I love gaming and I want to share it with everyone I know, fortunately enough, almost all the people I know are gaming enthusiasts so it’s not too hard to convince them to play a game of any kind. The one person I find an absolute struggle to get enthused about gaming is my girlfriend. Although gaming with the family is practically what the Wii was designed for, it isn’t the experience I want my girlfriend to share with me.
Don’t get me wrong, the accessibility of the Wii makes it a great machine and I love playing the Wii with my nieces and getting a good game of Wii Sports or Resort going, but I want the AAA title experience to be portrayed across to my girlfriend. I have tried and tested several games to involve my lovely lady and I will give you a run down of the successes and the failures I have experienced.
One of the first experiences that showed that there was potential to get my lady interested in the world of gaming was when I was playing Fable 2, she really enjoyed the interactivity and pleasant scenery. I then explained to her how we age in the game and take on characteristics of good or evil depending on our actions throughout the game. This was a positive start as she was fairly interested but there wasn’t enough happening in the game to hold her fleeting interest. Verdict: 5/10
I thought the blockbuster action and thrill of the Call of Duty games and the movie like production would keep her interested for the entirety, but the lack of interaction for her to jump in and have a run about meant she didn’t get the enjoyment of seeing planes fall through the sky or buildings blow up in the distance. She’s not really into the action genre of film so this was the key indicator of her disinterest. Verdict: 3/10
I love playing football games and I love watching football, it is safe to say that my girlfriend does not share the same enthusiasm for the beautiful game, if football is on the television it is reason enough to get angry, but she understands the interest I have in the sport. But the times she finds me playing Fifa 11 have ended catastrophically. It is safe to say she doesn’t have any interest in the football game genre. Verdict: 0/10
One of the few games she has really got into the story of was Assassins Creed Brotherhood, the fairly accessible running across roofs meant she could join in with running from one place to another, but she was fairly inept at the fighting game play. But the story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his struggles against the Borgia and renovating all the locations throughout Rome really held her interest. Verdict: 7/10
Heavy Rain is the number one choice for you to enjoy with your girlfriend, she can get involved in making some choices and enjoying the story, letting it play out and seeing what happens. This has been the game of choice and I was disappointed when it ended as it is not often that a game like that comes along that my girlfriend can enjoy. Verdict: 10/10
There are a whole bunch of other games that need to be mentioned for their accessibility if not their amazing storyline, Worms and Tiger Woods PGA Tour are great games for the two of you to enjoy whilst getting slightly competitive, whilst games such as Jet Set Radio have an artistic feel about them. I feel the next game we can both sit down and enjoy is going to be Rockstar’s Cop Drama L.A Noire. For that I can’t wait.
Andy is a gaming enthusiast and is currently working for a company that offers great Spa Hotels at decent prices. Follow him on his twitter @andym23
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