unfortunately makes me nauseas after a while, so it probably isn’t the best choice for someone trying to regain their sense of balance.

I’ve shopped around for other games, but most of the interesting ones offer the same 3D environment. Can anyone recommend an absorbing game that won’t make me sea sick?

40 thoughts on “Game Recommendations?”

  1. Nick,
    If you like strategy games, I recommend Rome: Total War. A lot of game review sites gave it very high marks.
    While the battle scenes are 3D, you can avoid them if you want (you may want to initially, until you feel more comfortable). The rest of the UI is drawn up similar to Civilization, with some tweaks of course. It’s a pretty good strategy game, though. I’ve been playing it again, since the release of HBO’s Rome series.
    And glad to hear you recovering nicely.

  2. It’s an old game, so i’m not sure if you’ll be able to find it. It’s called The Tones, 2d, single player, and can be played relaxed.

  3. If you want a simple, addictive 2D game check out the collection from popcap. Lots of free java-based demos and you can purchase offline versions.
    http://popcap.com/
    I can’t remember how long my bejeweled addiction lasted :)
    The best 2D games at the moment though are on the GBA. Pick up a good RPG and you’ll be absorbed for weeks :)

  5. Recently picked up Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic cheaply and really enjoyed it (playing as Light side).
    Went and picked up the sequel – The Sith Lords and am enjoying that also.
    Will go back to the original and play Dark side eventually just to see what happens!
    I love my PlayStation Portable also!

  6. Hey Nick, glad the recovery is going well. A while back I learned how to play Backgammon and got hooked; it’s very addictive. And if you can find them, the old school Kinq’s Quest games are great. I don’t know why Sierra removed them from their product line, but they have provide me with hours of enjoyment.

  7. Try some slightly less immersive and slightly older 3D games, which are less likely to cause seasickness–NWN and its’ expansions (cheap now), Diablo II + expansion (also cheapish), maybe Dungeon Siege Legends of Aranna (very cheap!).
    Glad to hear your operation was a success. :)

  8. Nick – If you like guild wars, great.. you might want to try out City of Heroes… just think of it, you can dress up in spandex and pretend to be your favorite superhero.

  9. I am also really enjoying Guild Wars. My characters name is Kite Eye. Add me to your friends list.
    FPS games like Call of Duty make me feel like I ate something bad.

  10. I recommand you «The Dig». It’s an old adventure game of Lucas art.
    The story is from Steven Spielberg who made a game of it because it was impossible to do a Movie.
    The story is very good ! The Music is performed by the London Music Orchestra.
    It was the first game I bought !

  12. Funnily enough I think that Sid Meiers Pirates, might be just the ticket. I doubt it will really make you sea sick. It is mildly 3d. It has an absorbing story and your kids will love it.

  13. Hi Nick,
    if you want a game that should take some time and be very addictive – I think this must be definitely some RPG game.
    For example from the recent days, I’d pick the game called Sacred (and The Underworld datadisk). 3rd person view, neverending world full of quests.
    It took me almost three months (while working) to run through the whole basic world (and now the datadisk is out :-)).
    Enjoy!
    GameGuru review (http://www.ggmania.com/full.php3?show=5636)

  15. I guess it depends on the kind of game you like but you could get hold of some of the older RTS games like Red Alert 2.
    Nice and slow-paced.

  16. Hi Nick.
    I’d also recommend any of the LucasArts adventure games. “The Secret of Monkey Island” or “Sam & Max: Hit The Road” especially.
    Otherwise, Yoshi’s Touch & Go, Polarium or Pac Pix on the Nintendo DS.

  17. Hi Nick, good to hear you’re feeling better.
    Here’s a few options-
    PC:
    Starcraft (the best RTS ever, imho)
    Dawn of War (also very good, but 3D)
    ScummVM (lets you emulate the old LucasArts adventures on your PC)
    Diablo2
    PSP:
    Lumines (the best thing since Tetris)
    Buying a PSP just for Lumines might not be a great idea though ;)
    DS:
    Yoshi, Kerby, Polarium, Zoo Keeper etc. Most of the DS’s titles are 2D, so you might enjoy that.

  18. I play one game a year, and if a new version of GTA is not out – I don’t play games at all. It’s just has it all, from retro aracde games in skanky bars you can play for hours on end – to mountain bike racing. If it’s game-play you want (not just g-banging) then this is your game.

  21. I’ll second Charlie’s warning on Snood, and toss in another direction entirely: if you remember interactive fiction fondly, give “Curses” a try.
    Hope you’re doing well.
    – W

  22. If you would be interested in single player games I would recommend Civilization III. If I just need a relaxing game experience, I choose this game.

  23. I always liked Descent, but it’s motion have been known to make people with functioning balance nauseous, so it might not be great for you. ;-)
    If you like break-out type games, I’ve enjoyed Hyperballoid recently.
    … or install mame and play a bunch of the old, well-loved arcade games of your misspent youth. ;-)

  24. Recovering from my surgery two months ago I played a ton of World of Warcraft, but’s that’s not a good option for you :(
    I’m surprised no one’s mentioned it yet, but Civilization might be your best bet. You should be able to pickup Civ III for under $20 (Civ IV is being released soon). It’s an addicting turn-based game so there’s no rush. I’ve spent many, many days playing it. It should be easy on your senses due to the pace and display.
    StarCraft is also another classic and you should be able to get the original and expansion pack for about $20. It’s another great strategy game with all 3 sides well balanced.
    Good luck with your recovery!

  25. Strange Adventures in Infinite Space
    http://www.cheapass.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CAG&Product_Code=CAG703
    Doesn’t take long to play one game, but then you’ll want to play another…
    It’s also nicely 2-D, so (hopefully) no nausea.
    They also have Dr. Blob’s Organism and Box of Blox, neither of which really floated my boat, but might be up your alley. The best part is they are all cheap. Plasmaworm I haven’t tried.
    If you like puzzle games, try Dweep from http://www.dexterity.com/dweep.
    He has a bunch of other games as well, I’ve bought both Dweep and Rocknor’s Donut factory. Both are cool.

  26. Fallout and Fallout 2. Heck, I can send you the disks.
    The Thief series. It’s an FPS – First Person “Sneaker”. Though it’s first-person, it’s much slower than Doom et. al. and very immersive. Again, I got the disks… :)

  29. Thanks for all the great recommendations, folks!
    I gave Snood a few tries, but quite honestly it didn’t do too much for me (I think I’m too spoiled by the lush graphics of games like UT2004 and GuildWars).
    Civilization III and Rome look interesting, though. I’ve never been much of a RTS fan, but that might be just the thing for someone in my situation. And I’d forgotten all about those old LucasArts adventures – I’ll definitely give a couple of those a try (I remember enjoying “Sam & Max” when it first came out).

  30. Try Madden 2006. It is a football game but you can play in franchise mode and take a team through several decades if you want, drafting players, trading them, etc.
    It is very addicting and maybe you get so good you can play online with other people eventually.
    If you don’t know American Football, you can learn. It is quite good and is the best sports game out there.
    i won’t even play it until Christmas, because it is very much fun and addicting and I have work to do to.
    good luck with the recovery.
    cheers.
    b

  31. If you want a simple game try Lux. It’s basically Risk but with different maps and so on. I use it for coding breaks. It’s pretty addicting and has a very simple interface.

  35. Keeping w/ the Sid Meiers recommended games, my all time favorite was Alpha Centuri. Turned-based strategy (not RTS) – basically a sci fi sequal to the Civilization series.
    I know you said RTS wasn’t your favorite – but Freedom Force (golden age super hero action) was a blast. There is a freedom force 2 as well (haven’t installed it yet). Homeworld was a good one as well – but might throw you a bit off balance.
    If you are a true geek – try to get a hold of the new Doctor Who series. It was excellent.

  37. Try the games from Spiderweb software…they’re very much in the vein of the Ultimas…long on story, nostalgiac graphics.
    http://www.avernum.com
    I buy ’em all just to support the projects (though I probably have played only about 25% of them).
    Mike

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